1. Oklahoma Sooners #4 AP, #3 Coaches
Record: 1-0, 4-0
Strongest Win: 45-33 at West Virginia
Last Week: Bye Week
Key Stat: 6.3 – That’s the yards per carry average for true freshman running back Samaje Perine, who leads the team with 419 rushing yards and has scored five touchdowns.
Key Quote: “We do consider Dallas, DFW area as ‘home base.” – Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops on playing back-to-back weeks in the Dallas area against TCU and Texas.
2. Baylor Bears #7 AP, #6 Coaches
Record: 1-0, 4-0
Strongest Win: 49-28 at Iowa State
Last Week: W 49-28 at Iowa State
Key Stat: 56.8 – Average points scored per game by Baylor, which leads the nation.
Key Quote: “We wanted to throw the football. We felt that it fit our personnel well tonight. Our plan coming in was to throw the ball, we wanted to throw it 60 times.” – Baylor head coach Art Briles on the offensive game plan against Iowa State. Baylor threw the ball only 50 times in the game.
3. TCU Horned Frogs #25 AP & Coaches
Record: 0-0, 3-0
Strongest Win: 30-7 over Minnesota
Last Week: W 56-0 at SMU
Key Stat: 7 – Average points allowed per game by the TCU defense which is tops in the Big XII and second in the nation.
Key Quote: “We did what we needed to do.” – TCU head coach Gary Patterson on his team’s 56-0 win at SMU.
4. Kansas State Wildcats #23 AP, #22 Coaches
Record: 1-0, 3-1
Strongest Win: 32-28 at Iowa State
Last Week: W 58-28 over UTEP
Key Stat: 3-3 – This is the touchdown to interception ratio for quarterback Jake Waters. It’s also the reason the Wildcats are 3-1 instead of 4-0 after a tipped pass was intercepted in the end zone in KSU’s 20-14 home loss to #5 Auburn.
Key Quote: “It gave me something to complain about at halftime.” – Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder on his defense giving up one first down to UTEP in the first half on Saturday.
5. West Virginia Mountaineers
Record: 0-1, 2-2
Strongest Win: 40-37 at Maryland
Last Week: Bye
Key Stat: 401.8 – That’s the average number of passing yards per game by the Mountaineers who have the nation’s 3rd ranked passing attack.
Key Quote: “First and foremost, I’m just glad we’re getting there. Last year we couldn’t get there. We’re getting there, which is step one.” – West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen on the Mountaineers’ struggles in the Red Zone
6. Oklahoma State Cowboys #21 AP, #23 Coaches
Record: 1-0, 3-1
Strongest Win: 45-35 against Texas Tech
Last Week: W 45-35 against Texas Tech
Key Stat: 23.3 – Average yards per reception for junior receiver Brandon Sheperd who also has two touchdowns on the season.
Key Quote: “It’s funny, sometimes it works out exactly the way you coach it.” – Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Daxx Garman to Tyreek Hill that put O-State up 35-21.
7. Texas Longhorns
Record: 1-0, 2-2
Strongest Win: 23-0 at Kansas
Last Week: W 23-0 at Kansas
Key Stat: 195 – Average passing yards per game which ranks the Longhorns 101st in the nation, and is slightly better than their rushing attack which is ranked 105th.
Key Quote: “It is tough to go in someone’s place and beat them, especially when they play in your conference. So it’s a big win for us.” – Texas head coach Charlie Strong on winning on the road at Kansas. The Jayhawks won a total of six games under Charlie Weis, who was fired on Sunday following the loss.
8. Iowa State Cyclones
Record: 0-2, 1-3
Strongest Win: 20-17 at Iowa
Last Week: L 49-28 to Baylor
Key Stat: 33 – Number of points allowed per game by the ISU defense which ranks 97th nationally.
Key Quote: “It’s a big concern because there is no running attack. It’s not the back field it’s a combination of everything that it takes to establish a running game. It needs to drastically improve.” – Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads on the Cyclones’ running game.
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Record: 0-1, 2-2
Strongest Win: 30-26 at UTEP
Last Week: L 45-35 at Oklahoma State
Key Stat: 38.8 – Average points allowed by the Texas Tech defense which ranks them 117th nationally.
Key Quote: “I’ve never seen a team shoot itself in the foot as many times as we did tonight.” Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury following last week’s 10 point loss at Oklahoma State.
10. Kansas Jayhawks
Record: 0-1, 2-2
Strongest Win: 24-10 over Central Michigan
Last Week: L 23-0 to Texas
Key Stat: 15.3 – Average points scored per game by the Kansas offense which ranks 124th nationally.
Key Quote: “All we can do is watch the film and see where the mistakes are and go back and correct them. We aren’t perfect, we just need to have each other’s backs and keep moving forward.” – Kansas running back De’Andre Mann on the offense getting shut out against Texas.
*Section Photo credit to Reese Strickland, USA Today Sports; Featured Photo (above) credit to Andrew Weber, USA Today Sports
