Big 12 Insider: Week Seven in the Big 12

The sixth week of the college football season is in the books and those teams in the Big 12 conference, as well as the rest of the NCAA, will head into the seventh week of the season soon.  Here is some of what happened last week. 

The game between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners was a bit of a blowout as the Sooners stomped the Longhorns 55-17.  This was expected, by some, to be a close game, but the Sooners took control early and never looked back. 

Baylor and Iowa State played against one another and the Bears, as many expected, came out victorious in a 49-26 win over the Cyclones. The Bears looked pretty good doing it as well.  Baylor should climb back into the polls (further) and be ready for a solid remainder of the season.

Texas A&M and Texas Tech played a very close game and in the end the Aggies beat the undefeated Red Raiders 45-40.  It was a good close game, but the Aggies came out ahead and knocked the Red Raiders out of the ranks of the undefeated.

Oklahoma State obliterated Kansas in a 70-28 win. The Cowboys are keeping pace with the Sooners for the lead in the Big 12 and have positioned themselves much higher in the polls.

The surprising Kansas State Wildcats remain undefeated as they ended up beating the Missouri Tigers this past Saturday 24-17.  The Wildcats are starting to look like a solid team with this winning streak, but they will face much tougher tests ahead.  Can they build upon their record and end the season with a strong bowl bid?

The teams that are ranked this week include (AP Top 25): Oklahoma is third, Oklahoma State is sixth, Kansas State is 17th, Baylor is 20th, Texas A&M is 21st, and Texas is 22nd.  In the Coaches’ Poll, the Sooners are number one, Oklahoma State is No. 7, Kansas State is No. 18, Texas is No. 21, Texas A&M is No. 23, and Baylor is No. 24. 

Some of the top players from the previous week include Oklahoma’s quarterback Landry Jones on offense, Oklahoma cornerback Jamell Fleming on defense and Texas A&M’s Dustin Harris on special teams.

Jones had a big game against the Longhorns throwing 50 passes while completing 31 for 367 yards and three touchdowns.  Fleming, who also had a big game against the Longhorns, ended the game with 13 tackles and had a fumble recovery which he returned 56 yards for a score.  Harris helped bring his team to a win when he blocked a 50-yard field goal attempt by Texas Tech as the game wound down to the end.  The block was returned for a touchdown to help seal the win for his team.

Let’s take a look at the games coming up this weekend:

Baylor at Texas A&M—The Bears bounced back from a loss to come back and beat the Cyclones last week, while the Aggies also won their game.  This promises to be a good game that both teams need to win in order to stay up near the top of the conference, earn a bowl berth and be there if Oklahoma falters. 

Iowa State at Missouri—Both of these teams are in need of a pick-me-up after a loss last week, and both need a win to help stay near the top of the conference.  It’s likely that Missouri will get the best of the Cyclones in this game and start to look a little better than they have been this year. 

Oklahoma State at Texas—The Longhorns will face their second tough test in a row when they take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys at home.  The Cowboys are coming into this game as one of the hottest teams in the nation and are nearly a carbon copy of the Oklahoma.  The Sooners had their way with the Longhorns last week and it’s likely that the Cowboys will be able to win this game and keep up with their in-state rivals. 

Kansas State at Texas Tech—Kansas State is undefeated and looking like a pretty good team.  The Red Raiders were previously undefeated until last week and had been playing pretty well up to that point.  Can Kansas State keep their undefeated season going and beat the Red Raiders?  Look for this to be the best game of the weekend in the Big 12.

Oklahoma at Kansas—The Sooners, coming off of a big win against arch-rival Texas, will take on a slipping Kansas team and should be able to easily win this game.