Some Things Everyone Should Know About Rick Perry

Disclaimer: I am neither a liberal nor a Democrat.  I am an independent and there are several Republicans I would consider voting for.  Rick Perry is not among them.  I have never previously campaigned for or against any candidate.  These are observations from a Texan who’s followed Perry’s career as Governor pretty closely and done a little research.  Is this the profile of a man we want in the White House?
 
– Rick Perry is in favor of teaching intelligent design alongside evolution in biology classrooms.  Whether you believe in intelligent design or not, there’s a glaring separation of church and state problem here.
 
– He is against same-sex marriage.  Texas once had a same-sex anti-sodomy law, which Perry referred to as “appropriate”.  One of the biggest proponents of “small government” and “less government interference” believes government has the right to tell you who you can and can’t sleep with and who you can and can’t marry.  Ironic, isn’t it?
 
– Perry opposes abortion.  He signed a bill prohibiting funding for Planned Parenthood.  This is another personal choice that Rick Perry doesn’t think you should be able to make for yourself.  But he wants less government.
 
– Perry advocated Texas’s right to secede from the same Union he now wants to run.  Let me say that again: Rick Perry believes Texas, and presumably all states, can secede from the United States.

 

– Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan political watchdog group, named Perry one of the 11 most unethical governors in the country.  http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2010/04/perry-named-one-of-worst-governors-by-national-ethics-watchdog-group/
 
– One thing many people will agree with Perry on (myself included) is his stance on the 10th Amendment.  He’ll talk a lot about this.  And it’s true that the federal government has infringed on some things that ought to be state issues.  But of course Perry wanted more power for states when he was the leader of one.  Would he sing the same tune as leader of the nation?  Perry’s changed his mind before: he started out as a Democrat.

 
– Perry will no doubt flaunt the fact that job growth in Texas has exceeded every other state’s during his tenure as our Governor.  What he won’t tell you is that it’s solely because of immigration.  More jobs have been “created” simply because there are more people here now.  The reality, per Department of Labor statistics, is that the unemployment rate in Texas when Perry was first sworn in was 4.2%.  The most recent figure is 8.4%.  

 

– Perry will gladly take credit for Texas’s relatively strong economy.  He’ll tell you it’s the biggest feather in his cap, actually.  But it’s worth remembering that he didn’t dig the Houston Ship Channel or bring the refining industry to Texas.  The economy was actually slightly stronger under his predecessor, but Perry shouldn’t really be blamed any more than he should be credited because the simple fact is that the Texas economy is inherently strong no matter who’s in the Governor’s Mansion.
 
– But that didn’t stop him from campaigning on that economic strength to win re-election last fall.  Then he turned around and cut education funding by $4 billion this year (he wanted to cut $10 billion but gave in to the Senate and “only” cut around $4 billion).  Over 70,000 college scholarships are disappearing from Texas in the next two years.  If the economy’s so strong, why’s the state broke?    
 
– Texas just spent $3.5 million to renovate the Capitol building last year.  The average salary for teachers in Texas is $41,744.  So 83 teachers could have kept their jobs this year had that money been spent on them instead of on shining up the Capitol dome.  Ah, who cares, we’re 49th in verbal SAT scores and 46th in math SAT scores.  That’s good enough, right?

 

– Perry will definitely talk about balancing the budget.  It will likely be the central theme of his campaign.  He’ll tell you that he balanced the Texas budget and he can do the same at the federal level.  The reality is that Perry more than doubled Texas’s budget shortfall to around $27 billion because he gave massive tax cuts to corporations, which led to a massive debt, which he’s now paying for with massive cuts to education and social programs.  I don’t want to get into fiscal conservatism or liberalism, but the simple question is this: If it took Rick Perry over 10 years, billions of dollars of federal stimulus money, and wanton disregard for our educational future to finally balance the Texas budget, why should we think he can balance the federal budget within 4 years, and do we really want him to?

 

Some people may agree with Perry on a couple of the things listed above, and fair enough.  No one should agree with what’s below:

 

– Rick Perry has made a small fortune on shady land deals.  Google “Rick Perry shady land deal” and look at how many hits you find.  The links are too numerous to list here.  
 
– And Perry has an extensive history of kickbacks to campaign boosters (several examples in this article: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-0816-perry-donors-20110816,0,7718310.story?page=1). 

 

The most recent kickback happened just last year.  An Austin businessman named David Nance runs a company called Convergen.  He is also a big money donor to Rick Perry’s campaigns.  Perry and friends gave Convergen a $4.5 million research grant in the following manner:
 
“Nance’s application for the money did not follow usual channels for approval. An Austin-area screening board rejected the initial application, and then Nance sidestepped another screening by a board that focuses on life sciences applications.
 
Instead, he took his application to a 17-member statewide advisory board, made up mostly of Perry appointees, and asked Alan Kirchhoff, Perry’s director of economic development at the time, to intervene.
 
Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus approved the $4.5 million investment after the advisory board recommended it.
 
As Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White accused Perry of running an investment slush fund for his friends, Perry denied any wrongdoing, but his office resisted offering contract details before the Nov. 2 election.
 
Three days after the election, Perry released the contract after first contending it should be kept secret.”
 
Source: http://www.statesman.com/business/perry-announces-4-5-million-grant-to-convergen-1154942.html
 
That’s right.  Nance applied for the grant and was denied by the committee that legally awards the grant.  Then Nance donated money to Perry’s campaign last fall and was approved for the grant by Perry and his allies, who have never had the authority to award that grant.  But they did it anyway, and they tried to keep the public from finding out.  There are many other articles on this travesty.  Kickbacks to campaign boosters are always bad, but when the kickback involves tax dollars, people should be headed to prison.
 
But even if you somehow manage to find nothing wrong with that, the fact remains that Rick Perry has governed Texas for almost 11 years and has accomplished absolutely nothing worth noting.  The economy is not better off than it was when he took office (no matter what he says), unemployment is less than 1 percentage point below the all-time high, illegal immigration is still rampant, we’re 40th in overall health (because we’re 41st in health care spending), we’re #1 in carcinogens released into the air (and he’s done nothing about it), and our educational system is in shambles.  Texas is not better off than it was 11 years ago by any measure.

 
The only reason Rick Perry is our Governor is because about 60% of Texans would vote for Donald Duck if he had the “R” next to his name.

 

Let’s not make the same mistake at the federal level.

 

 

 

Why Texas A&M Really Wants To SECede

It comes down to one thing, really.  But first, let’s look at what it isn’t about.

It certainly isn’t about what’s best for the school.  The SEC is a horrible academic conference, and most Ags either don’t realize or don’t care that universities make several times more on research grants than they do on football.  That is true even at Texas and USC.  And conference members share academic facilities and even financial resources, so conference affiliation affects each member’s academics in more ways than I care to talk about here (see the Big 10’s Committee On Institutional Cooperation for more).  Suffice it to say that moving to the SEC would weaken Texas A&M academically, just as moving to the Big Ten and the Pac 12 will strengthen Nebraska’s and Colorado’s academics respectively.  But you’d be hard-pressed to find any Aggies who care more about academics than they do about football.  Maybe that’s what people mean when they talk about A&M being a good “cultural fit” in the SEC.

