What we learned in the Big 12: Oklahoma State's running game cost them playoff spot

Before we breakdown what was learned about each team individually in the Big 12, let's dispel some misconceptions about the conference in general.

They don’t need a championship game after all. Oklahoma won the title outright and avoided the mess the conference had last year, with Baylor and TCU canceling each other out for the Final Four.

The Big 12 is also not known for defense, but the best unit in the conference came out on top. Oklahoma leads in scoring defense and total defense.

Here's what we learned about each team in the Big 12 this season:

Oklahoma
What a bad time to have your worst game, right? Actually, not many people saw this kind of season from the Sooners after they went 8-5 last year. Since the Texas loss, the Big Red averaged 52 points per game. This team is starting to take on the look of Ohio State from last season.

Oklahoma State
Midway through this 2015 season, head coach Mike Gundy said, “Our running game is terrible.” That was pretty spot-on. Not having a ball control offense really cost them in their two losses to close the season. The Pokes D also gave up 897 yards on the ground in their last three games.

TCU
Imagine what the Horned Frogs could have been without having 20 players lost for the season to injury. That uber-young defense played their hearts out at times, but it was decimated. The offense lost All-American receiver Josh Doctson for the year, while Trevone Boykin has often played through injuries.

Baylor
Sure, the Bears D was pretty good this year - finishing fourth in total defense at 28 points per game - but there was hopes it would be a dominant defense with surefire NFLers like Shawn Oakman, Andrew Billings, and Orion Stewart. Meanwhile, the offense chugged along despite the revolving door of quarterbacks.

West Virginia
As of right now, the Mountaineers are 7-5 and in the middle of the Big 12, which is similar to last year’s seven-win season which saw them finish 5-4 in conference play. So the good news is there was no regression. The bad news is that with 15 starters back and their best defense since 2010, there were hopes for more in 2015.

Texas Tech
As we saw after his Red Raiders took down Arkansas in Fayetteville, coach Kingsbury isn’t afraid to rub people’s noses in it. Tech went from 4-8 in 2014 to 7-5 this year and are projected to take on former SWC rival Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl in Houston. That game ought to get coach Kliff talking.

Texas
The expectations weren’t high going into the season, but with Saturday’s expected loss to Baylor, the Horns will end 2015 with a 4-8 record, marking the first back-to-back losing seasons since 1988-89. What’s more, this year’s D gave up 450 yards and 31 points per game, and are 343 yards away from giving up the most yards in school history. Here’s to a better 2016. And it will be.

Kansas State
The Wildcats need to beat West Virginia or the 2015 season will be viewed as a failure with no bowl bid. Head coach Bill Snyder took the blame on numerous occasions, particularly after the 55-0 loss to Oklahoma. There's thought that if K-State doesn’t beat WVU that may signal to coach Snyder it’s time to finally hang up the whistle.

Iowa State
Head coach Paul Rhoads finished 2015 as his third straight bowl-less campaign. He entered the season on the hot seat to begin with, and now has been handed his walking papers. The Cyclones were competitive most of the way, but it wasn’t enough. The hiring of Toledo’s Matt Campbell should be a shot in the arm for the program.

Kansas
Poor Jayhawks. Poor David Beaty. He’s a crack-shot recruiter and a good coach, but he just got caught up in a bad transition. It didn’t help he had to resort to a third string freshman quarterback for most of the season. Hey Kansas fans, you get the last laugh because your basketball team is ranked No. 7.