The loss yesterday puts this team in such better perspective. We aren’t great, and now seems like we haven’t been most of the year. Other teams have figured us out, we were lucky to be 7-0, coaches looked bad yesterday. Easy to look past that stuff when squeaking out wins, brings the bad more into focus with a loss. Lost a great opportunity to take command of the big 12 alongside BYU, and to show up in the top 7ish of the CFP rankings.
If you believe like I have all year… that the big 12 is a one bid league… then not much was lost yesterday in regards to making the CFP, I won’t argue that. Our margin for error however went from razor thin to none, and from a national narrative perspective the big 12 is officially toast. Its BYU and Deon now.
The only result that matters in the current landscape of college football is making the CFP. 10-2 and an Alamo bowl with 1/2 of the team sitting out is a waste of time. To adjust Matt Campbell’s quote for now and the future: “BS programs care about non CFP bowl games”
Also—I don’t think it’s appropriate to look at the current season status through the lens of pre-season expectations or historical results. If you start 9-0 and finish 9-3 and miss the CFP, it’s a bad season and you have squandered an opportunity.
Expectations are fluid.
Go cyclones, nobody will stop cheering, but have to be perfect from here on out. These are the reasons for doom and gloom.