But the Aggies’ desire to move to the SEC isn’t about what’s best for their football program, either.  Sure, they will get a recruiting bump from moving to the SEC.  But a Texas high school player who wants to play in the SEC (and does anyone really choose a conference then choose a school anyway?) can do so at LSU or Alabama and have the chance to compete for national championships and Heisman trophies.  Does getting to stay home in Texas mean more to most kids than getting to play for championships?  Obviously not, or Oklahoma and Nebraska wouldn’t have been able to poach so much Texas high school talent over the years.  But Texas A&M will get a recruiting bump from moving to the SEC, there is no doubt: as in, they might land five or six 4-star prospects a year instead of the three they landed last year.  But any Aggie expecting some huge paradigm shift in recruiting that sees them start signing all the in-state talent UT has been gobbling up is engaging in some serious wishful thinking.  The Longhorns just landed the third best 2011 class in the nation while enduring their worst season in over a decade, and they’re currently #1 for 2012.  If Texas recruiting can survive its train wreck of a 2010 season, it will certainly survive A&M moving to the SEC.

So, it stands to reason that the Aggie recruiting advantage from moving to the SEC will be closer to marginal than to massive.  But, in fairness, any increase in recruiting abilities is something worth having.  But is it enough to make the Aggies competitive in the nation’s best football conference?  Let’s review Texas A&M’s pedigree for a moment:

* One national championship, as Hitler was invading Poland.

* One Heisman winner, in 1957. 

* Two top 5 finishes ever (1939 and 1956).  That’s right.  Aggies talk about the glory days under Sherrill and Slocum (nevermind the cheating), but they have not finished a season in the top 5 in the nation in over half a century. 

* No bowl victories since their 2001 triumph in the prestigious Galleryfurniture.com Bowl. 

* One Big 12 Championship, in 1998. 

* A losing record in four of the last eight seasons.

Let’s face it: you don’t win the Big 12 once in 15 years then march into the SEC with a couple of extra recruits and start making Death Valley or The Swamp tremble.  Just last year, A&M’s best team in over a decade went 0-2 against the SEC.  I won’t go so far as to say that A&M will become a perennial doormat in the SEC, but they certainly won’t become a perennial power, either.  They will likely be roughly on par with Ole Miss or Mississippi State, which is more or less what they are now anyway.

And there are rational Aggies who admit this.  And almost all of them still want to move to the SEC anyway.

So, why?  What is that one reason I mentioned at the beginning?

Attention.

That’s really all there is to it.  Texas A&M doesn’t get as much attention as Aggies would like.  They hate living in Big Brother’s shadow all the time, and really, who could blame them?  And now the unveiling of The Longhorn Network is the attention straw that broke Ol’ Sarge’s back. 

It’s not about the recruiting advantage that the Longhorn Network allegedly gives Texas.  For one thing, see the recruiting rankings above.  There isn’t much room for improvement; Texas still has only 25 scholarships each year and already gives them to 5- and 4-star recruits as it is.  And the next Adrian Peterson of Texas high school football is not going to choose UT over OU just because one game a year appears on the Longhorn Network instead of on Fox Sports Southwest. 

And it’s not about Texas always getting its way, either.  The Aggies just won the battle to keep Texas high school football games off of the Longhorn Network.  And they still want to leave.

No, it’s about attention, plain and simple.  The Longhorn Network is, frankly, humiliating to Texas A&M.  It is the epitome of what Texas is and what Aggies wish A&M could be.  Aggies must clench their fists every time they see the ad on ESPN.  And no one is interested in teaming with them to create the Aggie Network.   

So, rather than stay in a conference that they’ll have the occasional chance to win when Texas and Oklahoma both have an off year, they’d rather go to the SEC, even if it means never winning anything.  The vast majority of Aggies would rather go 6-6 in the SEC than go 9-3 in Texas’s shadow. 

But they’ll finally have something Texas doesn’t.  They’ll be able to say that they play football in the most prestigious conference in the country and Texas doesn’t.  And they’ll get more attention win or lose.  They’ll be on SportsCenter more often and they’ll be talked about more often because of the interest in the teams they’re playing.  They’ll get a little more spotlight simply by being in the same room with the big boys.  And they’ll get to live vicariously through those big boys, too, chanting S-E-C, S-E-C during bowl season even when the Aggies don’t qualify for one.  Maybe an SEC team will beat Texas in a national title game again someday, and the Aggies will be able to celebrate as if they’d actually won a championship themselves.

Whoop, I guess.

 

 

Final Big XII Power Rankings

1. Nebraska (10-2, 6-2).  The Cornhuskers trounced Colorado 45-17 to wrap up the North Division.  The Blackshirts held Colorado to 262 total yards and forced three turnovers, while the offense did most of its work on the ground, as always, rushing for 265 yards.  Running back tandem Roy Helu, Jr and Rex Burkhead finished the regular season with just over 1900 combined rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.  Will Taylor Martinez be healthy and ready to go next week in the Big XII Championship Game, and can Nebraska beat Oklahoma if he isn’t?

2. Oklahoma (10-2, 6-2).  OU won a tension-packed Bedlam game 47-41.  Landry Jones threw three interceptions but came back to throw two long touchdowns of 86 and 76 yards in the fourth quarter to fend off a furious rally from the Cowboys.  The victory created a three-way tie among OU, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M.  With none of them holding a head-to-head tie-breaker, it came down to the final BCS standings, so the Sooners took the South.  OU will bring a red hot offense to Jerryworld, averaging 37.5 points per game and ranked 4th in the nation in passing yards.  But can the Sooners’ 63rd-ranked rush defense slow down Nebraska’s 8th-ranked rushing attack? 

3. Oklahoma State (10-2, 6-2).  Oklahoma State’s 2nd-ranked offense kept them in it against OU, but its 90th-ranked defense couldn’t do enough to send the Cowboys to their first Big XII Championship Game.  First-year starter Brandon Weeden finished the season with over 4,000 passing yards and 32 touchdowns and senior running back Kendall Hunter rushed for over 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns.  While the Bedlam loss has to sting, the Cowboys still posted their first 10-win season since Barry Sanders’ record-shattering 1988 campaign.

4. Texas A&M (9-3, 6-2).  Texas did not go gently into that losing season, but the Aggies won a pretty evenly-matched game by forcing 4 turnovers, including the game-clinching interception at their own 8-yard line as the Longhorns were driving toward a potential tying touchdown.  Cyrus Gray rushed for 223 yards and a pair of long touchdowns in the 24-17 victory.  Texas A&M will try to cap its dream season with its first bowl victory since 2001 and its first top 25 finish since 1999.

5. Missouri (10-2, 6-2).  The Tigers pounded Kansas 35-7 in their season finale, holding the Jayhawks to just 141 total yards.  It was another strong season for Gary Pinkel’s Tigers: 2010 is the 6th straight winning season for Mizzou and the third season of 10+ wins in the last four.  But it’s also the third time in the last four years that Missouri finished tied for first in the North but missed out on the conference crown.

6. Baylor (7-5, 4-4).  Baylor was idle this past weekend, its season having already ended the previous week.  Robert Griffin III has already set Baylor school records for passing yards in a game (404) and a season (3,195), and he’ll have a chance to break Baylor’s record for career passing yards if he can throw for 229 yards in the Bears’ upcoming bowl game.  Not bad for a sophomore. 

