Your Possible Week 10 LiveBlog

Let's give this a shot. No idea if it'll work, but if it does, we're here at 2:30 until Mack Brown only knows.

Big 12 October Rankings

Done with October, most teams have played eight games and we're starting to get a pretty good guage on everybody. It's been a great season for the Big 12, lacking for one thing though: the marquee nonconference victory. Oklahoma giving TCU their only loss may look big if the Frogs finish 11-1, but right now we're not willing to put a lot of weight on that. OU blowing out Cincinnati? Looked good until the Bearcats were run out by UConn last weekend. Missouri over Illinois? The Illini tanked and would need to beat Ohio State to restore legitimacy. Colorado over West Virginia? We'll get back to you on that one.

The writers, voters, and computers all like what's going on in the conference, and I guess that affirms it. But really, you'd have to watch the games to tell either way whether the conference is strong or if this is a case like the 2006 Big Ten. (well, that seems logical enough. I mean of course that the numbers alone could tell a story of strong offenses or weak nonconference opposition for most of the top teams) Speaking of which, I can't wait to see these teams playing in some bowl games.

But that's for December and January. Let's talk about November. The Big 12 boasts five of the top six offenses, and when you consider that #1 is Tulsa, that's gotta make people a little suspicious that something's in the Great Plains waters. On the other side of the ball, we don't see anyone in the bottom ten defenses, but there are three teams in the bottom 11-20. At #29, Texas boasts the strongest scoring defense in the country. We now direct all Pac 10 fans to turn around those jeers they've heard from seasons past.

How does this league of crazy offenses and crazy QBs line up?

1. Texas (8-0, 4-0)
Look at the four teams below them, and Texas has already beaten three of them. That's why they're sitting at the top. Colt McCoy is arguably the best quarterback in the conference... also arguably #4. (#5 if Cream had an offense) Yes it's that kind of season and that level of talent on the teams competing to deny Mack Brown his second BCS title. It doesn't matter though, Texas has been finding ways to win. Hook em.

2. Texas Tech (8-0, 4-0)
I'm iffy on this one, but damn if it doesn't set up a conference #1 vs #2 next weekend. Also damn if they aren't the only other unbeaten teams in the conference, which has to count for something. If TTU really did find their spark last weekend in Kansas, it couldn't have come at a more opportune time. Texas, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma are their next three games.

On another note, if TTU upsets UT, I'm fully on the Red Raiders 2008 National Championship bandwagon. Who doesn't want to see Mike Leach dispense more dating advice before the biggest game in school history? Or maybe he'll just unveil the secret to nuclear fusion.

3. Oklahoma State (7-1, 3-1)
There's not a lot separating #3 and #4, and really this team could be #2. Yikes. Yeah, where did this team come from? Oklahoma State was supposed to be rebuilding after losing Savage and Bowman. (how did anyone beat them when they had this team plus those players??) Instead, the Cowboys could have the best defense in the conference, and certainly they have the best ground game. Amazing season.

4. Oklahoma (7-1, 3-1)
Don't worry, if manliness still has any value in this conference, OU will be climbing the rankings by beating the short-throwing Red Raiders and the medium-throwing Cowboys. Sam Bradford correctly recognizes that 6 yard completions are worthless and first and goal means the line had better take a holding penalty to give him room to throw. He's the toughest quarterback to stop when the offense is in the red zone, and by "in the red zone" I mean "on the field."

5. Missouri (6-2, 2-2)
Missouri was supposed to have an easy schedule they could get to the B12CG 12-0 with. And we're 95% sure they'll play in the B12CG, but the question is with how many losses? The Tigers have already dropped two games to stiff opposition as both Texas and Oklahoma State are way better than they looked in the preseason, and the Tigers still face arch rival Kansas.

6. Kansas (5-3, 2-2)
Kansas is the first team in the conference who's really had a disappointing season - you can't blame Missouri for losing to teams that are just good. KU has dropped three already and they're looking at a 7-5 season after getting run out by Tech.

