It took four overtimes, but Oklahoma is back in the thick of the Big 12 rankings.
It was one of the strangest games in the history of the Red River Showdown with one of the most thrilling endings. The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns needed four overtimes to decide a winner. Spencer Rattler was benched in the first half before earning some redemption late. Sam Ehlinger had six total touchdowns but threw an interception in the aforementioned fourth overtime to end the game.
Four teams in the Big 12 were off this week, including Oklahoma State, who’s the final undefeated team left in the conference. West Virginia, Baylor and Kansas were all off as well. Still, fans learned a lot about the teams in the conference through those three games. There is a clear line between the really bad teams and everyone else. How good the rest of the teams are is still a mystery.
The power rankings have changed every week dramatically. There weren’t too many surprise losses this week, which will lead to similar rankings week to week. Still, the Oklahoma win is going to change some things.
Big 12 power rankings after Week 6
The Jayhawks had the week off, so they weren’t able to disappoint their fans. It’s still a bad football team. It will be surprising if they are able to scrape together a win. Even if Texas Tech is near them in the standings, the Red Raiders are a much better team up and down the roster. Les Miles also tested positive for the coronavirus, meaning he’s not allowed to be around the team. That’s only going to make things worse.
The Red Raiders defense had no answer for the Iowa State offense. Brock Purdy threw for 300 yards and Breece ran for 135. It was a bad week for Texas Tech and a garbage-time touchdown made the score look a lot better than it was. This is the second-worst team in the conference until they prove otherwise. The offense is bad against actual good competition (the 512 yards per game feels flawed after a 56-yard rushing performance on 22 carries). Everything feels too safe, especially with a defense that can give up chunk plays.
Baylor really could have used a game here to try and bounce back from a loss to West Virginia. They had another off week and now they had to reschedule their game against Oklahoma State on Saturday because of more Covid cases on campus. Now, they’ll play the Cowboys on Dec. 12, which is also supposed to be the Big 12 Championship Game. That could push that game back a week. Baylor’s first season under Dave Aranda is a complete mess, and it has nothing to do with what’s happening on the field. Unfortunately, they seem to be one of the teams where cases keep popping up.
TCU is a team that came into the season with high hopes, especially on defense and through its running game. Like most of the Big 12, those expectations have not been met early in the season. Max Duggan was unable to get the ball down the field, and the defense was not able to stop Kansas State enough to win the game. Matthew Downing threw a bad interception that was taken back for six. They had the ball with a minute left, but starting from the four-yard line is not a highly-successful formula to make a miraculous comeback.
The West Virginia Mountaineers had an off week to celebrate their win over Baylor. They are preparing for a floundering Kansas team next Saturday. Jarret Doege needs to find a better rhythm in this offense if the Mountaineers are going anywhere. The defense will still lead the day in Morgantown, as defensive linemen Dante and Darius Stills are dominating the middle in just about every matchup.
It’s hard to think of any way the Texas Longhorns can salvage what’s left of this season. Even if they sweep the rest of the season, two losses likely puts them out of Big 12 Championship consideration. They lost the biggest game on their schedule in quadruple overtime, despite struggles from rival Oklahoma. Texas fell out of the Top 25 this week, and Tom Herman‘s seat is as hot as ever. Ehlinger scored six touchdowns, including three on the ground. That interception at the end is still what’s going to live on in the minds of Longhorns fans.
Is it fair to put Kansas State below Oklahoma after they actually beat the Sooners? Maybe not, but the Sooners are coming off the biggest win in the conference while the Wildcats escaped TCU with a win. Save for an 80-yard run, Will Howard struggled under center. This is still a really good team. This isn’t to take anything away from them, but this feels like a top-four team. They have this week off, but if the past three weeks have been any indication, being idle will actually help Kansas State in the rankings. This is still a team that can win the conference, but the offense needs work.
Oklahoma absolutely gets knocked up one extra spot because it’s Oklahoma. Lincoln Riley has performed at every step of the way, so after gutting out a win against the team’s biggest rival, it’s more likely this Sooners team will take off from here. The defense needs work, Rattler needs to be more consistent, and the stars need to step up in big spots, but the team seems to be back on track after back-to-back disappointments.
There wasn’t going to be much to learn in an Iowa State win on Saturday. The Cyclones are supposed to beat Texas Tech easily. Purdy and Hall led the offense. The defense was efficient, only allowing one touchdown all game (the other was a blocked field goal). It was the exact way one would want Iowa State to win at this juncture of the season. It’s still anyone’s conference at the top, but it only takes two bad weeks to let Oklahoma or Texas back in it. That goes for Iowa State, Kansas State, and the number one team in the rankings.
Oklahoma State remains number one in the rankings after a bye week. They will likely stay at number one in the rankings because of a Covid outbreak that’s postponing their game against Baylor on Saturday. It’s unfortunate that the Big 12’s last chance at the College Football Playoff now needs two weeks off to get prepared for a massive matchup with Iowa State. This could make or break the Big 12 on Oct. 24. If Iowa State wins, it’s likely the final nail in the coffin nationally for the conference.
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