Dateline – Arlington Texas, where one day we hope to have the UCF Knights playing for a Big 12 title at AT&T Stadium. While hopefully that comes sooner than later, the 2023 Big 12 Championship comes down to a battle between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The Longhorns are hoping to depart the conference with some more hardware before they begin residence in the SEC. Big 12 fans and probably privately the conference brass themselves would like to send Texas on their way with a Big L.
Both teams have had a long drought winning the title. Texas last won in 2009. Oklahoma State in 2011. The Cowboys have had success against the Longhorns winning six of their last eight meetings and will no doubt attempt to ride the legs of star running back Ollie Gordon who fueled their comeback in the two overtime win over BYU to make the title game.
The Longhorns are favored, mostly due to the fact they have more dimensions to their offensive attack as they ride the arm of quarterback Quinn Ewers and their running game has not missed a beat despite losing Jonathon Brooks to injury with Jaydon Blue and true freshman CJ Baxter stepping in. Texas also boasts one of the best defenses in the country as they rank atop the conference in that category. Although Head Coach Steve Sarkisian is 0-2 against Oklahoma State, I believe the third time is the charm as he breaks through and Texas is crowned Big 12 Champs.