Welcome to the Heartland College Sports Big 12 Football mailbag. This mailbag is for all you football junkies out there who root for a Big 12 school and not only have questions about your team but other teams in the conference as well.
So, join me, grab a can, bottle, or glass of your favorite beverage, and relax as I answer all your Big 12 questions. I want to thank each one of you who submitted a question this week on Twitter and our message boards! As for tonight’s drink of choice, take a look for yourself. Cheers!
@kelorn21 asks: How concerned should Iowa State fans be about the slow offensive starts? What are the chances it causes them to drop a game they shouldn’t?
Duke: I don’t like to nitpick too much, but you certainly are right about the slow starts offensively being frustrating. Against Arkansas State, Iowa State put up 31 points on the board in the first half. Then they went out against a bad Houston team and laid an egg in the first two quarters outside of one field goal. Eventually they woke up, which was good, but you can’t do that against quality teams on the road and expect to win a ton of games. Their offense is good enough to score and it’s just a matter of being more consistent.
@lyclones420 asks: With the result of the Colorado/UCF game this weekend, is Colorado better than what we originally thought or is UCF not the Big 12 contender like many thought?
Duke: It’s a little of both. Coming into the season, we knew Colorado has serious talent at the skill positions. I mean they have two of the top 20 players in college football with Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. It was just a matter of if they could be better at the line of scrimmage. On Saturday, they showed the nation that they can be physical up front and if they can continue to do that then they will be much better than what people predicted.
As for UCF, I thought KJ Jefferson would be better as a passer. Obviously, he is a threat to run the ball at any given moment, but their offense is too one dimensional at times. Good luck to teams trying to tackle him and RJ Harvey but sometimes you have to throw the football every once in a while, to keep defenses honest and UCF can’t do that right now. Also, their defense has some issues as well and they struggled to stop the run against Colorado which is concerning.
Related: Which Big 12 Football Team is Trending Up in ESPN FPI?
@JordanWVU07 asks: Can West Virginia Make a Big 12 title run if they beat Oklahoma State this weekend?
Duke: Can they? Yes. But will they? No. Don’t get me wrong beating Oklahoma State football would be a big step in the right direction, but West Virginia still has a very tough schedule ahead of them. Their next three games after Oklahoma State are against Iowa State, Kansas State, and Arizona on the road. We will find out a lot more about this West Virginia team after that three-game stretch compared to a game against a struggling Oklahoma State team. Now if they can win three out of their next four games, then consider me sold on the Mountaineers but that is a big if right now.
@simonwilson 24 asks: When BYU and ISU meet in the Big 12 title game (both undefeated), would you rather win the game and play the #5 seed (likely sec runner up), or lose the game and potentially host a first-round game?
Duke: I like the confidence in your picks. I just wish I had that much confidence when it comes to sports gambling because I would feel a lot better about myself. If BYU football and Iowa State both go undefeated then I will…. actually, after seeing that Kansas State fan and the five layer burrito, I don’t want to jinx myself.
Anyways, back to the question here, while potentially hosting a playoff game would be huge, there is no guarantee of a Big 12 team getting one of those five through eight seeds. So, I would say winning the conference championship and getting a first-round bye would be better. That’s one less game you have to play, and it automatically puts you in the top eight.
@lyclones420 asks: Will Dave Aranda get fired this weekend?
Duke: If Baylor loses to Iowa State this weekend, then there is no need for them to keep Dave Aranda. I mentioned in an article this past weekend that Baylor should have fired him on Sunday which just so happened to be his birthday. Nothing says happy birthday like getting paid millions of dollars not to do your job anymore am I right? But in all seriousness, here’s the facts. Dave Aranda is 2-12 in his last 14 conference games and 3-16 in his last 19 games against FBS opponents. This program has been going in the wrong direction for the last the years. If he loses on Saturday, it’s time to cut ties and move on.
Related: Baylor vs. Iowa State Prediction, Preview and Picks
