09-13-2020, 12:24 PM
https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/5779432002
Quote:This is the debut no one could've predicted for the Big 12, which harbored somewhat realistic hopes of placing multiple teams in the College Football Playoff hunt during a season currently lacking the Pac-12 and Big Ten.
No. 25 Iowa State lost to Louisiana-Lafayette. Kansas State lost to Arkansas State. Kansas lost to Coastal Carolina. While both are talented teams from the Group of Five — we'll touch on a bunch below — this sort of start for the Big 12 is an utter disaster, dealing a real blow to the league's national credibility.
That won't stop No. 6 Oklahoma, for example, from once again winning the conference championship and finding a spot in the national semifinals. (Maybe the same could be said for No. 14 Texas, though the Longhorns haven't earned the benefit of the doubt.)
What this sort of start does, however, is eliminate some of the Sooners' margin for error — the Big 12 as a conference won't be afforded the same level of respect among members of the playoff selection committee as the ACC and SEC. With just one non-conference game on the schedule, these losses might prevent the Cyclones and Wildcats from reaching bowl eligibility, in turn impacting the overall strength of schedule for teams such as the Sooners and Longhorns.
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Let's be clear: There is very good football played in the Sun Belt. Getting three wins in one day against the Big 12 should help shine a spotlight on teams outside of Appalachian State, the current king of the conference and one of the top teams in the Group of Five. While not yet at the standard set by the American, which is annually the Group of Five leader in the New Year's Six bowl race, Saturday's wins are validation for Arkansas State, Louisiana, Coastal Carolina, and the conference as a whole.
The Ragin' Cajuns are headed for the Top 25 after Saturday's 31-14 win at Iowa State, though they probably should have been there already. But a spot in the Amway Coaches Poll is a major milestone for the program and the latest sign that third-year coach Billy Napier is destined to land on the short list for several Power Five openings, should schools decide to make a coaching change amid this environment.
While Arkansas State is an annual lock for the postseason, the program had notched only one victory against Power Five competition: an 18-14 win against Texas A&M in 2008. Perhaps the most impressive parts of Saturday's win at Kansas State? The ASU defense held the Wildcats to 91 yards on the ground and allowed the Wildcats to convert just one of 11 tries on third down.