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Friday, September 25, 2015

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College Football Playoff Watch

Off-field sniping spices up Big 12 rivalries

Saturday marks start
of league contests, but
contempt already rages

Whats ahead?

COLLEGES

egardless of whether
the Big 12 puts a team
into the College Football Playoff or how many points
its offenses produce this season, one thing has already been
established three weeks into
the season:
Its a very safe bet that
somewhere a news item about
the Big 12 will be running
across the bottom of a TV
screen.
There may be better conferences. There are certainly bigger ones. No one is more entertaining per capita than the Big
12. Pretty much everyone is loving the loathing in the conference well, outside of commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who
may be stockpiling Tylenol and

Breaking down three key games in the second quarter of the Big
12 season:
TCU at Texas Tech, Saturday: TCU scored 82 points last season on
the Red Raiders. Expect something much closer in sold-out Jones
Stadium in Lubbock, where Tech has won four straight against the
Horned Frogs.
Texas Tech vs. Baylor at AT&T Stadium, Oct. 3: Patrick Mahomes
and Co. came within a two-point conversion last season of forcing
overtime. First team to 50 wins?
West Virginia at Oklahoma, Oct. 3: OU quarterback Baker Mayfield
is lighting up opponents. West Virginia might have the best secondary in the Big 12.

CHUCK CARLTON
ccarlton@dallasnews.com

Alka-Seltzer.
TCU coach Gary Patterson
is making Baylor references to
what happened south of here
like something out of the Michigan-Ohio State playbook. Is
there a better sign to gauge how
bitter the rivalry is right now?
Dressed like he was about to
give a best mans toast complete with a carnation, Texas
Techs Kliff Kingsbury dropped
a verbal hammer on Arkansas
Bret Bielema months in the
making.
What was apparently another Baylor rules oversight led
to assistant Jeff Lebby watch-

ing Oklahoma face Tulsa. So

Lebby will serve a half-game
suspension against the Sooners. It comes on the heels of
Bears assistants Kendal Briles
and Tate Wallis being suspended for Lamar because of an
NCAA recruiting violation.
With Oklahoma State visiting Texas this week, the Joe
Wickline breach of contract
lawsuit is back in the news.
Even Dallas tycoon and major

Oklahoma State donor T.

Boone Pickens offered an opinion Thursday.
If I was Texas, I would be
embarrassed to have the guy
sitting there owing us
$600,000, Pickens told Austins KVET-AM (1300) in regards to Wicklines buyout.
Its also too early to make
another judgment about the
Big 12. Whether its better or
worse, its most assuredly dif-

ferent than anyone expected.

Yes, No. 3 TCU and No. 5
Baylor are still undefeated and
still among the nations top five
teams. Yet neither seems bulletproof, or even as good as last
season.
Baylor coach Art Briles
talked about both the team and
him losing their edge this week.
You can't play up or down
to any opponent, All-American offensive tackle Spencer
Drango said. A lot of times we
have to fight through it.
Patterson has already lost
seven or is it eight? potential defensive starters since the
start of camp. If hes in denial,
its by choice.
Im not sure Ive ever been a
part of where you lose so many
starters, especially this early,
Patterson said. You've got to be
careful about talking about it
too much.
At least early, Oklahoma is

back to being Oklahoma with a

nice comeback win at Tennessee, the Air Raid offense and a
swashbuckling quarterback in
Baker Mayfield.
The problem for the Big 12 is
depth. Oklahoma State and
West Virginia look pretty good,
as two more of the seven undefeated teams in the conference.
Texas Tech may be poised to
be the biggest surprise. Selfishly, Baylor and TCU might have
been rooting for another Big 12
team to emerge in the Top 25.
The trouble is that Tech may be
able to cement its rise in the
next two games at home
against TCU and at AT&T Stadium against Baylor.
If that happens, people
might be talking about Big 12
football even more than feudin
and fussin.
Follow Chuck Carlton on Twitter
at @ChuckCarltonDMN

Bill Nichols
SATURDAYS NOTABLE GAMES

Big nonconference wins help image of Big 12

Victories over SEC foes
earn bragging rights
entering league play

No. 3 TCU at Texas Tech (+712)

3:30 p.m. (Ch. 4): The Frogs held off SMUs rally,
finishing with 720 yards in a 56-37 win. But they
lost another defensive player, Ranthony Texada,
to a season-ending injury. Tech is riding high
after beating Arkansas, 35-24, in Fayetteville.
TCUs injury-ravaged defense must limit the
production of Patrick Mahomes (1,158 yards total
offense, 13 TDs) and DeAndre Washington (7.97
per carry). TCU 42, Tech 37.

