Big 12 College Football Power Rankings: Week 3
We're three weeks into the season, and have started intra-conference play in the Big 12. Far from getting clarity, the results at the top and the bottom of the conference have gotten a lot muddier.
Some teams claimed scalps from BCS conferences, some struggled to get by non-BCS opponents. So, after three weeks of play, how do the teams shake out?
No. 12: Kansas (1-2, 0-0)
1 of 12
Last game: Lost to Southern Mississippi, 31-16, on the road
Last week: No. 11
What happened: Coming off an upset win over No. 15 Georgia Tech, KU got a nationally-televised Friday night game against Southern Miss. Unfortunately, the game wasn't really even as close as the 31-16 score. Turner Gill's got quite a rebuilding job to do in Lawrence.
Why No. 12? There's a lot of candidates for the bottom spot in the conference, and KU's win over the Yellow Jackets is impressive. But two unconvincing losses, and the way the Jayhawks looked in those losses, leave KU rooted to the bottom.
Next game: New Mexico State, on the road. After Georgia Tech, I'm not ruling anything out with Gill's kids.
No. 11: Colorado (2-1, 0-0)
2 of 12
Last game: Beat Hawai'i, 31-13, at home
Last week: No. 12
What happened: The Buffaloes came back from a first-half deficit to earn a convincing win over a mediocre Hawai'i team. Rodney Stewart got going in the second half and made what could have been a knockout punch of a loss into a comfortable win.
Why No. 11? Even a win over a mediocre Hawai'i team, a comeback win at that, is enough to take 2-1 CU off the floor of the conference.
Next game: Georgia, at home. Ralphie gets a week off to recover, and it's a good thing given the level of competition that's coming to town.
No. 10: Iowa State (1-2, 0-1)
3 of 12
Last game: Lost to Kansas State, 27-20, at a neutral site
Last week: No. 10
What happened: In what is becoming an interesting rivalry at Arrowhead Stadium, Paul Rhodes' team put up a good fight against a Daniel Thomas-led Kansas State act. Had ISU quarterback Austin Arnaud been able to be a little more accurate in the final comeback, they might have got all the way back.
Why No. 10? A good argument can be made that Iowa State and Colorado should be flipped in power rankings. But the Cyclones' schedule has been more daunting than the Buffaloes' schedule, and ISU has shown more in their body of work than CU has in theirs.
Next game: Northern Iowa, at home. Keep in mind, this is the same Northern Iowa squad that the Hawkeyes needed two blocked field goals from to preserve a win in Iowa City.
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No. 9: Baylor (2-1, 0-0)
4 of 12
Last game: Lost to TCU, 45-10, on the road
Last week: No. 8
What happened: Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin insists that the Bears' drubbing at the hands of TCU was down to a lack of execution on their part, not on TCU being a better team. Don't be fooled. TCU might be the best college football team in Texas - they're certainly a step above Baylor.
Why No. 9? There's no question that Griffin is one of the great talents in the conference. But there's also no question that he can't play defense, and can't handle an elite opponent on his own.
Next game: Rice, on the road. Safe to say that the Owls are not the best team in Texas. Get well game for Griffin and his pals.
No. 8: Missouri (3-0, 0-0)
5 of 12
Last game: Beat San Diego State, 27-24, at home
Last week: No. 5
What Happened? San Diego State led 24-20 going into the end of the fourth quarter over Missouri, at Missouri. The Tigers got a 68-yard touchdown strike from a short pass that turned into a TD romp and saved Gary Pinkel's blushes against a team Mizzou should have beaten handily.
Why No. 8? Yes, technically Missouri beat the Aztecs last week. On a last-minute touchdown pass. That was a fluky play and could just as easily not have happened. For power ranking purposes, the differences between Mizzou's win and a loss is pretty negligible.
Next game: Miami (Ohio), at home. Will the home scare against SDSU be enough to focus Missouri against another non-AQ team?
No. 7: Texas A&M (3-0, 0-0)
6 of 12
Last game: Beat Florida International, 27-20, at home
Last week: No. 4
What happened: The Aggies needed a 40-yard touchdown run with under five minutes in the game to pull away from upset-minded Florida Atlantic at home. Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson probably ended any slim Heisman candidacy he may have had by going 11-31 and throwing four (!) interceptions.
Why No. 7? Not Florida. Not Florida State. Not even Central Florida or South Florida, fer cryin' out loud. It was Florida International that took the Aggies to the wire at home. Another bad win that provides plenty of reason to slip down the power ranking charts.
Next game: Oklahoma State, on the road. This just in: the 'Pokes can score a lot more points than FIU can. The Aggies Wrecking Crew defense better ramp it up a notch to avoid a bad loss in Stillwater.