7. Kansas State (7-5, 3-5).  K State’s salty defense managed to hold the 9th place team in the Sun Belt Conference to just 459 yards as KSU edged North Texas 49-41.  Fortunately for the Wildcats, Daniel Thomas ran for a career-high 269 yards and two touchdowns, helping the offense put up enough points to avoid a disastrous defeat.  It’s been an up-and-down season for Kansas State, but Bill Snyder has already clinched the school’s first winning season since 2006 and he’ll have a chance to bring home KSU’s first bowl victory since 2002.

8. Texas Tech (7-5, 3-5).  The Red Raiders defeated the Houston Cougars 35-20 in a wild game that featured over a thousand yards of offense and six turnovers.  Taylor Potts threw for 373 yards and 4 touchdowns to lead his team to a victory in his final home game.  But the Red Raiders will have to win their bowl game to avoid their first season with fewer than 8 wins since 2001.

9. Iowa State (5-7, 3-5).  The Cyclones didn’t lose their fourth straight game last weekend, largely because they didn’t play.  Iowa State will lose starting quarterback Austen Arnaud, leading rusher Alexander Robinson, and leading receiver Collin Franklin to graduation.  Then again, the Cyclones offense ranked 98th in the nation this season, so those losses can’t make things much worse.  But don’t worry, Cyclone fans, most of your 88th-ranked defense will be back next year, so you’ve got that going for you, which is nice.

10. Texas (5-7, 2-6).  The Aggies finally put the Longhorns out of their misery on Thanksgiving night.  Texas finished the season dead last in the South Division for the first time and posted its first losing season since 1997 and only the sixth in the last half a century.  Texas is also the first team since the advent of a true national championship game in 1998 to play for the national championship then fail to reach bowl eligibility the following year.  This season has to go down as one of the most unexpected collapses in college football history.  Vegas should set an over/under on the number of Longhorn assistant coaches about to be fired.  I’d bet the over on 2.5 for sure.

11. Colorado (5-7, 2-6).  The Buffaloes went to Lincoln and got blasted last weekend.  Now Colorado AD Mike Bohn has to decide whether to retain interim head coach Brian Cabral, whose team played hard for him and went 2-1, or to start calling coaches with more experience.  After Dan Hawkins guided the Buffs to a 19-39 record, Bohn could make Charlie Weiss or Bill Callahan the next head coach and things would still be looking up for Colorado.

12. Kansas (3-9, 1-7).  The Jayhawks were held to 10 or fewer points for the sixth time in their season-ending loss to Missouri.  But on the bright side, Kansas has landed a four-star running back in the 2011 class.  If he can rush for 2,000 yards while blocking for himself and win the Thorpe Award as a safety, KU could be a .500 team next season.

That’s it for this season’s Big XII Power Rankings.  Next week I’ll write up a Big XII bowl preview and after signing day I think I’ll grade the Big XII recruiting classes.  Thanks to all who’ve read this series and offered feedback — I hope you enjoyed it.

Big XII Power Rankings After Week 12

1. Oklahoma State (10-1, 6-1).  After a sluggish start, the Cowboys got their considerable offensive engine hitting on all cylinders and coasted to a 48-14 victory over Kansas.  Brandon Weeden was excellent, throwing for 389 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, and Kendall Hunter added his ninth 100+ yard rushing performance of the season.  The Bedlam game against OU next week will be for all the South Division marbles.

2. Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2).  Cyrus Gray carried the Aggies to a huge win over Nebraska, posting almost two-thirds of Texas A&M’s total yards (137 yards rushing and 65 yards receiving) in the 9-6 victory.  It wasn’t pretty by any stretch, but with wins over Nebraska and OU, A&M has finally put together the season that Aggieland has been waiting years for.  The cherry on top of Texas A&M’s sweet season would be a win over rival Texas on Thanksgiving night.

3. Nebraska (9-2, 5-2).  Nebraska fans are furious about being called for 16 penalties for 145 yards while Texas A&M was flagged only twice for 10 yards.  Many in Husker Nation don’t think it’s a coincidence that as Nebraska is leaving the conference it’s getting drilled by Big XII refs and it’s the only school to have a player suspended by the conference for an illegal hit.  I’m not big on conspiracies, especially when they don’t benefit the alleged conspirators, but in fairness, they did get shafted at least twice: there was a horrible roughing the passer call and an ugly incident during a scrum on the ground in which an Aggie player attacked a Cornhusker’s groin and the Cornhusker was penalized 15 yards for kicking in self-defense.  Nobody ever said Big XII officials were good at their job.  The loss notwithstanding, the Cornhuskers can still win the North two ways: by beating Colorado or if Missouri somehow manages to get lost on the way to its own stadium and forfeits against Kansas.

4. Oklahoma (9-2, 5-2).  OU punched Baylor in the mouth early, racing out to a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, and the Bears never recovered.  It was 53-10 at the end of the third quarter before Baylor put up a couple of cosmetic touchdowns against OU’s backups’ backups in the 4th to make the final 53-24.  Landry Jones threw for over 300 yards for the fifth time in his last six games and now has 30 touchdown passes on the season against just 7 interceptions.  OU can win the South by beating Oklahoma State to force a three-way tie at 6-2 among OU, Okie State, and A&M.  With each team at 1-1 against the others, the next tie-breaker would be BCS rankings, with OU certain to pass Oklahoma State after beating them.

5. Missouri (9-2, 5-2).  Missouri beat Iowa State 14-0.  Yawn.  The most exciting play of the night came late in the third quarter with Missouri holding a 7-0 lead and facing 4th and two from its own 28 yard line.  Gamblin’ Gary Pinkel called a fake and punter Matt Grabner rumbled for 15 yards.  Very risky, but when it works, you’re a genius.  Missouri fed off of that momentum and finished the drive with a touchdown, and its defense did the rest, posting its second shutout of a conference foe.  They should steamroll Kansas next week, but it would also take a second straight loss by Nebraska to send Missouri to the Conference Championship Game.

6. Baylor (7-5, 4-4).  As most expected, Oklahoma handed the Bears their third straight loss to end their regular season.  But for the first time since Clinton’s first term, Baylor is headed to a bowl game.  The Bears have already clinched their first winning season since 1995, but they’ll need to get their first bowl victory since 1992 to make this season a true success.

7. Kansas State (6-5, 3-5).  Kansas State jumped out to a 14-3 lead before allowing four unanswered touchdowns on the way to a 44-36 loss to Colorado.  That’s five losses in the last seven games for KSU.  The Wildcats should be able to stop the bleeding in their season finale next week against a North Texas team that is 3-8 against a featherweight schedule.

8. Texas Tech (6-5, 3-5).  The Red Raiders pounded Weber State in the first half, taking a 44-0 lead to the break, before easing up in the second half and cruising to a 64-21 victory.  Next week, Texas Tech will host a Houston team that’s lost three straight.  That is a “should win” on paper, but even without Case Keenum, U of H is 10th in the nation in points scored, while Tech’s defense is 92nd in points allowed.  That could make for a very entertaining shootout.

9. Iowa State (5-7, 3-5).  The Cyclones were shut out by Missouri to end their season.  Without starting QB Austin Arnaud, out with a knee injury, they never really had a chance to get anything going against Mizzou’s stout defense.  Paul Rhoads might want to spend the offseason recruiting the talented Iowa State wrestlers for his defense next year.  At least they know how to wrap up and get someone on the ground.

