Weekend Warzone: Big 12 Roundup Week 15

Oklahoma Sooners 33, Oklahoma St. Cowboys 24

As much as I enjoy the guys over at the Crimson and Cream Machine, any team that makes me break out the Hades gifs moves to the top of the hate list.  Saturday, OU delivered a hades moment as the Sooners beat the Cowboys 33-24.

The Cowboys and Sooners put together as tight a football game as you'll see, as evidenced by the box score- neither team took a snap leading by two scores.  The Cowboys scored a touchdown, the Sooners answered with a punt return touchdown and ended the first quarter 7 all.  The Cowboys kicked a field goal, the Sooners kicked a field goal and ended the first half 10-10.  Oklahoma State came out in the second half and scored a touchdown, but before the end of the third quarter Oklahoma knotted it again on a trick play to end the third 17 all.  Finally the symmetry broke down, as the Sooners took their first lead of the game on a field goal to start the fourth and sat on it until about two minutes left when the Cowboys scored a touchdown to take the lead.  Then it was Blake Bell time.  Yes, the very same Blake Bell that was benched by the Sooners in favor of Trevor Knight twice this season led the Sooners down the field to score the go ahead touchdown with just 30 seconds left.  One offensive series by the Cowboys that ended in true TCU-like fashion (with a fumbled lateral returned for a touchdown) ended the Big 12 title hopes for the Cowboys and opened things up for the winner of Texas/Baylor to be the sole Big 12 champion and Fiesta Bowl representative.  You can see where this is going.
Staff Picks: Marshall and Jamie were both wrong, d'oh.
Next week: Nothing!

Baylor Bears 30, Texas Longhorns 10

Texas had it all in front of them.  The Big 12 title that Mack had dreamt of to stay his execution for another year was almost in hand.  They had Baylor's offense contained for an entire half, surrendering just a field goal on the opening drive, forcing them into penalties and causing the Bears no end of frustration... and they did nothing with it.  Texas once again proved that no matter how nicely you set the table for them, they will never win a Big 12 title under Mack Brown without an offensive player of Heisman caliber (whether they win it or not).  When Baylor's offense is sputtering you have to be able to seize the throat ala OSU and stomp all the fight out of them, and Texas managed to put up just three points of their own in the first half.  Nothing more needs to be said about the result, as Baylor's offense finally found itself just enough to put up the points needed to easily outdistance the impotent Longhorn attack.  Man, who would have thought after the first few games of the season that Texas would lose a Big 12 championship because the offense wasn't good enough?  The good news- If we do hire an offensive coordinator with the brains of warm porridge we'll win this conference next year.  The bad news- no hire has been officially announced yet.
Staff Picks: Both Jamie and Marshall were right in predicting Baylor to win, Jamie even got the 20 point margin right.  I hope that fact helps them sleep tonight.

But wait, there's more to add to the worst football Saturday in recent memory!

Auburn Tigers 59, Missouri Tigers 42

A lot of us have hatred for Auburn as a result of the end of the 2010 season where the "highest paid player in college sports" was suspended in advance of the SEC championship game, then immediately reinstated.

To screw us out of a shot at the national title.  As a result, Auburn doing well makes me angry, and the fact that they're going to play for another national championship is highly depressing.  On the other hand, the reason that they get to play in the championship game...

Michigan State Spartans 34, Ohio State Buckeyes 24

"Little Sisters of the Poor" guy's university going down in flames?

Maybe it wasn't all bad.