It was a hit or miss week for the Big Twelve. More hit than I expected. The conference teams won five of seven out-of-conference contests and West Virginia’s game with North Carolina State was cancelled. I had predicted only one win out of those seven. OU beat Iowa State in Big Twelve conference play.
Oklahoma opened the league season with a nice 37-27 win over Iowa State in Ames. The defense of Mike Stoops had some difficulty in shutting down a second team quarterback in Zeb Nolan and his number one receiver Hakeem Butler. A six foot six stud, Butler had his way for the first 37 minutes of the game, breaking tackles and running through the Sooner secondary. In the final 23 minutes, Pernell Motley, who was assigned to cover Butler, received some help as Butler received a defense double team and he did not make another catch. Kyler Murray had this third exceptional day and the Sooner offense had their way with a better than average Cyclone defense.
In a battle of Top 25 teams, Boise State visited Stillwater and found the grass on the surface of Boone Pickens not good for grazing their Broncos. Oklahoma State dominated both lines and Taylor Cornelius was excellent with his feet and arm in a 44-21 win. The Pokes were much the better team in all areas. OSU is for real.
Texas crushed USC in Darrell K Royal in Austin, 37-14. It was impressed. Doubts that Horn quarterback Sam Ehlinger is a proven performer in the clutch must be recognized. Texas got good play from both sides of the ball and the defense is evolving as one of the best units in the league…Good win for UT.
Kansas State won in Manhattan in a workmanlike fashion over UTSA. The score was 41-17.
No more jokes with Kansas football for a while. They crushed Rutgers of the Big Ten 55-14. A two game winning streak for the Jayhawks.
Duke proved they are a better team than Baylor, beating the Bears in Waco, 40-27.
Texas Tech upset Houston 63-49 in Lubbock. The passing game was clicking and Houston had no clue.
TCU had Ohio State in their pocket until a total breakdown in the third quarter as the Buckeyes win 40-28. TCU was the Big Twelve’s biggest disappointment as they played with the Big Ten opponents for most of the game. Gary Patterson is not a happy coach today.
Big Twelve Ranking
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Oklahoma
-
West Virginia
-
TCU
-
Oklahoma State
-
Iowa State
-
Texas
-
Kansas State
-
Texas Tech
-
Baylor
-
Kansas
Fred’s Top Twenty-five
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Alabama
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Oklahoma
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Georgia
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Ohio State
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Clemson
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West Virginia
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LSU
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Stanford
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Auburn
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Virginia Tech
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Oklahoma State
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Univ. of Central Florida
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Notre Dame
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TCU
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Washington
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Mississippi State
-
Wisconsin
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Miami, Fla
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Michigan
-
Oregon
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aTm
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Boston College
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Duke
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Kentucky
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South Florida
Feature photo: AP Parnell Motley intercepts Iowa State to end the game
Why are you ranking OSU 11th and TCU 14th in the National standings when you have TCU rated above OSU in the Big 12 ranking?
because TCU has a loss and OSU does not at the current time. I think TCU is a little better but the loss puts them behind OSU in a National Poll….in the Big 12, TCU and OSU are both 0=0. And it is my poll and as with any poll, it is all opinion and is all subjective. Thank you for reading and remarking to my blog. Please comment more. I appreciate it.
What is happening with Iowa State? Are they capable of winning 10 or 11 games this season? After last season’s success I expected the Cyclones to contend for a higher ranking in the Big 12 this season.
what happened to them? Nothing. They did not get that first game in before going to Iowa City to play the Hawkeyes……first game on the road against another good team, a rival game…..with a very good defense…not unexpected loss. Then home against an upset OU team, top five in the country, looking for revenge….and actually they played well. ISU will be alright. They have one of the best coaches, and play hard.