7. Nebraska (5-3, 2-2)
The Red Carpets were rolled out for Virginia Tech in an embarassing loss, but everything else has been either a result of NU being way overmatched or far outclassing their opponent in completely predictable results. November is an interesting month as they face the team above them and the two teams right below them.

8. Colorado (4-4, 1-3)
This is why I refuse to care about Colorado football. Since joining the Big 12, the ONLY thing CU has done is to screw up the 2001 season and then get blown out in the Fiesta Bowl to start the Oregon quackfest. Oh, sure, they start the season 3-0 with a win over West Virginia. Where are they now? Sitting at .500.

9. Kansas State (4-4, 1-3)
Below Colorado because of a 1 point road loss, and as much as I hate it, it looks like they'd wipe up the Cream now. KSU does boast the sixth-most productive offense in the conference, and this year that's actually saying something. Then again, that could be saying that they're still scheduling teams like Bill Synder had never left. I dunno. Yay Kansas State!

10. Baylor (3-5, 1-3)
Reality hit His Creamness like a truck as Baylor couldn't get anything going in the second half against the Nebraska Red Carpet defense. Apparently, you do need those 21 other guys to contribute something in order to win, and Baylor will watching bowl games from their living rooms once again. Not implying anything, but Colt McCoy has just one year left of his eligibility, so if Griffin transfers in 2009... (*envisions the Cream-Brown dynasty unfolding... so wrong yet so right*)

11. Texas A&M (3-5, 1-3)
Gig em! Gig Iowa State! And get gigged by everyone else! You're not fooling anyone, Aggie.

12. Iowa State (2-6, 0-4)
They didn't just lose - they got KILLED on defense by Texas A&M. And they've already lost to Baylor. There's nothing to say.

Big 12 Week 4 Preview

So here's the problem with your conference playing three games before Saturday. It's Friday night, I'm scrambling to write this shit up, and already two games have been completed and a third is in the second half. Oh well, here goes:

Kansas State @ Louisville

How the fuck do you give up 38 points to a team that managed only 2 against Kentucky? UKY isn't your standard beastly SEC defense either, this is inexcusable. So is just 30 yards rushing on offense, unless you're Texas Tech and that also came with 600 passing. Fail.

West Virginia @ Colorado

Despite the fact that I got my Master's from CU, I've never really cheered for the BUffs in a non-CSU game until now. When the first man wasn't open, Cody Hawkins repeatedly went "fuck it, I'm going deep" which makes him a real man at the most important position. Not surprisingly, the Buffs pulled off the upset. Nice ground game by yet another freshman back, too.

Baylor @ Connecticut

The fact that a) this is a Friday night game and b) it's back-and-forth is baffling. I'm loving the fact that Baylor pulled some kid off the track team and flagrantly run a system offense, and they're 2-1 with a chance to go 3-1. I will never understand how this happened.

Buffalo @ Missouri

The odds of Daniel breaking his TDs > incompletions streak here are low, even though he promised to play this one left-handed.

Miami @ Texas A&M

Miami has a HORRIBLE offense. But A&M has a HORRIBLE team. Miami should win this one 13-0, with the 13 coming from 5 safeties and a field goal.

Massachussetts @ Texas Tech

Texas Tech is playing like total ass so far, but bonus that if you made an all-star team from their first four opponents, you'd get roughly Texas A&M. They should win this one 84-0; it'll be more like 51-24.

Sam Houston State @ Kansas

After losing a close one in South Florida, KU returns to playing creampuffs. *Yawn*

Rice @ Texas

For whatever reason, Texas plays Rice every year. I'm sure there's some "rivalry" behind it, but... Rice, really? Geez.

Iowa State @ UNLV

Iowa State sucks balls. I don't even want to think about this game.

Big 12: Week 2 Review

Baylor
Robert Griffin emerged as the new face of the Baylor offense, accounting for 336 yards and 4 TDs in a route of FCS foe Northwestern State. A star receiver has yet to step up, and we're not sold either way on Jay Finley as a running threat despite a solid performance on Saturday.

The Bears have a secret weapon in punter Epperson, who blasted punts of 56 and 61 yards Saturday. The punter averaged 40.2 in the week 1 loss to Wake Forest with a long of 58. Despite Griffin, we don't expect Baylor's offense to be scoring more often than not, so having a solid punter is a big plus in the field position game.

