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Things haven't gone exactly according to plan for the Oklahoma State Cowboys after entering the 2012 season at No. 19 in the preseason AP Poll. While an 84-0 win over Savannah State caught the eyes of many, losses to both Arizona and Texas dropped them from the rankings and set the season off course.
Despite these losses, though, the Cowboys are 23 1/2-point favorites over the Kansas Jayhawks, who have struggled even more. After a win over South Dakota State in their opening game of the Charlie Weis era, the Jayhawks have since been in a tail-spin, losing four consecutive games. Most recently, KU suffered a 40-point loss, 56-16, to No. 7 Kansas State after leading 14-7 in the second quarter.
Neither team has earned a Big 12 conference victory yet in 2012, and the one that does will jump from the cellar of the conference into the mix of the standings. The one that loses, though, will be all but eliminated from conference contention and any lofty postseason hopes will be gone.