We are officially one week away from kickoff in the Big 12 Conference. While Week 2 may be the week to steal all the headlines in the non-conference, Week 1 has something that caught my attention thanks to a post on our Heartland College Sports message boards.
There will be three games between teams from the Big 12 and teams from the Dakotas. Now, I don’t know much about either North or South Dakota, but I find it fascinating that three of the four biggest schools between the two states will find themselves in Big 12 country next week. Let’s take a look at the three matchups that will be happening.
Thursday August 29th
North Dakota State at Colorado
Sarting with Colorado, this is a HUGE game for the Buffaloes. It is important for Colorado to not only start the season strong but end it the same way because they fell off a cliff last season. Plus, they will need every win they can get in the non-conference to make sure they reach a bowl game. Now the Bison from North Dakoata State are a quality team. There are the second ranked team in the FCS and have a history of knocking off teams from the power conferences.
Saturday August 31st
South Dakota State at Oklahoma State
Out of all three of these games, this one is the most interesting to me. Oklahoma State has a history of getting off to slow starts (like the South Alabama game last year) and they can’t afford to get off to one against the reigning back-to-back FCS champions. The Jackrabbits are once again the favorites to win it all and it is crucial for the Cowboys to bring their best effort. As long as Oklahoma State plays a clean game, they have the talent on both sides of the ball to take care of business against a quality opponent.
North Dakota at Iowa State
Out off the teams on this list, Iowa State got the easiest of the three. North Dakota isn’t in the FCS Top 20 and went 7-5 last season including a 1-4 record in road games. If this game had happened last year, I would have been a bit more worried. But considering what this Iowa State team is bringing back this season, I wouldn’t sweat if I were an Iowa State fan. Between Rocco Becht, Abu Sama III, and all the weapons around him, the Cyclones should be able to win this one by double digits.
All of these games are important for the conference. There was chatter on our message boards worrying about a “Dakota Letdown” and honestly, that shouldn’t happen if these three teams go out and play good football. It’s Week 1, so mistakes will happen. But what matters is how these teams respond when they do. Now, it’s time to lock in and get ready.
The Big 12 has declared war on the Dakotas….at least for one week.
