Welcome to Big 12 Conference play. Everyone has played at least one league game. Eight teams are undefeated in league action. Eight teams are winless.
It was an eventful week. We got the measure of many teams that we’ve had trouble getting a handle on so far.
So who’s stock went up and who’s stock went down? Let’s look at the big movers across the league.
Stock Up
Oklahoma State
I think it’s safe to say the Oklahoma State Cowboys are real after their victory over West Virginia on Saturday. The offense put up more than 600 total yards. The Cowboys’ defense gave up a lot of yards but made big plays in key moments and forced a turnover.
This offense has the potential to be lethal. The offensive line should get healthy over the bye week, and a reinforcement is coming in at left tackle, Braydon Nelson. These aren’t Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State Cowboys anymore. That’s for sure. They’re done with the losing.
Cincinnati
I’ve got to be honest — I haven’t been much of a believer in Cincinnati to this point. And I’m still not sure about their long-term prospects this season, but they’re a much better team than I’ve given them credit for.
Coming back from a 17-14 halftime deficit and outscoring the Wildcats, 21-9, in the final 30 minutes showed me something about the Bearcats’ toughness. The defense forced K-State quarterback Avery Johnson to throw it 50 times. The UC offense kept its run-first identity but controlled the clock for only nearly 27 minutes.
Cincinnati has won the last two games kind of ugly. But the ‘W’ is all that matters, and when you can win close games in back-to-back weeks, that tells me something.
Utah
The Utes should be getting more love nationally now. I think that’s going to come. But I was interested in how they would play at Iowa State, and I ended up watching that entire game. I was impressed with how well they controlled the game, with only a hiccup or two.
Wayshawn Parker is the running back in the Big 12 that isn’t getting enough attention. Earning Big 12 co-offensive player of the week will help. He’s well on his way to his first career 1,000-yard season, and that will help Utah in its quest to reach the Big 12 Championship game for the first time.
Stock Down
Kansas State
I had Kansas State beating Cincinnati. I was wrong, and I walked away from my rewatch with some concerns — and not just Avery Johnson’s 50 pass attempts. The run game sputtered, creating an offensive imbalance. The run defense was leaky. The special teams gave up 18.5 yards per punt return.
Too many mistakes for a road game. That’s usually the difference between a road win or a road loss. This is a good time for the bye week. The Wildcats need some fine-tuning.
West Virginia
The Mountaineers’ stock was up last week. Now it’s down. That defense has some issues. They allowed more than 600 yards in total offense to the Cowboys. The front four had trouble slowing down the run and getting pressure on quarterback Drew Mestemaker. The secondary is banged up and was dominated downfield.
The offense has two terrific weapons in quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. and running back Cam Cook. But the Cowboys found ways to limit both after the first three drives. Is that a template for other teams? If so, WVU has some real issues.
TCU
Sonny Dykes was on my hot-seat coaches list last week, and this loss to UCF won’t help. I wrote that UCF is a stealthy hard place to play, and the Horned Frogs didn’t protect the football. The Horned Frogs managed 13 points and had no run game to speak of.
TCU’s two wins are over Grambling and Arkansas State. Their two losses are to UNC and UCF. No one is confusing the latter two teams with national championship contenders. Are the Horned Frogs anything more than an average team? That’s what it’s starting to look like.
