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Big 12 Power Rankings 2019

gmr548

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Farkimedes

Farkimedes 23

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3 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

This is what Campbell teams do.  Our offensive line actually performed very well against Iowa.  The only front 7 we'll see the rest of the year that's better than Iowa's is yours.  

...

We deserve to be down the power rankings right now, but if you think what you've seen in the first two games means anything about how the season will pan out, you haven't been paying much attention the last few years.

You're expecting leaps and bounds improvement from an OL that doesn't have any new players, it's just a year older. Yes, there are natural strength gains made for guys on the line, and it's important to not discount that. But I didn't see any significant improvement against an Iowa front that isn't as good as 3 or 4 teams in the Big XII, I saw a gameplan that relied heavily on Brock Purdy in the run game to create an extra gap ( something they wouldn't do against NIU until the Q4 when the offense couldn't get anything going ), and an OL the really struggled in space against athleticism.

Iowa's Front is not as good as TCU's or UT's, and I don't think it's that much better than OU or K-State. 

I should be clear that I think ISU has the best Front in the Big XII and that I think Campbell is one of the 3 elite coaches in the league. I just think the OL is a massive, massive problem that the Cyclones can't overcome this year like they could last year w/ skill position freaks.

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Farkimedes

Farkimedes 23

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1 hour ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I'm far more concerned about our play calling than our line play after Saturday.  Good-Jones all but erased Epenesa.  They were much better against Iowa than UNI.

Your play calling was so conservative because your Guards couldn't handle the Iowa LBs in space, and your Tackles had to have help during obvious passing situations.

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Farkimedes

Farkimedes 23

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4 hours ago, JBJ said:

I think I see their problem.

The one glaring part of their recruiting strategy has been Front 7 guys. They found a diamond in the rough w/ James Lynch as a 1-Gap DL, but they have massively, massively struggled to find the linebackers and the SDE type guys you have to have to be successful w/ an even front in the league. Now they are going to a 50 front and just recruiting two-gappers + 1 or 2 undersized pure pass rushers per class. That's gonna work out better for them in the long run, but it's gonna take awhile for those guys to mature into what they need ( if Rhule is even still there in 3 years, which I would be shocked by, he seems like the type of guy that will take the first 10 win season he can at Baylor and springboard into a better job ).

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Doyle Hargreaves

Doyle Hargreaves 301

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1. Tech-fuck yew assholes. Just fucking wait. Necks will be snapped, coeds impregnated. Maybe we beat Kansas. Gooooooooooooooooooooo

Raiderrrrs!!!!

2. Texas/OU

3. Okie Lite/Froggie

4. Cyclones/Rape/Kitty

5. Kansas/Mountaqueers

 

btw, the big 12 refs tried to rip us off but we won anyway....yew alopecia fucking fuck!  

 

 

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Iceman

Iceman 2978

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Leading thread on Tech Football board right now.

https://247sports.com/college/texas-tech/board/102951/Contents/worst-decisions-that-affected-ttu-fb-ever-135805511/

A decade later, it's still a sucking chest wound.  Would love for Wells to be the turning point in the right direction.  Right now, Tech is arguably the worst team in Big XII Football.

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gmr548

gmr548 16694

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After Week 4:

1.) OU: Tech's defense will probably be the best they've played all year and the best they play before Texas, though that isn't saying much. Will be interesting to see if Tech can slow them down at all, though I doubt the game will ever be in doubt.

2.) Texas: There were already defensive issues and now injuries are mounting on that side of the ball. Even if it was closer than it should have been due to Texas' mistakes, getting by OSU, one of the teams that is best-equipped to exploit the defense, is a big step. The bye week is well timed. The team's focus will be tested with a trip to Morgantown being all that remains before the biggest game of the year.

GAP

3.) ISU: Took out their anger from the Iowa loss on the G5 they played. They'll open conference with their first road game of the year, at Baylor. 

4.) KSU: Well-timed bye to get prepped for conference play. Big one coming up in Stillwater. The winner of that one has a chance to separate themselves from the pack a bit. How does that end up on ESPN+?

5.) OSU: Despite the loss they certainly showed to be competitive, and much of the B12 isn't going to be able to replicate the Texas defensive game plan. KSU may be one of the teams physical enough to handle the OSU running game, but do they have the horses to both hold up at the point of attack while devoting the necessary resources to the passing game? I think OSU has a great chance to bounce back in Stillwater.

6.) TCU: I still think thy're better than the teams below this tier, but they certainly laid an egg after I was buying their stock last week. Their offense turned the ball over three times and put up a sub 50 percent passing completing performance. That's the kind of performance that will cost you even with a strong defense. Several B12 teams are good enough to make you pay for that kind of offensive ineptitude so TCU is going to have to right the ship fast if they want to compete. Silver lining is that they continue to run the ball very well.

GAP

7.) Baylor: Offense struggling with Rice is not a good look. Perhaps looking ahead to ISU, but if you're going to feast on cupcakes OOC, the least you can do is annihilate them. We'll see if they

8.) WVU: Most WVU fans probably would have taken it if you offered them a 3-1 start to the season. I'm still not sure they have three more wins in them though. They'll have a bye to prep for Texas. I'm sure Morgantown will be... Lively.

9.)Tech: Off week in preparation for Oklahoma. We'll see if they can really play defense now.

GAP

10.) Kansas: Played hard at home vs WVU but couldn't pull it out. Thy got some solid QB play too. That was probably their best chance at a conference win this year, though they do get Tech at home in late October as well. Tech's QB should be back by then though. Next up is a TCU team will not need any motivation given last year's result in Lawrence.

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12623

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Yeah, KSU is ahead of ISU and OK State right now.  Undefeated, and best win of that group.

1.  OU - Until proven otherwise.

2.  Texas - best loss in the conference; good win over a solid OK State team despite losing the whole secondary.

3.  KSU - Undefeated, Mississippi State was a good win.

4.  ISU - ULM game more indicative of team's potential than Northern Iowa.  Finally starting to hit stride.

5.  OK State - neck and neck with ISU; Texas game wasn't as close as it looked though, and Texas was very depleted defensively.

6.  Rapey McMurder - Undefeated, no quality wins.  Haven't played anyone yet.  We'll know more in a week.

7.  TCU - That was a bad loss.  Purdue win was nice, but the Big 10 isn't great, and Purdue will be lucky to win 5-6 games.

8.  WVU - 3-1.  I think their entire fanbase would have taken that in a heart beat.

9.  Tech - nothing to write home about yet.

10.  KU - BC win likely a product of terrible ACC.  Didn't look good in WVU loss.

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Burt Macklin

Burt Macklin 19230

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The ISU-Baylor and OSU-KSU games should shed a lot of light on those 5 middle of the pack B12 teams. 
I’d like to see more from KSU, but they look really well coached and Skylar Thompson has been impressive. If I had to pick, I’d put them at the top of that pack with TCU at the bottom after giving up 41 to SMU and showing no signs of having a credible passing attack, but I think all 5 of those teams’ games against each other will be very matchup dependent. 

