Given the abysmal performance of Big 12 teams in bowl games this year, is it time for conference football programs leaders to finally acknowledge that defense matters?

I understand that is an oversimplified view of the issues, it is more than just defense, but it has seemed striking to me that some teams have superior athletes on the defensive side of the ball than typically seen in the conference.

No question defense is the Achilles heel of the Big 12. You need only look at OU in 2017 and 2018 and see that they wasted two of the most prolific offenses that college football has ever seen with first round playoff losses because the have no defense. Big 12 will never compete consistently outside the conference unless they can play defense.

I suspect we'll see more teams follow OU's lead and focus on improving that side of the ball.

It's a line of scrimmage issue. No one can play good defense without a pass rush. You give OU, hell Auburns defensive line, and it'd be like watching a different team. I'd love to see Georgia play with OU's defensive line, something tells me it would look different.

OU and Texas still get OK players on both lines, but not good enough to compete with other big boys. The rest of the big 12 is where it falls off a cliff. The O and D line recruits of Ole Miss, Kentucky, Miss St, hell Nebraska, Michigan St. absolutely dwarves the recruits at the same positions of TCU, Ok ST, ISU, KSU Baylor.. all of them.

its
The Curse of Big Sheriff

We lowered the standards way 2 low with TCU
sucked the bottom out of the big 12

No problems here, we won our bowl... And, our defense was JUST FINE. Ask Utah. And, Hook’Em Dang Horns!!!

You're already starting to see this with Baylor, Iowa State and Texas putting more emphasis on d in recent years. TCU has been playing solid D for years they just don't always have the talent to make their D stand out. But it takes time to make a change in a football program. Most people don't want to wait anymore. They want change and they want it to go into affect immediately. Example when a program has spent 3 or 4 years recruiting smaller fast linemen and a new defensive coordinator comes in and wants to run a new scheme with bigger linemen that takes time to put in place.

Butch, I’m hearing GP is bringing Sam Houston HS graduate Doug Meacham back to run the offense.

the NCAA
even sank lower
putting the chokies
in the BCS

hopefully
he is good
recruit a QB & your problems are over

Panic has set in.

Needs to be an 8 team playoff

How can anyone believe that a conference that calls itself the Big 12 but only has 11 teams, do anything right?

They aren't the only ones that can't count very well.