The big 12 has some good defenses this year. iSu, Texas, TCU, and KSU are all good defensive teams. The one thing they all have in common is they tend to play at a slower pace offensively or choose when to push pace.I guess I haven't quite adjusted to the Big12 style yet, but not sure damn good defense can be used to describe a team that gave up 62 to OU, 44 to TCU, 39 to WVU and I think 31 or 34 to TTech. Do they have some talent, certainly. Will our O struggle against them? Probably. But if that's a damn good defense than ISU is the 85 Bears.
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!....here comes a serious rant.
I get so sick and tired of the Big 12 plays no defense crap. And it is crap. Big 12, ACC and PAC 12 are very similar conferences. They all play at faster paces and are more balanced offenses than the SEC and big tin. They have more plays per game and more possessions per game because of the pace they play. More plays, more possessions means more points. The SEC and big tin are simply slower paced and more one dimensional. Defenses love to make teams one dimensional but the big tin and SEC choose to do it to themselves.
But what happens when you see a team like tOSU force a faster pace? You see them hang 29 on on a so called great Penn St defense. You see a 55-24 score against iowa.Indiana likes to force pace and their games are always higher scoring. Look to the SEC, six teams average better than 30 PPG. 4 of them push pace and the other two are Georgia and Alabama. What happen Alabama faces a team that forces pace like Clemson...higher scoring games.
How has iSu beaten teams like OU, TCU and kept all their Big 12 brethren belwo their scopring average...slower pace, bend but don't break defense. It shortens the games. iSu, TCU, OU and KSU have run the fewest plays. iSu, TCU, Texas and OU have allowed the fewest plays.
PACE, PACE, PACE