Another week has passed, and the Big 12 is still incredibly crowded behind the first-place TCU Horned Frogs. With four games remaining, the Frogs do not have a ranked opponent on their schedule. An undefeated regular season is very much in play in Fort Worth.
TCU has already beaten both Kansas State and Oklahoma State this season, so they will have a tiebreaker over both of them. With Kansas State beating the Cowboys last week, Oklahoma State is essentially playing for second place.
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Kansas State is firmly in the driver’s seat for the second spot in the Big 12 Championship. These Wildcats just will not go away. With backup quarterback Will Howard getting the start in place of Adrian Martinez, K-State handed the Pokes their worst loss of the Mike Gundy era, 48-0.
K-State doesn’t have an easy schedule in front of it. It has dates with the Texas Longhorns and Baylor Bears. Both of those teams are one game behind the Wildcats, and that Baylor-Kansas State game is in Waco.
While getting to Arlington will be difficult, the Wildcats are in control of their own path. If they keep winning, they’ll make it.
Beyond that, the scenarios get messy. More than half of the conference is either 3-2 or 2-3 in Big 12 play. If the Wildcats lose a few games down the stretch, it opens up a realm of possibilities for the teams behind them.
While it would be great to say the Sooners are one of those teams, it’s very unlikely they can jump Kansas State in the standings. The Wildcats would need to lose three of their last four games and the Sooners would need to win out.
The Texas Longhorns are still very much alive. They’ll need a little help to get there, but they could still make it to Arlington. They play Kansas State this week. Beating the Wildcats in Manhattan would be a good start. Their problem is the loss they suffered to Oklahoma State two weeks ago.
While the race in the Big 12 are looking messy and complicated at the moment, the final stretch of the season has a way of cleaning things up. Championship November is nearly upon us.
Here are the full Big 12 standings:
Oct. 29, 2022; Morgantown, West Virginia; TCU Horned Frogs running back Kendre Miller (33) runs for a touchdown during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Oct. 29, 2022; Manhattan; Kansas State Wildcats running back Deuce Vaughn (22) looks for room to run during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct. 29, 2022; Manhattan; Kansas State Wildcats running back Deuce Vaughn (22) runs away from Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Thomas Harper (13) for a touchdown in the first quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive lineman Siaki Ika #62 of the Baylor Bears reacts during the first half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium on Oct. 29, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. John E. Moore III/Getty Images
Oct. 15, 2022; Austin; Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson (5) runs for yardage during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Wide receiver Jalil Farooq #3 of the Oklahoma Sooners runs into the end zone for a touchdown as linebacker Kendell Jackson #47, and defensive back Anthony Johnson Jr. #1 of the Iowa State Cyclones defend in the second half at Jack Trice Stadium on Oct. 29, 2022 in Ames, Iowa. The Oklahoma Sooners won, 27-13. David Purdy/Getty Images
Oct. 22, 2022; Waco, Texas; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jason Bean (9) looks to pass while being defended by Baylor Bears linebacker Dillon Doyle (5) during the second half at McLane Stadium. Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterback Behren Morton #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders walks across the field before the game against the Baylor Bears at Jones AT&T Stadium on Oct. 29, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. John E. Moore III/Getty Images
Oct. 29, 2022; Morgantown; West Virginia Mountaineers running back CJ Donaldson (12) runs the ball during the first quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel #8 of the Oklahoma Sooners scrambles for yards past defensive back Anthony Johnson Jr. #1 of the Iowa State Cyclones in the first half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on Oct. 29, 2022 in Ames, Iowa. David Purdy/Getty Images
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