10. Texas (5-6, 2-5).  Texas finally beat somebody, or should I say, beat nobody, as they drubbed Florida Atlantic 51-17.  The victory made Texas a perfect 2-0 against teams called “the Owls” this season.  If only Texas could play Temple instead of Texas A&M in the season finale — the Longhorns are an underdog to the Aggies for the first time in over a decade.

11. Colorado (5-6, 2-5).  In the first nine games under Dan Hawkins, CU averaged a paltry 21.67 points per game while going 3-6.  In two games since, under interim head coach Brian Cabral, the Buffs have put up 34 and 44 to beat Iowa State and Kansas State.  Is Hawkins the worst football coach in America?  He took over a CU squad that had just won the North Division the previous year and guided them to four consecutive losing seasons, plus the 3-6 start this year.  Then as soon as he’s fired, a linebackers coach takes over and beats two decent teams with the same players Hawkins couldn’t beat Kansas with.  If Cabral and the Buffaloes can pull off a huge upset of Nebraska, this CU team that was left for dead just two weeks ago could still make a bowl game and Cabral might knock that “interim” off of his title. 

12. Kansas (3-8, 1-6). 

Send to: markmangino@yahoo.com. 

Subject: Hey you

Wow, it’s been a long time.  Look, I made a mistake.  I’m sorry.  I miss us.  Call me. 

xoxo,

Kansas

Big XII Power Rankings After Week 11

1. Nebraska (9-1, 5-1).  The Cornhuskers beat Kansas 20-3 last weekend.  Taylor Martinez returned to action after sitting the previous week with an ankle injury and was fairly sharp, rushing for 71 yards on 11 carries and throwing for another 167 yards.  And the Blackshirts made sure 20 points were plenty, holding Kansas to just 87 yards, the lowest total by any team in the conference this season.  Nebraska will clinch the division with a win in either of its final two games (@ Texas A&M and Colorado at home) or any Missouri loss.  The Fat Lady of the North is wearing red and warming up her vocal chords.

2. Oklahoma State (9-1, 5-1).  Brandon Weeden threw for over 400 yards for the second straight game (409) and Kendall Hunter rushed for 116 yards on 23 carries (5.0 ypc) and two touchdowns as Oklahoma State finally managed to hold on to a lead over Texas after several prior collapses, 33-16.  It was a critical win to keep the Cowboys a full game up on the Sooners and Aggies, who also won.  OSU controls its own destiny with two games to play, and Mike Gundy could take his backups to Lawrence and win by 21 next week.

3. Texas A&M (7-3, 4-2).  The Aggies went to the locker room at halftime trailing Baylor 30-21, then they pitched a shutout in the second half and Cyrus Gray scored three of his four touchdowns to get a critical win on the road, 42-30.  Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, now 3-0 as a starter, was effective again, throwing for 280 yards and a score with no picks.  Aggie fans have to be thrilled after their 4-game winning streak has turned the season around, but also have to be wondering where their team might stand had Tannehill been the starter all year.

4. Oklahoma (8-2, 4-2).  OU destroyed Texas Tech last weekend, 45-7.  Landry Jones was nearly perfect, hitting on 22 of 29 throws for 317 yards and 5 touchdowns with no interceptions.  And eight different Sooners got carries to rack up a total of 246 yards on the ground.  The Sooners will be favored in Waco next weekend, but they’d better not be looking ahead to Bedlam: the Bears are a wounded animal after two straight losses, and their offense could be very dangerous against OU’s #60 defense. 

5. Missouri (8-2, 4-2).  The Tigers broke their two-game losing streak by beating Kansas State 38-28.   The game was tied at 14 in the second quarter until Mizzou went on a 24-0 run.  With winnable games against Iowa State and Kansas remaining, the Tigers could be headed to a 10+ win season for the third time in the last four years (and the third time in the last 50 years).  Could head coach Gary Pinkel be on the radar of some bigger programs in the near future?

6. Baylor (7-4, 4-3).  The Bears outgained the Aggies by almost a hundred yards and didn’t turn the ball over, but still lost by double-digits at home.  Baylor’s kicking game was a big part of the reason, with two missed field goals, a blocked field goal, and a missed extra point taking 10 points off the board.  It won’t get any easier for Baylor next weekend when the #14 Sooners come to Waco.  The Bears are headed to a bowl game win or lose, but Art Briles would sure like to avoid ending the regular season on a three-game losing streak. 

7. Kansas State (6-4, 3-4).  When you lose the turnover battle 4 to 1, you’re not going to beat a good team on the road.  It really wasn’t even as close as the final score, as K State added a pair of garbage-time touchdowns to close to within 10.  Even after losing four of their last six games, the season is still a moderate success for the Wildcats, as they’re already bowl eligible for the first time in four years and they have a good chance to beat Colorado and North Texas to finish 8-4.

8. Iowa State (5-6, 3-4).  The Cyclones had a 7-3 lead in Boulder in the second quarter.  No problem, just a sluggish start against a team that’s 0-5 in conference play, we got this, right?  Yeah, no.  Colorado oustcored ISU 31-7 from that point on to coast to a 34-14 victory.  One can only assume it was the classic letdown game after the Cyclones poured everything they had into the game against Nebraska last week and almost beat the Cornhuskers for the second straight year.  Iowa State’s last shot at bowl eligibility comes in its season finale next week against #15 Missouri.

9. Texas Tech (5-5, 3-5).  The Red Raiders were completely dismantled in Norman last week.  Last year, Texas Tech scored 37.0 points per game; this year it’s down to 28.6 ppg.  Maybe that was to be expected with the departure of offensive-minded Mike Leach, but here’s what definitely wasn’t to be expected with Tommy Tuberville taking over: the Red Raiders are allowing 32.3 ppg compared to 22.5 last season.  Tech can still make a bowl game with one more win, and they’ll get two cracks at it in Lubbock, starting with the purple-clad Wildcats next weekend (the ones from Weber State, not Kansas State).  If  you can’t beat an FCS team in week 12, you shouldn’t be thinking about a bowl game, you should be thinking about dropping your football program.

10. Texas (4-6, 2-5).  Texas managed just three points through three quarters against Oklahoma State’s 89th ranked defense.  OSU became the third Big XII team this season to beat the Longhorns for the first time in Mack Brown’s 13-year tenure, joining Iowa State and Baylor.  UT is now riding its first four-game home losing streak since Adolph Hitler was trying to take over the world.  If you want some free money, jump on Florida Atlantic +21 next weekend in Austin, and do it quickly, before Vegas realizes that someone accidentally entered the over/under as a point spread. 

11. Colorado (4-6, 1-5).  Colorado finally told Dan Hawkins to “go coach intramurals, brother”, and whaddayaknow, they finally won a conference game, and by 20 against a respectable team.  Assuming interim coach Brian Cabral really is just an interim coach, Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis should be the leading candidate to be Colorado’s head coach next season, according to every Longhorn fan.  And in related news, a new intramural team at CU named “The Hawks” is now 0-1.

12. Kansas (3-7, 1-5).  Junior guard Tyshon Taylor put up 17 points and 10 assists to lead the Jayhawks to a 113-75 win over Longwood in the season opener.

