Welcome to Tuesday Takes, where I give you five takes from the Big 12. It was a jam-packed week full of action, but here were several things that caught my attention from this past weekend.
Cincinnati is for Real
I have doubted the Bearcats and Scott Satterfield for far too long, and now is the time for me to man up. It’s taken me this long to realize just how good this Cincinnati team is. They have now won back-to-back games against Kansas and Iowa State and have put themselves in the Big 12 title conversation.
The offense has been electric, led by Brendan Sorsby, who is quickly gaining national recognition. And the best part is that Sorsby actually has weapons around him this season with Joe Royer, Caleb Goodle, and Cyrus Allen. Plus, their offensive line has been playing well, too. There’s nothing this offense can’t do. My only concern is defensively, but when they play this well offensively, they can compete with anyone in the Big 12.
There’s Texas Tech and Then a Gap
There is no doubt in my mind that Texas Tech is the best team in the Big 12, and it’s not even close. This past weekend against Houston, the Red Raiders didn’t even play their best and yet still won by more than 20 points. That’s the second game in a row where they went on the road, didn’t play their best, and still won by 20 plus.
Defensively, they are as good as anyone in the country, and their offense is starting to heat up with a healthy Behren Morton at quarterback. If not for some red zone woes, then they would have probably beaten Houston by 50 last weekend. When it comes to the Big 12, there’s Texas Tech and then there is everyone else.
BYU Upgraded At Quarterback
One of the reasons I had BYU so low in my preseason poll was due to the loss of quarterback Jake Retzlaff. But now, after watching freshman Bear Bachmeier over the last few weeks, I don’t think it’s crazy to say that he is an upgrade from Retzlaff.
Against West Virginia last Friday night, Bachmeier threw for a season high of 351 yards. If you look at his numbers this season, they are quite impressive for a first-year starter. He’s thrown seven touchdown passes to just one interception and is completing 68.7% of his passes. BYU trusts him to throw the football, and when you have guys like Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston to throw to, it makes airing it out a lot easier.
Kansas State Will Not Go Bowling
Before the season started, if you would have told me six games in that Kansas State would be 2-4 I would have told you that you are crazy and need to seek medical attention immediately. But here we are, and Kansas State is sitting at 2-4 with two losses in Big 12 play already.
After their ugly loss to Baylor this past weekend, it seems like all hope is lost for this team, and I wonder if things just keep getting worse from here. Then I checked the schedule, and it didn’t make me feel any better about the Wildcats. They need to win four of their next six to make it to a bowl game, and they have TCU, Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Utah, and Colorado left on their schedule. Does anyone out there see four more wins? I don’t.
Oklahoma State Will Go Winless in Big 12 Play
I said the same thing about West Virginia a few weeks ago, and now I’m saying the same about Oklahoma State. Unfortunately, those two don’t play each other; otherwise, it would be hard to have two teams go winless in conference action.
But after watching Oklahoma State play the last few weeks, I just don’t see it happening. When or if Hauss Henjy comes back for Oklahoma State, maybe my opinion will change, but this is a bad football team in all phases of the game. And looking at their remaining schedule, it’s hard to imagine them beating anyone on it.
