2023 Big 12 Football Review: Where I Was Right, Wrong
Another great college football season has come and gone. Sure, we still have some bowl games to get through but for some teams, the season is over. Before we know it, July will have come around and we will all be picking our preseason Big 12 teams for next year.
However, before we get into the offseason, I wanted to look back at some of my picks before the season and see how they played out.
Where I Was Right
Texas
Since I started filling out my preseason polls (2017), I had not once put the Texas Longhorns at the top. However, this year was different, because of what Texas was bringing to the table along the lines of scrimmage. I am never one to buy into the Texas hype, but I did this past offseason and it paid off big time. The Longhorns were the best team in the Big 12 this year and I don’t think anyone could argue otherwise. Hey, it feels nice to be right sometimes.
Oklahoma State
This could go either way, but I am going to give myself a little credit here. The Cowboys were picked to finish seventh and I had them two spots higher. In fact, I don’t know of anyone else who picked them to finish higher than fifth. I knew the pieces Oklahoma State had were good but I wasn’t sure about how well it would all come together. It turns out, they figured things out and made one heck of a run to end the season.
Oklahoma
Much like my Texas pick, I was right on the money with Oklahoma. I knew the Sooners were going to be better than they were in 2022, but I didn’t think they were quite good enough to make it to Arlington. This worked out quite well for a lot of Big 12 fans because we have now gone three straight years of Oklahoma not playing in the conference championship game after winning six straight Big 12 titles.
UCF
I was just one spot off from where UCF finished. Out of all the new teams coming in, I thought UCF would be the best one and they were. If not for an injury to John Rhys Plumlee, the Knights could have a top-six team in the conference.
Kansas
If I had just flipped my Kansas and UCF picks, then I would have been spot-on with those two. Still, I was pretty darn close here. It amazes me that this team was able to finish eighth without Jalon Daniels as their quarterback. And with him coming back, I expect them to be even better next season.
BYU
I thought BYU was going to finish two spots higher but at the same time, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this team in year one. They still have a long way to go in Provo and hopefully, they can improve next season.
Houston
I think anyone who knew anything knew that Houston was going to struggle this season in the Big 12. That’s exactly what happened, and Dana Holgorsen got fired. I just hope that Willie Fritz will do a better job.
Cincinnati
Nothing much to say here. Everyone and their mother picked Cincinnati to finish in the bottom five of the Big 12. The Bearcats just weren’t up to speed yet and I am curious to see what they can do in year two under Scott Satterfield.
Where I Was Wrong
Teas Tech
The Red Raiders were my dark horse team to win the Big 12 and that aged about as well as milk left in the hot Texas sun. Instead of competing for a conference championship, Texas Tech barely made a bowl game as they finished the regular season going 6-6, but did manage to end the year with a big win over Cal.
Kansas State
I know Kansas State finished three spots lower from where I picked them, but I can’t say that it was a good prediction. I thought this team was going to defend their Big 12 title in Arlington and that obviously didn’t happen. They were just too inconstant this season to win a Big 12 title.
TCU
I figured TCU would take a step back this season, but I didn’t think they would take ten steps back. The Horned Frogs were all over the place and at times looked downright awful. At no point and time did this team look like they were a top-five team in the Big 12.
Baylor
If TCU was a bad pick, then I don’t even know what to call my Baylor pick. For some reason, I thought this team was going to be better this year and I was off by 1,000 miles on this one. The Bears may have finished 13th but they may as well have finished dead last because they were awful in 2023.
Iowa State
This one belongs in my bonehead pick pile because what in the heck was I thinking? I think I bought too much into the gambling stuff in the offseason and I lost focus on just how good of a coach Matt Campbell is. NOBODY and I mean NOBODY thought that Iowa State was going to finish in the top five, so I guess I wasn’t the only dummy out there.
West Virginia
I have never been more wrong about a team in my life than the 2023 West Virginia Mountaineers. For some reason, I bought into the idea that they were going to be terrible and that this was going to be Neal Brown’s last season in Morgantown. I picked them to finish dead last and they made me look stupid.