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El Diablo

El Diablo 4232

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4 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

The ISU-Baylor and OSU-KSU games should shed a lot of light on those 5 middle of the pack B12 teams. 
I’d like to see more from KSU, but they look really well coached and Skylar Thompson has been impressive. If I had to pick, I’d put them at the top of that pack with TCU at the bottom after giving up 41 to SMU and showing no signs of having a credible passing attack, but I think all 5 of those teams’ games against each other will be very matchup dependent. 

Being in Waco I've heard a good bit of talk this week about that upcoming ISU/BU game. Local radio has had both HC's in interviews and while of course all you're going to hear is coach-speak there is some truth in them both saying the 2 programs are similar in game management philosophy. Rhule and Campbell both want to play solid D, control the ball and clock to some extent (or at least be able to) and get a few big hit plays a game. I think ISU is the better team but game's in Waco so home field could be a deciding factor. Supposed to be mid-90's on Saturday.

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12623

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Being in Waco I've heard a good bit of talk this week about that upcoming ISU/BU game. Local radio has had both HC's in interviews and while of course all you're going to hear is coach-speak there is some truth in them both saying the 2 programs are similar in game management philosophy. Rhule and Campbell both want to play solid D, control the ball and clock to some extent (or at least be able to) and get a few big hit plays a game. I think ISU is the better team but game's in Waco so home field could be a deciding factor. Supposed to be mid-90's on Saturday.


It was in the 90’s in Ames last week. I keep seeing Baylor/Texas area media going “how will ISU handle 94 degrees!?!” and just chuckle.

Rape may very well win, but that ain’t why.
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closetojumping

closetojumping 65391

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I keep hearing Baylor hype on Big 12 radio and even XM 84 when they discuss games for the week. Texas beats Rice like they owed them money and nobody thinks a thing. Baylor eeks out a win against Rice after playing 2 other fucking cupcakes and the discussion is "maybe this Baylor team is better than everyone else thinks?". Uh, no motherfuckers. Baylor is the most overrated team in the country right now, and they're not even ranked. I expect a 6-6 team. 3-6 in the conference with wins over WVU, KU, and then some unlucky bastard.

Mississippi State is not a good football team. Credit to KSU for taking advantage of ST mistakes and a lethargic morning atmosphere in Starkville, but they're the 6th best team in the conference, ahead of BU, WVU, Tech and KU. 

TCU's offensive line looks terrible in pass protection and their QB looks like an unprepared freshman. Their defense is not up to the hype, apparently. Watching that SMU game, they didn't have any fucking interest in playing that game. People can talk about a TCU rebound year, but I am not sure what they're seeing that says anything north of 7-5. 

OSU and Iowa State will duke it out for 3rd and 4th in the conference.

Texas finally has the dudes again. They've got more explosive players than most anyone they're lining up against. They've got a great fucking OL and the DL looks nasty in its own right. Herman will prove to us this season who he really is. Anything short of a 10-2 finish to the regular season would be disappointing.

OU hasn't played anyone and that won't change this weekend. It won't change next weekend, either. That's great news for Texas. I'm interested in seeing how they handle things when Texas shows up and punches them in the face and kicks them in the nuts. I rank them #1 merely because recent history merits giving them the benefit of the doubt.

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George Clooney

George Clooney 378

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18 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I keep hearing Baylor hype on Big 12 radio and even XM 84 when they discuss games for the week. Texas beats Rice like they owed them money and nobody thinks a thing. Baylor eeks out a win against Rice after playing 2 other fucking cupcakes and the discussion is "maybe this Baylor team is better than everyone else thinks?". Uh, no motherfuckers. Baylor is the most overrated team in the country right now, and they're not even ranked. I expect a 6-6 team. 3-6 in the conference with wins over WVU, KU, and then some unlucky bastard.

Mississippi State is not a good football team. Credit to KSU for taking advantage of ST mistakes and a lethargic morning atmosphere in Starkville, but they're the 6th best team in the conference, ahead of BU, WVU, Tech and KU. 

TCU's offensive line looks terrible in pass protection and their QB looks like an unprepared freshman. Their defense is not up to the hype, apparently. Watching that SMU game, they didn't have any fucking interest in playing that game. People can talk about a TCU rebound year, but I am not sure what they're seeing that says anything north of 7-5. 

OSU and Iowa State will duke it out for 3rd and 4th in the conference.

Texas finally has the dudes again. They've got more explosive players than most anyone they're lining up against. They've got a great fucking OL and the DL looks nasty in its own right. Herman will prove to us this season who he really is. Anything short of a 10-2 finish to the regular season would be disappointing.

OU hasn't played anyone and that won't change this weekend. It won't change next weekend, either. That's great news for Texas. I'm interested in seeing how they handle things when Texas shows up and punches them in the face and kicks them in the nuts. I rank them #1 merely because recent history merits giving them the benefit of the doubt.

The Baylor hype seems to be growing in the media. Every talking point about them starts with, "Rhule is a program builder because of what he did at Temple". I get that, but these guys aren't actually analyzing their team. Their o line sucks, and none of their backs are good. Brewer is above average, and their receivers are good. Their defense is very average and uninspiring. I think Rhule focused way too much on Texas HS connections when building his staff, because some of their units are just putrid (o-line). 

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gmr548

gmr548 16694

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After Week 5, with the caveat that the only thing I watched is the first half of ISU vs Baylor:

1.) OU: Still don't think you can take a whole lot from the Tech game but through four games their defense is pretty clearly better than last year. How much better remains to be seen. I don't get the impression they're going to get more than 2-3 stops on Texas unless aided by unforced errors. Horse shit that they get Tech and Kansas before the RRS while Texas gets OSU and @WVU, by the way. Hard to see anyone else in the conference beating them except maybe @OSU in Bedlam, but Gundy is uniquely talented at shitting the bed vs OU.

2.) Texas: Tower lit up orange last night to celebrate the defeat of mighty BYE. At the moment, the biggest obstacle to a return trip to a CCG is injuries. If that situation deteriorates, all bets are off, but as of now it is pretty hard to fathom Texas finishes anything worse than second. Hopefully Herman and staff have them focused enough to take care of business in Morgantown against what will undoubtedly be a motivated and well-prepared WVU.

GAP

3.) OSU: I think they earned their own tier yesterday. I imagine they'll be ranked though I haven't seen a poll yet. Impressive performance coming off a hard fought loss. Really looks like they controlled the game vs KSU. Judging by the stats, looks like their solid secondary was able to contain KSU's passing game on its own, allowing their LBs to focus more on run support. Content to use blunt force on offense, overwhelming KSU with the run game with some timely completions to Wallace sprinkled in. It is a formula that will work against most opponents in league play. I could see them really testing OU but I am not sure their defense has what it takes to get them over the finish line there.