Big XII Power Rankings After Week 10

1a. Nebraska (8-1, 4-1).  The Cornhuskers never trailed Iowa State, cruising to an easy one-point overtime victory.  After a touchdown brought the Cyclones to within 31-30, ISU went for the win with a fake PAT, but the two-point conversion attempt was picked off in the end zone to end the game.  This win coupled with Missouri’s loss gives the Cornhuskers a full game lead over Mizzou in the standings.  Nebraska also has the tie-breaker from its victory over Missouri, so unless the Huskers lose two of their final three while the Tigers win all three of theirs, it’ll be Big Red representing the North in Jerryworld.

1b. Oklahoma State (8-1, 4-1).  After three school records were set by Big XII players last week, Brandon Weeden decided to get in on the fun, throwing for a new-OSU-record 435 yards, along with three touchdowns.  And the Cowboys’ running game added another 290 yards, for an eye-popping total of 725, the most by any team in the conference all season, en route to a 55-28 win over Baylor.  Oklahoma State now has sole possession of first place in the South and the tiebreakers over Baylor and Texas A&M.  Next week, Oklahoma State gets its turn on the Big XII’s Revenge Against the Longhorns Tour.  Think Mike Gundy might want an authoritative win after all the near-misses against Texas over the years? 

3. Texas A&M (6-3, 3-2).  Fortunately for the Aggies, the dropoff between starting running back Christine Michael (lost for the season last week with a broken tibia) and backup Cyrus Gray is minimal, as Gray ran it 21 times for 122 yards (5.8 ypc) and a score.  And QB Ryan Tannehill, making his second career start, turned in a workmanlike 225 yards passing, two TD’s and two INT’s.  Not as spectacular as he was last week, but he got the job done and led his team to a 33-19 win over an OU team that had handed A&M some embarrassing losses over the past several years.  The Aggies are still alive in the South, but they’ll have to beat Baylor, Nebraska, and Texas and hope that Oklahoma State loses twice.

4. Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2).  Trailing in College Station 19-0 in the third quarter, the OU offense finally decided to make an appearance and reeled off 17 unanswered points by the end of the period.  But the defense was unable to get it done in the 4th, surrendering two more A&M touchdowns.  Even though they’re in a tie for third place, the Sooners are still very much in the race to win the South: if the Sooners win out, they’ll pass Baylor and Oklahoma State by beating them, and all they’ll need is for A&M to lose one game.

5. Missouri (7-2, 3-2).  It looked as if Missouri had things under control in Lubbock, leading 17-3 late in the second quarter, but then the Tiger offense completely fell apart.  Blaine Gabbert was inexplicably held to 40% completions and just 95 yards passing against a Texas Tech pass defense that improved to #118 in the nation after this performance in the 24-17 Red Raider win.  The Tigers had better get the wheels put back on quickly, or they might lose their third straight next weekend to KSU.

6. Baylor (7-3, 4-2).  The Bears hibernated through the first half and didn’t score until they were down 34-0 in the third.  Robert Griffin III’s running has cooled off considerably (he’s rushed for just 40 yards on 31 carries in his last three games) and he’s thrown an interception in four straight games.  He’s still been good, but Baylor needs him to be great.  The Bears had better get over the embarrassing loss quickly, as they host Texas A&M and OU to close the season.  Finishing 7-5 would normally sound great to a Baylor fan, but not after a 7-2 start.

7. Kansas State (6-3, 3-3).  The Wildcats only put up 270 yards of total offense against Texas, but they scored 39 points because they had great starting field position almost all night, courtesy of their return game and Garrett Gilbert’s five interceptions.  Kansas State now holds a three-game winning streak over Texas.  Next week, the Wildcats will head to Columbia to take on Missouri in a critical game for each team’s position in the bowl pecking order. 

8. Iowa State (5-5, 3-3).  The Cyclones came from 14 down in the 4th quarter to tie Nebraska, but came up short in overtime.  Paul Rhoads will surely be criticized by some for the fake extra point that was intercepted to seal the defeat, but I don’t mind going for the win right there against a more talented team.  If the Cyclones can beat Colorado in Boulder next week, they’ll be bowl eligible for the second year in a row.

9. Texas Tech (5-4, 3-4).  The Red Raiders used both Steven Sheffield and Taylor Potts at quarterback and found the running game they’ve been missing all season, racking up 198 yards on the ground against a pretty good Mizzou defense.  Weird season for Tech: they can’t beat a bad Texas team and they can barely beat a terrible Colorado team, but they can take down a good Missouri team.  Next week, Tech will head to Norman to try to break OU’s 35-game home winning streak.  Do you believe in miracles?  Me neither.

10. Texas (4-5, 2-4).  I’ll take “Things That Are Burnt Orange and Suck at Football”, for one thousand, Alex.  Kansas State came into this game with the worst rush defense in the nation.  That’s right, #120 out of 120.  So, of course, the Longhorns threw the ball 59 times and ran it 26 times.  Texas has now lost 5 of 6 games for the first time since 1992.

11. Kansas (3-6, 1-4).  Colorado scored early in the fourth quarter to finish Kansas off, 45-17.  Then the Jayhawks had some sort of seance on the sideline and got possessed by the Bill Walsh 49ers, scoring five unanswered touchdowns (more points in one quarter than they’d scored in their previous three games) to pull off the shocking 52-45 victory.  The 28-point comeback was the biggest in KU history.  Kansas is now halfway to bowl eligibility: all they’ve got to do is beat #8 Nebraska in Lincoln, then #10 Oklahoma State and #17 Missouri at home. 

12. Colorado (3-6, 0-5).  At least you get to live in Colorado.  Forget this football stuff.  You should be outside anyway.

Big XII Power Rankings After Week 9

1. Nebraska (7-1, 3-1).  Roy Helu, Jr got loose for touchdown runs of 66 and 73 yards and Taylor Martinez threw a 40-yard touchdown pass as Nebraska raced out to a 24-0 first quarter lead over #6 Missouri.  And Nebraska’s excellent secondary made sure there would be no comeback, holding Blaine Gabbert under 200 yards passing on 42 attempts to secure a decisive 31-17 victory.  The Huskers are now in the driver’s seat in the North, holding the head-to-head tie-breaker over Missouri.  With four very winnable games remaining (@ Iowa State, Kansas, @ Texas A&M, Colorado), they have an excellent shot at winning out and playing in the final Big XII Championship Game. 

2. Oklahoma (7-1, 3-1).  Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles put up X-Box stats on Colorado last week: Jones threw for a career-high 453 yards, with Broyles racking up 208 receiving yards, a new school record.  Jones also found Broyles on three of his four touchdown strikes.  The 43-10 final could have been worse, as OU outgained CU by close to 400 yards.  Oklahoma will take on Texas A&M in College Station next weekend in a battle of top ten passing attacks.

3. Missouri (7-1, 3-1).  Missouri showed some heart by not rolling over after Nebraska’s big play attack put them in a huge hole; in fact, the Tigers got to within ten points of Nebraska in the third quarter, but they didn’t have enough to come from behind on the road.  Mizzou was able to get some things going on offense, but couldn’t convert enough third downs (7 of 19) and had the game’s only turnover.  It also might have helped if someone had tried to tackle Roy Helu, Jr before he rushed for a school record 307 yards.  The Tigers will try to get back in the win column in Lubbock next Saturday night.

