The Big 12 Conference has not had a strong start to the football season.
Among the five power conferences, the Big 12 has the worst record to start the season at 11-8. Saturday saw the conference go 4-5.
Because of the Big 12’s round-robin schedule, teams are limited to only three nonconference games. Before conference realignment, Big 12 teams had four nonconference games.
And those nonconference games are not always against weak teams, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said in an article on Monday by Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star.
“It has everything to do with the nature of who we are playing,” Holgorsen said. “The schedules are changing. No one is playing three cupcakes anymore. Everyone is playing challenging games now. When power-five teams play power-five teams, there are going to be guys who lose.”
The poor record of the Big 12 could have negative bowl implications, Robinett reported.
“Odds of a Big 12 team making college football’s playoff already seem remote, and they will slip even further without a strong showing this weekend,” Robinett wrote.