Section B · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, November 19, 1999
College Football
Postseason up in air for Texas Tech
By Michael Rigg sports @kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
The Big 12 Conference regular season comes to an end for half of its teams tomorrow — Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri and Texas Tech.
And for four of the teams — Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Missouri — Sunday will represent the first day of their respective off seasons.
For Kansas State, tomorrow is a chance for the Wildcats to prove they are worthy of a spot in the Bowl Championship Series.
And for the Red Raiders, who knows? The need one more victory to become bowl eligible. Oklahoma at Texas Tech
While the end of the season typically gives teams to play a long-standing rivalry game, the Sooners and the Red Raiders meet tomorrow in a series that dates back to only 1992.
But the short time span doesn't lessen the bowl implications of this match-up, as Oklahoma already has the necessary six wins. Texas Tech needs to win tomorrow to ensure that it won't be home for the holidays. Still, the Red Raiders lost at home to North Texas earlier in the season and were blown out 58-7 by Texas last week, so bowl representatives probably won't be fighting to get Texas Tech in their bowls. Bowl possibilities aside, Red Raiders coach Spike Dykes is concerned with Oklahoma's dangerous passing attack.
BIG 12 GAMES
- Oklahoma at Texas Tech, 11:30 a.m., Channels 4 and 13
- Iowa State at Kansas, 1 p.m.
- Oklahoma State at Baylor, 1 p.m.
- Missouri at Kansas State, 1:10 p.m.
"Oklahoma presents a lot of problems and does a lot of things well, so we have our work cut out," he said.
Missouri at Kansas State
On paper, this game looks like the ultimate mismatch. Missouri, at 4-6 and having lost of four of its last five games, travels to Manhattan, Kan., to take on the 9-1 Kansas State Wildcats.
Still, Tigers coach Larry Smith insists his team is focused on the Wildcats — and possibly able of pulling off a huge upset.
"What we're trying to do now is put the last 10
games behind us and focus on only one Kansas State," Smith said.
A loss by the Wildcats tomorrow officially will knock them out of the North Division race. Kansas State could capture the division title if they defeat the Tigers tomorrow and Nebraska falls to Colorado on Thanksgiving weekend.
Sophomore Zain Gilmore probably will take most of the carries tomorrow after the suspension of running back DeVaughn Black.
Oklahoma State at Bavlor
Coaches typically use the final week of the football season to talk about the positives of the past football season. Baylor coach Kevin Steele, however, has a hard time seeing anything good about his 1-9 Bears.
"We keep looking for positives and we see little flashes here and there on the film where we can say there's a hope here and there's a hope there, but the whole thing is the scoreboard at the end of the field," Steele said. "We're obviously not pleased with that at all at this point in time."
The Cowboys, meanwhile, need to win their final two games to become bowl-eligible.
— Edited by Brad Hallier
Unranked Buckeyes may not play in bowl
The Associated Press
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Ohio State not in the Top 25? The Buckeyes not going to a bowl game?
It could happen.
Ohio State (6-5, 3-4 Big Ten) fell out of the Top 25 in the weekly Associated Press poll after a 46-20 loss to Illinois last week, the first time the Buckeyes have been unranked since 1994, following 71 consecutive poll appearances.
And if the Buckeyes lose their annual grudge match tomorrow against No. 10 Michigan (8-2, 5-2), they will miss out on a bowl for the first time since the 1988 season, John Cooper's first as coach.
"It's something I haven't had a chance to think about," said tight end Kevin Houser. "Coming to Ohio State, you just assume that you're going to go to a bowl game. When you've got a team like we do, when you've got the tradition
behind you, you expect it."
Cooper said even if the Buckeyes won tomorrow, they might elect to stay home.
"I'm not sure, if we were fortunate enough to win this game, that our players would even want to go a bowl game." Cooper said yesterday. "This will be the 12th game we've played, and it's been a long season."
Michigan can assure itself of a tie for second place in the Big Ten with a win.
"The reason you come to Michigan is to play big games," said quarterback Tom Brady. "Whether it's Notre Dame early or Michigan State in midseason or this one at the end, you want to play in big games."
Last year, the Buckeyes finished No.2 nationally for the second time in three years on the strength of a 31-16 win against Michigan and a Sugar Bowl win against Texas A&M.
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