Listen Now: Morning News

Big 12 Snapshot: Whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on

— By Dave Weekley

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — It’s nice to have a Big 12 Snapshot this week that comes off a Saturday in which every team in the conference played a game.
  Conversely, what happened to West Virginia in Lubbock, was, well, not so nice.
  So, let’s take a look at how things are shaping up in the Big 12 heading into the final Saturday in October.
  Last week, we had no changes in any of our three tiers in the Big 12 Snapshot, but this edition has a host of teams on the move.  Remember, our weekly Snapshot employs a fantasy football-style tier format, rather than conference standings or power ratings.
TIER ONE — (Serious Big 12 title contenders.)
OKLAHOMA STATE 
  We are keeping Oklahoma State in the top slot again this week.  At the moment, the Pokes rule our Big 12 Snapshot with their killer combo of offensive playmakers and a more-than-solid defense.  In the biggest conference game of the season so far, the Cowboys topped Iowa State, 24-21.  OSU manhandled the ISU offensive line most of the afternoon, and held Brock Purdy and the Cyclones’ offense to just 4-of-14 on third down.  Is Chuba Hubbard still the best running back in the Big 12?  It’s a debatable point, but against Iowa State, he looked like his old self, rushing for 139 yards and a touchdown.  Quarterback Spencer Sanders returned after his ankle injury and while his passing was a bit rusty (2 ints), he ran for 71 yards and a touchdown.  OSU is the team to beat in the Big 12 at the moment, but games against Texas this week, following by a trip to K-State and Bedlam against Oklahoma are looming.
KANSAS STATE 
  K-State joins OSU in Tier One status this week, and we have them just a notch behind the Cowboys in our top tier, but its close.  KSU really didn’t have to show all its cards a week before coming to Morgantown to face WVU.  The Wildcats built a 34-7 halftime lead on the heels of not one, but two punt return touchdowns in the first half by Phillip Brooks.  Suddenly, no one is talking about former Big 12 Special Teamer of the Year Joshua Youngblood who jumped into the transfer portal early last week.  Kansas State’s Duece Vaughn is the latest example of how very good things come in small packages.  K-State dumped KU for the 12th straight time and are on a major roll right now, even without Skyler Howard.
TIER TWO —- (Likely bowl teams, but still considered conference title underdogs.)
IOWA STATE 
  We will bump Iowa State out of Tier One this week and to the top of Tier Two, after their loss at Oklahoma State.  ISU is the only Big 12 team at the moment with only one conference loss, so they are still very much in the hunt for a slot in the league’s championship game.  Cyclone fans can only wonder what might have been; a win over OSU would have given them tie-breakers over the Cowboys and the Sooners and a clear path to the conference’s title game.  Breece Hall remains a game changer for ISU, but he didn’t get much help at Oklahoma State.  Brock Purdy put up pedestrian numbers against OSU, just 19-of-34 for 162 yards, with a touchdown and interception.  Tight end Charlie Kolar struggled and Connor Assalley missed two field goals in a three-point loss.  ISU should get back on track this week, they are four-touchdown favorites at Kansas.
OKLAHOMA      
  Remember how bad Oklahoma’s defense was in its loss at Iowa State and in its 4-OT close shave against Texas?  Well, the Sooners looked much sharper on that side of the football in its not-nearly-as-close-as-it-looked win over TCU.  OU held the Frogs to only 75 rushing yards.  Max Duggan struggled and TCU was just 5-for-14 on third down.  Marvin Mims had a great game against the Frogs, with 132 yards receiving and a pair of scores.  When Spencer Rattler isn’t turning the ball over — he had no turnovers in this game — and he’s finding Mims on a regular basis, Oklahoma is going to be a tough out the rest of the way.
TEXAS 
