Big 12 football: 5 juicy storylines to watch for in Week 12

Just two weeks remain for the Big 12 to sort out its top two teams for its Dec. 1 championship game. Here’s what to watch for this Saturday.

Week 12 in the Big 12 should provide more definition in terms of the two teams that will meet at AT&T Stadium for the conference championship on Dec. 1. Here are five somewhat-quirky facts regarding Saturday’s games.

The idiot box

That’s what some folks used to call television although with so many different viewing devices the term is a bit antiquated. However, the influence of network contracts on college sports is evident this week in the Big 12.

First, the Big 12 still exists because its television partners supported the conference when it was near death after losing four schools in a two-year period earlier this decade. As a 10-team conference, the Big 12 survived thanks to cutting deals with both ESPN/ABC and FOX. Saturday there are two games that illustrate the yin and yang of that arrangement.

Last-place Kansas plays at Oklahoma Saturday. The game will be televised at 6:30 p.m. by FOX. A game that typically would be farmed out to FS1 or FSN Southwest will be viewed by a national audience.

FOX was left with that game because the rest of the schedule is TCU-Baylor (blech; FS1), Texas Tech-Kansas State (meh, ESPNU), West Virginia-Oklahoma State (interesting, ABC) and Iowa State-Texas (very interesting, Longhorn Network). FOX went with Big Name OU to try to draw viewers. It would have definitely preferred the Cyclones vs. the Longhorns).

But the LHN, the wedge that nearly destroyed the league, has a deal that it gets to telecast one nonconference and one Big 12 game involving Texas. Typically, the conference game has been against either Kansas or Iowa State. Turns out that while it’s still a long shot, both the Cyclones and UT are in the running for the Big 12 championship game. But only a select few LHN subscribers will get to see it.

One in, one out

An on-field skirmish between Baylor and Iowa State late in Saturday’s Cyclones’ victory will have an impact on Saturday’s game. Iowa State running back David Montgomery, the Big 12’s second-leading rusher, was caught up in a fight with the Bears’ Greg Roberts, who threw two punches and Montgomery retaliated with one. Both were ejected for fighting, which means that Montgomery will miss the first half of the Texas game.

And Saturday night in Lubbock in the fourth quarter of the Texas-Texas Tech game, UT linebacker Anthony Wheeler was called for a targeting hit on Red Raiders’ quarterback Jett Duffey. After a replay review, the on-field call was reversed. If the call had been upheld, Wheeler would have been ejected and would have missed the first half of Saturday’s game against Iowa State.

Championship game percentages

According to ESPN Stats & Info, here are the chances for who will play in the Big 12 Championship game:

• Oklahoma vs. West Virginia, 42 percent.
• West Virginia vs. Texas, 28 percent.
• Oklahoma vs. Iowa State, 19 percent.
• Oklahoma vs. Texas, 10 percent.
• West Virginia vs. Iowa State, 1 percent.

Still a quarterback conference

The Big 12 figured to take a step back in quarterback play this season because some schools lost productive starters (Baker Mayfield) and others had uncertainty. Despite that, the conference still has three of the top four players in passing efficiency in this week’s NCAA statistics.

1. Kyler Murray (Oklahoma), 212.9

2. Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama), 207.7

3. Brock Purdy (Iowa State), 192.0

4. Will Grier (West Virginia), 180.7

If Murray finishes first, OU quarterbacks will have set the passing efficiency record in three consecutive seasons. Murray replaced Baker Mayfield, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner. Mayfield set the NCAA single-season record for passing efficiency in 2016 (196.4) and then broke it in 2017 with 198.9.

Sam’s the man

In Texas’ season-opening loss at Maryland, sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter. Since then, he has set the Big 12 record for most consecutive pass attempts (280) without an interception. According to Max Olson of The Athletic, when the Longhorns are in a one-score or tied game, Ehlinger has completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,703 yards and 18 touchdowns.

After the Longhorns blew a 17-point lead and Texas Tech had forged a 34-all tie with 1:45 remaining, Ehlinger drove the team 75 yards and hit Lil’ Jordan Humphrey for a 29-yard touchdown with 21 seconds for a 41-34 victory. Ehlinger scrambled three times for 33 yards and completed three of four passes on the winning drive.