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.