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College football bowl games: Big 12 update

By Brian Spaen

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The 2014 college football bowl season hasn’t been kind to the Big 12 so far this season, but TCU quickly changed the downward swing by proving how much they belonged in the College Football Playoff.

Here’s all the quick recaps from the college football bowl games involving Iowa State’s conference foes.

Texas A&M 45, West Virginia 37

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It was a wild first half with the Aggies taking in a 28-27 lead at halftime, but Skyler Howard really regressed in the second half and wasn’t anywhere near as efficient. He still finished with 346 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. However, the difference was in the running game. Texas A&M’s Tra Carson and Trey Williams combined for 219 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Clemson 40, Oklahoma 6

This game was over from the start. Trevor Knight had a horrible day completing just 17-of-37 passes for 103 yards, three picks, and no touchdowns. Samaje Perine basically led the offense with 134 yards on 23 attempts, but the Sooners didn’t get on the board until 6:57 left in the fourth quarter and the Tigers were already up 40-0. In a season that was a huge disappointment for Oklahoma considering they had inaugural College Football Playoff aspirations, they instead got embarrassed again and suffered a sixth defeat.

Arkansas 31, Texas 7

Dec 29, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Brandon Allen (10) runs past Texas Longhorns defensive end Cedric Reed (88) during the game in the 2014 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The other traditional Big 12 powerhouse got beat down pretty hard against one of the worst teams in the SEC. The Razorbacks defense was impressive again and held the Longhorns to just 59 TOTAL offensive yards. Tyrone Swoopes is simply too inconsistent to be the team’s guy under center going forward. Unlike Oklahoma’s problem, which was probably not caring about their bowl game, the Longhorns just looked lost against a team that really found themselves in November.

TCU42, Ole Miss 3

For anybody that’s seen these two teams play recently, the result isn’t as shocking as you’d expect. But just how dominant were the Horned Frogs? They did everything on both sides of the ball, especially on defense. The Rebels were held to 129 total yards, 10 first downs, and went 3-for-15 on third down. Bo Wallace had nothing in the tank going just 10-for-23 for 109 yards with no touchdowns and three picks. This wasn’t an SEC team that didn’t show up — Ole Miss wanted this stage. TCU imposed their will and showed why they deserved to stick around in the top four after championship weekend. If Ohio State and/or Florida State get blown out on New Year’s Day, expect much anger in the coming days from Horned Frog fans.

Three more Big 12 teams will be in action for the remainder of the week. Michigan State takes on Baylor in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at 11:30 AM Central time on New Year’s Day. There’s a doubleheader on Friday night that kicks off with Kansas State and UCLA in the Valero Alamo Bowl at 6:45 PM CT followed by Washington and Oklahoma State in the TicketCity Cactus Bowl at 9:15 PM CT. All games will be on ESPN and streamed at WatchESPN.

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