GAP

4.) Baylor: I only watched the first half, but their defense played well. Their offense didn't have a great day but that was against one of the better defenses in the conference. Between WRs that can't catch and a lack of a kicker (though a GW kick is obviously big) their offense is a bit hamstrung, and that could cost them. Hell, a drop cost them the Texas game last year. Clean things up over the course of the year and they could win eight plus. I could maybe see them sneaking into the polls this week. If they don't, passing their first road test in Manhattan would certainly get them ranked at 5-0. Could very well be 6-0 going into face a likely 5-1 OSU team in Stillwater for a ranked matchup.

5.) ISU: Maybe too high, but KSU got worked. CCG level defense and a barely bowl eligible offense. Chicago Bears of the B12. In particular the OL - couldn't run the ball at all despite Baylor working out of a base nickel. Did okay protecting Purdy vs the three-man rush but that isn't anything to write home about. Defense performed pretty well given the heat/humidity and how bottled up their offense was. Thing is, Baylor isn't especially talented on defense and doesn't do anything particularly special schematically. Like they fight they showed to come back but that OL isn't going to get that much better over the course of the year and it is hard to see them doing enough on offense to not let the game get away from them vs the top three.  Still, they've got three winnable games in front of them starting with an interesting matchup vs TCU. Maybe they can build some momentum after a rocky start.

6.) KSU: Seems like OSU pushed them around quite a bit. Didn't get anything going on offense, and while their pass defense seems like it was okay, OSU destroyed them on the ground. This team should not be an issue for Texas or Oklahoma but does look like they'll play a lot of close games in the middle of the league.

7.) TCU: No credit given for destroying Kansas but they at least did what they were supposed to. They continue to be a handful running the ball and it looks like their QBs had a bit of a get-right game. SMU game looks like a real outlier for them defensively. ISU game next week should be interesting. On the one hand, they have the horses on defense to eliminate ISU's run game while still keeping seven or eight in coverage and making life miserable for Purdy; on the other hand, Purdy is definitely good enough to replicate Buchele's output vs their defense and ISU should be able to commit a lot of resources to stopping their ground game without sacrificing too much against the pass. Think the Texas gameplan vs OSU -  bracket Reagor, sell out to stop the run, and make the QB and their secondary WR options beat you.

GAP

8.) WVU: Had a bye week to prepare for Texas. I'm sure most WVU fans are okay with 3-1, all things considered. They will be ready to go vs Texas. If the horns play well this isn't a contest, but you never know. If they spring the upset, it could prove key in getting them to bowl eligibility, because outside of Tech, I'm not sure I'd pick them in any remaining games. For the record, though, I don't think they pull the upset.

9.) Tech: They are in bad, bad shape. Seemed like their defense was playing better than in years past, but OU absolutely eviscerated them. Maybe they are a bit better defensively, but that offense is bad. They'd be fortunate to get to 4-8 at this point and they could lose to Kansas if they start to quit.

GAP

10.) Kansas: Despite what I just said in the Tech write up, still in their own tier just because of the talent gap. Got absolutely nothing going offensively against TCU. Their next two games, vs OU and @Texas, are not likely to get them out of this spot.

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12623

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After Week 5, with the caveat that the only thing I watched is the first half of ISU vs Baylor:
1.) OU: Still don't think you can take a whole lot from the Tech game but through four games their defense is pretty clearly better than last year. How much better remains to be seen. I don't get the impression they're going to get more than 2-3 stops on Texas unless aided by unforced errors. Horse shit that they get Tech and Kansas before the RRS while Texas gets OSU and @WVU, by the way. Hard to see anyone else in the conference beating them except maybe @OSU in Bedlam, but Gundy is uniquely talented at shitting the bed vs OU.
2.) Texas: Tower lit up orange last night to celebrate the defeat of mighty BYE. At the moment, the biggest obstacle to a return trip to a CCG is injuries. If that situation deteriorates, all bets are off, but as of now it is pretty hard to fathom Texas finishes anything worse than second. Hopefully Herman and staff have them focused enough to take care of business in Morgantown against what will undoubtedly be a motivated and well-prepared WVU.
GAP
3.) OSU: I think they earned their own tier yesterday. I imagine they'll be ranked though I haven't seen a poll yet. Impressive performance coming off a hard fought loss. Really looks like they controlled the game vs KSU. Judging by the stats, looks like their solid secondary was able to contain KSU's passing game on its own, allowing their LBs to focus more on run support. Content to use blunt force on offense, overwhelming KSU with the run game with some timely completions to Wallace sprinkled in. It is a formula that will work against most opponents in league play. I could see them really testing OU but I am not sure their defense has what it takes to get them over the finish line there.
GAP
4.) Baylor: I only watched the first half, but their defense played well. Their offense didn't have a great day but that was against one of the better defenses in the conference. Between WRs that can't catch and a lack of a kicker (though a GW kick is obviously big) their offense is a bit hamstrung, and that could cost them. Hell, a drop cost them the Texas game last year. Clean things up over the course of the year and they could win eight plus. I could maybe see them sneaking into the polls this week. If they don't, passing their first road test in Manhattan would certainly get them ranked at 5-0. Could very well be 6-0 going into face a likely 5-1 OSU team in Stillwater for a ranked matchup.
5.) ISU: Maybe too high, but KSU got worked. CCG level defense and a barely bowl eligible offense. Chicago Bears of the B12. In particular the OL - couldn't run the ball at all despite Baylor working out of a base nickel. Did okay protecting Purdy vs the three-man rush but that isn't anything to write home about. Defense performed pretty well given the heat/humidity and how bottled up their offense was. Thing is, Baylor isn't especially talented on defense and doesn't do anything particularly special schematically. Like they fight they showed to come back but that OL isn't going to get that much better over the course of the year and it is hard to see them doing enough on offense to not let the game get away from them vs the top three.  Still, they've got three winnable games in front of them starting with an interesting matchup vs TCU. Maybe they can build some momentum after a rocky start.
6.) KSU: Seems like OSU pushed them around quite a bit. Didn't get anything going on offense, and while their pass defense seems like it was okay, OSU destroyed them on the ground. This team should not be an issue for Texas or Oklahoma but does look like they'll play a lot of close games in the middle of the league.
7.) TCU: No credit given for destroying Kansas but they at least did what they were supposed to. They continue to be a handful running the ball and it looks like their QBs had a bit of a get-right game. SMU game looks like a real outlier for them defensively. ISU game next week should be interesting. On the one hand, they have the horses on defense to eliminate ISU's run game while still keeping seven or eight in coverage and making life miserable for Purdy; on the other hand, Purdy is definitely good enough to replicate Buchele's output vs their defense and ISU should be able to commit a lot of resources to stopping their ground game without sacrificing too much against the pass. Think the Texas gameplan vs OSU -  bracket Reagor, sell out to stop the run, and make the QB and their secondary WR options beat you.
GAP
8.) WVU: Had a bye week to prepare for Texas. I'm sure most WVU fans are okay with 3-1, all things considered. They will be ready to go vs Texas. If the horns play well this isn't a contest, but you never know. If they spring the upset, it could prove key in getting them to bowl eligibility, because outside of Tech, I'm not sure I'd pick them in any remaining games. For the record, though, I don't think they pull the upset.
9.) Tech: They are in bad, bad shape. Seemed like their defense was playing better than in years past, but OU absolutely eviscerated them. Maybe they are a bit better defensively, but that offense is bad. They'd be fortunate to get to 4-8 at this point and they could lose to Kansas if they start to quit.
GAP
10.) Kansas: Despite what I just said in the Tech write up, still in their own tier just because of the talent gap. Got absolutely nothing going offensively against TCU. Their next two games, vs OU and@Texas, are not likely to get them out of this spot.


