BIG 12 THIS WEEK
POWER RANKINGS
Is the Big 12 race going to be wide open this year or are the Sooners just cruising in second gear until league games start? After a weekend that saw West Virginia upset No. 15 Virginia Tech and Kansas State go to 3-0 and find its way into the Top 25 polls, perhaps this is the year a team not in crimson and cream claim the trophy at Jerryworld. Here’s where we have the Big 12 teams ranked in the power poll:
1. Oklahoma (3-0)
This week: vs. West Virginia
The Sooners are still the defending champs of the Big 12. That’s why they are slotted here. Meh after meh performances this year for Lincoln Riley’s crew will be put to the test with a night tussle with the Mountaineers.
2. Kansas State (3-0)
This week: at Oklahoma State Another week, another solid performance from the Cats. The Manhattan bunch beat a decent Nevada team behind Deuce Vaughn’s running. Same old consistent story from a team clearly on the rise.
3. Oklahoma State (3-0)
This week: vs. Kansas State
The Cowboys had the second-most impressive win of the conference this past weekend after visiting Boise State and knocking off the Broncos. The win came despite poor play from quarterback Spencer Sanders.
4. West Virginia (2-1)
This week: at Oklahoma
The Mountaineers jump five slots with their win over the No. 15 Hokies. Neal Brown’s crew shut down Virginia Tech’s running game, and Leddie Brown was explosive in the run game, totaling 161 yards on 19 carries.
5. Iowa State (2-1)
This week: at Baylor
The Cyclones finally got it all going in a win over an 0-3 UNLV team. QB Brock Purdy was nearly perfect (21-24, 288 yards, 3 TDs) as the Iowa State defense held the Rebels to 130 total yards.
6. Texas (2-1)
This week: vs. Texas Tech
The Longhorns did what they needed to do - beat a bad team with no drama. In Texas’ 58-0 whitewash of Rice, three Longhorn running backs had touchdown runs of longer than 60 yards.
7. Texas Tech (3-0)
This week: at Texas
The Red Raiders remain perfect, but the unblemished record comes at the hands of three opening-season patsies. Tyler Shough had complete control of the Air Raid offense, tossing for 399 yards and four touchdowns.
8. Baylor (3-0)
This week: vs. Iowa State
The Bears have the same story as the Raiders. Three wins, three unremarkable opponents. Head coach and defensive guru Dave Aranda had Baylor’s defense ready for Kansas, giving up only 166 yards in a 45-7 win.
9. TCU (2-0)
This week: vs. SMU
The idle Horned Frogs used the off week to prepare for Metroplex rival SMU. Gary Patterson’s crew will start conference play at home versus Texas on Oct. 2 and hope to find success on the ground — the Horned Frogs have had more runs than passes
in 22 of their last 27 games.
10. Kansas (1-2)
This week: at Duke
The Jayhawks, after taking a couple steps forward with a season-opening win and a decent loss to a ranked Coastal Carolina team, fell back down to earth with a complete no-show against Baylor. The Jayhawks have lost 13 straight Big 12 games.