South:
1. Texas: On Halloween weekend, the Longhorns passed the hurdle they couldn’t get past last year. After beating Oklahoma State, 41-14, last week in Stillwater in front of a record crowd of 58,516, Texas has solidified itself as Goliath in the Big 12 Conference. Colt McCoy was 16 of 21 for 171 yards and one touchdown. Will Muschamp’s defense continued to lead this Longhorn team in the right direction, forcing five turnovers, including four interceptions.
2. Oklahoma: After starting the season with a disappointing 3-3 record due to countless injuries, the Sooners have finally found their winning ways again after getting past Kansas State in Norman, 42-30. It wasn’t necessarily a pretty win for Bob Stoops and Oklahoma, but winning with Landry Jones after Sam Bradford essentially declared for the NFL draft only means good things for Sooner fans.
3. Oklahoma State: With a manageable schedule up until the bedlam game against Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma State still has good shot at a decent bowl. The good news for Mike Gundy now? Houston is still ranked and keeps on winning.
4. Texas A&M: After beating Texas Tech last weekend in a blowout, Texas A&M welcomed Iowa State to College Station and took care of business, 35-10. The Aggies accounted for 501 yards of total offense, including 267 yards on the ground as they improved to 5-3 on the year. Now, Mike Sherman and company go on the road to face Colorado and Oklahoma in consecutive weeks.
5. Texas Tech: Even though the Red Raiders found their stride against the Jayhawks last week, the inconsistencies continued. After beginning the year with Taylor Potts as quarterback, Mike Leach made the switch to Steven Sheffield, who broke his foot a couple weeks ago, after Potts began to struggle. Then last week, Seth Doege got his chance under center and completed 50 percent of his passes in his first career start. Potts eventually replaced Doege and led the Red Raiders as they scored 28 unanswered points to send Kansas back to Lawrence with its third-straight loss. Now, Texas Tech has a showdown with Oklahoma State this weekend before welcoming Oklahoma to Lubbock next weekend.
6. Baylor: The season’s struggles continue. After starting the year 3-1, the Bears have lost their star quarterback, Robert Griffin III, and four straight games in the process. Last weekend, Baylor welcomed Nebraska to Waco and saw freshman Cornhusker quarterback Cody Green lead his team to 20 first-half points in the victory. Down 20-0, the Bears made a bit of a comeback as they scored 10 unanswered points, but it wasn’t enough as Baylor fell to 3-5 overall and 0-4 in conference play. Art Briles and company travel to Columbia to take on Missouri this weekend.
North:
1. Kansas State: At 5-4, Kansas State sits atop the mediocre Big 12 North with a 3-2 conference record. With home games against Kansas and Missouri looming for the next two weeks, followed by a road trip to Lincoln, Bill Snyder and his group certainly still control their own destiny in getting to the Big 12 championship in Dallas.
2. Nebraska: Freshman quarterback Cody Green, replacing Zac Lee, stepped up and provided the boost Nebraska desperately needed as he completed 12 of his 21 passed for 118 yards in his first career start — a 20-10 win over Baylor. Now Nebraska gears itself up for the Sooners as Oklahoma comes to Lincoln on Saturday.
3. Iowa State: Quarterback Austen Arnaud missed his second consecutive game for Iowa State and watched his team lose for the fourth time this season. Still, at 5-4, this season is still looking up in Ames, as the Cyclones still have a shot to make it to the Big 12 championship.
4. Kansas: For a team with had high expectations coming into the 2009 season, this year has definitely not been kind to the Jayhawks and head coach Mark Mangino. After starting the season with five wins, Kansas has dropped three straight games and now sits in fourth place in the North division after holding the top spot for quite some time.
5. Missouri: Injury-plagued quarterback Blaine Gabbert finally got Missouri back to its winning ways after traveling to Boulder last weekend. The Tigers routed the Buffaloes, 36-17, in a game that saw receiver Danario Alexander catch eight passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Gabbert was 17 of 29 for 192 yards in the win that wasn’t even as close as the score indicates. Derrick Washington and De’Vion Moore combined for 157 yards rushing on 30 carries.
6. Colorado: Things haven’t been getting better for the Buffaloes after upsetting Kansas 34-30 at home on Oct. 17. Instead, the team is still headed south after dropping its last two games to Kansas State and Missouri. Quarterback Tyler Hansen continued as the team’s starter last weekend, but only managed to come up with three points in the first half. The Buffaloes lost 36-17 at home and fell 2-6 overall and 1-3 in conference. With the likes of Texas A&M and Nebraska at home and Iowa State and Oklahoma State on the road, it might be tough for the Buffaloes to win another game this season.
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