1. Oklahoma State (1-0, last week: 1)
Once again the Cowboys performance was much more dominant than the scoreboard reflected on Saturday. The Pokes 56-35 win over UTSA at the Alamodome would have looked much more lopsided had the Roadrunners not scored 28 points in garbage time. A big reason for Oklahoma State’s early-season success has been the play of sophomore quarterback J.W. Walsh, who had more touchdowns than incompletions in the victory over UTSA.
2. Baylor (2-0, last week: 5)
Another week, another blowout win for the Bears. This Saturday’s 70-13 drubbing of Buffalo, who held its own against Ohio State a week earlier, was particularly impressive. Baylor had 10 total touchdowns from seven different players, including three from Heisman candidate Lache Seastrunk.
3. Oklahoma (2-0, last week: 3)
The Sooners were less than impressive in a 16-7 win over West Virginia in Norman on Saturday. Redshirt freshman quarterback Trevor Knight struggled throughout the game and will be forced to sit out this week after bruising his knee against the Mountaineers. Whether it’s Knight or junior Blake Bell, Oklahoma is going to need somebody to step up at quarterback soon. Matchups with Notre Dame, TCU and Texas are fast approaching.
4. TCU (1-1, last week: 4)
The Horned Frogs found their way into the win column last week with a 38-17 win over SE Louisiana in Fort Worth. With Casey Pachall out for up to eight weeks after breaking his non-throwing arm, sophomore Trevone Boykin takes over the reigns at quarterback for the foreseeable future.
5. Texas (1-1, last week: 2)
All hell has broken loose on the 40 Acres. After giving up a record 550 rushing yards, and getting blown out by BYU, the Longhorns fired defensive coordinator Manny Diaz on Sunday. Desperation appears to have set in for Mack Brown and if new coordinator Greg Robinson can’t fix things in a hurry, Texas will continue to plummet down this list.
6. Texas Tech (2-0, last week: 6)
Led by walk-on freshman quarterback Baker Mayfield, the Red Raiders continue to roll. Mayfield impressed once again this week, throwing for 367 yards and three touchdowns in one half of work. We’ll see if Kliff Kingsbury’s squad can keep things going against TCU in Texas Tech’s first real test of the season.
7. West Virginia (1-1, last week: 8)
Many would argue that the Mountaineers’ loss to Oklahoma this week was more impressive than last week’s win over William and Mary. West Virginia’s defense held the Sooners offense to just one touchdown while forcing four turnovers. However, the offense continues to struggle and uncertainty at the quarterback position could prevent West Virginia from climbing the Big 12 standings.
8. Kansas State (1-1, last week: 7)
The Wildcats rebounded nicely with a blowout victory over a strong Louisiana-Lafayette team. Bill Snyder’s two-quarterback approach was an improvement compared to Week 1, but junior Jake Waters continues to struggle through the air, tossing two interceptions and failing to produce a touchdown on Saturday.
9. Kansas (1-0, last week: 10)
The Jayhawks won their FCS matchup and Iowa State didn’t, so Kansas is out of the cellar. This week’s matchup with Rice should give us a better idea of how much Charlie Weis’ bunch has improved since last year.
10. Iowa State (0-1, last week: 9)
The season got off to a rough start with the early FCS loss, but the Cyclones have had a week to recuperate and a third consecutive Cy-Hawk trophy would be a great way to bounce back.