Week 3: vs Washington State
After getting dominated by Oklahoma State, Washington State was run off the field by Cal, 66-3. In two games the offense has failed to top 200 total yards and completely lacks an identity. This is the kind of game Baylor needs to win to avoid double-digit losses, and I think they'll get the job done.
Pick: Baylor

Colorado
After an impressive week 1, Colorado remembered who they are and struggled to put away Eastern Washington. Cody Hawkins had a decent outing and Smith had another good game returning the ball - which was about all the Buffs had going for them. Darrell Scott was held under 40 yards as the leading rusher and the defense was gashed by an FCS foe. CU scored the tying TD with 2 minutes to play then breathed a sigh of relief as EWU quarterback Matt Nichols tossed a pick 6 to Cha'pelle Brown to seal the comeback victory.

Week 3: Bye
Colorado has a Thursday night matchup with West Virginia in ten days and will really need to improve to have a chance in that one.

Iowa State
The Cyclones again looked suspect on defense, giving up 410 yards and 28 points to a Kent State team who didn't score against Boston College. Fortunately the Flashes coughed the ball up four times on fumbles or this one might have gone the other way. Austen Arnaud was really the lone star on offense, as no receiver caught five passes and Phillip Bates contributed two big plays while everything else was shut down.

Week 3: at Iowa
The Iowa Hawkeyes have blasted Maine and Florida International, making them tough to read. Last year this game was a real cripple fight that ISU won 15-13 after starting the season 0-2. This season doesn't look a whole lot more promising, but bonus that Drew Tate is gone.
Pick: Iowa

Kansas
For the second consecutive game, KU held an overmatch opponent to less than 40% completions in another strong defensive performance. The ground game looks like a real concern, but I guess you don't worry too much when your QB completes 85% of his passes for over 400 yards.

Week 3: at South Florida
USF starts the season 2-0 after a close, close victory over intrastate rival UCF. The Bulls had running problems of their own, while Grothe accounted for big plays and big busts with his arm. USF has superior talent but Todd Reesing is a superior decision-maker than Grothe. Taurus Johnson was the Bulls' go-to receiver on Saturday; the game may come down to how this high-performing Kansas secondary is able to handle him.
Pick: Kansas

Kansas State
Josh Freeman had yet another huge game as KSU destroyed yet another cupcake team.

Week 3: Bye
The Wildcats have an extra half-week to prepare for a trip to Louisville, whose offense awakened last weekend after being embarassed by Kentucky.

Missouri
Even against FCS opposition, 42 points in just over 21 minutes is impressive. The Tigers scored TDs on each of their first five drives, with Daniel going 16/17 for 245 and three TDs while Derrick Washington accounted for 3 TDs of his own. Jeremy Maclin scored on the ground and Sean Weatherspoon had a pick-six for the second consecutive game, furthering his status as an elite linebacker.

Week 3: vs Nevada
The Wolfpack shut down one elite Big 12 offense, but they won't be able to do it against the better, more well-rounded Missouri attack. Chase Daniel is playing like the best QB in the country (though don't say that to Sam Bradford) and the defense is once again opportunistic with the turnovers. Expect a route.
Pick: Missouri

Nebraska
The Nebraska offense had surprising troubles, putting up just seven points in the first 50 minutes against San Jose State. Two turnovers and a dozen penalties spoke of the poor execution as NU appeared to be sleeping through this one. Defense and special teams provided the difference in a game that was much closer than it should have been. Also fortunately, SJSU left seven points on the field in missed kicks.

Week 3: vs New Mexico State
With their game against Nicholls State postponed due to the hurricanes, NMSU will be playing their season opener in week 3! This team will probably lack the execution needed to upset Nebraska, even if the Huskers' offense lays another egg.
Pick: Nebraska

Oklahoma
Much as I was expecting a better performance, this was still a strong one overall. Sam Bradford shredded this defense, Demarco Murray ran all over them, and actually Chris Brown had a pretty good day as well. Freshman receiver Ryan Broyles had a huge day, giving Oklahoma three big time receiving threats. The defense really only had difficulty in the second quarter... all of Cincy's second-half points came off a KO return and a meaningless drive to end the game.

