Big 12 Football Power Rankings, Week 6: League wide open after crazy weekend
By Phil Poling
Last Week: 8. player. 877. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 2-1 (1-1). West Virginia Mountaineers. 6
Coming in at No. 6 in our power rankings is the 2-1 West Virginia Mountaineers. They battled with Baylor and ultimately won in overtime, 27-21, but it wasn’t your typical Big 12 shootout.
This Mountaineer team is unlike any we’ve seen in recent memory, too. Instead of all the yards and points on offense, it’s a field-position unit that relies heavily on their defense — which happens to be one of the best in school history.
If quarterback Jarret Doege ever plays with some consistency, this team could take off. Last week, they held Chuba Hubbard and the explosive Oklahoma State Cowboys to just 27 points. In Saturday’s win, they allowed just 21 to Baylor.
With Kansas up next, the Mountaineers could move to 3-1 and 2-1 in conference play.
Texas Longhorns. 851. Pick Analysis. Last Week: 1. 5. player. Scouting Report. 2-1 (1-1)
Well, Texas being “back” sure was short-lived. After coming in at No. 1 in our power rankings a week ago, the Longhorns fell to Gary Patterson and TCU, 33-31. They trailed the Horned Frogs through much of the game, too, so it certainly wasn’t a fluke.
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger tossed four touchdowns on the day, but completed just 17-of-36 pass attempts — 47 percent. That’s not going to get it done against a well-coached team like the Horned Frogs. If Ehlinger wants to be taken seriously, he’ll need to drastically improve those numbers.
Luckily for the Texas gunslinger, the Oklahoma Sooners are up next on the Longhorns’ schedule. And if there’s one thing we know about Oklahoma, it’s that their defense is sorry. This year’s Red River rivalry is going to be a shootout.
Last Week: 9. 4. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 1-1 (1-1). Texas Christian Horned Frogs. 872
After dropping their season-opener, the Horned Frogs bounced back in a big way by beating the Longhorns, 33-31. And it took a bit of everything — scoring on offense, stops on defense, plenty of kicking. And that’s a recipe for success — drives that end in kicks, whether they’re extra points, field goals, or punts.
And the Horned Frogs had plenty of each. Kicker Griffin Kell was 3-for-3 on extra points and 4-for-4 on field goals totaling 15 points off his foot alone. And Jordy Sandy punted four times for TCU for an average of 42.8 per punt; he had a long of 54. Again, these aren’t exciting numbers. But it’s winning football.
Quarterback Max Duggan had himself a day, too, throwing for 231 yards, but he also pitched in 79 yards and two scores on 17 carries. Whether those numbers are sustainable is unknown, but if they’re efficient, the Horned Frogs could win a handful of games in the meantime.