I agree with this almost word for word.
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Farkimedes

Farkimedes 23

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3 hours ago, gmr548 said:

After Week 5, with the caveat that the only thing I watched is the first half of ISU vs Baylor:

1.) OU: Still don't think you can take a whole lot from the Tech game but through four games their defense is pretty clearly better than last year. How much better remains to be seen. I don't get the impression they're going to get more than 2-3 stops on Texas unless aided by unforced errors. Horse shit that they get Tech and Kansas before the RRS while Texas gets OSU and @WVU, by the way. Hard to see anyone else in the conference beating them except maybe @OSU in Bedlam, but Gundy is uniquely talented at shitting the bed vs OU.

2.) Texas: Tower lit up orange last night to celebrate the defeat of mighty BYE. At the moment, the biggest obstacle to a return trip to a CCG is injuries. If that situation deteriorates, all bets are off, but as of now it is pretty hard to fathom Texas finishes anything worse than second. Hopefully Herman and staff have them focused enough to take care of business in Morgantown against what will undoubtedly be a motivated and well-prepared WVU.

GAP

3.) OSU: I think they earned their own tier yesterday. I imagine they'll be ranked though I haven't seen a poll yet. Impressive performance coming off a hard fought loss. Really looks like they controlled the game vs KSU. Judging by the stats, looks like their solid secondary was able to contain KSU's passing game on its own, allowing their LBs to focus more on run support. Content to use blunt force on offense, overwhelming KSU with the run game with some timely completions to Wallace sprinkled in. It is a formula that will work against most opponents in league play. I could see them really testing OU but I am not sure their defense has what it takes to get them over the finish line there.

GAP

4.) Baylor: I only watched the first half, but their defense played well. Their offense didn't have a great day but that was against one of the better defenses in the conference. Between WRs that can't catch and a lack of a kicker (though a GW kick is obviously big) their offense is a bit hamstrung, and that could cost them. Hell, a drop cost them the Texas game last year. Clean things up over the course of the year and they could win eight plus. I could maybe see them sneaking into the polls this week. If they don't, passing their first road test in Manhattan would certainly get them ranked at 5-0. Could very well be 6-0 going into face a likely 5-1 OSU team in Stillwater for a ranked matchup.

5.) ISU: Maybe too high, but KSU got worked. CCG level defense and a barely bowl eligible offense. Chicago Bears of the B12. In particular the OL - couldn't run the ball at all despite Baylor working out of a base nickel. Did okay protecting Purdy vs the three-man rush but that isn't anything to write home about. Defense performed pretty well given the heat/humidity and how bottled up their offense was. Thing is, Baylor isn't especially talented on defense and doesn't do anything particularly special schematically. Like they fight they showed to come back but that OL isn't going to get that much better over the course of the year and it is hard to see them doing enough on offense to not let the game get away from them vs the top three.  Still, they've got three winnable games in front of them starting with an interesting matchup vs TCU. Maybe they can build some momentum after a rocky start.

6.) KSU: Seems like OSU pushed them around quite a bit. Didn't get anything going on offense, and while their pass defense seems like it was okay, OSU destroyed them on the ground. This team should not be an issue for Texas or Oklahoma but does look like they'll play a lot of close games in the middle of the league.

7.) TCU: No credit given for destroying Kansas but they at least did what they were supposed to. They continue to be a handful running the ball and it looks like their QBs had a bit of a get-right game. SMU game looks like a real outlier for them defensively. ISU game next week should be interesting. On the one hand, they have the horses on defense to eliminate ISU's run game while still keeping seven or eight in coverage and making life miserable for Purdy; on the other hand, Purdy is definitely good enough to replicate Buchele's output vs their defense and ISU should be able to commit a lot of resources to stopping their ground game without sacrificing too much against the pass. Think the Texas gameplan vs OSU -  bracket Reagor, sell out to stop the run, and make the QB and their secondary WR options beat you.

GAP

8.) WVU: Had a bye week to prepare for Texas. I'm sure most WVU fans are okay with 3-1, all things considered. They will be ready to go vs Texas. If the horns play well this isn't a contest, but you never know. If they spring the upset, it could prove key in getting them to bowl eligibility, because outside of Tech, I'm not sure I'd pick them in any remaining games. For the record, though, I don't think they pull the upset.

9.) Tech: They are in bad, bad shape. Seemed like their defense was playing better than in years past, but OU absolutely eviscerated them. Maybe they are a bit better defensively, but that offense is bad. They'd be fortunate to get to 4-8 at this point and they could lose to Kansas if they start to quit.

GAP

10.) Kansas: Despite what I just said in the Tech write up, still in their own tier just because of the talent gap. Got absolutely nothing going offensively against TCU. Their next two games, vs OU and @Texas, are not likely to get them out of this spot.

Agree w/ all of this. Great analysis. It's a down year for the Big XII. The conference has always had at least one god awful embarrassment of a team at the bottom, but I can't remember a time when there were so many bad teams just above the dregs. WVU and Tech are just bad teams. 

Next week has two big games w/ Baylor @ KSU and TCU @ ISU. Is ISU an upper middle class team, or are they a 6-6 team? Did TCU actually get right against Kansas or was it just Kansas? K State got worked, but they aren't a bad team, just a team that should be "receiving votes" not ranked.Just how good is Baylor?

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gmr548

gmr548 16694

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40 minutes ago, Farkimedes said:

It's a down year for the Big XII.

Eh I'm not sure I agree with this statement. Relative to what?