4. Oklahoma State (7-1, 3-1).  The Cowboys took down Kansas State in Manhattan last week, 24-14.  It’s not often that a team gains almost twice as many yards, wins the turnover battle, gets a defensive score, and still only wins by ten points, but it counts the same as a blowout (speaking of blowouts, is Mike Gundy trying to get cast on the next Jersey Shore with that haircut?).  Next week, Okie State and Baylor will find out if they can hold each other under 50 points.

5. Baylor (7-2, 4-1).  Baylor went to Austin and handed Texas its first three-game home losing streak since the Industrial Revolution, 30-22.  The Bears’ #5 offense was held largely in check until late in the third quarter, when Jay Finley broke a 69-yard touchdown run to close the gap to 19-17.  Baylor rode that momentum into the fourth quarter, adding two more unanswered touchdowns to surge ahead for good.  BU sits alone atop the South Division, but the inside track to the Big XII Championship Game still has some high hurdles for track star Robert Griffin III to get his Bears over: @ Oklahoma State, then home games against Texas A&M and Oklahoma.    

6. Iowa State (5-4, 3-2).  Trailed lowly Kansas at halftime, at home no less, but came back to win 28-16.  ISU averaged almost 6 yards per carry and racked up 232 yards on the ground against the helpless Kansas defense.  Can the Cyclones get another home win against #10 Nebraska next week?  In their other two games against top ten opponents, they lost by a combined 87-7, so they’re obviously due for a win and you should consider making a large wager on ISU, preferably with me. 

7. Texas A&M (5-3, 2-2).  It looks as if all those Aggies clamoring for Ryan Tannehill to replace Jerrod Johnson were right: all Tannehill did last Saturday was set a school record for passing yards (449) and throw four touchdowns.  The Aggie defense has predictably come back to earth, now ranking 46th in the nation, but that’s still a big improvement over last year’s D, and with the 10th best offense in the nation and much better play at the quarterback position, this has become a dangerous team again.  The gauntlet of Texas A&M’s schedule is up next: Oklahoma, @ Baylor, and Nebraska.  It seems weird that the season finale in Austin is not listed as part of the gauntlet, but this year, there’s no reason it should be.  The Aggies are just one more win from going bowling for the second time in three years under Mike Sherman.

8. Kansas State (5-3, 2-3).  The Wildcats scored the first touchdown against Oklahoma State, then floundered on both sides of the ball, allowing 24 unanswered points.  Daniel Thomas picked up 101 rushing yards, but it took him 29 carries to do it (3.5 ypc), and he threw an interception to go with the two thrown by Carson Coffman.  After losing three of their last four, the Wildcats will take on Texas next week to see which team can stop the implosion. 

9. Texas (4-4, 2-3).  Once again, dropped passes, missed throws, ineffective running backs, and predictable playcalling kept the Texas offense running in place.  The last time Texas lost to Baylor, a coach got fired.  Mack Brown has certainly done enough to earn the right to try to fix this fiasco, but some of his staff are heading to the unemployment line this December.  Rebuilding year or not, this team has too much talent to be this bad.

10. Texas Tech (4-4, 2-4).  Texas Tech fell to dead last in the South after its loss to Texas A&M.  After allowing 623 yards to the Aggies, the Texas Tech defense now ranks #113 in the nation.  The Red Raiders have allowed more points than they’ve scored, and that doesn’t figure to change next week when they host Missouri, or the following week when they go to Norman.  This team’s bowl chances are in serious jeopardy.  Might Tommy Tuberville already be on the hot seat in year one?

11. Colorado (3-5, 0-4).  Last week’s blowout loss to Oklahoma was Colorado’s fourth in a row.  Next week, the Buffaloes will head to Lawrence to battle the Jayhawks in front of a crowd consisting of parents of KU players and people who are lost.  The loser of that game has a great shot at going winless in conference play this season.

12. Kansas (2-6, 0-4).  Did you know that Kansas has five national debate championships?  And U.S. News and World Report ranks KU’s petroleum engineering program #9 in the country.

Big XII Power Rankings After Week 8

1. Missouri (7-0,  3-0).  Season-defining win for Missouri, as they finally beat Oklahoma for the first time in 7 tries under Gary Pinkel, 36-27.  Both quarterbacks threw for over 300 yards, but Blaine Gabbert avoided interceptions, while Landry Jones threw two, including a crucial one deep in his own territory.  And the Tigers dominated time of possession, giving them the fresher defense in the decisive 4th quarter.  Missouri will have to get another huge win over Nebraska in Lincoln next week to stay in first place in the North.

2. Nebraska (6-1, 2-1).  Nebraska showed no hangover from the upset loss to Texas, as they went to Stillwater and won a shootout over Oklahoma State, 51-41.  Taylor Martinez was incredible, throwing for 323 yards and 5 TD’s and rushing for another 112 yards.  This was the biggest win of the season for the Huskers, keeping them within one game of Missouri heading into their showdown next weekend.

3. Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1) For the third straight week, the #1 team in the nation went down, as OU lost in Columbia.  Losing to a good team on the road isn’t the end of the world, but Oklahoma fans and coaches have to be concerned about the defense: a unit that is normally a strength for OU is currently ranked 80th in the country.  Fortunately for the Sooners, that ranking is somewhat offset by their 7th best ranking in turnover differential.  They get Colorado at home next weekend.

4. Oklahoma State (6-1, 2-1).  It was only a matter of time before the defense cost OSU a game.  Great efforts from Kendall Hunter (26 carries for 201 yards and 2 TD’s) and Brandon Weeden (283 yards passing, 2 TD’s, 1 INT) were wasted as OSU allowed 540 yards and 51 points.  Next week, Okie State will try to get back on track against a Kansas State team that has dropped two of its last three. 

5. Baylor (6-2, 3-1).  In another typical Big XII defensive slugfest, Baylor outlasted Kansas State 47-42.  Robert Griffin III threw for 404 yards and 4 TD’s with 1 INT.  Griffin is on pace to throw for over 3,500 yards, rush for over 500 yards, and put up 36 total touchdowns.  And Baylor has recently made running back Jay Finley a bigger part of the offense: in the last two games, Finley has gotten 40 carries for an impressive 393 yards and 4 TD’s.  With the #5 offense in the nation, these Bears are no fluke.  They’ll head to Austin next week, where Texas has lost two of three this year, to try to beat Mack Brown for the first time in 13 attempts. 

6. Kansas State (5-2, 2-2).  Kansas State running back Daniel Thomas did everything he could to beat Baylor (22 carries for 113 yards and 2 TD’s, plus a 67-yard touchdown pass), but it wasn’t enough.   He’s on pace for over 1,500 rushing yards this season, but he’s KSU’s only weapon — QB Carson Coffman has thrown for over 200 yards just twice in seven games.  It won’t get any easier for K State next weekend when they host Oklahoma State.  The defenses are comparably awful (#100 and #97 respectively), but OSU brings the #3 offense in the nation, while K State’s is #60.  I’m not sure KSU can even keep this one close.

