On a day when the rest of the college football elite were making statements on Separation Saturday, the Big 12's dismal showing could have been better tabbed as So-Much-For-Being-a-Power-Conference Saturday.
While heavyweights squared off in the SEC, Michigan finally found its swagger, and several other teams proved themselves, the thud of disappointment echoed from Norman to College Station.
The conference's combined 5-7 record last weekend was hardly the stuff of BCS goliaths, but the numbers don't come close to showing how the Big 12's rank-and-file foundation crumbled like termite-infested timber.
It's one thing for the Baylor Bears to blow a lead they held for most of the game at Washington State, but two other Lone star lineups deserve a lashing for shaming their proud conference.
In a battle of former SWC foes, the reportedly high-octane Texas Tech offense scratched across the whopping sum of three points at TCU. But at least their embarrassment came at the hands of a ranked opponent who, believe-it-or-not, has the country's longest active winning streak.
Saturday night, Aggie was short for aggravation. Texas A&M probably kicked off in the Alamo Dome Saturday night against Army with visions of 80-yard second-string touchdowns go-routing through their minds. Instead, three hours later, their defense was digging in on the goal line to hold back the Cadets as they tried to punch in a go-ahead touchdown in the game's waning moments. The Aggies pulled out a sister-kissing 28-24 win that spoke to the mediocrity of everyone in the Big 12 not wearing burnt orange.
Pile on noteworthy losses by supposedly-resurgent Nebraska and blatantly-robbed Oklahoma (when you play in Eugene, OR and Dan Fouts is doing play-by-play, I guess you shouldn't expect to get the calls) to Pac-10 opponents, and a tradition-rich group of schools and fans simultaneously groped for the panic button.
So what do we make of this resounding "down year" verdict for the Big 12? Consider it an enormous grain of salt as conference play rolls on.
College football necessitates comparisons and considerations from off the playing field perhaps more than any other sport. Heck, even the participants in the sport's biggest game are chosen by voters and computers that can only determine championship credentials through gridiron daydreams. So when decisions about the Big 12's resume need to be made in the season's late months, don't forget last weekend.
When Mike Leach's Red Raiders display a more potent air attack than NATO Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana, remember last weekend.
When Bevo looks on disinterestedly as Texas ropes another conference foe for half-a-hundred, remember last weekend.
When Colorado and Kansas State, previously Fiesta Bowl-caliber neo-stalwarts of the conference, get sliced up by top-10 buzz-saws on Saturday (the winless Buffaloes travel to AP No. 9 Georgia and K-State hosts No. 8 Louisville), remember last weekend.
And, most importantly, when bowl season comes around and last weekend's aftermath has blown away like a tumbleweed across the plains, remember this weekend.
Big 12 fans, welcome to a down year.
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