Last year? There were four legitimately good teams in the B12 last year. This year it's stronger at the top with two legit top ten teams. Its got a third legit top 25 and four more that are probably in that 20-40 range. That's six or seven deep with solid squads. Yeah, spots 8-9 are worse. It's also worth noting that the floor is elevated with even Kansas bodyslamming an ACC opponent on the road. On balance it's a better league this year.

Other leagues? The ACC is Clemson and 13 G5s, the PAC lacks the firepower at the top. I don't think anyone would argue with a straight face that those leagues are better. The B1G? Five of the seven teams in the B1G west and two or three in the east would finish at or below 8th place if they took WVU's place, where you say the dregs are dragging the conference down. That leave us with...Six or seven solid squads in the B1G. SEC? Conservatively, it's pretty clear five teams would fail that same test, and we'll add one more and call it six for the combo of South Carolina and Mississippi State, which are right on that line. Honestly, if you started with Kansas and lined aggy up against each B12 team up the rankings... WVU is probably the last team I'd be absolutely sure they'd beat. But to be conservative let's only fail one of SCar, Mississippi State, and aggy. That gives us... Eight solid squads, with giving aggy and one of Miss St/SCar the benefit of the doubt. One more good team in a league 40 percent larger.

Further, given the scheduling arrangements in the B1G and SEC, particularly for teams in the weaker divisions of those two conferences, very few if any teams have to go through all of the depth of those leagues. Very few of those teams are playing six or seven top 40 teams a year, and that is to say nothing of all B12 opponents playing P5 OOC games. Also, the B12 championship is goddamn stupid but the 1 vs 2 format does add one more tough game to the slate of the conference champion. A hypothetical undefeated or one-loss B12 champion would be as battle-tested of a team as there is in CFB.

It's at worst the third best conference in CFB, solidly in the middle of the P5s and much closer to the top two than the bottom two. I think it is probably the second best but that's just, like, my opinion man. Hype aside, I will defer to the SEC because of their strength at the top. Obviously Bama is Bama and LSU has scoreboard. I'm not sure if Georgia is truly elite or in that second tier like Texas but they are good. Jury is out on Auburn - Oregon controlled their game and Auburn was fortunate to win, but they seem to find ways to do so and their defense is really something. Florida is overrated as hell though. Still, top to bottom they are probably the best league, but their champion will almost certainly not have gone through what the B12 champion has.

 

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gmr548

gmr548 16694

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48 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

We haven't been competitive against you guys under Campbell.  I don't get us being favored in that game at all.

Yeah I have to say, as a Texas fan, even before ISU took a couple losses this year I wasn't worried. Texas is a bad matchup for ISU. Texas struggles with up tempo air raid teams, dual threat QBs, and exceptional skill players in space. Iowa State brings like 0.5/3 of those things to the table. Especially with the Texas OL coming together, Iowa State playing with five or six in the box and dropping eight is a recipe to get run right over. Texas has not had an issue shutting the ISU offense down under Orlando and I don't expect that to change with no Montgomery, Butler, and a mediocre OL. Never say never in Ames, but I was most worried (aside from OU) about OK State and @TCU to start the season. Those are the teams with the pieces to frustrate Texas. That hasn't really changed, though if Baylor's defense shows to be legit that could be tight too.

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PencilPusher

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21 hours ago, gmr548 said:

After Week 5, with the caveat that the only thing I watched is the first half of ISU vs Baylor:

1.) OU: Still don't think you can take a whole lot from the Tech game but through four games their defense is pretty clearly better than last year. How much better remains to be seen. I don't get the impression they're going to get more than 2-3 stops on Texas unless aided by unforced errors. Horse shit that they get Tech and Kansas before the RRS while Texas gets OSU and @WVU, by the way. Hard to see anyone else in the conference beating them except maybe @OSU in Bedlam, but Gundy is uniquely talented at shitting the bed vs OU.

2.) Texas: Tower lit up orange last night to celebrate the defeat of mighty BYE. At the moment, the biggest obstacle to a return trip to a CCG is injuries. If that situation deteriorates, all bets are off, but as of now it is pretty hard to fathom Texas finishes anything worse than second. Hopefully Herman and staff have them focused enough to take care of business in Morgantown against what will undoubtedly be a motivated and well-prepared WVU.

GAP

3.) OSU: I think they earned their own tier yesterday. I imagine they'll be ranked though I haven't seen a poll yet. Impressive performance coming off a hard fought loss. Really looks like they controlled the game vs KSU. Judging by the stats, looks like their solid secondary was able to contain KSU's passing game on its own, allowing their LBs to focus more on run support. Content to use blunt force on offense, overwhelming KSU with the run game with some timely completions to Wallace sprinkled in. It is a formula that will work against most opponents in league play. I could see them really testing OU but I am not sure their defense has what it takes to get them over the finish line there.

GAP

4.) Baylor: I only watched the first half, but their defense played well. Their offense didn't have a great day but that was against one of the better defenses in the conference. Between WRs that can't catch and a lack of a kicker (though a GW kick is obviously big) their offense is a bit hamstrung, and that could cost them. Hell, a drop cost them the Texas game last year. Clean things up over the course of the year and they could win eight plus. I could maybe see them sneaking into the polls this week. If they don't, passing their first road test in Manhattan would certainly get them ranked at 5-0. Could very well be 6-0 going into face a likely 5-1 OSU team in Stillwater for a ranked matchup.

5.) ISU: Maybe too high, but KSU got worked. CCG level defense and a barely bowl eligible offense. Chicago Bears of the B12. In particular the OL - couldn't run the ball at all despite Baylor working out of a base nickel. Did okay protecting Purdy vs the three-man rush but that isn't anything to write home about. Defense performed pretty well given the heat/humidity and how bottled up their offense was. Thing is, Baylor isn't especially talented on defense and doesn't do anything particularly special schematically. Like they fight they showed to come back but that OL isn't going to get that much better over the course of the year and it is hard to see them doing enough on offense to not let the game get away from them vs the top three.  Still, they've got three winnable games in front of them starting with an interesting matchup vs TCU. Maybe they can build some momentum after a rocky start.

6.) KSU: Seems like OSU pushed them around quite a bit. Didn't get anything going on offense, and while their pass defense seems like it was okay, OSU destroyed them on the ground. This team should not be an issue for Texas or Oklahoma but does look like they'll play a lot of close games in the middle of the league.

7.) TCU: No credit given for destroying Kansas but they at least did what they were supposed to. They continue to be a handful running the ball and it looks like their QBs had a bit of a get-right game. SMU game looks like a real outlier for them defensively. ISU game next week should be interesting. On the one hand, they have the horses on defense to eliminate ISU's run game while still keeping seven or eight in coverage and making life miserable for Purdy; on the other hand, Purdy is definitely good enough to replicate Buchele's output vs their defense and ISU should be able to commit a lot of resources to stopping their ground game without sacrificing too much against the pass. Think the Texas gameplan vs OSU -  bracket Reagor, sell out to stop the run, and make the QB and their secondary WR options beat you.

