For my football picks on the final week of games in the Big 12, check out the latest episode of ConferenceChatterTV below:
So I recently returned from my week vacation in Denver, which has quickly turned into one of my favorite cities in the country.
After watching a few of these early-season basketball tournaments, I began to think about ranking the best football and men’s basketball schools in the Big 12 for this season.
Now this is just for the 2009-2010 academic school year. I didn’t take tradition or previous championships into account. In fact, my formula was simple.
I simply combined the Sorrentino Scale figures from my latest football list and the men’s basketball season debut list. With this simple formula, the lower the score, the better.
Here are the results:
1. Texas
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Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo: Texas receiver James Kirkendoll (11) extends the football across the pyline against Kansas
Football scale: 1
Hoops scale: 2
Combined score: 3
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AP Photo: UT’s Jordan Hamilton makes a move to the bucket
The Longhorns are the model athletic institution this season in the Big 12. I suppose having the largest athletic department budget doesn’t hurt. But Texas will likely play for the national championship in football, and it has a realistic chance of reaching the Final Four in basketball. No other school in the conference can come close to those possibilities.
2. Oklahoma State
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AP File Photo: OSU receiver Hubert Anyiam tries to haul in a pass against Colorado
Football scale: 2
Hoops scale: 5
Combined score: 7
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AP Photo: OSU’s Matt Pilgrim (31) takes a shot against North Texas
If the Cowboys football team defeats Oklahoma in Norman on Saturday, it will likely play in a BCS bowl.
Oklahoma State hoops also has reason for optimism. Junior slasher James Anderson (18.2 points per game last season) is an All-America candidate. OSU features underrated depth with Obi Muonelo, Keiton Page and Marshall Moses.
3. Oklahoma
Football scale: 5
Hoops scale: 3
Combined score: 8
Here’s a rarity for athletics in Norman: If the football team was better this season, the Sooners would have easily finished second behind Texas. But for this exercise, teams have to be solid in both sports. OU is decent in both, but not elite in either.
T4. Kansas
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Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo: Cole Aldrich extends for a rebound against Memphis
Football scale: 10
Hoops scale: 1
Combined score: 11
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Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo: Kerry Meier goes up for a catch, but he came down with a foot out of bounds for an incomplete pass against Texas
Thankfully for fans in Lawrence, men’s hoops is back. If the Jayhawks were even middle of the pack in football, they could have finished second behind the Longhorns. The disappointing fall season on the gridiron knocked KU out of the top 3. However, if Bill Self’s men live up to the expectations and cut down the nets in April, something tells me not one KU fan will give a damn about this ranking.
T4. Kansas State
Football scale: 7
Hoops scale: 4
Combined score: 11
Is it me, or are national pundits sleeping on the K-State hoops team this season? I’m not saying Frank Martin’s squad will win the Big 12, but I could see the Wildcats — led by Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen in the backcourt — finishing third in the conference and easily making the NCAA Tournament.
6. Missouri
Football scale: 6
Hoops scale: 7
Combined score: 13
The Tigers could be better than the No. 7 ranking I gave them in hoops, but it’s not going to be easy replacing DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons down low. J.T. Tiller is the best defender in the Big 12 and Zaire Taylor will get after you also, but the lack of a go-to scorer this season scared me away from moving the Tigers up more.
T7. Nebraska
Football scale: 3
Hoops scale: 11
Combined score: 14
The recent four-game winning streak by the Neb. in football, along with clinching the North, put the Huskers in the middle of the pack in the combined rankings. The hoops team just isn’t good enough to elevate the Huskers any higher.
T7. Texas A&M
Football scale: 8
Hoops scale: 6
Combined score: 14
For the sake of keeping Aggies fans from losing their minds, I hope the men’s basketball team is more consistent than the football squad was this fall.
T7. Texas Tech
Football scale: 4
Hoops scale: 10
Combined score: 14
Should the Red Raiders surprise some teams in hoops — I could see it happening — they will be ranked much higher on this list by the end of the school year.
10. Iowa State
Football scale: 9
Hoops scale: 8
Combined score: 17
11. Baylor
Football scale: 11
Hoops scale: 9
Combined score: 20
12. Colorado
Football scale: 12
Hoops scale: 12
Combined score: 24
Ouch. This has to be the low point for the Buffaloes. It can’t get much worse than these two programs, who both could finish last in the Big 12.
That should be all for now, friends. As always, discuss.