Week 3: at Washington
Much as Jake Locker is not to be overlooked, this is a 2-0 team vs an 0-2 team, and there are reasons for those records. Washington is going to find Oklahoma's offense a lot tougher to stop than BYU's, and will probably find their defense as tough as Oregon's was in Autzen.
Pick: Oklahoma

Oklahoma State
After sleeping through the first half, OSU's offense scored a TD on six of their final seven possessions - with the seventh running out the game. Dez Bryant had a performance which in Big 12 country we'd describe as Maclin-esque, racking up 300+ total yards and 4 TDs. Kendall Hunter ran rampant on an overmatched defense, and the Cowboys ended up with 864 total yards! (includes 165 in kick returns) Of concern was the fact that the defense surrendered 483 yards to a team whose offensive firepower doesn't compare to what OSU will face in conference play. In part, though, this was due to the sheer number of plays Houston ran, as OSU averaged 9.7 yards per play themselves and scored very quickly.

week 3: vs Missouri State
Yawn, FCS opponent.
Pick: Oklahoma State

Texas
To the surprise of many, Texas looks like they could be the third-best team in the conference, despite huge hype for Texas Tech and Kansas. Colt McCoy has been sizzling in these opening games, and freshman Foswhitt Whittaker stepped up to lead the ground attack. Quan Cosby was the go-to guy this game for McCoy, but was hardly a factor in week 1, signs that receiving targets are plentiful in Austin. However, Texas gave up 412 yards to a weak team and it was penalties and two missed FGs that kept UTEP from making the game a little closer.

Week 3: vs Arkansas
The Razorbacks have struggled mightily in their opening two games. Unless their execution improves, they won't put up much tougher resistance than FAU and UTEP have.
Pick: Texas

Texas A&M
A&M struggled once again, but unfortunately they were able to defeat New Mexico. The Aggies were actually outgained by 134 yards, were penalized ten times, but were +3 in turnovers which was the difference.

Week 3: Bye
A&M has an extra week to prepare for the Miami Hurricanes, who played a tough three quarters against Florida before eventually being worn down.

Texas Tech
Just as I was singing his praises, Graham Harrell turned in one of the worst performances I've ever seen from him, completing just 41% of his passes with a 1:2 ratio. Crabtree was really the only player with a good offensive outing, as strong red zone defense and a special teams TD kept the Red Raiders in the lead until the offense finally woke up in the 4th quarter.

Week 3: vs SMU
What we'd really like to see here is a game where both the offense (week 1) and the defense (week 2, kinda) show up. Harrell and Crabtree should have a huge week, but as we just saw anybody can take a day off.
Pick: Texas Tech

Big 12 Week 2 Games

The Big 12 spent most of week 1 doing what they were supposed to do. Three flagship teams won by giant margins. Missouri beat Illinois. Tech's game was closer than they'd like, but Harrell still got halfway to his first 1000 yards. A&M looked worse than expected, but OSU and CU looked better. In the end, one week into the season, they appeared weaker than the SEC but slightly ahead of the rest of the pack - this season should be tougher than usual for teams trying to make it through the Big 12.

San Jose State @ Nebraska
Joe Ganz threw for four TDs and 345 yards last week as Nebraska struggled to run the ball against Western Michigan. SJ State was barely able to sneak by Cal-Davis and shouldn't provide as much of a challenge to the Huskers' defense as Western Michigan somehow did. (which will be a real concern later in the season) Expect a blowout here as Pelini will want Nebraska to ramp up their execution with an upcoming game against Virginia Tech followed by conference play.

Cincinnati @ Oklahoma
Both teams had impressive week 1's, but we know who the juggernaught here is. The game is also played in Norman, where OU now has a 55-2 record under Stoops. This game will probably be more ugly than midwest fans think, as the Sooners will dominate both lines and Sam Bradford looks even better than he did a season ago. I'm expecting big games from him and Demarco Murray, while Cincy gets held to 14 or less.

