College Football Big 12 power rankings entering Week 3
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Two weeks into the college football season, and one thing is clear: this is going to be the hardest conference to rank on a weekly basis. Through two weeks, the amount of variance in results has been astounding! Look no further than Oklahoma State, who has lost to Tulsa and beaten Oregon in successive weeks. What do you do with that?
MORE: College Football risers & fallers after Week 2
10. Colorado
The Buffs get to hold their position after a 52-21 victory over Weber State. Julian Lewis looked great, throwing for 366 yards and 4 TDs, and he could be a great complement to the unique run scheme of the Go-Go offense.
9. Cincinnati
The Bearcats shellacked Western Carolina 62-10 in Week 2. I continue to be impressed with the offensive line, and it is always good to back a team that can win in the trenches. Notre Dame transfer Gi’Bran Payne has now gone over 100 rushing yards in two straight.
8. TCU
A 63-7 demolition of Grambling is exactly what the doctor ordered for TCU after their Week Zero loss in Ireland. Jaden Craig drastically improved, almost hitting 400 passing yards. A more pressing issue now is, when is Jordan Dwyer coming back?
7. Arizona State
It was a strange, strange loss for Kenny Dillingham’s crew against Texas A&M. The final score was 48-20 in favor of the Aggies, but the Sun Devils out-gained them through the air and on the ground. But it was 9 penalties and 4 turnovers that proved costly. For that, they don’t get knocked too far down this week.
6. Oklahoma State
The biggest riser of any team in any conference this week is the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Talk about a one-week turnaround! And here’s the crazy part: they looked like the better team against Oregon! Drew Mestemaker was awesome, Caleb Hawkins and the offensive line churned out yards on the ground, and the defense got just enough stops to win the game at the end. We saw the floor for the Pokes last week, and the ceiling this week. There is no reason this team can not finish 10-2 or 11-1 if they can muster that performance every week.
5. Kansas State
Despite one of the dumbest turnovers of the weekend from Avery Johnson, Kansas State was able to wallop Washington State 34-7. This really doesn’t change the perception of the Wildcats, who dominated on the ground to the tune of 7.4 yards per carry.
4. Houston
The Cougars shellacked Southern 77-6 to move to an expected 2-0. They had the oddity of scoring 6 rushing TDs with 6 different players. The biggest game of the season for Willie Fritz and the ‘Cougs this Friday night as they travel to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech.
3. Utah
Anytime you can show up and just steamroll an SEC opponent, even a bottom-dwelling SEC team, you have to feel good about it. Devon Dampier accounted for 4 total TDs in a 43-10 whomp-ing of Arkansas late Saturday night.
2. BYU
After trailing 17-14 at the half, BYU came out and scored the only 14 points after the break to win 28-17 over Arizona. Kalani Sitake must have had some halftime adjustments. One thing that did not need adjusting was the efficiency of Bear Bachmeier, who totaled 4 TDs on the day. This team should find themselves in Dallas at the end of the season.
1. Texas Tech
The Red Raiders maintain the top spot for now, but it doesn’t feel great. They had to play a full 4 quarters against a frisky Oregon State team. The offense is not as effortless as last season, and the defense nowhere near as suffocating. The decline of the pass rush has led to an exposing of the secondary. I now understand why they so desperately wanted Brendan Sorsby to become eligible.
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