Despite having no SEC teams to

beat, the Big 12 is in great shape entering the fourth week.
Conference teams have posted a road
win over a power five league opponent in
each of the first three weeks, a feat matched
only by the Big Ten. Road victories over SEC
teams in consecutive weeks Oklahoma
over Tennessee, Texas Tech over Arkansas
help immeasurably in terms of the leagues
perception and the teams strength of schedules.
The SEC remains No. 1 with a 23-4 nonconference record, 4-2 vs. power five opposition. But the big-boy
Big 12 has made big gains, with seven of its 10 teams still undefeated.
Depth helps when it comes to rating conferences, but only the
top teams will contend for playoff spots. With top-five teams TCU
and Baylor, the Big 12 improves its chances of landing a playoff spot,
but depth can be a detriment.
The difficulty of getting through the Big 12 unscathed will come
into play this weekend as TCU travels to Texas Tech for a battle of
unbeatens, and undefeated Oklahoma State plays at Texas.

No. 9 UCLA
at No. 16 Arizona (+312)
7 p.m. (Ch. 8): Bruins freshman QB Josh Rosen
has thrown for only 329 yards and two TDs and
has four interceptions in two games since his
impressive debut against Virginia. Having
escaped with a comeback win over BYU, the
Bruins will probably rely heavily on RBs Paul
Perkins and Nate Starks, who bailed Rosen out
with a combined 300 yards
and two TDs. Arizona set
team records for points
and total yards in last
weeks 77-13 win
over FCS opponent
Northern Arizona.
Last year the
Wildcats were
averaging 41 points
and 542 yards but managed
only 255 yards in a 17-7 loss to UCLA.
Arizona 34, UCLA 30.

Arkansas (+7) vs. No. 14 Texas A&M

No. 18 Utah
at No. 13 Oregon (no line)

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, 6 p.m. (ESPN): It seemed the Hogs would

build on last years close losses to great teams by becoming great
themselves. Instead, three games in, they are riding a two-game
losing streak entering the SEC opener. They surrendered 486 yards
(8.4 per play) to Texas Tech. The Aggies averaged almost 500 yards
and 46 points in victories over Arizona State, Ball State and Nevada.
At least the Hogs do not have to worry about TCU transfer Kenny
Hill, who led the Aggies comeback over Arkansas last year with 4 TD
passes. KYLE ALLEN (right) has 594 passing yards, nine TDs and two
INTs. Arkansas 34, Texas A&M 30.

7:30 p.m. (Ch. 4): The Utes defense has been

impressive, leading to the team matching its
highest ranking since 2010. The Ducks defense
has been brutal against the pass, allowing 316
yards per game. Utes are talking about this
being a measuring stick game, which basically
means they think Oregon is the better team.
Oregon 38, Utah 33.

George Bridges/AP

Line through Tuesday. LAST WEEK: 3-1 straight, 3-1 vs. line. SEASON: 10-2 straight, 9-3 vs. line.

College
picks

Boise State at Virginia (+212)

Arkansas (+7) vs. Texas A&M
Oklahoma State at Texas (+3)
TCU at Texas Tech (+712)
Rice (+3412) at Baylor
Texas State (+15) at Houston
North Texas (+2412) at Iowa
USC at Arizona State (+512)
BYU (+512) at Michigan
Tennessee (+2) at Florida
Mississippi State (+3) at Auburn
Missouri (+3) at Kentucky
Maryland (+17) at West Virginia
UCLA at Arizona (+312)
Vanderbilt (+24) at Ole Miss
Kansas (+1212) at Rutgers
California at Washington (+412)
Utah (Off) at Oregon
Southern Miss (+22) at Nebraska
Colorado State at UTSA (+9)
Last week vs. line
Season vs. line
Last week straight
Season straight

CHUCK
CARLTON

CORBY
DAVIDSON

KATE
HAIROPOULOS

TOMMY
MAGELSSEN

BILL
NICHOLS

RIC
RENNER

NEWY
SCRUGGS

KEVIN
SHERRINGTON

BRETT
VITO

Colleges

The Ticket

Colleges

SportsDayDFW.com

Colleges

FSSW

Ch. 5

Columnist

Denton RecordChronicle

vs. Line
Straight
Boise St.
Boise St.
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
Texas Tech
Texas Tech
Rice
Baylor
Houston
Houston
N. Texas
Iowa
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Michigan
Michigan
Tennessee
Tennessee
Auburn
Auburn
Missouri
Missouri
W. Virginia
W. Virginia
UCLA
UCLA
Vanderbilt
Ole Miss
Rutgers
Rutgers
California
California
Oregon
Oregon
Nebraska
Nebraska
UTSA
Colorado St.
7-13 (.350)
27-34-1 (.443)
13-7 (.650)
47-15 (.758)

