It’s difficult to make sense of the wacky weekend witnessed around Big 12 stadiums this past Saturday (haven’t used alliteration like that in quite some time). Let’s try to break it down:
• First item: Iowa State, a football team that had given up 106 points in the previous two weeks, marched down to Austin, Texas, and knocked off the No. 22 Longhorns, 28-21. And it wasn’t even that close. The Cyclones led, 28-6, in the fourth quarter.
Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads did a heck of a job in coaching the Cyclones to a victory. Remember last year when Rhoads and the Cyclones shocked Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb? His [postgame locker room speech][1] was compelling.
Well, the ISU athletic department was at it again after Saturday’s victory in Austin, capturing another memorable locker room message from Rhoads. Well worth a look.
• Second item: Baylor (yes, Baylor) carries the best conference record in the Big 12 South at 3-1. With a victory over Kansas State, the Bears became bowl eligible for the first time since 1994. If that wasn’t enough…with losses on Saturday from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas, the Bears ascended to the top of the South.
I view Baylor sitting atop the Big 12 South the same way I viewed the San Diego Padres jumping out to an early lead on its National League West counterparts this season. Bizarre when you scroll down on [pages like this][2] and see the Bears ahead of traditional powers Oklahoma and Texas, but how long will it really last? My guess: not too long.
Baylor finishes the season at Texas, at Oklahoma State, home to Texas A&M and home to Oklahoma. The Bears are not winning the South.
• Third item: Missouri is the only undefeated team in the Big 12 at 7-0. The Tigers, after a massive 36-27 victory over Oklahoma, appear to be the Big 12’s best chance of landing a team in the BCS Championship game. That would be a pretty crazy story, considering Mizzou was unranked the first four weeks of the season.
Could Missouri somehow finish the year undefeated? It’s possible, but it’s mostly going to depend on next week. The Tigers travel to Lincoln in a showdown against Nebraska that may decide the North.
Should Mizzou escape Lincoln with a victory, the rest of the schedule is favorable for a potential undefeated regular season: at Texas Tech, home to Kansas State, at Iowa State, vs. Kansas in Kansas City, Mo.
**For more reaction from week 8 around the conference,** I reflected on a 4-2 week of picking Big 12 games on the latest episode of Conference ChatterTV:
**Moving on to week 8 awards** for those who went above and beyond in the Big 12:
**Player of the week: Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska.**
The red-shirt freshman bounced back nicely after a horrid game last week against Texas. Martinez passed for 323 yards and five touchdowns, a nice sign for NU since the Cornhuskers dropped three TD passes last week. Martinez also contributed 112 yards on the ground. Splendid all-around performance.
**Looking ahead: Upcoming game of the week: No. 7 Missouri at No. 14 Nebraska.**
The 2:30 p.m. game on Saturday in Lincoln could decide the North race. Mizzou is 7-0 (3-0 Big 12), while Nebraska is 6-1 (2-1).
I’m curious which team KU fans will pull for in this one. NU just because it’s facing Missouri? Mizzou because of the Cornhuskers saying adios, Big 12, next year? Perhaps none of the above?
**The following is the latest edition of the Sorrentino Scale.** The number that follows in parentheses is what the team was ranked last week:
1 (3). Missouri (7-0): Having DE Aldon Smith back is critical; picked off a pass and took it 58 yards for Tigers, who are only undefeated team in Big 12.
2 (1). Oklahoma (6-1): [Favorable schedule rest of way][3] could still get Sooners to Big 12 title game.
3 (5). Nebraska (6-1): Passing game recovered nicely from ugly previous week.
4 (2). Oklahoma State (6-1): Won’t stay in upper tier if defense gives up 30 points per game.
5 (7). Baylor (6-2): RB Jay Finley with 250 rushing yards, QB Robert Griffin with over 400 yards passing … in same game vs. K-State. That’ll work.
6 (6). Kansas State (5-2): Defense exposed vs. Baylor.
7 (4). Texas (4-3): Roller coaster only begins to describe UT’s season.
8 (11). Iowa State (4-4): Suddenly with an outside chance of a bowl game.
9 (9). Texas Tech (4-3): Held on for road victory over Colorado.
10 (8). Texas A&M (4-3): Who’s playing QB? Dual-threat systems are wastes of time.
11 (10). Colorado (3-4): At Oklahoma next week. Good luck.
12 (12). Kansas (2-5): My [question of whether KU football or basketball team would win next game][4] is looking more and more like hoops may sadly be the correct answer.
That should be all for now, friends. As always, discuss.
[1]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcKiMy0Gp4&feature=related
[2]: http://www.big12sports.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&KEY=&SPID=13139&SPSID=106181
[3]: http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/okla-m-footbl-sched.html
[4]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/conference_chatter/2010/oct/22/which-team-will-win-next-/
