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| POWER RANKINGS |
#1. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-1, 10-1)
Last Week - Beat Baylor 49-17
Well, either Baylor had an off week or OSU is really good. The Pokes dominated the Bears from the first snap and didn't let up until the final seconds ticked off the play clock. These Bears looked like the pre-Art Briles Bears. The Pokes looked solid in every aspect of the game and if they beat the Sooners in their last conference game, deserve to be undisputed Big 12 champs.
Up Next: Oklahoma
#2. Baylor Bears (6-1, 9-1)
Last Week - Lost to Oklahoma State 49-17
Baylor's perfect season came to a stunning stop in Stillwater Saturday. The bears were humbled by the Cowboys and were removed from any National championship scenario. The Bears do have a shot at a BCS game and with TCU and Texas left, should have suffered their only loss this season. Baylor should bounce back and finish 11-1. It would appear that OSU and Baylor are leaps and bounds above the rest of the Big 12.
Up Next: At TCU
#3. Oklahoma Sooners (6-2, 9-2)
Last Week - Beat Kansas State 41-31
Kansas State could have caused the Sooners problems in Manhattan but the revamped OU offense with Trevor Knight at the helm provided enough offense to overcome the Wildcats. The Knight led Sooners looked more fluid than they do with Bell and the running game that was so evident in the first few games has returned with a vengeance. The loss of several starters on defense is evident but Mike Stoops has the backups getting better each week. With the win, Bob Stoops became the all time wins leader at Oklahoma.
Up Next: At Oklahoma State
#4. Texas Longhorns (6-1, 7-3)
Texas probably would have liked to play last weekend so that they would at least have a chance to erase the Oklahoma State loss from their collective minds. With the loss came the realization that a Big 12 championship is out of their reach and Mack Brown will likely be gone at seasons end. The Longhorns finish with Texas Tech on Thanksgiving and then travel to Waco and Baylor in the finale. Texas should go 1-1 in these last two games but, if they don't get past OSU, they might lose both.
Up Next: Texas Tech
#5. Kansas State Wildcats (4-4, 6-5)
Last Week - Lost to Oklahoma 41-31
The Wildcats had a 4 game win streak snapped by Oklahoma Saturday in Manhattan. Its no surprise, Stoops is 8-2 against Snyder with the only losses coming on a neutral site (Arrowhead Stadium), and in Norman last season. Having said that, Snyder has again done a masterful coaching job. Kansas State looked dead 5 weeks ago and not likely to become bowl eligible. The Wildcats have Kansas left and should win that game comfortably giving them a winning record in the conference and overall.
Up Next: At Kansas
#6. Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-4, 7-4)
Last Week - Bye
Texas Tech comes out of the bye week with an opportunity to right a season that was in a tailspin. Four straight conference losses knocked them out of the top 25 and left them in danger of finishing the season with a losing record in the conference. They finish at Texas on Thanksgiving and despite the game being played in Austin, its winnable. A win gives the Red Raiders respectability and an 8 win season. A loss and Tech losses any credibility they gained early in the season.
Up Next: At Texas
#7. TCU Horned Frogs (2-6, 4-7)
Last Week - Bye
The best part about last Saturday is that TCU did not lose. I would love to say that there is a bright spot remaining in the Horned Frogs season but I can't. TCU must host an angry Baylor squad this Saturday and the Bears will be out to prove that the loss to OSU was a fluke. Ouch, I wouldn't want to be a Horned Frog this week. The good news for TCU, they don't have to play again after Saturday.
Up Next: Baylor
#8. Iowa State Cyclones (1-7, 2-9)
Last Week - Beat Kansas 34-0
I said earlier this season that the Cyclones would not move up until they beat someone. Beat they did. Iowa State reminded Kansas that even a snapped losing streak can lead to another. In football you are often only as good as your last game. The Cyclones were good last week shutting out the same Jayhawks that scored 31 on West Virginia a week before, the same team that Iowa State faces this week. Can they win two in a row? I'd say the odds are in the Cyclones favor.
Up Next: At West Virginia
#9. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-6, 4-7)
Last Week - Bye
The win over Oklahoma State must seem like a decade ago to the Mountaineers. They didn't play last Saturday so they likely watched, as the rest of the country did, the Cowboys step closer to the Big 12 Title. The Mountaineers finish with a home game against the upstart Iowa State Cyclones. Which team will show up on Saturday, the team that beat OSU or the team that lost to Kansas. Either way, like TCU, West Virginia can hang the cleats up Sunday and start looking for a new coach.
Up Next: Iowa State
#10. Kansas Jayhawks (1-7, 3-8)
Last Week - Lost to Iowa State 34-0
The Jayhawks are like the kid in your 5th grade class the gets praised for a good grade on a test right before being punished for not doing his homework. How do you snap a 29 game conference losing streak and follow it up with a shutout loss to the only winless team in the conference the very next game. Head coach Charlie Weis probably survives the season but his coaching history says the Jayhawks will not be any better next season. The Jayhawks have one more game and then the team can focus the rest of the year on cheering a winner, the KU basketball team.
Up Next: Kansas State
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