7. Iowa State (4-4, 2-2).  The Cyclones went to Austin and dominated the Longhorns for just over three quarters, building a shocking 28-6 lead, then held off a 4th quarter rally to escape with the 28-21 victory as the Longhorns final drive came up just 95 yards short of tying the game.  With two very winnable games left on the schedule (Kansas and @ Colorado), the Cyclones have a chance of going to a bowl game for the second straight year after going 2-10 in 2008.  Enjoy Paul Rhoads while you’ve got him, ISU.  Heck of a coach.

8. Texas (4-3, 2-2).  Texas outgained the Cyclones by over a hundred yards, but that usually doesn’t matter when you lose the turnover battle 4-1 as the Longhorns did.   This year’s Texas offense is so inept that it only managed 21 points against a defense that had given up 120 in its previous two games.  QB Garrett Gilbert has been inconsistent, which is to be expected from a first-year starter.  It’s also to be expected that by game 7 there would be some improvement, but Gilbert threw three picks against ISU.  Next week, Texas will need its defense (#6 in the nation) to hold Baylor down, because the Longhorns certainly can’t win a shootout. 

9. Texas A&M (4-3, 1-2).  The Aggies won for the first time in over a month, beating Kansas soundly, 45-10.  Aggie fans finally got to see backup QB Ryan Tannehill get some snaps in relief of struggling Jerrod Johnson, and Tannehill didn’t disappoint, hitting 12 of 16 throws for 155 yards and 3 TD’s.  Next week, Texas A&M will host Texas Tech in the next installment of a bad blood rivalry that hasn’t gone the Aggies way: since the inception of the Big XII in 1996, Tech is 10-4 against A&M, including wins in the last two at Kyle Field.

10. Texas Tech (4-3, 2-3).  It looked a little bleak for Texas Tech last weekend, as they headed to the 4th quarter trailing Colorado by 10 points in Boulder.  But a 13-0 final period secured a 27-24 victory for the Red Raiders, in spite of them losing the turnover battle 2-0 on the road.  Not a pretty win, but a gutsy one, and one they had to have.  Next week’s game against A&M will be another pivotal one in each team’s quest for bowl eligibility.

11. Colorado (3-4, 0-3).  Last week was the second straight loss for the Buffaloes at home by less than a touchdown.  Just a play here or there in those games would have been the difference between a 5-2 record and their current 3-4 mark (though it could have gone the other way in their 2-point win over Georgia, too).  Bottom line: 5-2 teams make those needed plays and 3-4 teams don’t.  What 3-4 teams do, however, is get embarrassed in Norman next week.  At least the good people of Colorado still have the Denver Broncos, who got within 45 points of rival Oakland last Sunday. 

12. Kansas (2-5, 0-3).  There is a very real chance that this team has won its last football game until 2011.  Maybe 2012.  The Jayhawks are dead last in the conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense.  How they managed to beat Georgia Tech earlier this season is one of the mysteries historians will puzzle over for centuries.  Rumor has it that KU is selling tickets to pre-season basketball practices instead of its next home football game in hopes of increasing revenue.

Big XII Power Rankings After Week 7

1. Oklahoma (6-0, 2-0).  OU smashed Iowa State, 52-0, to take over the #1 spot in these rankings for the first time.  Oklahoma was about as dominant as possible, putting up 672 yards of offense while allowing only 183.  Worth noting is that only one of the Sooners’ six wins so far has come on the road, and that was a struggle against Cincinnati.  Four road games remain for the Sooners, including unbeatens Missouri (next week) and Oklahoma State at the end of the year.

2. Oklahoma State (6-0, 2-0).  Speaking of road games, the Cowboys won a nice one in Lubbock last week, 34-17.  Texas Tech QB Taylor Potts played through a possible concussion, but was unable to be effective enough to keep up with OSU’s more balanced offense.  And the Cowboys’ defense looked a little better, holding an opponent under 28 points for just the second time this season.  Next week, Oklahoma State will host a very talented Nebraska squad that figures to be in a very bad mood.

3. Missouri (6-0, 2-0).  Last week, Missouri went to Kyle Field and blew out Texas A&M, 30-9, with Blaine Gabbert doing most of the damage through the air: 361 yards passing and 3 TD’s.  This team is clicking at the right time, but the lack of a running game is a liability.  As the only team in the North without a conference loss, the Tigers control their own destiny, but they’ll have to beat Oklahoma and Nebraska in their next two games to keep it that way.

4. Texas (4-2, 2-1).  Last week in Lincoln, Garrett Gilbert predictably rushed for 71 yards while Taylor Martinez managed only 21 yards.  Ahem.  Gilbert may not have Martinez’s breakaway speed, but he was a thousand-yard rusher in high school and he’s quick enough to grab a few yards at a time from the spread offense, which Texas is finally using as its primary formation again.  And the Texas defense was all over the field, holding the explosive Nebraska offense to just 6 points on 202 yards and several times looking as if they knew the exact play the Huskers had called.  It was a season-saving 20-13 win for the Longhorns, who can win out if they play like they did last weekend.

5. Nebraska (5-1, 1-1).   After waiting 10 months for “REDemption” after last year’s Conference Championship Game, the Big XII-vacating Huskers might be waiting forever for another shot at Texas after last Saturday’s loss.  There’s no time for the Huskers to lament what might have been, as their next two games are against #15 Oklahoma State and #16 Missouri.  Nebraska should be able to get its offense going again against a porous Cowboys’ defense, but the Cornhuskers’ talented secondary will have to shut down the #3 passing game in the nation in order to leave Stillwater with a win.  Huge game for both teams.

6. Kansas State (5-1, 2-1).  Last Thursday, Kansas State lit Kansas up like a pinball machine, 59-7.   Next week, KSU heads to Waco to take on Baylor in a big game for both teams as they try to stay alive in their divisions.  Neither team can play defense (KSU is 81st and Baylor is 80th nationally), and while the Wildcats have a great running game, they’re still only 59th in total offense, whereas Baylor’s more balanced attack is the #8 offense in the nation.  Tough game for KSU unless Daniel Thomas goes wild.

7. Baylor (5-2, 2-1).  Not a pretty win over Colorado, 31-25, but any time you go on the road, lose the turnover battle, and still come away with a W, you’ve got to breathe a sigh of relief.  Robert Griffin III put up over 300 all-purpose yards (371) for the fourth consecutive game, though he did turn it over twice.  Next week’s game against KSU could be decided by which star has the bigger game: Thomas or RGIII.  I’d bet on Griffin and the Bears at home. 

8. Texas Tech (3-3, 1-3).  Surrendering “just” 34 points to an Oklahoma State team that came in averaging 52.6 points per game sounds like a decent defensive effort, until you look at the 581 yards allowed.  A defensive technician like Tommy Tuberville must have gone through half the Excedrin in Lubbock over the past few weeks.  Next week, Tech will head to Boulder for the Mediocrity Bowl.

9. Texas A&M (3-3, 0-2).  Against Mizzou last weekend, Texas A&M was only outgained 417 yards to 379, and neither team had a turnover, but it was a blowout simply because the Aggies found themselves in far too many third downs (19) and converted far too few of them (6).  The box score makes it look like Jerrod Johnson had a nice game (322 yards passing and a TD), but his missed throws in the first half killed multiple drives and were a big part of the 16-point halftime deficit.  Fortunately for the Aggies, who’ve lost three straight, they get the conference’s ultimate slumpbuster next week: Kansas.  If they can’t win that one, expect Mike Sherman to have an unfortunate accident.

