Some people see the glass have empty and others see it half full. Having No. 4 Oklahoma and then No. 5 Baylor on their schedule in back-to-back weeks is certainly being approached as a glass half full type situation for No. 9 TCU. The Frogs knocked off the Sooners last Saturday, in Ft. Worth, and now the only thing standing in their way of the Big 12’s top spot is a trip to Waco this weekend.
1. Baylor Bears #5 AP, #3 Coaches
Record: 2-0, 5-0
Strongest Win: 28-7 at Texas
Last Week: W 28-7 at Texas
Key Stat: 51 – Average points scored per game by Baylor, which leads the nation.
Key Quote: “This is a mature, tough minded, confident team that knows how to win.” – Baylor head coach Art Briles after winning at Texas despite struggling through the first half.
2. TCU Horned Frogs #9, AP #12 Coaches
Record: 1-0, 4-0
Strongest Win: 37-33 over Oklahoma
Last Week: W 37-33 over Oklahoma
Key Stat: 2.5 – Average yards per carry allowed by the TCU defense against their opponents this season, which ranks them #1 in the Big 12 in that category.
Key Quote: “It basically gives us confidence. Knowing that we can play with guys like OU, because a lot of Big 12 championships have went through there.” – TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin after knocking off the Sooners 37-33.
3. Oklahoma Sooners #11 AP, #9 Coaches
Record: 1-1, 4-1
Strongest Win: 45-33 at West Virginia
Last Week: L 37-33 at TCU
Key Stat: 21.7 – That’s the yards per reception average for true junior receiver Sterling Shepard who leads the team with 30 receptions.
Key Quote: “They just straight outplayed us.” – Defensive end Chuka Ndulue after the loss to TCU.
4. Kansas State Wildcats #17 AP, #16 Coaches
Record: 2-0, 4-1
Strongest Win: 32-28 at Iowa State
Last Week: W 45-13 over Texas Tech
Key Stat: 81.4 –Total rushing yards allowed per game by the Wildcats, which is the best mark in the conference
Key Quote: “It seems like we were clicking so well on offense. I want to get like that every game. It’s a special feeling when you get like that.” – Kansas State quarterback Jake Waters after the Wildcats produced 535 yards of offense against Texas Tech.
5. West Virginia Mountaineers
Record: 1-1, 3-2
Strongest Win: 40-37 at Maryland
Last Week: W 33-14 against Kansas
Key Stat: 381.8 – That’s the average number of passing yards per game by the Mountaineers who still lead the Big 12 through the air.
Key Quote: “We moved the ball well, we just had a hard time finishing drives.” – West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen after the Mountaineers matched a season-low 33 points against Kansas on Saturday.
6. Oklahoma State Cowboys #16 AP, #18 Coaches
Record: 2-0, 4-1
Strongest Win: 45-35 against Texas Tech
Last Week: W 37-20 over Iowa State
Key Stat: 6 – Total number of rushing touchdowns for running back Desmond Roland who is also averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
Key Quote: “There’s not any reason to cancel practice. I was happy the team rallied there at the end, played hard, made some plays and found a way to win the football game. We certainly got a long way to go and a lot of work ahead of us.” – Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy on his team’s struggles against Iowa State on Saturday.
7. Texas Longhorns
Record: 1-1, 2-3
Strongest Win: 23-0 at Kansas
Last Week: L 28-7 against Baylor
Key Stat: 117th – That’s where the Longhorns rank nationally in scoring offense with an average of 18.4 points per game.
Key Quote: “They’re still Baylor. Just because they started playing better, that’s good for them. We’re still Texas.” – Texas receiver John Harris before last Saturday’s game against the Bears in Austin. The Longhorns lost 28-7.
8. Iowa State Cyclones
Record: 0-3, 1-4
Strongest Win: 20-17 at Iowa
Last Week: L 37-20 at Oklahoma State
Key Stat: 99th – The national ranking of Iowa Sate’s scoring defense which is two spots lower than it was last week. The Cyclones are giving up an average of 33.8 points per game.
Key Quote: “I recognize that the Big 12 does not allow comments to be made on officiating, and I recognize there’s penalties for that, but folks, our institution has been penalized already.” – Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard on a controversial replay review that awarded Oklahoma State a touchdown just before the half.
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Record: 0-2, 2-3
Strongest Win: 30-26 at UTEP
Last Week: L 45-13 at Kansas State
Key Stat: 45– The number of points allowed in each of the last two games which were back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
Key Quote: “We’ve got to continue to find a way to protect the football.” – Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury after starting quarterback Davis Webb threw four interceptions against Kansas State.
10. Kansas Jayhawks
Record: 0-2, 2-3
Strongest Win: 24-10 over Central Michigan
Last Week: L 33-14 at West Virginia
Key Stat: 14 – The number of times Trevor Pardula punted for Kansas last Saturday.
Key Quote: “I think we took a step in the right direction. Our players showed up in a difficult week, and from Tuesday all the way through game prep, they worked hard.” – Kansas interim head coach Clint Bowen on the week following the firing of Charlie Weis.
*Section Photo credit to Tom Pennington, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Skye Duncan, Baylor Lariat
