Barfknecht's Big 12 ratings

World-Herald staff writer Lee Barfknecht ranks the Big 12 teams from top to bottom, including recent opponent information and team capsule information.

* * *

1. Nebraska (3-0)

• Last week: Beat Washington 56-21.
• This week: South Dakota State, 6 p.m., PPV.
Yes, we know that UW has won only 10 of its past 40 games. That still doesn’t diminish the Seattle smackdown NU put on the Huskies.

2. Texas (3-0, 1-0)

• Last week: Beat Texas Tech 24-14.
• This week: UCLA, 2:30 p.m., ABC.
Now we see why Mack Brown changed to a run-oriented offense. With that defense, why take many chances on offense with a young quarterback?

3. Oklahoma (3-0)

• Last week: Beat Air Force 27-24.
• This week: at Cincinnati, 5 p.m., ESPN2.
The Sooners gave up 458 yards to the Air Force wishbone, but more important is new uncertainty in the offensive line, something OU can’t afford.

4. Oklahoma State (3-0)

• Last week: Beat Tulsa 65-28.
• This week: Idle.
Play-by-play man Dave Hunziker yells “Pistols Firing!’’ when OSU scores. He needs the week off to reload with the Cowboys scoring a school-record 171 points through three games.

5. Kansas State (3-0, 1-0)

• Last week: Beat Iowa State 27-20.
• This week: Central Florida, 11:30 a.m., FSN.
The Wildcats will never win a beauty contest with their style, but Daniel Thomas’ running and a bendable-yet-dependable defense has produced a 3-0 start.

6. Texas Tech (2-1, 0-1)

• Last week: Lost to Texas 24-14.
• This week: Idle.
Red Raider fans need a week off to process the worst total yardage effort (144 yards) in 20 years. It looks as if the quarterback job could be back up for grabs.

7. Missouri (3-0)

• Last week: Beat San Diego State 27-24.
• This week: Miami of Ohio, 1 p.m., no TV.
The Tigers are lucky to still be undefeated, but at least they survived what seems like a yearly clunker against an unheralded nonconference foe.

8. Baylor (2-1)

• Last week: Lost to TCU 45-10.
• This week: at Rice, 7 p.m., CBS College Sports.
The spanking from TCU was a two-steps-back game for Baylor, which allowed TD drives of 80, 73, 73 and 90 yards to start the day.

9. Texas A&M (3-0)

• Last week: Beat Florida International 27-20.
• This week: Idle.
The exhibition season is over for the underachieving Aggies. Up next are Oklahoma State in Stillwater and Arkansas in Dallas.

10. Kansas (1-2)

• Last week: Lost to Southern Mississippi 31-16.
• This week: New Mexico State, 6 p.m., FCS.
The inexperienced Jayhawks have the look of a team that will play well at home and not very well on the road.

11. Iowa State (1-2, 0-1)

• Last week: Lost to Kansas State 27-20.
• This week: Northern Iowa, 6 p.m., no TV.
This team is lined up right and gives great effort. But you’ve got to have playmakers to win, and the ISU roster is severely lacking in those right now.

12. Colorado (2-1)

• Last week: Beat Hawaii 31-13.
• This week: Idle.
I’m still not sold. The Buffaloes needed two goal-line stands to avoid trailing Hawaii 24-0 at half instead of 10-0. We’ll get our answers from the next two games: Georgia and Missouri.

« Sports - Main

Share