10. Colorado (3-3, 0-2).  They managed to give Baylor a game last week, taking a five point lead to the break, but they lost the second half by 11.  Next week, the Buffaloes will take on Texas Tech in a must-win for both teams: with each sitting at 3-3, it’s hard to see the loser getting to a bowl game this season.  And after four losing seasons in a row, anything short of a bowl, and probably a bowl victory, will be the final nail in Dan Hawkins’s coffin.

11. Iowa State (3-4, 1-2).  Hey Cyclone fans, remember that one time when your team got the ball all the way down to the Oklahoma 27 yard line?  You must have been so excited!  It’s a shame your kicker missed that field goal (and another one) so you didn’t get to score any points.  On the bright side, only three of your five remaining opponents are ranked.  How is that a bright side?  I don’t know, I’m just trying to help.

12. Bye Week (0-0, 0-0).  Would be favored over Kansas on a neutral field.

13. Kansas (2-4, 0-2).  The Jayhawks have lost their last two games by a staggering 114-14 combined score.  It’s safe to say that the folks at Auburn (7-0, #4 in the BCS) are pretty content with their hiring of Gene Chizik instead of Turner Gill, no matter what Charles Barkley thinks.

Big XII Power Rankings After Week 6

1. Nebraska  (5-0, 1-0).  As expected, the Husker defense shut down Kansas State and Nebraska won big, 48-13.  Even Daniel Thomas couldn’t get anything going, with only 63 yards on 22 carries (2.9 ypc).  By contrast, on 23 combined carries, Cornhuskers Taylor Martinez and Roy Helu, Jr ran for a ridiculous 351 yards.  The only question with the Cornhuskers is if they can pass it well enough to come from behind late, but with their running game (#2 nationally) and defense (#12 nationally), they might never have to find out.  Next week Nebraska finally gets its rematch of last year’s Big XII Championship Game against Texas.

2. Oklahoma (5-0, 1-0).  Bye week for OU, but they hold on to the #2 spot.  The Sooners’ defense has been questionable, allowing 22.8 ppg (56th nationally), while the offense has put up a respectable 32.8 ppg.  Neither of those numbers is awe-inspiring, but it’s worth remembering that OU has played a tough schedule, having already faced Texas, Florida State, and a 5-1 Air Force squad.  QB Landry Jones and RB DeMarco Murray have combined for 20 touchdowns in their first five games.  Next week OU gets to show off against an Iowa State team that just allowed 68 points and almost 600 yards to Utah.    

3. Oklahoma State (5-0, 1-0).  Just another day at the office for the Cowboys’ offense against Louisiana-Lafayette: 54 points on 492 yards.  Oklahoma State is now #2 in the nation in total offense and #4 in scoring offense (52.6 ppg).  But the Cowboys are also 87th in total defense and 88th in points allowed (29.2 ppg).  Giving up that many points against a mostly bad schedule (Texas A&M is the only respectable team OSU has played) has to be a concern with several big games left on the docket for the Cowboys.  If this defense can’t hold the Ragin’ Cajuns under 28 points, what can it do to slow down Nebraska and OU, or even Texas Tech next week? 

4. Missouri (5-0, 1-0).  Gutsy effort from Blaine Gabbert to play through a hip pointer as long as he could, though the entire offense could’ve sat this one out, as the Tigers’ defense outscored Colorado 2-0.  Misleading stat of the year: Missouri is currently #3 in the nation in points allowed (11.2 ppg).  Watch what happens to that ranking as the Tigers play their next four games: @ Texas A&M, Oklahoma, @ Nebraska, and @ Texas Tech.  Nevertheless, the Tigers have played two very solid games in a row since narrowly avoiding the upset against San Diego State.  Maybe they’re starting to come together. 

5. Texas (3-2, 1-1).  Texas ranks #6  in the nation in total defense and #71 in total offense.  It’s probably a good thing that Greg Davis coaches from the booth and isn’t on the sideline within reach of Will Muschamp during the games.  Next week’s game in Lincoln looks unwinnable on paper for the Longhorns, but Texas has beaten Nebraska in eight of nine meetings since the inception of the Big XII, including all three games played in Lincoln.  Still, the Longhorns will have to come up with their best effort of the year to avoid losing three games in a row for the first time since 1999.    

6. Texas A&M (3-2, 0-1).  The Aggies took a shot at the Razorbacks in Jerryworld, but came up a touchdown short.  Jerrod Johnson finally got the interceptions under control, throwing only one, but the Aggies also lost three fumbles.  With only one conference loss, Texas A&M is still in the running to win the South, but it’s hard to predict that kind of success for a team that has turned it over a staggering 14 times in its last three games.  And how is a quarterback as mobile as Johnson getting sacked 3.2 times per game?  This is a talented group that makes entirely too many mistakes.  Next week the Aggies host #21 Missouri in a must-win game.

7. Texas Tech (3-2, 1-2). After an ugly loss to Iowa State, they turned around and beat a pretty good Baylor team 45-38.  Taylor Potts had a huge game, posting 462 yards and 4 TDs with only 1 INT on 59 passes.  In fact, this was his fourth very good game out of five so far.  This team can only be described as erratic — I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pick up a win they aren’t supposed to get and a loss they aren’t supposed to get before the season is through.  Tech will get another test when they host #20 Oklahoma State next week.  Final score should be something like 119-116.

8. Kansas State (4-1, 1-1).  Outclassed badly by Nebraska last week.  This just hasn’t looked like a very good football team no matter what its record says.  Sure, they beat the first four cupcakes on the schedule, but only one by double digits.  The Wildcats’ running game is very solid, but their passing game is awful (107th in the nation) and their defense isn’t much better (82nd in the nation).  They should be able to win at Kansas next week, but if that defense doesn’t improve a lot, more losses are coming.

9. Baylor (4-2, 1-1).  Tough loss for the Bears last week.  They were in it the whole way, but they couldn’t get the defensive stops they needed in the second half.  Robert Griffin III lit up the stat sheet through the air again, with 384 yards passing, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs, but the Red Raiders managed to hold him to just 18 yards rushing on 11 carries.  Baylor is now just 1-2 outside of Waco, and the Bears are headed to Boulder to take on Colorado next weekend.  Baylor needs a win in that game before its schedule gets tougher.

10. Colorado (3-2, 0-1).  Shutout by Mizzou last week, 26-0.  The Buffaloes may have a winning record (for now), but they’ve been blown out badly in both of their losses and they’re only scoring 18.2 points per game.  With two almost completely unwinnable games (@ OU and @ Nebraska) and at least three other potential losses (Baylor, Texas Tech, and Kansas State) remaining, a fifth consecutive losing season is a real possibility.

11. Iowa State (3-3, 1-1).  The Cyclones set off the upset alert against #10 Utah with a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.  Then they lost by 41.  Iowa State plays its next game in Norman, which is the college football equivalent of invading Russia in winter.  Cyclone fans would be well-advised to watch the Ohio State at Wisconsin game instead.  Might want to avoid SportsCenter that night, too.

12. Kansas (2-3, 0-1).  Last weekend’s bye means the Jayhawks will be looking to extend their season-best 11-day unbeaten streak when they take on KSU this Thursday night.