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College Football's Version of NFL Exhibitions
Published: 9/18/2012 9:36 AM
Last Modified: 9/18/2012 9:36 AM

It could be argued that Arizona is the best team the Big 12 faced during the non-conference schedule.
That’s not saying much but the Big 12 played a schedule full of inferior teams, just four teams from the so-called “automatic qualifying leagues”.
Arizona is one of only two losses (the Cats beat Oklahoma State) suffered by the Big 12 through the first three weeks of the season. The other was a home loss by Kansas to Rice.
The Big 12’s record in non-conference games is 22-2.
That’s impressive but the schedule hasn’t exactly been daunting if Arizona is seriously considered perhaps the toughest opponent.
The Wildcats upset Oklahoma State in what was the worst game by a Big 12 school so far this season. It knocked the Cowboys out of the rankings.
The level of opponents is why there remains so much uncertainty about the Big 12.
No one played the kind of schedule that would give us a true read on the power or weakness of teams.
And, no one knows if Arizona is any good or not. The Wildcats will get a real test this week when they go to Oregon.
Kansas State’s visit to Oklahoma is the first real big test for both the Wildcats and Sooners and is the first of what many expect to be a season full of tight games in the Big 12.
Non-conference schedules are changing, for the worse, in this era of conference realignment.
We don’t expect this trend to change. With even more challenges in conference games, teams certainly are not willing to face big challenges in the non-conference schedule.
It is the college version of the NFL’s exhibition season. They are games. The tickets cost a lot. It isn’t much fun to watch.



Reader Comments 1 Total
colhi64 (5 months ago)
If fans didnt go to those games, they might schedule someone a little better to fill the seats.
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Klein's Korner

Tulsa World senior sports columnist John Klein is in his fourth decade of covering sports. He started his newspaper career at The Daily Ardmoreite in 1977 and moved to the Tulsa World in 1978. He served 10 years as sports editor for the Tulsa World before being named to his current position in 2005. He also spent five years as the Southwest Conference beat writer for the Houston Post. He has won many writing awards and is a former Oklahoma Sports Writer of the Year.

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