The Big 12 hasn't won a college football national championship since 2005. They have one total playoff appearance in three years and their defenses take more beating than Chris Christie's approval ratings.
Before the 2017 season gets fired up, let's step away from the negativity and relive the glory days for each Big 12 team. Here is the best moment for each Big 12 team since Sept. 1, 2007.
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Baylor
Best Moment: Win vs. Oklahoma – Nov. 19, 2011
When Art Briles took over as Baylor head coach in 2008, the Bears hadn't won more than seven games in a season since 1991. He won seven in 2010 and 10 a year later, when Heisman winner Robert Griffin III directed wins over TCU, Oklahoma and Texas.
Though the season-opening victory over the Horned Frogs was a huge turn-the-corner moment on the national stage for the program, it was their win over the Sooners two months later that officially fired a warning shot that this was not the same Baylor program who didn't reach a bowl game between 1995-2009.
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Iowa State
Best Moment: Win vs. Oklahoma State – Nov. 18, 2011
There hasn't been a ton to cheer about in Ames since 2007. They have just three bowl appearances and have finished above .500 once. However, their win over No. 2 Oklahoma State — who controlled their own national championship destiny — in 2011 was one of the biggest moments in program history.
The Cyclones erased a 24-7 third-quarter lead and shocked the Cowboys in overtime, which allowed Alabama to jump Oklahoma State in the BCS standings.
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Kansas
Best Moment: Pregame vs. Missouri – Nov. 24, 2007
Kansas was 120 minutes away from playing for the national championship — in FOOTBALL.
There were many big in-game moments from their 12-win, Orange Bowl season in 2007, though the best one comes before a game, the biggest game in program history.
The No. 2 Jayhawks hosted No. 4 Missouri in the regular-season finale at Arrowhead Stadium. The winner would play Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship, which would determine who would play for the national championship.
They ultimately lost, 36-28, but every KU fan still remembers that feeling before the loss.
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Kansas State
Best Moment: Bill Snyder is re-hired as head coach – Nov. 24, 2008
The only non-game moment on the list, Bill Snyder's return to the sidelines was a godsend for the Kansas State football program.
"It's a tremendous challenge here," Snyder said at his introductory press conference in November 1988. "And I think [that] the opportunity for the greatest turnaround for college football exists here today. And it's not one to be taken lightly."
"Challenge" was a tremendous understatement. K-State went winless in 1986 and 1987, their fifth and sixth winless seasons since 1946. They were the worst program in America by a mile. Snyder built the program into an annual conference contender and retired after the 2005 season.
Virginia offensive coordinator Ron Prince stumbled around for three years before getting fired. That's when Snyder returned and had the Wildcats back to double-digit wins within three years.
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Oklahoma
Best Moment: Win vs. Oklahoma State – Nov. 29, 2008
Oklahoma racked up 557 yards of total offense and blew up the Boone Pickens Stadium scoreboard with 61 points in their Bedlam Series win over Oklahoma State in the 2008 regular-season finale.
It was their sixth-straight win in the series and one that — a day later when the BCS rankings were released to break a tiebreaker with Texas and Texas Tech — delivered the Big 12 South title. The Sooners beat Missouri in the conference championship and though they lost to Florida in the national championship, that win over the rival Cowboys on Nov. 29 was still a huge moment.
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Oklahoma State
Best Moment: Win vs. Oklahoma – Dec. 3, 2011
Oklahoma State lost eight-straight games to Oklahoma from 2003-10, many of them by a wide margin. The Cowboys finally ended the streak with a 44-10 obliteration of the Sooners in the 2011 regular-season finale.
While the win did not deliver a national championship shot for Oklahoma State — ranked No. 3 in the BCS standings — it did give them a Fiesta Bowl bid and their first conference title since 1976. They beat Stanford a month later for their 12th win of the season, a program record.
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TCU
Best Moment: Win vs. Wisconsin in 2011 Rose Bowl – Jan. 1, 2011
TCU entered the 2011 Rose Bowl with 10 wins, their ninth season with 10 or more wins since 2000. Head coach Gary Patterson was dominating the Mountain West (23-0 the last three years) and the Horned Frogs were considered one of the better programs in America.
Still, they weren't in a major conference. And, for whatever reason, some folks believed they couldn't play with the big boys. They proved otherwise by beating a darn good Wisconsin team in Pasadena.
Nine months later, TCU reversed course on their decision to join the Big East and instead jumped at a Big 12 invite.
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Texas
Best Moment: First quarter vs. Alabama in 2010 BCS National Championship – Jan. 7, 2010
Reliving the loss to Alabama in the national championship nearly eight years ago is still pure hell for Texas fans. However, things were really good before they got really bad.
After failing to get a first down on the opening drive, Alabama attempted a fake punt. The pass was intercepted by Blake Gideon, which put Colt McCoy and the Longhorns at the Tide's 37-yard-line just two minutes into the game. Five plays later at Alabama's 11, McCoy kept the ball on an option play and injured his shoulder. He did not return and the Longhorns were smoked, 37-21.
(Texas fans: Stop watching the video below at the 1:27 mark.)
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Texas Tech
Best Moment: Win vs. Texas – Nov. 1, 2008
One of the best games in college football history ended with one of the best plays in college football history.
Texas Tech jumped out to a 19-0 second-quarter lead over Texas and led 29-13 late in the third quarter. That's when Colt McCoy and the Longhorns stormed back. They scored 13 unanswered points and eventually took a 33-32 lead on a four-yard Vondrell McGee touchdown with 1:29 remaining.
One minutes and 28 seconds later, this happened:
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West Virginia
Best Moment: Win vs. Clemson in 2012 Orange Bowl – Jan. 4, 2012
We'll be seeing the "West Virginia just scored again" sign from anti-Clemson fans for decades.
The Mountaineers scored hung 70 on the Tigers in the 2012 Orange Bowl. They scored 49 points in the first half, including a staggering 21 in the final three minutes of the half.
The Geno Smith-led attack finished with 31 first downs, 589 total yards, 182 rushing yards and 407 passing yards. Smith was 32-for-43 for 407 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions.