Oklahoma needed Texas to pull an upset in Manhattan Saturday night for the Sooners to have an outright Big 12 title. While OU will still have a share of the conference championship, Kansas State will in fact be the league’s official representative in the BCS. It’s the program’s first Big 12 title since 2003.
No. 7 K-State pulled away from No. 23 Texas to win 42-24. Collin Klein tallied nearly 300 total yards and three scores, though his first rushing touchdown was a gift courtesy of cornerback Nigel Malone. Malone intercepted a Case McCoy pass early in the first quarter and returned it all the way to the 1-yard line. Though Malone’s body waltzed into the end zone, the ball did not. We’ll chalk it up to Malone doing his best DeSean Jackson impersonation. Klein scored on a QB sneak one play later.
Klein’s performance on senior night was good enough to keep him in the Heisman conversation, but it wasn’t the season-ending statement that could have launched him back atop the conversation. Even at the end of the year, the Heisman discussion has plenty of worthy candidates and no clear-cut frontrunner. Texas A&M quarterback Jonny Manziel is the presumed frontrunner, but this Heisman race should be a close one.
Back to K-State, the Wildcats clinched a trip to the Fiesta Bowl, where they’ll likely take on Oregon for the game that was supposed to happen alreay. Texas appears Cotton Bowl bound against LSU. Oklahoma should end up in the Sugar Bowl against Florida, but Georgia’s terrific effort against Alabama today might be enough to sway some votes in the coaches’ poll that would keep the Bulldogs at No. 3 in the BCS.