Welcome to Fact or Fiction Friday. Each Friday, I allow our Facebook and message board fans to ask the most intriguing questions in the Big 12, and I will tell you whether they come true or if they are set to fail.
Now, let’s crack open this week’s list and see what we have in store.
Oklahoma State Freshman QB Maealiuaki Smith Will Replace Bowman Before the End of the Season
Fact: With Garret Rangel and Zane Flores out with season-ending injuries, Maealiuaki Smith is now just one play away from seeing the field. He started the season as the fourth string, and now he’s backing up Alan Bowman. Whether it’s due to an injury or poor play from Bowman, Smith will get some playing time at some point this season and likely take over. Alan Bowman is in his seventh season and will not be returning to Stillwater next season, and with the way this season is going, why not give a guy like Smith a chance to see what he can do? Who knows, maybe he will end up being the future starting quarterback for Oklahoma State in 2025, but they will never know unless he gets some playing time.
The Big 12 Will Have Two One-Loss Teams That Don’t Make the Playoffs
Fiction: In this scenario, we would have two Big 12 teams with just one loss and a conference champion with an automatic College Football Playoff spot with whatever record. I have said this before, but if we have a team that goes 12-0 and loses their first game in the Big 12 championship game, they will be in. If any team in the Big 12 goes undefeated in the regular season, then they will be in no matter what happens in Arlington. The only way a one-loss Big 12 team will be left out of the playoff is if they go 11-1 in the regular season but don’t make it to the conference championship game. One of those one-loss teams would get in along with the Big 12 champion.
Farmageddon Will Determine Who Goes to Arlington
Fact: If you look at the conference schedule, I think it’s clear that Farmageddon will be a play-in game for the Big 12 championship. Kansas State is sitting there with one loss, and they have one of the easiest schedules going into the final weekend of the season. Meanwhile, Iowa State is undefeated still, and their toughest games left will be at home, including the one against Kansas State. November 30th will be a massive day for the Big 12 because it will end up being the day for potentially two tickets to get punched to Jerry World. Circle it on your calendar, folks, because it’s going to be one heck of a day.
West Virginia Will Hire Jimbo Fisher As Their Next Coach
Fiction: While I am glad more people are jumping off the Neal Brown bus, are there West Virginia fans out there who actually want to see Jimbo Fisher as their head coach? The man drove two blueblood programs into the ground in the last eight years. He left Florida State in shambles and couldn’t win at Texas A&M, even with all that money they gave him and all the money they pumped into that program. Plus, his offenses have been hot garbage ever since Jameis Winston left Tallahassee. Hiring Jimbo Fisher would be another misstep for West Virginia. No Power Four program should want him at this time.
Oklahoma State Will Go Winless in Conference Play
Fiction: Looking at the schedule, the Cowboys still have to play Baylor, Arizona State, TCU, Texas Tech and Colorado. Their best chances of winning a game are in the next three weeks. I know Oklahoma State is down right now, but I will not say they end up 0-9 in Big 12 play. There’s no way they will do that with Mike Gundy as their head coach. Just look at what happened last weekend in Provo. Oklahoma State was extremely close to beating one of the best teams in the conference, and speaking of the conference, anything, and I mean anything, can happen. The Cowboys will win at least one or two more games this season despite their current struggles. Who knows, maybe they will pull off a massive upset.
