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Big XII Power Rankings (October 6th, 2008)
10/6/08

BIG 12 CONFERENCE


The Big XII is making it's case as being the very best in the nation at playing football.  Sure, the SEC is probably still tougher, top to bottom, and has more name recognition overall, but the Big XII has brought excitement to the Bible belt.  No longer is 3 yards and a cloud of dust the preferred method of travel, but Big XII teams have taken to the skies.  At the very least, the Big XII has stamped their name as the #2 toughest conference by a wide margin, & frankly has a great argument for #1 as well.  The gap between the SEC and the rest, it is a closin'!

The Big XII is also flexing it's muscles in the Nat'l rankings, boasting #1, #3, #5, #7, #16, & #17 ranked teams in the country.  No matter how you slice it, that's stout.
 

Here's how one of the two best conferences in the US of A breaks down, from #12 to #1:

#12 -Texas A&M  Wow, how the once semi-mighty, great in the fans eyes only, that's never been as good as they'd like to say they are program has fallen.  Although they gained more yardage than the other Aggies in Stillwater this weekend, they did nothing to show that they deserve to be moved up the rankings in the Big XII.  5 turnovers will get you beat against any team in this league, much less a high powered offense such as Okie State.  Mike Sherman has a LOT of work to do & he better work quickly. R.C. -- "Don't worry Mikey, I know of a lot of good golf courses around here."  The seat is very, very warm in College Station.  They had better beat Kansas State this weekend at home, or they may not win a conference game. Not to mention, there is no home field advantage anymore at Kyle Field, it is not feared.  Don't forget, Arkansas State won there & Army almost did.  Frikken Army! (0-1, 2-3)
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#11 - Kansas State  The league's two bottom feeders will play this week to see who sucks the most.  Joy!  K-State may not belong all the way down here, but then again they got hammered at home & didn't belong in the same stratosphere as Tech.  One could argue that Baylor or Iowa State belong here, but comparibly they showed a lot more fight this past weekend and both schools seem to be on the rise, not the decline like the (M)ildcats.  Bill Snyder was already labeled a genius, but hes looking not quite as much of a dork better every day.  K State, like A&M, has a brutal upcoming schedule and badly needs a win this weekend.  The Cats are looking this right in the face after Saturday: 
   
   
   
   

10/18 @ Colorado
10/25 No. 1 Oklahoma
11/01 @ No. 16 Kansas
11/08 @ No. 3 Missouri
I don't see a win there, do you?                                                                                       (0-1, 3-2)
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#10 - BaylorAnother spot in the rankings will be decided this weekend as Iowa State travels to Waco to take on the Bears.  These two teams are annual cellar-dwellars, but signs of life have been spotted in both Ames & Waco.  I'll put Baylor a spot lower on the rung just based on Iowa States effort from the past weekend vs. Kansas, but the ranking will be on the line @ 7 Saturday night.  QB Robert Griffin has brought an excitement to the Baptist that hasn't been felt since Jim & Tammy Faye Bakker hit the Television.  The kid won the Big XII 400 meter hurdles, just months removed from high school, & he brings his world-class speed to the gridiron.  Baylor may still only win 1 or 2 games in conference this season, but Griffin & new coach Art Briles may be able to bring some long-needed talent to campus.  For now though, they remain near the bottom of the Power Rankings.   (0-1, 2-3)
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#9Iowa State  The Cyclones are coming off of three heart-breaking losses in a row & desperately need a win for morale here.  First the Cyclones lost their in-state rivalry to Iowa, then they were beaten in OT in Vegas, followed up by losing a 20-0 halftime lead to the Jayhawks at home.  Talk about rough...  If the Clones could just put together two good halves in the same game, we may at a 4-1 squad, rather than 2-3.  But that's the difference between winning & losing attitudes.  When you are used to losing, you find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  Iowa State needs some solid wins under their wings to turn around the losing attitude.  From afar, it seems like Gene Chizik might be the man to turn it around, but it will take time.  He seems to have brought some fight with him & it's bleeding down to the assistant coaches, the players, & hopefully the administration & fans.  We know they don't belong in the upper echelon of the league now, but this weeks War in Waco will show us where they do belong, good or bad.  (0-1, 2-3)
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#8 -
Nebraska  Close your ears Nebraska faithful, this isn't your father's Cornhuskers.  The Tigers of Missouri, the same team that hasn't won in Lincoln since....I don't know.... forever came in with the better team, more confidence, more athletes (what?), a better scheme & whipped up on the Huskers.  Whatever happened to the feared defenses of old?  Where is all the speed & athletes that we came to know & love?  Where is the beef on the lines that was always so dominant?  Where is Dr. Tom? For God's sake at least bring back I.M. Hipp! Missouri hadn't won in Lincoln in 30 years yet they came to Nebraska & racked up 201 YARDS RUSHING.....RUSHING!  What in the name of Devaney is going on.  Bo knows football, & he looked in the mirror this morning & he uttered "Oh crap!"    As a reward for your poor effort against the spread of Mizzou, you get the wonderful prize of going to God's country & the west plains of Texas to face the father of all crazy offenses, Mike Leach & his band of barnstormers.  Good luck!  (0-1, 3-2)



