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| POWER RANKINGS |
#1. Oklahoma Sooners (5-0, 2-0)
Last Week - Beat TCU 20-17
The Sooners defeated TCU Saturday in a game that reminded fans of the Pre Big 12 Horned Frogs. The defense that was the Horned Frogs identity in the late half of the 2000's returned to Owen Field. However, The Sooners made enough plays, when they needed them, to win the game. The OU defense was stout all game but especially in the first half allowing only 16 yards to TCU including zero first downs and negative rushing yards. As for the offense, it sputtered most of the day under the TCU pressure and stingy secondary but Blake Bell proved again that he is a gamer using his feet to secure two first downs late and secure victory for OU.
Up next: Texas
#2. Baylor Bears (4-0, 1-0)
Last Week - Defeated WVU 73-42
Baylor is good. The Bears finally played a team that, on paper, should give them a game. West Virginia gave them a game of sorts scoring 42 points, but Baylor still scored 73 on them and gained over 850 total yards. Baylor's offense is scary good and scary fast. In the first quarter alone last night they had scoring drives of 32, 4 and 8 seconds. The bears had identical 28-7 scores in the first and second quarters to lead 56-14 at half. If that's not enough, Baylor has given up 65 total points in four games, albeit most of them yesterday. Giving up points matters little when you can score 70 per game.
Up next: At Kansas State
#3. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-0, 2-0)
Last Week - Defeated Kansas 54-16
Reality looked as if it was going to rear its ugly head for the Red Raiders on Saturday. They were on the road in Lawrence and the Jayhawks had just ended the first quartet with a 10 - 0 lead. As it turns out, Texas Tech was just not awake yet. Kansas would not score again till late in the 4th and the Red Raiders would score 56 in between. Texas Tech may not be a premier team but they are a good team. They play good enough offense to score and their defense is much better than it was during the Leach era. The more I watch this team, the more convinced I am that their first challenge will come in three weeks when they face OU in Norman.
Up next: At Iowa State
#4. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-1, 1-1)
Last Week - Defeated Kansas State 33-29
The Pokes are falling fast. The loss at West Virginia seemed to most, a fluke. Most were convinced that the Cowboys would bounce back big at home against the average Wildcats. The only bounces came in the form of KSU turnovers. The Pokes needed the 5 turnovers and the fourth quarter to put away the Wildcats in Stillwater. KSU was in position to win the game and effectively gave the game to OSU. The Cowboys played well enough defensively but the stout, quick strike offense that has been the standard at OSU for the last few years apparently graduated. Had this game been in Manhattan, the Pokes might be 0-2 in conference. The loss to West Virginia looks worse considering what Baylor did to the Mountaineers last night. TCU looms in two weeks. The Cowboys better get some things figured out in a hurry.
Up Next: Bye week
#5. TCU Horned Frogs (2-3, 0-2)
Last week - Lost to Oklahoma 20-17
TCU played about as well as anyone has in Norman Saturday. The old Horned Frog defense showed up again and Gary Patterson pulled a couple of trick plays on the Sooners that changed the flow of the game in the second half. Still, a loss is a loss. I doubt the Horned Frogs are celebrating any moral victories this morning. The good news is that, despite the 0-2 conference start, TCU will probably finish with a winning conference record. If the Horned Frogs can figure out how to play the first half with the same intensity as they do the second half, they will be hard to beat. However, as long as they play in the Big 12, the 12-1 seasons they used to enjoy aren't likely to return.
Up next: Kansas
#6. Texas Longhorns (3-2, 2-0)
Last Week - Defeated Iowa State 31-30
The Longhorns needed a hail Mary at the end of the first half and the referees in the fourth quarter to pull out a 1 point victory in Ames Iowa Thursday night. The Longhorns 2-0 conference record is built on the backs of two bottom tier Big 12 teams that, frankly, they were lucky to beat. Texas is an average football team at best and really lacks any identity or energy. Texas and Oklahoma enter the Red River Rivalry with wins. However, OU is not happy with the level of play in their win against TCU at home, Texas was just glad to get out of Iowa with a win. The Longhorns look like a .500 team. I'd be surprised if they didn't finish the season with a .500 record.
Up next: Oklahoma
#7. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-3, 1-2)
Last Week: Lost to Baylor 73-42
I don't know what is worse, the WVU loss to Baylor giving up 73 points or the fact that Maryland, who beat WVU 30-0, lost to Florida State 63-0. Either way, the Mountaineers have got to be one of the most inconsistent teams in college football. The only positive that WVU can take out of the loss to Baylor is that they scored 42 points which will win most games, just not against Baylor. The Mountaineers are tough to figure out. They play good teams tough but falter against average teams. The good news for the Mountaineers is they don't have to play next week. West Virginia will likely end the season with a losing record, and without Dana Holgerson. They, like TCU, probably regret joining the Big 12.
Up next: Bye week
#8. Kansas State Wildcats (2-3, 0-2)
Last Week - Lost to Oklahoma State 33-29
The Wildcats are not a good team but they could easily be 2-0 in the conference. The losses to Texas and Oklahoma State, both on the road, were winnable. In fact, they led late in both games. unfortunately this probably says more about the state of Texas and OSU. The Wildcats will likely have problems against better teams. The game against Baylor will tell us a lot. This Wildcats squad is lacking the discipline and key skill players that they have had in the past. They likely belong in the lower half of the Big 12 and will probably spend the rest of the season there.
Up next: Baylor
#9. Iowa State Cyclones (1-3, 0-1)
Last Week - Lost to Texas 31-30
Iowa State played hard on Thursday night in Ames and, by all rights, deserved a victory over Texas. The Cyclones led late in the fourth and though they had stopped the Longhorns with a goal lie fumble. The only people that didn't see the fumble were the referees. The Cyclones have played hard during Paul Rhodes tenure and will win more than one game this year. This team has the ability and the energy to upset teams. They have done it the last few years and should again this year. This coming Saturday might be their chance.
Up next: at Texas Tech
#10. Kansas Jayhawks (2-2, 0-1)
Last Week - Lost to Texas Tech 56-16
The Jayhawks played real college football Saturday for about 1 quarter. Kansas jumped out to a 10-0 lead over Tech in the first quarter and then realized who they were. The subsequently gave up 56 points before they got back on the board by then, the game was over. On a positive note, the Jayhawks scheduled the game at 11:00 Am so that their fans could get some rest so they could attend the Kansas Jayhawks annual midnight start to the Basketball season. Kansas will play the remainder of the football schedule, very few will notice.
Up next: at TCU
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