Welcome to Tuesday Takes, where I give you five takes from the Big 12. It was a jam-packed week full of action, but here were several things that caught my attention from this past weekend.
Utah Should Make the Playoff
I know the college football playoff rankings will come out later this evening, and I will be interested to see where the committee has the Utes, but I believe Utah will find its way in. Utah is playing its best football of the season right now, and outside of Texas Tech, it may be the most physical team on both sides of the ball. Their rushing attack is number one in the conference, and they have the second-best defense to complement that run game. If the committee puts any stock into the eye test, then there is no reason Utah should be left out. In fact, they are a top ten team in my eyes.
Baylor’s President Should Step In
After the news of Mack Rhoades last week taking a leave of absence, which means Baylor could be looking for a new athletic director and football coach in the next few weeks. But what I don’t get is why Dave Aranda still has a job right now. Baylor is now 5-5 after their ugly loss to Utah, and Aranda now has an overall record of 36-35 and 24-28 in Big 12 play. Outside of a win streak last season, what has he done in the last four years that is worthy enough of still keeping his job? Baylor president Linda Livingstone should step in and cut bait right now. I have seen enough of Dave Aranda in Waco.
Arizona Will Win Nine Games
Arizona’s win over Cincinnati isn’t being talked about enough in Big 12 circles. Brent Brennan has his football team rolling right now as they just cranked out their third straight win in conference action. Noah Fitia is playing well, the run game has taken off, and their defense looks a lot better this season. Right now, the Wildcats are sitting at 7-3 with two games left against Baylor and Arizona State. Between Baylor’s struggles and Arizona State’s injuries, Arizona should be favored in both games, and the path to finish 9-3 is there for this team. That would be one hell of a turnaround for Brennan and his staff there in Tucson.
TCU Will Beat Houston This Weekend
Last week I said that TCU would lose out and finish 6-6 and while that is certainly still likely to happen, I reconsidered on their upcoming game against Houston on the road. While the Cougars have had some close wins, they aren’t exactly setting the world on fire either. One could argue that they have been playing down to their competition over the last few games. By no means is TCU playing great, but they have enough talent to give Houston a scare. Plus, Houston’s home field advantage is the worst in the conference, outside of maybe Oklahoma State. Call me crazy, but I am picking the Frogs to wake up on Saturday.
Oklahoma State’s Drought Will End
It’s been over 720 days since Oklahoma State last won a conference game. But that streak will end this weekend when the Cowboys travel to Orlando to take on UCF. Despite the results not going in their favor, Oklahoma State has been competitive over its last two games against Kansas and Kansas State. UCF is banged up, and I just am not sure if they are that much better than Oklahoma State. I am calling my shot now; the streak will end on Saturday.
