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!
@joboo972 asks: Wow, how fun is it to watch the Big 12 week in and week out? Texas Tech prediction the rest of the way?
Duke: I am probably not the person to ask because I am biased due to the fact that I cover the conference. I enjoy covering this conference because it is the most entertaining conference in all of college football. Week in and week out you truly never know what you are going to get. It’s unpredictable and it’s like a car crash that you can’t take your eyes off of. I know that March Madness is a big deal, but the Big 12 football season feels like Fall Madness to me.
As for Texas Tech, if you have been following along with my work you know that I have them winning eight or nine games this year. Their schedule sets up very nicely so I could see them going 9-3 to finish out the year. The Red Raiders will be in the Big 12 title hunt in November.
@tracks182 asks: How does Aranda still have a job, and which team in the future will have him as DC and Dykes as OC? My money is on Liberty.
Duke: Let me start by saying that Sonny Dykes will be back in 2025. The man had TCU in the national championship game two years ago, and he has earned the right to come back next season no matter what. As for Dave Aranda, he should have been left in Ames this past weekend. Baylor has been trending in the wrong direction for three years now, and get this. He is 3-17 in his last 20 games against FBS opponents and is now 2-13 in his previous 15 Big 12 games. It’s time to move on Baylor. I don’t care how “nice” of a guy he is anymore. It’s not working, and it’s time to move on.
@Particular_Drew asks: If Texas Tech, BYU, Iowa State, and Colorado play a 4-team neutral site playoff this week for conference championship, who comes out on top?
Duke: I see you listed seeds for each team, but I will give you my list in order for those four teams. I would go Iowa State, Texas Tech, Colorado, and BYU. The Cyclones are at the top of my Big 12 power rankings, and I am buying Texas Tech stocks like crazy right now. I like Colorado’s talent in making things interesting, but I am still not 100% sold on BYU outside of Provo. Also, I would include Kansas State and Utah (with a healthy Cam Rising) in that top four instead of Colorado and BYU.
@Vectoze_ asks: Everyone got Dave Aranda and Neal Brown on the hot seat (although Neal Brown’s seat is starting to cool down for now), do you think Mike Gundy should be on the hot seat as well? Do you see him coaching at OSU next season?
Duke: As disappointed as I am in Oklahoma State (I picked them to get to Arlington), there is zero chance of Mike Gundy being on the hot seat. In fact, there is a better chance of me hitting the lottery than Gundy being on the hot seat. Mike built that program from the ground up and when he’s ready to call it quits, that is when he will no longer be the coach in Stillwater. The man has a rolling contract for crying out loud.
@CMack0507 asks: Do you think Big 12 After Dark games help the national perception of the conference? Or are the sickos, degenerates, and fans of these teams still the only ones who care?
Duke: Honestly, I don’t think it helps much because look at the college football playoff committee. You would have a hard time telling the difference between a nursing home and the College Football Playoff committee room. Most of these people are in bed by 8:00 p.m., so they miss pretty much every game on the west coast that doesn’t involve USC because, for whatever reason, they love kissing their ass. But at the end of the day, results still matter, so they are very important to the conference title race, and for us night owls in Big 12 country, they are the perfect way to end a college football Saturday. Think of it as a nightcap, if you will.