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#7 -
Colorado  It seems like Colorado is destined for middle-of-the-pack in the Big XII from now until eternity.  One could look back & have fond memories of glorious spankings in the Big XII title game from Oklahoma & Texas during the Gary Barnett regime.  (We all remember Gary & his female kickers, don't we?)  Colorado couldn't be more stuck in the mud middle if they tried.  They're not that good, they're not that bad...just what in the heck are they anyways?  I can say with utmost confidence that Colorado will remain in this range in the Power Rankings until January, and then we still might know much about em.  My guess is with games @ Kansas and @ Nebraska, we're looking at the 4th place team in the Big XII North.  Ho-hum.  I'm sure being bitter rivals, they don't want to hear this....but Nebraska & Colorado are pretty much mirrors of each other.  Where have you gone 1990?  (0-1, 3-2)
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#6 -
Kansas  Kansas was happy to get back to Lawrence this week with their butts still slightly in tact after their Houdini Act in Ames.  After falling behind 20-0, Kansas rallied to score the 21 pts. in the third quarter to take the lead, although the Cyclones weren't done fighting.  Kansas won 35-33 with Mark Mangino's blood pressure going higher (yes, that's possible) than ever before as Austen Arnaud was throwing the ball in the final minute of the game to move Iowa State into scoring range.  Kansas has won with smoke and mirrors this season having not beaten one worthy opponent.  There is a huge gap between the top & the bottom half of the league, so I don't see Kansas falling below the #6 spot, but they have a lot of work to do to rise up the rankings.  Mangino better start chewing some ass getting his team into shape!  (1-0, 4-1)
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#5 - Texas TechThe Red Raiders were firing on all cylinders in Manhattan on Saturday.  Harrell to Crabtree is alive & well, & the defense provided enough stoppages to get the job done.  Tech rolled up over 600 yards Saturday afternoon with Harrell throwing 6 TD's.  He now has 18 Touchdowns to just 3 INT's, to go with over 2,000 yards passing already.  Tech is 5-0, winning by an avg. of nearly 30 pts./game but yet they have not faced a noteworthy opponent thus far.  Nebraska visits this week, but that's more of a name school than a real scare at this point.  Tech then travels to College Station for what appears to be the easiest trip there in 20 years.  After that is when things get dicey as the Flying Leach's travel to Kansas, face Texas & Oklahoma State at home, and then travel to Norman to face the nation's #1 team (as of now).  That's a gauntlet any SEC team would be proud of.  For those counting, that's four Top-16 ranked teams in a row, 2 on the road.  Tech should enjoy their highest ranking in school history while it lasts.  (1-0, 5-0)
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#4 - Oklahoma State  In Stillwater, hopes ride high.  Cowboy fans are reluctant, just waiting for the crash....they've been here before, seen it, felt it, known the heartache it causes.  The Aggies often have a lot of hype surrounding them this time of year, having run through a relatively weak non-conference schedule with ease, showing a mighty offense (the most balanced in the country as of now).  No other team in the conference has been able to run & throw like the Cowboys.  The Cowboys are up to #17 in the Nation after being 5-0 for the first time in years.  They are coming off of a tremendous win over a storied program.  Can the offensive trio of Robinson, Hunter, and Bryant take their circus high-wire a little bit higher than the Tigers in Columbia?  Better yet, can the defense stop a real offense?  Let's find out!  Just for fun, here is the Mike Gundy Blowup(1-0, 5-0)

"We want you Mizzou!"
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#3 - Texas We are gonna find out so much about Texas in the next several weeks we'll be able to tell you what Colt McCoY does in his spare time.  Check this out:
10/11 @ No. 1 Oklahoma
10/18 No. 3 Missouri
10/25 No. 17 Oklahoma State
11/01 @ No. 7 Texas Tech
11/08 Baylor
11/15 @ No. 16 Kansas

