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!
@acheulean asks: What NFL team will draft Shedeur Sanders?
Duke: The Cleveland Browns and New York Giants will likely end up picking in the top four. Both teams could use a quarterback, and just about every expert out there has Sanders as the first quarterback taken. Both teams would love to draft him, but I see Sanders fitting better in New York than I do in Cleveland. Either way, he is going to end up going to a poorly run-franchise.
@illibruin asks: Are Kansas and Baylor two of the best teams in the Big 12?
Duke: While both Kansas and Baylor are playing good football right now, they aren’t the two best teams in the Big 12. BYU, Arizona State, Colorado, and Iowa State are the four best teams in the conference at this very moment. I can’t ignore the losses those teams had earlier in the season. Unlike the playoff committee, games matter, and results do too. Kansas and Baylor had some ugly losses back in September and October that I can’t just look away from.
With that said, both of these teams are playing their best football right now. I would not want to play either team because they are extremely dangerous. Both offenses are on fire because they can both run the ball, and their quarterbacks (Jalon Daniels and Sawyer Roberston) are playing great football.
@CMack0507 asks: I saw that a well-known, very loud, national media pundit believes the Dallas Cowboys should go after Coach Prime during the off-season. Why would Deion choose to stay in Colorado, let alone in the college ranks at all, after the season ends when the NFL is calling?
Duke: This is a great question, and I think it’s something to keep an eye on after the season. Right now, Colorado controls its own destiny in the Big 12, and it is on the cusp of a possible college football playoff berth. So, I doubt Deion will say anything about the NFL at the moment.
However, I believe there will be plenty of talk about him going to the NFL. And yes, the Dallas Cowboys were one of his former teams, and it appears there could be an opening there if Jerry Jones decides to fire his puppet, I mean, head coach Mike McCarthy. If the right job calls, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Deion jump ship.
@CyclonesSF asks: Is the Big 12 stuck in purgatory as being a 1-bid league? It feels like the media and people in charge will make sure of it. Or do you think there’s a way out besides getting lucky from time to time?
Duke: When this 12-team playoff was created, I truly thought it was going to open things up for the Big 12. I imagined a world where we would get two teams in the playoff every year, and things would be better than ever. But that was me using my imagination, and that is where that idea will probably stay because I soon realized that this 12-team playoff was really created to get more SEC and Big Ten teams in. The playoff is a television product, and they want ratings, and they are going to try and get ratings by getting as many bluebloods and big brands as possible.
While it’s great to have an automatic bid, I am afraid that most years, that is all the conference is going to get because ESPN and the college football playoff committee don’t give a rat’s you-know-what about the Big 12. Are there going to be some years where the Big 12 gets two teams in? Sure, but I wouldn’t expect that every year.
@KBehr68 asks: Should I, or shouldn’t I, dress as Santa for Farmageddon since it’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving?
Duke: I would be disappointed if you didn’t dress as Santa for Farmaggedon. My only regret about that is that I am not going to be there to see it. Also, make sure Santa has plenty of refreshments before the game to stay hydrated.
