The ups, downs and biggest suprises of the 2007 season
It was an interesting year in the Big 12 Conference. To help make some sense of this year’s college football season CP spoke with, David Plati, CU’s associate athletic director and director of sports information, to get an insider’s breakdown of the season.
Casualties at the end of the season: Missouri.
On the first day of December, the Missouri Tigers were at the top of the polls with a No.1 ranking in the BCS system.
On Dec. 2, the Tigers fell to No. 6 in the polls after their 38-17 defeat by Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship.
“I thought Missouri was the biggest surprise in the conference this year,” Plati said. “They’re the first team that I can remember besides Oklahoma and Nebraska and Colorado in the Big 8 Conference to get up to No.1 in the standings.”
But after Missouri’s Big 12 championship loss, the Tigers find themselves on the outside looking in on the BCS bowls. Kansas, which lost to Missouri, will play Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl Jan. 3.
Letdowns of the season: The Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
“Oklahoma State was a probably the biggest letdown,” Plati said. “They had much higher expectations than a 6-6 finish.”
Despite a humbling season, the Cowboys will still play in the Insight Bowl against Indiana on Dec. 31.
As for Nebraska, the firing of Bill Callahan — winning only five games and giving up 79 points to Kansas — classifies as a letdown for Big Red.
Non-bowl eligible teams in the Big 12 include Kansas State, Iowa State, Nebraska and Baylor.
One-hit wonders:
Kansas and Missouri are known for their excellence in basketball. But in the 2007 football season, both schools found their football programs in the top two spots in the polls at some point in the season.
“Missouri and Kansas still have to prove themselves,” Plati said. “Right now, they’re one-year wonders. We will see if they can uphold this (2007 season success) in the years to come.”
Big 12 Bowl games:
Holiday Bowl (Dec. 27) – Texas (9-3) vs. Arizona State (10-2)
Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29) – Texas A&M (7-5) vs. Penn State (8-4)
Independence Bowl (Dec. 30) – Colorado (6-6) vs. Alabama (6-6)
Insight Bowl (Dec. 31) – Oklahoma State (6-6) vs. Indiana (7-5)
Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1) – Missouri (11-2) vs. Arkansas (8-4)
Gator Bowl (Jan. 1) – Texas Tech (8-4) vs Virginia (9-3)
Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 2) – Oklahoma (11-2) vs. West Virginia (10-2)
Orange Bowl (Jan. 3) – Kansas (11-1) vs. Virginia Tech (11-2)
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Brent New at brent.new@thecampuspress.com.