GAP

8.) WVU: Had a bye week to prepare for Texas. I'm sure most WVU fans are okay with 3-1, all things considered. They will be ready to go vs Texas. If the horns play well this isn't a contest, but you never know. If they spring the upset, it could prove key in getting them to bowl eligibility, because outside of Tech, I'm not sure I'd pick them in any remaining games. For the record, though, I don't think they pull the upset.

9.) Tech: They are in bad, bad shape. Seemed like their defense was playing better than in years past, but OU absolutely eviscerated them. Maybe they are a bit better defensively, but that offense is bad. They'd be fortunate to get to 4-8 at this point and they could lose to Kansas if they start to quit.

GAP

10.) Kansas: Despite what I just said in the Tech write up, still in their own tier just because of the talent gap. Got absolutely nothing going offensively against TCU. Their next two games, vs OU and @Texas, are not likely to get them out of this spot.

I agree with the order of this today, but think KSU will likely finish better than both Baylor and ISU, especially since both of those games are in Manhattan. Watched a fair amount of the BU/ISU game and came away impressed with neither. First half looked like the schools had gotten in the wayback machine and blasted back to 2007, when neither were any good. Second half offensive "explosion", especially for ISU, can probably be attributed more to fatigue from the heat than good football. Baylor is mediocre and wouldn't be surprised if KSU punishes them pretty hard this week. Don't see Baylor beating Texas, OU, OSU, TCU either which would give them the exact same conference record as last year.  For ISU, Purdy has regressed somewhat (that awful interception in the first half was "mind-bottling"), especially without Montgomery and Butler, and I think their defense will get worn out in matchups against the better offensive teams since their offense appears to have taken a step back. If I had to call order of finish at the end of the year:

  1. OU
  2. Texas
  3. OSU
  4. TCU
  5. KSU
  6. Baylor
  7. ISU
  8. West Va
  9. Tech
  10. Kansas

TX/OU for championship and perhaps the top 5 on the list ranked at the end of the season.

 

 

 

 

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'stache

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22 hours ago, gmr548 said:

After Week 5, with the caveat that the only thing I watched is the first half of ISU vs Baylor:

1.) OU: Still don't think you can take a whole lot from the Tech game but through four games their defense is pretty clearly better than last year. How much better remains to be seen. I don't get the impression they're going to get more than 2-3 stops on Texas unless aided by unforced errors. Horse shit that they get Tech and Kansas before the RRS while Texas gets OSU and @WVU, by the way. Hard to see anyone else in the conference beating them except maybe @OSU in Bedlam, but Gundy is uniquely talented at shitting the bed vs OU.

2.) Texas: Tower lit up orange last night to celebrate the defeat of mighty BYE. At the moment, the biggest obstacle to a return trip to a CCG is injuries. If that situation deteriorates, all bets are off, but as of now it is pretty hard to fathom Texas finishes anything worse than second. Hopefully Herman and staff have them focused enough to take care of business in Morgantown against what will undoubtedly be a motivated and well-prepared WVU.

GAP

3.) OSU: I think they earned their own tier yesterday. I imagine they'll be ranked though I haven't seen a poll yet. Impressive performance coming off a hard fought loss. Really looks like they controlled the game vs KSU. Judging by the stats, looks like their solid secondary was able to contain KSU's passing game on its own, allowing their LBs to focus more on run support. Content to use blunt force on offense, overwhelming KSU with the run game with some timely completions to Wallace sprinkled in. It is a formula that will work against most opponents in league play. I could see them really testing OU but I am not sure their defense has what it takes to get them over the finish line there.

GAP

4.) Baylor: I only watched the first half, but their defense played well. Their offense didn't have a great day but that was against one of the better defenses in the conference. Between WRs that can't catch and a lack of a kicker (though a GW kick is obviously big) their offense is a bit hamstrung, and that could cost them. Hell, a drop cost them the Texas game last year. Clean things up over the course of the year and they could win eight plus. I could maybe see them sneaking into the polls this week. If they don't, passing their first road test in Manhattan would certainly get them ranked at 5-0. Could very well be 6-0 going into face a likely 5-1 OSU team in Stillwater for a ranked matchup.

5.) ISU: Maybe too high, but KSU got worked. CCG level defense and a barely bowl eligible offense. Chicago Bears of the B12. In particular the OL - couldn't run the ball at all despite Baylor working out of a base nickel. Did okay protecting Purdy vs the three-man rush but that isn't anything to write home about. Defense performed pretty well given the heat/humidity and how bottled up their offense was. Thing is, Baylor isn't especially talented on defense and doesn't do anything particularly special schematically. Like they fight they showed to come back but that OL isn't going to get that much better over the course of the year and it is hard to see them doing enough on offense to not let the game get away from them vs the top three.  Still, they've got three winnable games in front of them starting with an interesting matchup vs TCU. Maybe they can build some momentum after a rocky start.

6.) KSU: Seems like OSU pushed them around quite a bit. Didn't get anything going on offense, and while their pass defense seems like it was okay, OSU destroyed them on the ground. This team should not be an issue for Texas or Oklahoma but does look like they'll play a lot of close games in the middle of the league.

7.) TCU: No credit given for destroying Kansas but they at least did what they were supposed to. They continue to be a handful running the ball and it looks like their QBs had a bit of a get-right game. SMU game looks like a real outlier for them defensively. ISU game next week should be interesting. On the one hand, they have the horses on defense to eliminate ISU's run game while still keeping seven or eight in coverage and making life miserable for Purdy; on the other hand, Purdy is definitely good enough to replicate Buchele's output vs their defense and ISU should be able to commit a lot of resources to stopping their ground game without sacrificing too much against the pass. Think the Texas gameplan vs OSU -  bracket Reagor, sell out to stop the run, and make the QB and their secondary WR options beat you.

GAP

8.) WVU: Had a bye week to prepare for Texas. I'm sure most WVU fans are okay with 3-1, all things considered. They will be ready to go vs Texas. If the horns play well this isn't a contest, but you never know. If they spring the upset, it could prove key in getting them to bowl eligibility, because outside of Tech, I'm not sure I'd pick them in any remaining games. For the record, though, I don't think they pull the upset.

9.) Tech: They are in bad, bad shape. Seemed like their defense was playing better than in years past, but OU absolutely eviscerated them. Maybe they are a bit better defensively, but that offense is bad. They'd be fortunate to get to 4-8 at this point and they could lose to Kansas if they start to quit.

GAP

10.) Kansas: Despite what I just said in the Tech write up, still in their own tier just because of the talent gap. Got absolutely nothing going offensively against TCU. Their next two games, vs OU and @Texas, are not likely to get them out of this spot.

