1. Oklahoma:
Quarterback Landry Jones and the Sooners got off to a quick start against the Longhorns last weekend in Dallas and proved once again that they are indeed one of the best teams in the country. Jones tossed three touchdowns passes and didn’t turn the ball over while the Sooners’ defense forced five Texas turnovers en route to a decisive victory on a big stage. The Sooners are bigger, stronger and faster than any team in the conference.
2. Oklahoma State:
Much like his counterpart down the road in Norman, Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden continued his scorching pace last week against the Jayhawks, recording five more passing touchdowns. Receiver Hubert Anyiam caught two touchdown passes last week and is quickly emerging as another formidable option beside Justin Blackmon, who also tallied two touchdowns a week ago. The Cowboys will take their air show on the road to Austin this week and will be licking their chops after the performance the Texas secondary turned in at the State Fair last week.
3. Kansas State:
The Wildcats continue to impress and are off to a quiet 5-0 start. Quarterback Collin Klein isn’t going to “wow” anyone with his arm but he continues to produce significantly for a Wildcats’ rushing attack that ranks 18th in the nation. Klein rushed for three more touchdowns in last week’s victory over Missouri to raise his total to seven rushing scores this season.
4. Texas A&M:
For a moment last Saturday it looked as if the Aggies would blow another late lead, but they were able to snap their two-game skid and edge Texas Tech by five points in Lubbock- which is no easy feat. The Aggies’ secondary did give up some alarming numbers once again, but running back Cyrus Gray was able to rush for over 100 yards to help the Aggies beat the Red Raiders. A Baylor team that is much different than in years past will make a visit to College Station next.
5. Baylor:
Bears quarterback Robert Griffin III rushed for more than 100 yards for the first time this season last week against Iowa State and added a rushing touchdown to bring his overall touchdown total to 21 this year. Running back Terrance Ganaway added a dominant performance last week as well — the 6-foot, 240-pound senior rushed for 200 yards and three scores to remind us all that this Baylor squad is extremely well-rounded offensively.
6. Texas:
Not too many positives to take away from last week’s 55-17 shellacking at the hands of the Sooners, but the Longhorns did hold the Sooners to 86 yards rushing. That’s good and all but the Longhorns still gave up nearly 400 yards through the air also. Whatever the problems the Texas secondary had last week need to be fixed at warp speed because Oklahoma State comes to Austin this week averaging over 400 yards through the air per game.
7. Texas Tech:
The Red Raiders nearly handed Texas A&M their third-consecutive loss but fell just short in the end. Any time a quarterback can complete 44 passes like Seth Doege did for the Red Raiders last week, his team will have a shot at winning games. The Red Raiders just need some defense to go with all that firepower they have on offense. If the Red Raiders are able to beat a scrappy Kansas State team this week they could be a new addition to the Top-25 polls.
8. Missouri:
Sophomore running back Henry Josey is averaging 12.4 yards per carry this year on only 43 attempts. He’s not the only Tiger making strides on the ground — the team is averaging a hefty 253.3 rushing yards per game. Big numbers but only two wins to show for it. Part of that is because of injuries and a true freshman at quarterback, but even in the Tigers’ three losses they have not lost by more than 10 points. The potential is there, they just need to get over the hump late in games and finish off opposing teams.
9. Iowa State:
Cyclones’ quarterback Steele Jantz has shown he can make big plays when they matter the most, but he’s also shown a propensity for turning the ball over. He has thrown eight interceptions so far and has squandered opportunities to put his team ahead. Baylor seemed to just be too fast and powerful for the Cyclones to handle last week and they could be in for another rude awakening this week against Columbia if they don’t assess some glaring issues on the defensive side of the ball.
10. Kansas:
The Jayhawks are in week two of a four-game stretch against ranked opponents. After losing 70-28 last week at the hand of Oklahoma State they get the luxury of playing Oklahoma this week. Tough break for a team that is clearly a cut below the conference’s best. The Jayhawks are giving up an NCAA-worst 49.4 points per game and that figure will more than likely be on the rise after this week.
