Because I, uh, am a total slacker, we're behind a day on WOTC again. But now that I've got a bit of down time, let's get to cracking! We'll crank out Weeks 13-14 today, bowls tomorrow.

Week 12 Results:

• Texas (57%) > Kansas State by 9
• Oklahoma (91%) > Baylor by 14
• Oklahoma State (91%) > Iowa State by 16
• Missouri (97%) > Texas Tech by 14
• Texas A&M (97%) > Kansas by 20
  

So we finish up with two partial weeks. Thanksgiving weekend sees two typical rivalry games -- MU-KU and the final A&M-Texas game -- along with Baylor-Tech at Jerry World and, for one reason or another, OU-ISU. Then on conference championship weekend, we have two filler games and what is the de facto conference title game: OU-OSU in Stillwater.

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While WOTC votes are very predictable when it comes to Missouri and Kansas, I do find this exercise interesting when it comes to readers' views on the other teams. What are we learning so far? A) As mentioned before, The Crowds are making sure not to underestimate Oklahoma State again, and B) The Crowds are very much not sold on the Brown brothers and the retooled K-State Wildcats. This is not a way to bolster the Unholy Alliance, friends.

Week 11 Results:

• Texas A&M (67%) > Kansas State by 11
• Oklahoma State (78%) > Texas Tech by 11
• Missouri (87%) > Texas by 11
• Baylor (90%) > Kansas by 15
  

Week 12 brings us the final full slate of the season. An Oklahoma loss at Baylor would make the conference title race quite interesting, but really, the Week 14 Bedlam Battle will tell us most of what we need to know there.

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Rock M'ers are nothing if not predictable. They will pick Missouri to beat anybody but Oklahoma, and they will pick Kansas to lose to anybody but an FCS team. Last year, those tendencies paid off. Here's to hoping it's the same in 2011, as the following results would be, uh, pretty damn enjoyable, eh?

(Another tendency: chances are, Rock M'ers are going to make the same picks en masse. In only three of this batch's ten games did the predicted winner get less than 90% of the vote.

Week Nine Results:

• Missouri (66%) > Texas A&M by 8
• Texas Tech (81%) > Iowa State by 10
• Oklahoma (93%) > Kansas State by 19
• Oklahoma State (96%) > Baylor by 14
• Texas (98%) > Kansas by 20
  

Week Ten Results:

• Texas (69%) > Texas Tech by 8
• Missouri (90%) > Baylor by 10
• Iowa State (92%) > Kansas by 11
• Oklahoma (92%) > Texas A&M by 14
• Oklahoma State (94%) > Kansas State by 16
  

Five Big 12 teams are bowl eligible at this point, and four square off in Week 11. Texas heads to Columbia, while Oklahoma State heads to Lubbock. Depending on the results, Oklahoma (on bye this week), could have the Big 12 all but clinched by Sunday morning. Gary Pinkel took down Bob Stoops last year. Does he do the same to Mack Brown this time around?

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Because there wasn't a Week 9 post yesterday, we're playing catch-up and merging Weeks 9-10 today.

So in one fell swoop, Mizzou wins the biggest Week 8 matchup, exorcises some 2008 demons and moves into a tie for second in the Big 12. That leaves Oklahoma alone atop the conference, with four teams within one game in the loss column.

Week Eight Results:

• Texas A&M (76%) > Iowa State by 13
• Missouri (85%) > Oklahoma State by 7
• Kansas State (94%) > Kansas by 15
• Oklahoma (98%) > Texas Tech by 18
  

Weeks 9 and 10 each feature full, five-game slates. It's Texas A&M's time to surge, as they host Missouri, then head to Norman. If they go 2-0 in today's vote, then we've got a new conference favorite. Then again ... who actually wins in Norman?

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I'll say this for Rock M'ers: they're bound and determined not to make the same mistake twice. A year after woefully underestimating Oklahoma State, it appears we've moved to almost overestimating them. The 'Pokes are now 6-0, having won at both College Station and Austin (a win that would be their first there since 1944). We'll see, I guess.