Eastern Washington @ Colorado
Colorado looked sharp in an unusual rout of inter-state rival Colorado State. Dan Hawkins clearly liked the production of Darrell Scott and will probably increase his workload as the season goes on. Cody Hawkins looked very efficient and accounted for three TDs, showing a new wrinkle in the offense by running the ball a little more often than we've seen in the past. EWU threw the ball with great success against Texas Tech but was held to just 23 yards rushing. Colorado's defense appeared susceptible to the power run but relatively good against the pass (high completion percentage due to many flares and bubble screens), so I'm not sure what to expect from the EWU offense. Probably not enough to upset the Buffs.

Texas A&M @ New Mexico
Can they go 0-2? Sadly this is going to be a good game; I expect A&M will win but it will be something like 16-10 as both teams showed horrible offensive ineptitude in week 1. If you're reading this for fantasy, do not start any A&M players. In fact, don't do that ever again for the rest of this season.

SE Missouri @ Missouri
This has all the makings of a Spurrier-esque week 2 blowout. Jeremy Maclin is probable, and that's a tough call for fantasy owners because if he plays he'll probably put up big numbers. Of course Daniel, Washington, Coffman, and anybody else on this offense are going to have big games. The defense will probably be looking for some respect after giving up 42 points last week - expect a single-digit score given up on their part.

La Tech @ Kansas
La Tech won an improbable victory over Mississippi State, and their reward is to play a much tougher opponent in Kansas. The Jayhawks didn't have the strongest offensive outing against FIU but surrendered just 139 yards and created 3 turnovers. The secondary in particular was fearsome, allowing a 35% completion rate for 0 TD and 2 picks. I expect a better offensive performance out of Reesing, but I'm not sure how the ground game will fare. Regardless, the defense isn't going to allow many points to a team like La Tech.

Kent State @ Iowa State
Kent State was shut out by Boston College in their opener and now face an improved Iowa State team. Austen Arnaud had a strong week 1 outing but it was the Cyclones defense with five interceptions that made the lopsided score. The reality is that, while improved, ISU is still in the cellar of the division. This is a possible upset, but I'd still give ISU the nod.

Northwestern State @ Baylor
Baylor gave a pathetic performance against Wake Forest, turning the ball over 5 times while getting blown out at home. The bright side is that the yardage differential was just 126, something they'll more than reverse against the likes of NW State. Robert Griffin appears to be the focal point of this offense; keep an eye on him... um, if for some reason you watch this.

Montana State @ Kansas State
Montana State looked amazing in their opener, just blowing out Adams State 59-3. Oh what am I saying, I don't even know what division Adams State is in. It'll probably play out like the North Texas game did, which means big numbers for Josh Freeman and Brandon Banks.

Houston @ Oklahoma State
OSU was very impressive on the road against Washington State, even if the Cougars are expected to take one of the bottom spots in the Pac 10. Kendall Hunter had a strong first game and should be utilized effectively again -- I'm not reading too deeply into UH allowing just 35 yards rushing vs Southern. Of course I expect Zac Robinson to throw a couple TDs this time, perhaps to favorite target Dez Bryant who WSU had no answer for.

Texas Tech @ Nevada
The Red Raiders' defense was embarassed by Eastern Washington's passing game, now they face a Nevada team who ran the ball for 426 yards in their opener against Grambling State. I'm not making picks on GSU's point totals either way, but is Nevada really going to stop Graham Harrell fresh off a 536 yard outing? The answer is no. Harrell has found his new targets and it'll be another 500 yard performance -- enough offensive firepower that the defense merely determines how close this one is.

Texas @ UTEP
Texas gave one of the stronger week 1 performances in the Big 12. John Chiles gave the offense more of an option look, but indeed Colt McCoy showed that he also has wheels as the team's leading rusher! McCoy's performance was everything Longhorn fans wanted to see last season. The Horns used three backs and really spread the ball out amongst receivers - great for an offense, not great for a fantay owner. McCoy is probably in for a big game against UTEP though. Meanwhile the Miners lost a blowout to MAC foe Buffalo. How does that even happen? This week's game will be a blowout of epic proportions.