Big 12 Football Power Rankings, Week 4: Don’t sleep on Oklahoma State
By Dante Pryor
Texas Tech Red Raiders. 10. Pick Analysis. 2-1. Last Week: 7. 874. Scouting Report. player
Why did the Red Raiders plummet all the way down to No. 10? Well for starters, you have to do better than score more than 14 points against one of the worst defenses in college football. Second, Kansas had a historical week. Someone had to finish 10th this week. Odds are things will be back in their natural order, and Kansas will be 10th and the Red Raiders will right the ship and move up.
The Red Raiders weren’t able to sustain offense for four quarters against an Arizona defense that had allowed 484 yards and 33 points per game. One sure drive is killer is turnovers, and quarterback Alan Bowman threw two interceptions. In the second half, the Red Raiders didn’t have the ball; the Wildcats shortened the game and ground out two fourth quarter touchdowns.
As Texas Tech enters conference play against Jalen Hurts and the Sooners after their bye week, they need to be more physical along the offensive and defensive lines.
Kansas Jayhawks. 9. player. 821. Last Week: 10. 2-1. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Rock Chalk Jayhawk. Les Miles and the Kansas Jayhawks broke a 48-game road losing streak to Power Five schools with a 48-24 rout of the Boston College Eagles. It wasn’t just that they broke the streak, it was the manner in which they crushed it. The Jayhawks outplayed the Eagles in the second half, shutting them out.
This was quite the rebound from the seven-point output against the Chanticleers. I won’t make fun of Coastal Carolina’s mascot, since there’s a perfectly good explanation for its name. They were balanced on offense, and made great half-time adjustments to shut out Boston College in the fourth quarter.
What does this mean for the Jayhawks as they enter conference play against the West Virginia Mountaineers? Who knows, but these are the kinds of wins that can establish a good foundations for a season.
Scouting Report. 2-1. 8. Pick Analysis. Last Week: 9. West Virginia Mountaineers. player. 877
The Mountaineers have seen the worst of times — a 38-7 thrashing at the hands of the Missouri Tigers — and the best of times — a rout at the hands of NC State 44-27. Which West Virginia will show in their conference opener against Kansas? More importantly, which Austin Kendall will show against the Jayhawks?
There’s good Kendall and bad Kendall. Good Kendall threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns against North Carolina State. Bad Austin Kendall threw for a paltry 137 yards and two interceptions versus Missouri. This offense will hinge on which Kendall shows because they don’t have anyone else.
There’s no big-time receiver like David Sills or big time running back like Steve Slaton. Kendall has to be great every weekend for West Virginia to be good, and that includes against Kansas.
Iowa State Cyclones. player. 837. Pick Analysis. Last Week: 3. 7. Scouting Report. 1-1
In the biggest plummet of the week, the Cyclones were unable to re-claim the Cy-Hawk Trophy again this year falling short against the Iowa Hawkeyes 18-17. If you took the under in this game, good on you it was the right move. This game promised to be physical, and it delivered.
Games this close, however, are all about closing, and the Cyclones did not close. Iowa State out-gained the Hawkeyes by over 100 yards, and kept Iowa out of the end-zone until the fourth quarter. When it counted the Cyclones made the worst type of mistake you can make in a crucial moment, they made a mental mistake. The Cyclones were covering a punt when the ball hit Datrone Young in the back, and the Hawkeyes recovered.
The game might not mean much in the grand scheme of the Big 12, but this is one feather Cyclones head coach has yet to put in his cap. The Cyclones invite Louisiana-Monroe to Jack Trice and then they open their Big 12 schedule with a trip to Waco to face Baylor.