Another building storyline: the Big 12 North teams not named Mizzou are a combined 0-9 in conference with average loss of 17 points. Yikes. That streak will end in Week Eight, however, as Kansas hosts Kansas State. Hmm, I wonder which team Rock M'ers will pick in that one...

Week Seven Results:

• Oklahoma State (63%) > Texas by 8
• Texas Tech (78%) > Kansas State by 10
• Texas A&M (84%) > Baylor by 10
• Missouri (99%) > Iowa State by 17
• Oklahoma (99%) > Kansas by 34
  

Only four games are on the docket this week (Texas and Baylor are off). Two pit 3-0 and 2-1 teams, but it's pretty clear what the marquee matchup will be: OSU's first trip to Columbia since that dreadful October night in 2008.

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It's times like these when I almost think I should be asking you for odds. Like, "I say there's a 70% chance Oklahoma beats Texas." Because when you are forced to go all-in on one team or another, we get fun results like Oklahoma getting 94% of the vote over Texas and Mizzou getting 98% of the vote on a road trip to Kansas State. Obviously that doesn't mean there's a 98% chance Mizzou wins that game, but ... hey ... democracy in action.

Week Six Results:

• Texas A&M (64%) > Texas Tech by 7
• Baylor (85%) > Iowa State by 12
• Oklahoma (94%) > Texas by 14
• Missouri (98%) > Kansas State by 14
• Oklahoma State (98%) by Kansas by 28
  

So we head into mid-October with three teams tied for the conference lead. Two are to be expected; the third? Probably not so much. But there Baylor is. I guess that's to be expected when you start with KSU and @ISU, eh?

Week seven features one marquee game: OSU at Texas. And really, I guess you could call Baylor at A&M "marquee" too.

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This WOTC exercise is fun for me for two reasons: 1) it helps us to identify and prepare for themes that we will be seeing this season, and 2) it's enjoyable to see where Mizzou fans' heads are. In Week Five, Texas Tech received 100% of the vote in a conference road game. Why? Because they're playing Kansas, that's why. Got a problem with that?

Actually, Tech will be one of the likely early themes. According to the votes, they will emerge from the first month of play undefeated and barely challenged, meaning they should be ranked in the Top 20 as they prepare for a big home game against Texas A&M.

Another theme: the Big 12 North is apparently not going to start the season defending itself well. With everybody having played one conference game, the Former South is 5-1, the Former North 0-4. Good times.

One more theme: Rock M'ers do not believe in Texas A&M. That, and the "A&M's a darkhorse contender!" meme will get seriously tested with first-month games against Oklahoma State and Arkansas.

Week Five Results:

• Baylor (60%) > Kansas State by 8
• Texas (74%) > Iowa State by 12
• Texas Tech (100%) > Kansas by 17
• Arkansas (63%) > Texas A&M by 10
• Oklahoma (100%) > Ball State by 35

The second Saturday in October sees two huge games -- the Red River Rivalry and A&M-Tech -- and a gigantic rebound opportunity for Mizzou, traveling to Manhattan after a week off.

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So The Crowds are apparently bound and determined not to make the same mistake they did last year. This year, there will evidently be no underestimating Oklahoma State. The 'Pokes return home from College Station still undefeated.

Week Four Results:

• Oklahoma State (67%) > Texas A&M by 8
• Oklahoma (79%) > Missouri by 11
• Miami (60%) > Kansas State by 9
• Texas Tech (90%) > Nevada by 14
• Baylor (98%) > Rice by 17

In Week Five, the rest of the Big 12 begins conference play while Mizzou and Oklahoma State sit out the proceedings. Iowa State looks to make it back-to-back wins over Texas, while A&M and (assumed) future SEC West mates Arkansas face off. The Aggies got rolled twice by SEC opponents in 2010; is it any different this time around?

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