vs. Line
Straight
Boise St.
Boise St.
Arkansas
Arkansas
Texas
Texas
Texas Tech
TCU
Rice
Baylor
Houston
Houston
Iowa
Iowa
Arizona St.
USC
BYU
BYU
Florida
Florida
Auburn
Auburn
Kentucky
Kentucky
W. Virginia
W. Virginia
Arizona
Arizona
Vanderbilt
Ole Miss
Rutgers
Rutgers
Washington California
Oregon
Oregon
Nebraska
Nebraska
Colorado St. Colorado St.
12-8 (.600)
36-25-1 (.590)
14-6 (.700)
50-12 (.806)

vs. Line
Straight
Virginia
Virginia
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Texas
Texas
Texas Tech
Texas Tech
Baylor
Baylor
Houston
Houston
Iowa
Iowa
Arizona St.
USC
BYU
BYU
Florida
Florida
Miss. St.
Miss. St.
Missouri
Missouri
W. Virginia
W. Virginia
UCLA
UCLA
Ole Miss
Ole Miss
Kansas
Rutgers
California
California
Oregon
Oregon
Nebraska
Nebraska
Colorado St. Colorado St.
10-10 (.500)
30-31-1 (.492)
13-7 (650)
45-17 (.726)

vs. Line
Straight
Boise St.
Boise St.
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
Texas Tech
TCU
Rice
Baylor
Houston
Houston
Iowa
Iowa
USC
USC
BYU
Michigan
Tennessee
Florida
Auburn
Auburn
Kentucky
Kentucky
W. Virginia
W. Virginia
Arizona
Arizona
Ole Miss
Ole Miss
Rutgers
Rutgers
California
California
Oregon
Oregon
Nebraska
Nebraska
Colorado St. Colorado St.
10-10 (.500)
30-31-1 (.492)
15-5 (.750)
49-13 (.790)

vs. Line
Straight
Boise St.
Boise St.
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
Texas Tech
TCU
Rice
Baylor
Houston
Houston
N. Texas
Iowa
USC
USC
Michigan
Michigan
Florida
Florida
Auburn
Auburn
Kentucky
Kentucky
W. Virginia
W. Virginia
UCLA
UCLA
Ole Miss
Ole Miss
Rutgers
Rutgers
California
California
Oregon
Oregon
Nebraska
Nebraska
Colorado St. Colorado St.
8-12 (.400)
30-31-1 (.492)
15-5 (.750)
48-14 (.774)

vs. Line
Straight
Virginia
Virginia
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
TCU
TCU
Rice
Baylor
Houston
Houston
N. Texas
Iowa
USC
USC
Michigan
Michigan
Florida
Florida
Miss. St.
Miss. St.
Missouri
Missouri
W. Virginia
W. Virginia
Arizona
Arizona
Ole Miss
Ole Miss
Rutgers
Rutgers
California
California
Oregon
Oregon
Nebraska
Nebraska
UTSA
Colorado St.
9-11 (.450)
32-29-1 (.525)
11-9 (.550)
45-17 (.726)

vs. Line
Straight
Virginia
Virginia
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Texas
Texas
Texas Tech
Texas Tech
Rice
Baylor
Houston
Houston
Iowa
Iowa
Arizona St.
USC
BYU
Michigan
Tennessee
Tennessee
Miss. St.
Auburn
Kentucky
Kentucky
Maryland
W. Virginia
Arizona
Arizona
Ole Miss
Ole Miss
Rutgers
Rutgers
California
California
Oregon
Oregon
So. Miss
Nebraska
UTSA
Colorado St.
9-11 (.450)
37-24-1 (.607)
14-6 (.700)
47-15 (.758)

vs. Line
Straight
Virginia
Virginia
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Texas
Texas
Texas Tech
TCU
Rice
Baylor
Houston
Houston
N. Texas
Iowa
USC
USC
Michigan
Michigan
Tennessee
Tennessee
Miss. St.
Miss. St.
Kentucky
Kentucky
W. Virginia
W. Virginia
Arizona
Arizona
Ole Miss
Ole Miss
Kansas
Rutgers
California
California
Oregon
Oregon
Nebraska
Nebraska
Colorado St. Colorado St.
10-10 (.500)
32-29-1 (.525)
13-7 (.650)
47-15 (.758)

vs. Line
Straight
Boise St.
Boise St.
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Texas
Texas
Texas Tech
TCU
Baylor
Baylor
Houston
Houston
Iowa
Iowa
USC
USC
BYU
BYU
Tennessee
Tennessee
Miss. St.
Miss. St.
Kentucky
Kentucky
W. Virginia
W. Virginia
Arizona
Arizona
Ole Miss
Ole Miss
Rutgers
Rutgers
California
California
Oregon
Oregon
Nebraska
Nebraska
Colorado St. Colorado St.
10-10 (.500)
30-31-1 (.492)
13-7 (.650)
48-14 (.774)

C9 09-25-2015 Set: 22:29:24

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