My Top 3 Big 12/SEC Challenge Match-ups

It’s that time of year again where Baylor and the entire Big 12 conference will take a week off from the brutal conference schedule in order to match up against opponents from the SEC. I’m not sure what it is about it, but I’ve grown to like the annual Big 12- SEC Challenge. It could be to the fact that Baylor boasts the best record out of all the teams in both conferences. Or, it could be that I enjoy watching other Big 12 players match up against non-Big 12 schools. It’s true that the majority of November and December are about non-conference play, but for a lot of the football first fans, their full attention isn’t given completely to basketball until January. Regardless of the reasons, below is a list of my top 3 games I’m anticipating this weekend.

1.) Baylor vs. Alabama – I might be a little biased, but I legitimately believe that this is one of the most intriguing games of the weekend. According to the latest bracketology, both Baylor and Alabama are right on the bubble. A win for either team could go a long way towards a tournament birth in March.

2.) Iowa State vs. Ole Miss – One of two ranked match-ups in the challenge, setting up an exciting contest. It can almost be considered a win/win for Baylor fans. It will help Baylor either have a better resume boosting win, or enhance the strength of schedule.

3.) Kansas vs. Kentucky – I think a lot of people are still trying to figure out if Kansas can be considered elite or not this year. There is no doubt that Kansas still has tremendous talent and a win on the road against Kentucky could be a statement win for the rest of the Big 12 to take notice.

The Big 12/SEC Challenge doesn’t seem to have quite the hype from the respective fan-bases as say a bowl game or OOC game in football, but it appears the popularity is growing, especially in a year where the SEC seems stronger than ever.