Re-Ranking the Big 12 Order of Finish After Week 2
With two weeks in the books, the only team without a win in the Big 12 is Iowa State following Saturday's loss to Kansas State, their second of the season.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech escaped El Paso with a win over UTEP, K-State needed a late rally to waltz out of Jack Trice Stadium with a win and West Virginia looked polished with a 54-0 drubbing of Towson. So this conference is wide-open.
The loss of David Ash hurts Texas' chance to make a run at a league title in Charlie Strong's debut campaign, while Baylor showed off its depth with Seth Russell torching Northwestern State in the absence of Bryce Petty.
With that, let's predict how the conference will finish with two weeks in the books.
10. Iowa State
1 of 10
Two home games in the books for the Cyclones have equated to nothing in the win column.
Iowa State started its season with an embarrassing loss to North Dakota State in its opener, followed by a heartbreaker against the K-State Wildcats that saw the Cyclones surrender a 15-point lead after going down 13-0.
While Iowa State looked competitive against the Wildcats, that game was just part two of what is one of the hardest schedules in all of college football.
At 0-2, the Cyclones travel to Iowa, return home against Baylor then travel to Oklahoma State in their next three games. Those three contests could all be losses.
If the Cyclones start the season 0-5, it'll be an almost impossible road to gain bowl eligibility. Another poor season could not only leave Paul Rhoads unemployed at season's end, but could leave the Cyclones staring at the basement of the Big 12.
9. Kansas
2 of 10
The Kansas Jayhawks didn't exactly look impressive in Week 2, their season opener, against Southeast Missouri State. The Jayhawks squeaked by with a 34-28 win.
But with some of the Jayhawks' easiest games—Texas, Iowa State and TCU—in Lawrence, the Jayhawks may just need one or two of those games to go their way in order to avoid finishing last in the Big 12 yet again.
Quarterback Montell Cozart looked decent in the Jayhawks' opener, tossing for three scores. If he can continue to get comfortable, Cozart could be the spark Kansas needs to get out of the cellar of the league.
8. Texas
3 of 10
There's no other way to put it—the Texas Longhorns looked very weak and vulnerable against BYU on Saturday, and that could be an ominous sign of how the rest of the season will go down in Austin.
The Longhorns are hurting with the loss of quarterback David Ash, as Tyrone Swoopes looked unprepared against the Cougars, throwing for just 176 yards and one touchdown in a game where Texas was forced to pass more and more as they fell behind.
Injuries and dismissals are all part of the cleansing process that Charlie Strong is undergoing at Texas. But this season already looks lost for the Longhorns, and it could be a long one for the Burnt Orange faithful.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. TCU
4 of 10
The TCU Horned Frogs had last week off, but they looked impressive in their 48-14 Week 1 win over Samford.
TCU is always loaded with quality athletes, the program has just had a hard time adjusting to Big 12 programs.
With the top half of the conference so loaded and a Big 12 schedule that includes three contests against Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to start off, 2014 may not be the year that TCU finally cracks the top five.
But don't count TCU out either, as they could very well be a dark horse to make some noise in the league.
6. Texas Tech
5 of 10
It's no secret, Texas Tech looked very suspect against UTEP on Saturday, escaping El Paso with a 30-26 win.
But the Red Raiders are still 2-0 with plenty of room to grow.
Quarterback Davis Webb still looks like the man for the job in Lubbock, tossing for three scores and no picks in the game against UTEP.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury is still getting acclimated for the gauntlet that is the Big 12 season, but a 2-0 start will suffice for now.
Home games against Texas, Oklahoma and Baylor also bode well for the team's chances.
5. West Virginia
6 of 10
Who would've thought WVU would be a Big 12 contender in 2014?
After giving Alabama a run for their money in Week 1, the Mountaineers thrashed Towson 54-0 to nab their first win of the year.
Clint Trickett is finally coming together as a signal-caller and living up to the hype as a Florida State transfer.
Sept. 20 will be the best measuring stick to see where Dana Holgorsen's squad is at, as they host Oklahoma in the Big 12 opener.
While the Sooners are certainly tough competition, the fact that the game is in Morgantown is certainly an advantage. The Mountaineers have already proved they can hang with the best the country has to offer.
It's still a long road to a Big 12 title, but WVU looks as capable as anyone in the conference at this point.
4. Oklahoma State
7 of 10
How and when J.W. Walsh can recover from his foot injury, which could very well be a broken foot, remains to be seen.
But against Missouri State, Daxx Garman proved that he could very well step in and be a feasible replacement for Walsh. Garman racked up 244 yards and two scores through the air in the Cowboys' 40-23 win over Missouri State.
The Cowboys proved they could hang with anyone in Week 1, giving Florida State a real scare. But without Walsh, Oklahoma State's season is still very much a question mark.
For now though, the Cowboys still look like a team to reckon with in the Big 12.
3. Kansas State
8 of 10
In his home state on Saturday, Jake Waters made a statement to the rest of the nation.
He's ready to lead K-State to a Big 12 title, and potentially a win over Auburn on Sept. 18.
The Wildcats were given everything they could handle in Ames, overcoming a 15-point deficit to win 32-28 over Iowa State thanks to a late touchdown run by Waters.
K-State gets Week 3 off before facing the defending SEC champions in a Thursday night prime-time showdown in Manhattan. We'll find out then exactly what the Wildcats are made of.
But as anybody in college football knows, you'll never outcoach Bill Snyder. His tutelage gives any team a chance to make a deep run late into the season.
2. Oklahoma
9 of 10
While the Oklahoma Sooners have yet to face a real test through their first two games, quarterback Trevor Knight left no doubt in his squad's 52-7 drubbing of Tulsa that he's poised for a big season that could see Oklahoma win the Big 12.
Knight finished the game with 299 yards passing, 35 yards rushing on just five carries and three total touchdowns.
The Sooners were the preseason favorite to win the Big 12, and they're still undoubtedly one of the teams to beat in the league.
Ask anyone in the Big 12, and they'll tell you that the path to a conference championship on the gridiron runs through Norman.
1. Baylor
10 of 10
Bryce who?
With Bryce Petty nursing an injury, quarterback Seth Russell stepped up against Northwestern State in Week 2 and tossed five touchdowns en route to a 70-6 blowout win.
Granted, the Bears were playing Northwestern State. But the fact that Baylor seems to not miss a beat no matter who's under center is a huge sign of good things to come down the road.
Baylor's schedule also favors them, as their first two conference games should be easy contests against Iowa State and Texas. Both those games are on the road, so they're not exactly writeoffs.
But if the Bears can nab wins in those two games, they'll likely be hitting their stride as they enter the meat of the conference schedule.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
