Big 12 Bowl Outlook

It’s that time of year, it’s bowl season and the Big 12 is represented well once again with eight of the ten teams receiving bids.

Big 12 football doesn’t get much credit nationally. Typically with what the SEC has done the last decade, few conferences get the credit they deserve. The Big 12 has seen multiple teams move in and out of the top 25 this season, with the Oklahoma Sooners once again being the team to beat.

Bowl season is the chance for all conferences to prove their worth, and the Big 12 is no different. Here we will give you everything you need to know for each bowl game representing a Big 12 team, along with final predictions.

Dec. 23rd

Birmingham Bowl

Texas Tech vs. South Florida

11am on ESPN at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama

Whatever the over is on this game, if you’re a betting man or woman, go with the over. Two high-flying fast paced offenses go head to head in a defenseless match. Coach Kingsbury and his Texas Tech Red Raiders salvaged their season winning two of their last three, including a win against Texas.

South Florida is looking for back to back 10 win seasons for the first time in school history, and behind quarterback Quinton Flowers they have a real good chance.

Texas Tech wins 112- 98. Ok, Texas Tech wins 56-52.

Dec. 26th

Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl

Utah vs. West Virginia

12:30pm on ESPN at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas

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Utah has won 13 of the last 14 bowl games under head coach Kyle Whittingham, who of course owns the best winning percentage for any head coach in history. Not bad for a mediocre football program.

Health is a concern for both sides here. Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley may not be at full strength and Will Grier will miss the game for the Mountaineers with a broken finger. Also not playing, in what seems to be he new fad in college football, is WVU running back Justin Crawford. He will sit out to avoid potential injury ahead of the draft.

These two teams have met once before, Utah won 32-6 in the 1964 Liberty Bowl.

Utah wins 32-6, again.

Cactus Bowl

Kansas State vs. UCLA

8pm on ESPN at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona

In the final game before Chip Kelly, UCLA will continue their unimpressive season behind their unimpressive quarterback Josh Rosen. The Bruins horrific rush defense should have the Wildcats foaming at the mouths.

Bill Snyder did it again this season, and for the 8th straight time, his Kansas State Wildcats are bowling. Redshirt freshman Skylar Thompson was huge for Snydercats towards the end of the season, helping them win four of the last five.

Josh Rosen does look like an NFL quarterback, but not a first or second rounder, or third or fourth. Oh well.

Kansas State wins 30-28

Dec. 27th

Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl

Texas vs. Missouri

8pm on ESPN at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas

National media continues to put the Longhorns in the preseason top 25 regardless of repeatedly underperforming. At 6-6 the mighty Longhorns came up short again.

Missouri of the other hand had one of the biggest turnarounds in history to become bowl eligible. Starting 1-5, the Tigers won six straight. They will be without offensive coordinator Josh Heupel as he has left for UCF.

More players have decided to sit this one out for Texas as they prepare for the NFL draft. Old conference foes meet up for the first time since the Tigers left for the SEC.

Missouri rolls 38-22

Dec. 28th

Camping World Bowl

No.22 Virginia Tech vs. No.19 Oklahoma State

4:15pm on ESPN at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida

Big offense versus big defense. The Hokies allow just 13.5 points per contest while the Cowboys score 46 points per contest. Something has to give here.

Mason Rudolph is legit here, and he should be. There might just be six receivers on the Cowboys roster that could find themselves playing on Sunday, including James Washington and Marcell Ateman.

Speaking of playing on Sundays, the Hokies have a linebacker in Tremaine Edmunds who will be. Too bad he doesn’t cover receivers. Tech’s freshman quarterback plays like a freshman in this one, but he’s a good one.

Pokes over the Hokies 44-19

Valero Alamo Bowl

No.13 Stanford vs. No.15 TCU

8pm on ESPN at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas

TCU has had another good season under Gary Patterson, and for doing so, he gets Bryce Love and Stanford. Love finished second in the Heisman race and has been quite the force all season. The run defense for the Horned Frogs is near elite however. Senior quarterback Kenny Hill must be on his best behavior when taking care of the ball.

K.J. Costello has been a pleasant surprise for the Cardinal since taking over at quarterback. The defense for TCU may be too much to handle. If Stanford falls behind early, they probably don’t have the tools to get back into it. If TCU can take care of the football and keep turnovers to a minimum, it will be a long night for Stanford.

TCU wins 34-13

Dec. 30th

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Iowa State vs. No.20 Memphis

11:30am on ABC at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee

Iowa State made a bunch of noise this season, beating the Sooners in Norman the loudest of those noises and also defeating TCU. The Cyclones were very entertaining to watch in Matt Campbell’s second year.

Memphis throws the ball a lot, in an exciting manner, they have a couple lower key upsets as well against Houston and UCLA. Their offense should be unlike anything the Cyclones have seen this year.

Memphis wins 30-20

Jan. 1st

Playoff game at the Rose Bowl

No.3 Georgia vs. No.2 Oklahoma

4pm on ESPN at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California

The Sooners haven’t scored under 29 points all year, the Dawgs have only allowed more than 29 points one time. Again, something has to give.

The Sooners defense is not known as one of the best, and statistically they shouldn’t be. The offense on the other hand is a hard one to stop. Heisman trophy winner Baker Mayfield is one of a kind. The fact that he’s having fun out there and it shows quite frankly ticks people off, as well as opponents.

Georgia has a running game unlike anyone else. They run, and run, and run, until you are so tired you can’t stop them. Their defense is good enough to slow the Sooners but not contain them. Statistically the Dawgs offense is much better than the Sooners defense, where the two teams are more neck and neck if you flip the script.

Sooners win the game of the year 37-34 because Georgia let Baker Mayfield have fun.

Final projection

The Big 12 finishes the bowl season 5-3, which should garnish some respect from the national media. The Sooners have the only opportunity to extend that mark with a win over Georgia and a win in the National Championship game.

Next: Must-have gifts for the Kansas City sports fan

The Big 12 has always been a tough, competitive football conference to those who know it well. This is one way to show it to the rest of the country.

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