In theory there are only four teams eliminated from the Big 12 championship game: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and TCU; there are 2 teams with chaos scenario level chances: Baylor and Texas Tech; and there are 4 teams that still have a realistic shot: Iowa State, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia. This means that there are 15 (possibly 16) regular season games left for the Big 12, not including the championship game. I got bored and decided to rank them.
16. Incarnate Word at Iowa State - This game ultimately means that Iowa State did not make the championship game and Incarnate Word did not make the FCS playoffs. In terms of impact, the only thing this will likely affect is what bowl Iowa State would probably go to. The only way this game has any importance is if Iowa State goes 0-3 in the remainder of conference play.
15. TCU at Baylor - The Revivalry might affect Baylor's chance at a bowl, but it probably won't because TCU just isn't that good without Turpin or Robinson. TCU is already eliminated from making the championship game and a single win by Oklahoma or West Virginia outside of their matchup against each other would eliminate Baylor.
14. Oklahoma State at TCU - Similar to the above, this is the game Oklahoma State will likely win in order to go bowling. Due to tiebreaker situations both of these teams lack the required tiebreaker rules to qualify for the championship game.
13. Kansas at Oklahoma - Unless Kansas can pull off the upset to remember Beaty by, this game doesn't matter. The only reason it's higher than the others is because
if they did pull off the upset, it would shake up everything so "bigly" that we could declare this the 2007 Jr. season. But the chances of that are so low, that it ranks low on the list.
12. TCU at West Virginia - TCU's non-existent offense likely means they wouldn't be able to keep up with Will Grier. That being said West Virginia has struggled against teams with good pass defenses(Texas Tech and Iowa State) and high takeaway teams(Kansas).
11. Baylor at Iowa State - Iowa State's defense is likely more than enough to stifle Baylor's offense. The keys will be if Baylor can overcome an ISU crowd that caused problems for Texas Tech and West Virginia, and if their weak pass defense can stop Hakeem Butler, who
mossed them last year.
10. Kansas State at Iowa State - While Baylor has better chances to beat Iowa State than Kansas State does, Bill Snyder has only lost to Iowa State twice. This is a pure revenge game for Iowa State.
9. Texas at Kansas - No one knows what Texas will show up week to week. The only reason this is even this high up on the list is because Kansas beat Texas in football.
8. Texas Tech at Kansas State - Texas Tech is now without Bowman and his timeframe to return is currently unknown. While Kansas State doesn't look good, Duffey's inconsistency at QB could lead K-State to play spoiler at Tech's bowl eligibility.
7. Texas Tech vs Baylor - If Bowman does return for the regular season, this game he would probably be back for. The neutral site favors Texas Tech and if TCU beats Baylor the week before, this would likely be Baylor's last shot at bowl eligibility.
6. Kansas at Kansas State - While on paper, this is the most meaningless game of the season, it's so much more fun watching a pillow fight. It's a strange pick considering Kansas only scored a field goal last week, but I like their chances in this one.
5. West Virginia at Oklahoma State - West Virginia tends to play closer on the road and Oklahoma State is inconsistent at home. If Oklahoma State wins this, the race for second place gets blown wide open.
4. Texas at Texas Tech - This is an eliminator for one of these teams. The loser of this game will be eliminated for first place based on tiebreakers and a second place tie would require maximum chaos elsewhere. With Bowman probably out, I think it'll depend on Duffey's ability to get past an inconsistent Texas defense and how Tech's defense responds.
3. Oklahoma State at Oklahoma - Like the saying goes "throw out everything for rivalry games". A Bedlam upset breaks the whole race wide open. Oklahoma technically can't lock up a position in the championship game with a win, but it really puts the pressure on Texas to win out.
2. Iowa State at Texas - Similar to number 4, this is an eliminator game for second place, but this does have implications for the WVU/OU loser. If Iowa State wins out, then West Virginia also has to win out if they want to play in the championship game. If Texas wins out, then Oklahoma also has to win out if they want to make the championship game.
1. Oklahoma at West Virginia - Winner of this game will play in the championship game barring complete collapse in their other games. The loser may or may not depending on the result of number 2.
0. The championship game. If it's a repeat of OU/WVU where the teams have 1 and 2 losses, then the winner might have an outside shot of eeking into the CFP(but who honestly cares about that anymore. Fun football is found elsewhere). If it's someone else in here, it should be a fun game to watch anyways.