After one of the most memorable conference races in recent memory, it’s time for the 2023 Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship between the No. 7 Texas Longhorns (11-1, 8-1) and the No. 7 Cowboys. Oklahoma State No. 18 (9-3, 7-2).
There have been a lot of twists and turns to get to this point for both teams but at the end of the regular season, only the Longhorns and Cowboys remain standing with a very special Big 12 Trophy on the line.
This is the final season for Texas and Oklahoma, the Big 12’s two marquee brands, as they prepare to move to the SEC in 2024. So will Texas take home the final Big Trophy 12 with them on the road out, or will Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State make the Hateful Eight proud with one last upset?
That’s the topic of this week’s roundtable, as each member of the staff tells you who will win the Big 12 Championship and why.
Pete Mundo
Big 12 champion: Texas
Texas has proven itself to be one of the best teams in college football this season, but the Cowboys aren’t going to go down lightly. Mike Gundy’s teams notoriously play up or down against the competition and I expect that to happen again this weekend as they play their second game. Big 12 championship game over the past three seasons.
Brian Clinton
Big 12 champion: Texas
Even though this season has been great for Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State, his matchup doesn’t bode well for the Cowboys. Texas’ defensive line has been the best unit of its kind in the country this season, thanks to future NFL draft picks such as T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy. Both have been utterly dominant inside the defensive line, helping the Longhorns become the fourth-best rushing defense in the country, allowing just 85.0 rushing yards per game and 2.93 yards per carry. This doesn’t bode well for an offense that relies heavily on the success of FBS leader Ollie Gordon.
Defensively, Oklahoma State was sensitive in the intermediate passing game, as well as against the run. That spells disaster against Texas, who has been excellent in both departments down the stretch. I continue to go back and forth on the line in this game, with Texas favored by 15.5 points. Before the contest, I’m going to take the Longhorns to win and cover, 45-20, and put to the college football playoffs.
Derek Duke
Big 12 champion: Texas
Before the season started, when I took my preseason survey, the Texas Longhorns won the Big 12 Conference. And here we are on championship weekend and the Longhorns are exactly where I thought they would be. I have said several times that this is not the usual Texas team of the last ten years. They are physical up front on both sides of the ball and they have playmakers at every position. Oklahoma State has been a nice underdog story this season, but I don’t see the magic slipper fitting in for too long. I’m sticking with my preseason pick and going with Texas to leave the Big 12 with a conference title.
Matthieu Postins
Big 12 champion: Texas
I think a lot of people think it’s going to be a blast. I don’t know. Oklahoma State has consistently played up or down against its opponents all season. Oklahoma State played every Big 12 team with a conference winning record in the regular season except Texas. The Cowboys only lost to Iowa State in late September when as a team they were still figuring things out. Then look at OSU’s last three games against UCF, Houston and BYU, all below .500 in the Big 12. Constant struggle. I think there is something to that.
So OSU will give Texas a game, I honestly believe. If this game had been last year or two years ago, I would have taken OSU. But this year, Texas has too many advantages. The Longhorns offense is much more versatile than last year. There’s nothing wrong with building around Bijan Robinson, but this version of the Texas offense can take you in different ways. The defense is better than a year ago. But above all, this team does not panic. Two years ago, I saw him in matches with big leads. Last year I saw less of him. This year? I don’t see anything about it. This team takes the hits and overcomes them.
Steve Sarkisian is right: five-star players with a five-star culture are a winning combination. This is why Alabama is Alabama. And that’s why, ultimately, Texas will win on Saturday.
Joe Tillery
Big 12 champion: Oklahoma State
Is it crazy… maybe! But I think this game oozes classic Mike Gundy-isms. Oklahoma State is the least talented team on paper, but that has always been Gundy’s MO. Earn more with less after being written off. While Ollie Gordon has been unstoppable throughout the season with the exception of the UCF game, the second-year running back will be greeted with his biggest test of the season against Texas.
Believe it or not, I actually think Alan Bowman will be the difference in the Big 12 championship game. Texas will follow suit with the rest of the country and aim to take Gordon out of the equation, but with the emergence of Brennan Presley and Leon Johnson III, Oklahoma State will have the opportunity to expose a Texas secondary that has arguably been their weakest position. this season. While Saturday’s game will be an uphill battle for the Cowboys, I like Gundy, Gordon and Bowman to find a way to defeat Goliath.