  In the days leading up to the contest with Baylor, there was more talk about who would or wouldn’t be singing (or playing) “The Eyes of Texas” than the game itself.  And in the first quarter against the Bears, it showed, as the Longhorns seemed flat as a pancake.  However, as the game progressed, Sam Ehlinger got back on track with a pair of rushing scores.  The Texas defense up eventually wore down the BU offensive line and after a week of being ripped in the local media about its poor tackling, the Longhorns stuffed the Bears’ rushing game and got the pressure off Tom Herman, at least for another week.  Worth noting, an upset win in Stillwater this Saturday, would completely change the way we view the rest of the season for Texas.
TCU 
  It was a tough call for this slot in Tier Two between TCU and WVU this week.  I finally decided to give the edge to the Frogs by the slimmest of margins; I didn’t expect TCU to beat OU, but did predict a WVU road win at TTU.  It’s my faith in Gary Patterson that keeps the Frogs in the middle of the pack in our Snapshot, but this group doesn’t have many of the characteristics of his previous teams.  Right now, TCU can’t run the football and Max Duggan is having trouble making plays when they count, even when he has time to throw — and against the Sooners, that occurred far too infrequently. TCU’s bread and butter under Patterson has been defense and even that has been a disappointment this season in Fort Worth.  A TCU win at Baylor this week is a must for a Frogs, or this season is likely to spin out of control.
WEST VIRGINIA 
  If you are a regular listener to our radio show “Hotline” you know we tend to give WVU the benefit of the doubt when it comes to sports — and we don’t apologize for that.  However, there are very few ways to spin that loss at Texas Tech.  West Virginia went into the game leading the nation in total defense and was going against one of the nation’s worst defenses.  Add to that, TTU was starting a new quarterback, had three of their top receivers miss the contest, had their top two running backs unable to finish the game due to injury and managed to still find a way to win.  Dropped passes, penalties at critical times and some puzzling play calling were on display again in Lubbock.  The toughest stretch of the season for the Mountaineers starts this week with conference co-leader K-State.  Now with two conference losses, any hopes of a surprise run by West Virginia to the Big 12 title game most likely rides on the outcome.
BAYLOR
  Baylor slips a notch in our Tier Two rankings this week after losing to Texas.  It wasn’t a surprise that the Bears lost, but there’s just not enough positives about BU to put them any higher in our Snapshot.  Baylor ran for only 64 yards on the previously awful Texas defense.  Charlie Brewer had relatively solid numbers passing; 30-of-43 for 256 yards and two touchdowns against Texas and directed a turnover-free offense in the game.  However, Baylor allowed the ‘Horns to convert 8-of-16 third downs and the rugged Bears’ defense of last season is now just a memory.  BU still has to play at Iowa State and at Oklahoma and has home dates left against current conference co-leaders KSU and OSU.  If Baylor doesn’t beat TCU in Waco next Saturday, the possibility of a two or three win season is not only possible, but probable.
TEXAS TECH 
  We are bringing Texas Tech out of our Tier Three basement after their upset win over West Virginia.  TTU got a few things fixed during their off week and it showed in the victory over WVU.  Henry Columbi took over at quarterback and while he didn’t make any big down-the-field throws, he was accurate in the short passing game and ran effectively when needed.  TTU rushed for twice as many yards as WVU (literally no one saw that coming) and as the second half wore on, the Red Raiders three-man defensive front got the best of the Mountaineers’ offensive line.  Toss in an 87-yard punt by Austin McNamara and a scoop N’ score at game-winning time by Zech McPhearson and there you have it.  Will TTU win any more Big 12 games besides Kansas?  That’s an open question — but they sure shocked WVU.
TIER THREE —- (Tier Three is where the worst Big 12 teams dwell.)
KANSAS
  Well, at least there’s something we can always count on in this world.  But seriously, in yet another lopsided loss, this time to Kansas State, after a punt return touchdown by Philip Brooks, how could you punt the ball to him again with just seconds left in the first half?  The Jayhawks did, and predictably, he took another one to the house.  In regards to KU football, maybe it’s true after all, that the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train.




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