RSSBot
News Junkie
After compiling this week's power rankings, I know only one thing for certain: There are three tiers of schools, and within those tiers are teams that are going to fluctuate from weekly. Here are last week's rankings.
Tier I
1. Oklahoma (3-0, Last week: 1) The top is just a logjam, and any of these three have a great case as the No. 1 team. Texas and Oklahoma have each beaten a team better than anyone Nebraska has played. Oklahoma had the most dominating win over the best team with two close wins at home. Meanwhile, Nebraska is the only team to blow out all three teams it has played. It's too early to draw any definite lines between any of the top three teams in the Big 12. Take a look at how I ranked them in my top 25 poll ballot.
2. Texas (3-0, LW: 2) Defense turned in a dominant performance that eliminated the offensive miscues against Texas Tech. The Longhorns may have to win games like that for awhile if the offense doesn't come around.
3. Nebraska (3-0, LW: 3) Again, Nebraska's got a great case as the No. 1 team. I've got zero problems with anyone putting them there and Oklahoma here. Nebraska's running game has given it an offense that was absent for all of last year, and quarterback Taylor Martinez is for real. He did very well when he had to throw it, but he wasn't asked to do a ton in the passing game because the running backs were so effective. His mid-range passes looked good, but defenses better than Washington's will force him to stretch the field as a passer. We'll see if he can do it as the season progresses.
Tier II
4. Texas Tech (2-1, LW: 6) Texas' defense was great. Texas Tech's was very, very good. Hands off the panic button for the Texas Tech offense. The Longhorns defense is going to do that to a lot of teams. What is Taylor Potts supposed to do when a four-man rush feels like seven and he has to try to find open receivers in between the seven remaining defenders in the secondary? The Red Raiders offense will be fine against less dominant defenses.
5. Oklahoma State (3-0, LW: 8) We don't know if Oklahoma State's offense will help them climb to the top of the Big 12 South, but it'll keep them from coming anywhere close to the basement. If the offense plays like it did against Tulsa, the ceiling may be about second in the South and keep them from finishing anywhere below fourth in the division or in the bottom half of the Big 12.
6. Kansas State (3-0, LW: 7) There aren't many teams who are going to be able to slow Daniel Thomas, who looks way better than he did in 2009. The Wildcats aren't looking much more two-dimensional, but Thomas' production will keep them from dropping very far.
7. Missouri (3-0, LW: 4) The Tigers beat up on an FCS team and have been unimpressive in their other two outings. Needing a borderline miracle to beat San Diego State at home isn't good for Missouri's street cred. Play like that against any of the six teams above them here and they lose by double digits.
8. Texas A&M (3-0, LW: 5) Jerrod Johnson sounded like a man with a gambling addiction after throwing interceptions on four consecutive drives in the second half, including a pick-six that put the Aggies down 14 heading into the fourth quarter. "My personality got me in some bad situations there, where after every pick I wanted to throw the ball again," he said. This is a nice time for the Aggies to reboot during the bye week before conference play begins. Texas A&M has led 20-7, 21-10 and was tied at six. I've said it all season: The Big 12's second tier of five teams are almost as close to each other as the top three are, and it doesn't take much to move up or down within each tier.
Tier III
9. Iowa State (1-2, LW: 10) The Cyclones have one bad loss to a top 10 team on the road and a close loss (Kansas State on Saturday) on a neutral field to a team that's a little bit better than it is. It's an unimpressive resume, but I like the Cyclones chances to beat any of the four teams below it.
10. Baylor (2-1, LW: 9) Not the Bears' finest hour in Fort Worth on Saturday, but last I checked, TCU was playing on par with Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Baylor should still earn its third win next week.
11. Colorado (2-1, LW: 12) Beating Hawaii like it did was a good sign for the Buffaloes, but it's tough to shake the lingering weekly prospect of the Buffaloes not showing up like they did (didn't?) against California, a team that lost by three touchdowns to Nevada on Friday.
12. Kansas (1-2, LW: 11) A tough road loss for the Jayhawks, but Southern Miss clearly looked like the better team. Fast-paced spread offenses are going to give Kansas trouble unless it can fix its defensive communication issues. The worst part about that is "fast-paced, spread offense" describes most of the Big 12.
More...