No. 6: Oklahoma State (3-0, 0-0)
7 of 12
Last game: Beat Tulsa, 65-28, at home
Last week: No. 11
What happened: The Cowboys' strategy appears to be to simply outscore their opponents and play just enough defense to get by. But wins are wins, and OSU showed an ability to score a bunch of points in the air to complement their previous blowout win on the ground.
Why No. 6? A combination of poor opponents and a close win over Troy make it hard to get too excited about the 40-year-old-coach's team, but it's hard to ignore the margins OSU has been winning by, as well as the ability they have now demonstrated to score in the air and on the ground.
Next game: Texas A&M, at home. While the Aggies have not impressed this season, they will be OSU's sternest test to date. And, at some point, the Cowboys will play a game outside of Stillwater.
No. 5: Kansas State (3-0, 1-0)
8 of 12
Last game: Beat Iowa State, 27-20, at a neutral site
Last week: No. 6
What happened: 34 carries. 181 yards. Two touchdowns, with a third coming off an option where exactly no one was covering quarterback Carson Coffman. That's the kind of effect a running back like Daniel Thomas has on a game. For three games, Thomas has been the best player on the field, and has brought the Purples single-handedly to a perfect record.
Why No. 5? Thomas is proving to be, right now, the best running back in the Big 12, and K-State plays just enough defense to allow Thomas to run the ball, shorten the game, and keep the 'Cats in position to win.
Next game: Central Florida, at home. Hey, they're no Florida International, but the Golden Knights will bring some athletes to the Little Apple and will challenge K-State.
No. 4: Texas Tech (2-1, 0-1)
9 of 12
Last game: Lost to Texas, 24-14, at home
Last week: No. 7
What happened: In what was apparently billed as the "Michael Crabtree Revenge Bowl" by ABC, the Red Raiders held Texas in check until, with the aid of a questionable penalty at the end of the fourth quarter, the Longhorns were able to pull away. The fact that the Tech defense forced four turnovers gives some indication that Tommy Tuberville is getting Raider Nation to play a little defense to go with the Mad Bomber offense.
Why No. 4? A team loses and moves up three spots? It's a travi-sham-ockery! But with Tech playing well and having every opportunity to beat a team like Texas, combined with other teams having to huff and puff against lesser competition (see International, Florida), the ranking is justified.
Next game: Iowa State, on the road. The Cyclones should be a good matchup for the Red Raiders, although going to Ames is not ideal.
No. 3: Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0)
10 of 12
Last game: Beat Air Force, 27-24, at home
Last week: No. 2
What happened: After getting out to a 27-10 lead, Oklahoma had to hang on by its collective fingernails to prevent a furious Falcon fourth-quarter comeback. The Sooner defense gave up 458 yards of total offense, and it took a final stand to make sure they also didn't give up their undefeated season.
Why No. 3? Will the real OU team please stand up, please stand up, please stand up? Last-minute stand to beat Utah State at home. Blowing out Florida State. Last-minute stand to hold off Air Force. While last week I was ready to elevate OU to the top slot after an impressive win, OU slips backwards after a less than impressive one.
Next game: Cincinnati, on the road. The Bearcats are a shell of the team that played in a BCS bowl last year, but they still have enough offense to give OU a scare if they stay in the game.
No. 2: Nebraska (3-0, 0-0)
11 of 12
Last game: Beat Washington, 56-21, on the road
Last week: No. 3
What happened: So much for freshman jitters. In his first road game, redshirt freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez ran for three touchdowns and threw for one more in Nebraska's annihilation of Washington at Husky Stadium. NU was up 14-0 less than five minutes into the first quarter and was never seriously threatened from there.
Why No. 2? Nebraska has notched three comfortable wins, but the competition against which they've notched the wins is less than stellar. The road win is impressive, but NU has yet to prove itself against a truly talented opponent.
Next game: South Dakota State, at home. Looks like we'll have to wait at least another week for that "truly talented opponent" thing.
No. 1: Texas (3-0, 1-0)
12 of 12
Last game: Beat Texas Tech, 24-14, on the road
Last week: No. 1
What happened: Usually, if you turn the ball over four times on the road, especially to a team as talented as Texas Tech, you don't live to tell the tale. The Longhorn defense, though, showed signs of greatness in holding the Red Raiders to 14 while the offense found its feet and pulled away from their pesky west Texas neighbors.
Why No. 1? Although Bevo didn't look impressive, any win in Lubbock is nothing to sneeze at. The Longhorns have the best body of work in the Big 12, and have done plenty to retain the top spot.
Next game: UCLA, at home. The Bruins have been less than convincing this year, so this game gives the Longhorns a chance to clean things up and get a win over a BCS conference foe.
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