Hey, West Virginia. The Big 12 doesn’t think you’ll be in the league’s football championship game next year.
That is the idea that is given as the Big 12 conference slate has been released and Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are not meeting in the final game of the 2017 regular season. The Bedlam matchup has been a de facto championship in recent years, including this year’s 38-20 win by Oklahoma.
League commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in November that the conference would like to avoid an immediate rematch in the title game, if at all possible.
In 2017, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will meet four weeks sooner than they did this season. And Oklahoma’s replacement for the season finale? West Virginia.
Here’s a look at the final week of the Big 12 schedule:
Baylor at TCU
Texas Tech at Texas
Iowa State at Kansas State
Kansas at Oklahoma State
West Virginia at Oklahoma
And to top it off, these two finished at the top of the league in the final standings and tied for the best overall record, as well – Oklahoma (10-2, 9-0 Big 12 – first), West Virginia (10-2, 7-2, t-second with OSU).
So either the powers-that-be on the conference level believe that the Sooners’ best days are behind them.
Or that you’ve just been given the kiss of death, Mountaineers.