Agree mostly with the OSU section, but we will need to fix our red zone offense to stay at 3. KSU's defense actually did a decent job on several drives, but we exploited some holes for massive runs by Hubbard. We had 526 total yards to their 244 and only scored 26 points and won by only 13 points. With those numbers it should have been a blowout. They stuffed us numerous times in the red zone, same as the UT game. And the game still needs to slow down for Sanders for him to really shine. Two int's a game won't cut it long term. Our defense really impressed me and I think they will do fine until Bedlam. Gundy says the game should slow down for Sanders by Game 10, which would be right before Bedlam. That's our only shot at winning out. The rest of the league looks pretty average so we really need to accept the challenge of winning out til Bedlam, at least.

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oSuJeff97

oSuJeff97 3439

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3 minutes ago, 'stache said:

Agree mostly with the OSU section, but we will need to fix our red zone offense to stay at 3. KSU's defense actually did a decent job on several drives, but we exploited some holes for massive runs by Hubbard. They stuffed us numerous times in the red zone, same as the UT game. And the game still needs to slow down for Sanders for him to really shine. Two int's a game won't cut it long term. Our defense really impressed me and I think they will do fine until Bedlam. Gundy says the game should slow down for Sanders by Game 10, which would be right before Bedlam. That's our only shot at winning out. The rest of the league looks pretty average so we really need to accept the challenge of winning out til Bedlam, at least.

Yep.

The biggest thing holding us back in the red zone is Sanders' inexperience. The coaches pretty clearly simply don't trust him down there right now, and with good reason.  The K-State game was easily his worst game of the season, just in terms of decision-making in the passing game. Both of his INTs were just horrible, awful decisions.

Things will improve for sure, but there will be bumps along the way, as there were yesterday.  The good news is that we've probably already played the two best defenses we will face, save for maybe ISU.

I am a bit concerned about the OL. Given that we were down two starters against KSU, it was a very impressive performance... it also speaks to the depth that has been re-built and the significant upgrade in coaching.... but man we can't afford any more injuries.

Our defense was VERY impressive against K-State. It worked exactly how the 3-man/tight front was supposed to work. Stuffed K-State's middle run game and funneled everything to our talented back 8.  That's a formula that should work against everyone in the league except OU. 

And hopefully by that time Sanders has enough experience that we have a puncher's chance of winning a shoot out.

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12623

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I'm wondering how much Fool's Gold there was in KSU's 3-0 start.  Mississippi State might be the worst team in the SEC (outside of Arky).

OSU hasn't had a great defense this year, but they absolutely dominated KSU.  I don't know that OSU has one of the 5 best defenses in the league, and if KSU can't get more than 13, they're not beating a lot of teams - even our sorry offense.

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Burt Macklin

Burt Macklin 19230

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38 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I'm wondering how much Fool's Gold there was in KSU's 3-0 start.  Mississippi State might be the worst team in the SEC (outside of Arky).

OSU hasn't had a great defense this year, but they absolutely dominated KSU.  I don't know that OSU has one of the 5 best defenses in the league, and if KSU can't get more than 13, they're not beating a lot of teams - even our sorry offense.

Agree that KSU’s won over MSU may have been misleading, but there at least 4 or 5 teams in the SEC worse than MSU. That’s not to say that MSU is even decent. The bottom half of the SEC is just that bad.

1 hour ago, PencilPusher said:

I agree with the order of this today, but think KSU will likely finish better than both Baylor and ISU, especially since both of those games are in Manhattan. Watched a fair amount of the BU/ISU game and came away impressed with neither. First half looked like the schools had gotten in the wayback machine and blasted back to 2007, when neither were any good. Second half offensive "explosion", especially for ISU, can probably be attributed more to fatigue from the heat than good football. Baylor is mediocre and wouldn't be surprised if KSU punishes them pretty hard this week. Don't see Baylor beating Texas, OU, OSU, TCU either which would give them the exact same conference record as last year.  For ISU, Purdy has regressed somewhat (that awful interception in the first half was "mind-bottling"), especially without Montgomery and Butler, and I think their defense will get worn out in matchups against the better offensive teams since their offense appears to have taken a step back. If I had to call order of finish at the end of the year:

  1. OU
  2. Texas
  3. OSU
  4. TCU
  5. KSU
  6. Baylor
  7. ISU
  8. West Va
  9. Tech
  10. Kansas

TX/OU for championship and perhaps the top 5 on the list ranked at the end of the season.

 

 

 

 

ISU just doesn’t have the skill talent or scheme to be good on offense this year. They’ll probably stay competitive in a lot of games due to their defense, but they’ll struggle to actually win a lot of games in conference.

It’s hard to say what TCU will be this year. Their offense has some serious weaknesses that can be exploited by competent defenses. I think their D is still really good in spite of the SMU game. Their offense will be very matchup dependent, but the games where they can establish the run, they’ll almost definitely win. It’s hard to say which games those will be at this point, though.

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JBJ

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34 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I'm wondering how much Fool's Gold there was in KSU's 3-0 start.  Mississippi State might be the worst team in the SEC (outside of Arky).

OSU hasn't had a great defense this year, but they absolutely dominated KSU.  I don't know that OSU has one of the 5 best defenses in the league, and if KSU can't get more than 13, they're not beating a lot of teams - even our sorry offense.

Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Ole Miss are still in the SEC as well.

But I agree on the fool's gold part.

My thoughts:

1) Oklahoma (untested)

2) Texas

TIER 2

3) OkSt

4) Iowa St

5) TCU

6) Baylor 

7) KSU

OSU is solidly 3 right now, but the rest of tier 2 are difficult to place.  Someone could completely flip this and I wouldn't argue with it.

TIER 3

8: WVU

9) Tech

10) Kansas

 

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Al_4_ISU

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There's no way we should be above Baylor.  They beat us.

I think we have a chance at finishing higher, but it's slim, and requires us to actually get our offensive line together.

1.  OU

2.  Texas

GAP

3.  OSU

GAP

4.  Baylor

5.  ISU

6.  KSU

7.  TCU

GAP

8.  WVU

GAP

9.  Tech

10.  KU

 

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Farkimedes

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15 hours ago, gmr548 said:

Eh I'm not sure I agree with this statement. Relative to what?

Last year? There were four legitimately good teams in the B12 last year. This year it's stronger at the top with two legit top ten teams. Its got a third legit top 25 and four more that are probably in that 20-40 range. That's six or seven deep with solid squads. Yeah, spots 8-9 are worse. It's also worth noting that the floor is elevated with even Kansas bodyslamming an ACC opponent on the road. On balance it's a better league this year.