5 games - 1 unranked team.....That's just flat out WRONG!  Is Texas for real this season - has their 47.2 to 11.4 scoring margin been legit?  Is the offense & Colt McCoy that good....is the defense that stout?  We're gonna know a whole lot more over the next several weeks.  Texas has the toughest schedule in the country left to face and are the only ones to face all 5 of the other ranked Big XII teams.  If Mack Brown can go through this schedule with no (or even one) losses then he deserves Coach of the Year honors.  There's only one way to find out where they stand.....strap em on & go after it!  (1-0, 5-0)
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#2 - Missouri  Missouri (along side of Oklahoma) has been the most impressive team in the conference so far.  Wrap your arms around this stat ----> WITH CHASE DANIEL UNDER CENTER THIS SEASON, MIZZOU HASN'T HAD A SINGLE 3 & OUT.  AMAZING!  Missouri has only 1 game that I can see them losing on the regular season schedule, and that's next week @ Texas.  Texas will come into that game physically drained after a tough matchup with Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.  Missouri will come in with tired legs after running up & down the field against Okie State.  Not that the Tigers can overlook the Aggies this week, cuz they will get beat if they do, but the only game that's a real measuring stick will happen on the 18th of October in Austin, Tx.  Just to put a little fear in the rest of the Big XII, Missouri decided to let Derrick Washington rush for 139 yards & 2 TD's in the win over Nebraska. Chase Daniel is in the running for the Heisman Trophy (if not the leader) & WR Jeremy Maclin is right up there with him.  This team is good -- really good & they seem to have as much confidence as any team I can ever remember.  Keep in mind that this team has only lost to one school in over a year.  They are used to winning, & they expect to win every game.  They will face Oklahoma or Texas in the Big XII title game, the only question is whether they'll be playing for a shot at #1 or not.  (1-0, 5-0)
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#1 - Oklahoma The #1 ranked team in the nation should probably occupy the #1 spot in the conference wouldn't you think?  I'd say it's close enough right now between the top 3 that you could call them 1a,1b, & 1c.  Again, we'll find out a lot more this  week about the Sooners.  The Clash at the Cotton Bowl (you like that ESPN - Suck it) will say a whole lot.  Still, Oklahoma fans will wait until year's end to determine the success of the Sooners season.  Big game Bob has taken some hits in recent years with the dissapointments in Bowl Games, but he's still been on the mark in this game, winning 6 of the last 8 in Dallas.  If they can take care of the Longhorns, they still have to get over humps at home against Texas Tech & on the road against an Oklahoma State team that would like nothing more than to ruin the Sooners season.  The Sooners continue to roll as they have a scoring margin of 49.6 to 13.8 in their 5 wins, which is worthy of a #1 ranking.  Still, this will be the stiffest test they will face thus far.  It's gonna be a real interesting week.  (1-0, 5-0)

Big XII QB Rankings
1.  Chase Daniel -- Until someone stops them, he'll remain here (no disrespect to the other QB's) 76.3% 15 TD's 1 Int 196.38 Rating
2.  Sam Bradford -- Leader of the #1 ranked team in the country & prolific at running the offense 72.6% 18 TD's 3 Int's  204.97 Rating
3.  Colt McCoy -- Even better than his record-setting Freshmen season of two years ago (Running too) 79.2% 16-3 TD/Int. 197.94 Rat.
4.  Zac Robinson -- Best runner of the group & not a bad passer either, especially with Dez Bryant  72.1% 10 TD's 3 Int's 204.58 Rating
5.  Graham Harrell -- Lowest yds/att keeps him down the list, but a stud nonetheless.  2000 yards already 66.7% 18/3  161.04 Rating
6.  Todd Reesing -- A real warrior and an incredible leader.  A great competitor.  70.2% 14/3 Td/Int 160.5 Rating

Top 10 Players in the Big XII
1. 
Michael Crabtree (WR, T. Tech) -- Unstoppable, seriously
2.  Dez Bryant (WR, Osu) -- (See #1)
3.  Gerald McCoy (DT, OU) -- Anchor of the best defensive line in the conference
4.  Chase Daniel (QB, Mizzou) -- Born leader & winner (most valuable player to his team)
5.  Jeremy Maclin (WR, Mizzou) -- If Daniel is the driver of the car, Maclin is the fuel that keeps it going
6.  Kendall Hunter (RB, Osu) -- The most important piece of the three-headed monster in Stillwater
7.  Sam Bradford (QB, OU) -- Runs the well-oiled Sooner offense like a magician
8.  Colt McCoy (QB, Tex) -- Carrying the Longhorns on his shoulders
9.  William Moore (FS, Mizzou) -- Incredible talent that anchors an up & coming Missouri unit
10.  Auston English (DE, OU) -- DE led the league in sacks a season ago.  Off. Coordinators gameplan around him.

Big XII's Top Coaches
1.  Bob Stoops, OU -- 5