The Big 12 officially needs to DIE, here's why....

[Rekkapryde]

(long read)

watching that OU/Clemson game was so disappointing for me. Still hurts to think about. Let me have my peace.


Despite Clemson being the better team, it highlighted a bigger issue.

If you look at OU 10-12 years ago, we had big, huge LBs, 6'0+ physical DB's with size, etc. Our WRs were big guys. Our linemen were maulers. You look at us now, and it's not the same. What happened?

It's been building for years, but now all 10 outta 10 teams in the Big 12 have switched to some version of the air-raid offense. A decade or so ago, it used to be just Texas Tech that was pass, pass, pass... Every team back then good or bad, had a different identity. Now there's no balance anymore.

Long story short, you now have to build/recruit your teams a certain way to win consistently in the Big 12. You have to score in bunches to keep up with Baylor, TCU, WVU, OkSt, and Texas Tech b/c there's no way to shut them down EVERY WEEK. Sure, in a one off game you might be ok.....but for 9 conf games, somebody is gonna catch you slipping and crazy stuff will happen. Building a team to win the Big 12 doesn't prepare you well to win against top teams from other confs. You have to have a lttle smaller, quicker player to compete in the Big 12. You think a big safety like Roy Williams could play today? Not a chance. Our leading tackler, LB Dom Alexander, LOST 10 lbs before this season so he could play at 220lbs and be quicker for the Big 12 style. That's crazy.

Clemson's D-coord, Brent Venebles, was almost ran out of Norman b/c his last couple years were simply AWFUL. Everybody blamed him when in retrospect the real problem was these week to week gimmicky offenses. Granted he might have a little better talent at Clemson, but he also isn't handcuffed the way D-coordinators are in the B12.

Two years ago OU switched to a more traditional run-heavy ball control offense, and a 3-4 defense......that season we beat Alabama at the end....but we also got stomped by Baylor that year. And then the following year lost 4 conf games. So this season we switched up things again, we outscored everybody and played fantastic pass defense, but Texas beat us by essentially playing bully ball..Clemson too. Our team isn't really built for that, BUT you also can't win in the B12 consistently playing bully ball b/c you'll need to score more week to week. It also makes it a harder sell to 4-5 star recruits on the defensive side of the ball.

So yeah, Big 12 had it's time, but it needs to go away, be dissolved into others, whatever. I wouldnt mind seeing OU in the Big 10, Pac-12, or SEC West.

Stoops highlighted this years ago. Playing those offenses every week is a bytch. And more and more teams are switching to it. Get used to it.

 

[Rekkapryde]

It's what 128 teams. Only 1 is gonna win the College Football Playoff and after this bowl season I see that more times than not it's gonna come from the SEC. I don't fukk with the SEC in any way, shape or form but I realize that they are on a different level . I accept it but I still want to see spread/air raid teams of the Big 12 or pro style type offenses that focus on the passing game like the Pac 12 was known for.

Change it from "SEC" to "Alabama".

 

[hotbeezie]

The Big 12 needs to add Louisiana Tech and Louisiana Tech needs to play independence stadium in Shreveport








One can dream tho

 

[CrimsonTider]

Change it from "SEC" to "Alabama".

Outside of last season the SEC has dominated bowl season for 10 years including destroying everyone this year

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

Outside of last season the SEC has dominated bowl season for 10 years including destroying everyone this year

You mean last year when you pom pom shaking slack jaws were yelling "they don't count" or "it's just glorified exhibition games"....yea, we remember

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

OU would definitely be better if they were in the SEC. it would help their recruiting

nope! OU already recruits nationally on top of having pull in some of the best parts of TX (especially N. Tx)....a move to the SEC would just open that area up more for other SEC power schools to move in and poach talent which some not named LSU have started doing since aTm is in conference now

 

[Rigby.]

SEC West.

nikka

 

[Music Fiend]

OU SUCKS

#LonghornNation

 

[hood b. goode]

The problem with the big 12 isn't offensive scheme or even coaching. it's recruiting. OU's performance fell off after the sam bradford years.

Stoops is still the same coach since then, and still knows how to put together a well coached squad. It's just less 1st rounder draft picks in recent years for OU.

What's the highest ranked recruiting class in the big 12 this signing day (feb 2016)

Bet its ranked about 15th - 20th

Meanwhile SEC has a bunch of teams in the top 10.

 

[satam55]

The Big 12 needs to add Louisiana Tech and Louisiana Tech needs to play independence stadium in Shreveport








One can dream tho

The only non-LSU Louisiana school that would be considered is Tulane.

 

[Silkk]

Breh the way to beat these gimmicky offenses is to over power them, it happens every year they get slapped in the mouth. The only team that really had the talent to take it all the way was Oregon. All Oklahoma should be doing is beefing up the trenches. They do that and they good. Why in the world would you adjust to combat TCU and Baylor? .

Because they were whooping their ass

 

[Geek Nasty]

Big 12 is f-ed up now. KU is 3 hours from Nebraska and Mizzou, but both are in different conferences now. And, West Virginia is a replacement? This cross country conference thing and blowing up ancient rivalries has kind of killed the Big 12 for me.

 

[jadillac]

Breh the way to beat these gimmicky offenses is to over power them, it happens every year they get slapped in the mouth. The only team that really had the talent to take it all the way was Oregon. All Oklahoma should be doing is beefing up the trenches. They do that and they good. Why in the world would you adjust to combat TCU and Baylor? You should be forcing them to adjust. You are supposed to be the conference elite.

In 2014, we had the biggest Offensive Line college or NFL. We lost 5 games. How's that?

Granted part of that was Trevor Knight throwing multiple pick 6's in multiple games, a few kicking errors. But we still got stomped by Baylor and outscored by TCU.

You have to put up alot of points in order to take pressure off ur defense. So if you want to win the Big 12 currently, you have to play like Baylor, TCU, WVU.

Being a conference elite is one thing, but someone will catch you off guard one week and there goes ur entire season.

 

[Frump]

Big 12 is a microcosm of what's happening and wrong with football in college and the nfl these days

Passing 50 times a game where even mediocre qb's are putting up huge numbers but the offenses aren't physical and couldn't run on 3rd and short or goal line situations to save their lives

Defenses that can't tackle.

I mostly blame the rules in college and the nfl that's made it impossible to play defense anymore and encouraged these arena league type offenses putting up inflated numbers that's made the game less enjoyable imo

 

[Spade]

Great point Alabama stays in the Houston area. They hitting DFW up too. Ashawn Robinson would have been OU or Texas 10 years ago.

Most of the top recruits that have gone to the SEC since 2011 would have been at Texas or OU right now. Texas and OU both knew that A&M going to the SEC benefits the rest of the SEC more than it benefits A&M. A&M was too stupid to realize that.