Has the North risen again?
Big 12 Conference football coaches said Monday on their weekly teleconference that it’s probably too early to determine whether the recent dominance of the South Division has begun to erode. But in any case, the surprise victories last weekend by Colorado and Kansas State indicate the North is making progress.
Colorado’s homecoming victory over then-No. 3 Oklahoma and Kansas State winning on the road over then-No. 7 Texas took a prominent place among a parade of big upsets throughout the nation Saturday.
“I don’t know how everybody perceives either division, but I can tell you this (North) side has drastically improved,” said Iowa State first-year coach Gene Chizik, previously defensive coordinator at Texas.
A member of the South Division has won five of the past seven Big 12 championship games, a streak interrupted by Colorado in 2001 and Kansas State in 2003. The South has won the past three title games by an average score of 44-4.
In head-to-head meetings during the regular season, South teams went 13-5 in 2006 and have an edge every year since 1999, when each division won nine games.
The dominance by the South became especially lopsided during the past three years when it held a 39-16 advantage.
Whether last week’s wins by Colorado and Kansas State signal the beginning of a reversal in that trend remains to be seen.
“I knew there would be ups and downs,” Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said of South teams. “I didn’t think anybody would go unscathed.”
Parity is a factor everywhere, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said.
“When you have only 85 scholarships and the APR (Academic Performance Rating) is a factor and the forward pass and more skilled athletes out there across the country to recruit, then there’s always going to be an opportunity for anybody to win,” Gundy said. “I don’t think (the South’s dominance) is as big a factor now.”
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said he did not take Colorado lightly.
“I do think we have a good solid football team, but so do a lot of other teams,” Stoops said Monday. “Anybody can beat anybody. The margin for winning and losing is very small.”
Footnotes
Colorado punt returner Chase McBride was selected as Big 12 special-teams player of the week by a media panel Monday. McBride, a 5-foot-7, 160-pound senior from Thornton, returned four punts a total of 87 yards in the 27-24 victory over Oklahoma. His 31-yard return set up the game-winning field goal.
“I’ve always had a soft spot for kids who don’t always come in the same ‘box’ that maybe somebody else does,” CU coach Dan Hawkins said, “but may have even more intangibles and are willing to work harder, be smarter, be more dedicated.” … The Oct. 13 Colorado vs. Kansas State game in Manhattan, Kan., was selected for a national ESPN2 telecast, with a kickoff of 7:15 p.m. Mountain time.
Tom Kensler: 303-995-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
