Postscripts: Big 12 Title Game Set, BYU’s Final Four and K-State’s Unusual Dynasty
What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.
This week, we have a Big 12 title game matchup, we have a Big 12 Final Four soccer team and we have tons of Kansas State national championships in … crop judging.
We Have a Big 12 Title Game
So it will be at Oklahoma State vs. Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game next Saturday in Arlington.
I’m not a betting man because I like keeping my money, but this game will be close. Why?
Because Oklahoma State plays up or down to the level of its opponent. That’s never been more apparent than in the last month.
Against Oklahoma? Totally hyped. Won Bedlam. Gave OU its second loss.
Against UCF? Total garbage. Playing down to a team struggling to get to bowl eligibility (which the Knights did on Saturday).
Against Houston? Again, played down to a team that might be the worst in the Big 12.
Against BYU? Played down to the Cougars, though I think the Cougars are better than a 5-7 team — and they nearly proved it in Stillwater before falling in double overtime.
I think OSU goes into Arlington and plays up to its opponent, Texas, which is 11-1 and still has a legit pathway to the College Football Playoffs (it’s not as complicated as you think).
So, yeah, OSU goes in and plays up. It plays well. It darned near wins.
But, in the end, Texas wins. This team is undeniably talented. Its defense is elite. And, unlike the last two years, it’s mentally tough. Nothing gets to it, not as it has in past seasons.
I’m not gonna say the words (you know what they are). But I would have no issue with Steve Sarkisian being the Big 12 Coach of the Year. Completely deserves it.
About That Legit Pathway …
So, Texas was No. 7 in the last College Football Playoff rankings. The Longhorns are now 11-1. If they beat Oklahoma State, they’ll be 12-1 with a Big 12 title.
I think the Longhorns have a path to giving the Big 12 a CFP berth on their way out the door. Here’s how:
Undefeated No. 1 Georgia beats No. 8 Alabama in the SEC title game. The Tide are done. Bulldogs stay at No. 1.
Undefeated No. 3 Michigan (likely No. 2 on Tuesday) beats Iowa in the Big Ten title game. Wolverines stay No. 2.
Undefeated No. 4 Washington (likely be No. 3 on Tuesday) beats No. 6 Oregon in the Pac-12 title game. Huskies remain No. 3. Ducks are done.
Undefeated No. 5 Florida State (I have no idea where they’ll be ranked on Tuesday) loses to Louisville in the ACC title game.
Now you have to sort through three one-loss teams — Texas, Ohio State and Florida State. Texas would be the only one with a conference title. To me, that breaks any sort of deadlock over the final spot in the final four-team playoff.
I mean, the committee is gonna committee, but that’s how I see the Longhorns’ easiest path to get there.
On To the Final Four, BYU
Last week I brought you Big 12 women’s soccer. This week I bring it to you again, but the field is a little lonelier this week. Just one Big 12 team made it to the Elite Eight — BYU.
Yep, one of the league’s newest teams got farther than Texas Tech, which lost to North Carolina, and Texas, which lost to Florida State, both in the Sweet 16.
So the Cougars carried the league’s banner into the Elite Eight, and the Cougars got to host North Carolina. If you look at the embed below you’ll see that snow behind the goal, which is the same goal where BYU scored its game-winner, 4-3, over North Carolina.
THE WINNING GOAL
— BYU Women's Soccer (@byusoccer_w) November 25, 2023
📺 https://t.co/GiCIzRvRby pic.twitter.com/NJqaT19KXU
You have been avenged Texas Tech! BYU will advance to the College Cup (soccer’s version of the Final Four) for just the second time in program history. But here’s the thing. The video doesn’t do what BYU did justice. But this graphic does.
BYU Women's Soccer had an absolutely insane night to punch their ticket to their 2nd ever College Cup! 🤯 https://t.co/zH2y0ZDP8D pic.twitter.com/bcIJSXNewy
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) November 25, 2023
Yep. BYU fell behind 3-0 at the half and scored four goals in the second half to win the game.
Just incredible. The Cougars will play Stanford on Friday. If the Cougars win they will play either Florida State or Clemson in the final on Dec. 4.
By the way, the Big 12 has never won a women’s soccer national championship.
Kansas State’s Dynasty
If you follow Sickos Committee on Twitter (and if you’re not, you should be — @SickosCommittee) then you know they crank out some of the most unique college football content out there.
But, the Sickos Committee also branches out into other stuff. One of the most popular things it does is a list of all of the “other” national champions. These are non-NCAA sanctioned titles. In fact, the vast majority of them aren’t even sports.
This is how I found out that Kansas State has an insanely good crop-judging team.
So what is crop judging? According to the American Society of Agronomy, the National Crops Judging Contest consists of three parts: plant and seed identification, commercial grain grading, and seed analysis. Apparently, there is a quality to this work that obviously escapes me but can be evaluated in the same way judges would evaluate Olivia Dunne’s work on the balance beam.
If crop judging has a G.O.A.T., it’s Kansas State. And there’s a T-shirt to prove it, as modeled by Kansas State women’s basketball player Gabby Gregory.
Game recognize game https://t.co/2fmjhwb7lt pic.twitter.com/sEvEPvq1pQ
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) November 20, 2023
In case you can’t count, that’s 31 national championships on the back of that T-shirt. The Wildcats won their 32nd title earlier this week. That’s 11 more than any other university.
Don’t tick off the Wildcats. They grow your food and they’re really Belichickian at judging how it grows, too.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