Other leagues? The ACC is Clemson and 13 G5s, the PAC lacks the firepower at the top. I don't think anyone would argue with a straight face that those leagues are better. The B1G? Five of the seven teams in the B1G west and two or three in the east would finish at or below 8th place if they took WVU's place, where you say the dregs are dragging the conference down. That leave us with...Six or seven solid squads in the B1G. SEC? Conservatively, it's pretty clear five teams would fail that same test, and we'll add one more and call it six for the combo of South Carolina and Mississippi State, which are right on that line. Honestly, if you started with Kansas and lined aggy up against each B12 team up the rankings... WVU is probably the last team I'd be absolutely sure they'd beat. But to be conservative let's only fail one of SCar, Mississippi State, and aggy. That gives us... Eight solid squads, with giving aggy and one of Miss St/SCar the benefit of the doubt. One more good team in a league 40 percent larger.

Further, given the scheduling arrangements in the B1G and SEC, particularly for teams in the weaker divisions of those two conferences, very few if any teams have to go through all of the depth of those leagues. Very few of those teams are playing six or seven top 40 teams a year, and that is to say nothing of all B12 opponents playing P5 OOC games. Also, the B12 championship is goddamn stupid but the 1 vs 2 format does add one more tough game to the slate of the conference champion. A hypothetical undefeated or one-loss B12 champion would be as battle-tested of a team as there is in CFB.

It's at worst the third best conference in CFB, solidly in the middle of the P5s and much closer to the top two than the bottom two. I think it is probably the second best but that's just, like, my opinion man. Hype aside, I will defer to the SEC because of their strength at the top. Obviously Bama is Bama and LSU has scoreboard. I'm not sure if Georgia is truly elite or in that second tier like Texas but they are good. Jury is out on Auburn - Oregon controlled their game and Auburn was fortunate to win, but they seem to find ways to do so and their defense is really something. Florida is overrated as hell though. Still, top to bottom they are probably the best league, but their champion will almost certainly not have gone through what the B12 champion has.

 

This is a very fair critique and I think I agree with you, rather than my initial statement. Mentally I default to the Big XII being "down" if there isn't a serious contest for the title game, as this year it really does feel like it's gonna be UT / OU and I'd be pretty surprised if someone else even made it a contest in mid-November. Add in the fact that are 3 teams that I would be shocked if they won a league game against anyone other than themselves, and it just feels like a weird season. 

But that's just a naive assumption, and looking at the league top to bottom, there is a glut of teams that could realistically be ranked between 15 ~ 35 by November, to go along with 2 top 10 teams. That's a damn good conference, not matter how bad the bottom rung is. 

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texifornia

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4 minutes ago, Farkimedes said:

But that's just a naive assumption, and looking at the league top to bottom, there is a glut of teams that could realistically be ranked between 15 ~ 35 by November, to go along with 2 top 10 teams. That's a damn good conference, not matter how bad the bottom rung is. 

And Kansas and WVU both have wins against the ACC!

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sushihorn

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25 minutes ago, Farkimedes said:

This is a very fair critique and I think I agree with you, rather than my initial statement. Mentally I default to the Big XII being "down" if there isn't a serious contest for the title game, as this year it really does feel like it's gonna be UT / OU and I'd be pretty surprised if someone else even made it a contest in mid-November. Add in the fact that are 3 teams that I would be shocked if they won a league game against anyone other than themselves, and it just feels like a weird season. 

But that's just a naive assumption, and looking at the league top to bottom, there is a glut of teams that could realistically be ranked between 15 ~ 35 by November, to go along with 2 top 10 teams. That's a damn good conference, not matter how bad the bottom rung is. 

 

20 minutes ago, texifornia said:

And Kansas and WVU both have wins against the ACC!

As @texifornia mentioned two of the weakest teams have pretty impressive P5 wins even if the opponents themselves weren't that great.  One of the weakest 3rd tier team beat up on the closest thing the SEC has to a middle class.  The only real OOC disappointment is the TCU loss to SMU and the ponies are looking very solid.

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gmr548

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Man, Oklahoma State made me look fucking stupid. I still think they have a very high ceiling but they clearly have ball security issues. I'm not buying Tech long term. They aren't getting five turnovers every week. They showed they're not a total doormat and get credit for that though. I'll bump WVU out of the basement too. Their DL is better than I realized.

1. OUsucks
2. Texas

Gap

3.) Baylor
4.) ISU
5.) OSU

Gap

6.) TCU
7.) WVU
8.) KSU
9.) Tech

Gap

10.) Kansas


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Burt Macklin

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1 hour ago, Extra Anejo said:

I think the gap between the top 1-2 teams and that middle group of 3, 4, and 5 teams is not as big as some people think. It's still colllege football and there's upsets waiting to happen. I don't see our the games against Baylor and ISU as automatic.  

Nah. There’s a difference between teams being close in talent and “anything can happen.” UT thoroughly outplayed OSU and would’ve beat them by 20 if not for the two muffed punts. I think we’ll handle ISU without too much trouble. 
 

Baylor is the interesting one. There might be an argument later in the season they should get their own tier if they beat OSU. But more importantly, fuck Baylor. 

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closetojumping

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I've been down on Baylor the whole way. They played no one in the non-con. The offense is meh. They don't have a ton of talent on the field. But they get after it on defense. Credit where it is due. I'd rank them 3rd overall now, and that's after having them 7th two weeks ago. 

I feel like it is Texas and OU, then Baylor, and then the fall off is real afterwards. ISU hasn't done anything new to validate the preseason hype. They're a decent to good team that will play everyone tough. 

Oklahoma State is the 3rd best team when they don't shit themselves with turnovers, but so be it, that's what they did. Immaturity is a thing here. 

I don't know what to make of KSU and TCU at this point. TCU has no OL and no QB. That probably means they're headed to 7-5. I *think* KSU is tough, but I don't know how far that takes them, I guess.

WVU is better than Tech and KU. Maybe they figure out a way to eek out a bowl, but I assume they're a 5-7 team. 

It's funny, it seems like OU's been doing this thing where they look great and then come into the Cotton Bowl and Texas punches them in the mouth, and then it is anyone's game. People claiming OU is far and away ahead of Texas have a higher opinion of their schedule than anyone I know.

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El Diablo

El Diablo 4232

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Posted
50 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

Nah. There’s a difference between teams being close in talent and “anything can happen.” UT thoroughly outplayed OSU and would’ve beat them by 20 if not for the two muffed punts. I think we’ll handle ISU without too much trouble. 
 

Baylor is the interesting one. There might be an argument later in the season they should get their own tier if they beat OSU. But more importantly, fuck Baylor. 

It's worth mentioning that Baylor's starting QB went down in the 4th qtr on Saturday. The backup came in and did a good job but KState had not game planned for him. He's a runner in the mold of Jett Duffey, imho. TTech will have all week to prepare for both QB's. It's going to be homecoming for Baylor this week so there will be that added hype factor for the home team. No idea what to expect, could be a high scoring shootout or a lopsided loss for one of these teams. Tech winning would definitely reshuffle the deck.

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