http://gty.im/494869064
We are at the end of October and the Big XII is really beginning to take shape. In September, we took a look at the we took a look at the league. There has definitely been a shake-up and a new outlook for the league has occurred.
With September and October behind us, it looks like the league can be broken up into two categories, one with four teams and one with six. Before Saturday, they were going to be broken up into a four-two-four segment. However, Saturday’s games made it clear that there are four very good teams and six teams that are atrocious. We have two teams (Texas and Texas Tech) that we were going to put in the average category with the potential to be good and then we had four teams that are looking really bad and really are on the downward spiral. However, we are placing six teams in the downward spiral category.
This month, we will take a look at their overall performance but will zero in on how they performed in October. Let’s get rolling.
Clearly The Best
There are four teams that are clearly head and shoulders above the other six teams in their conference. Those four teams are Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.
We will take a look at their accomplishments in October and project where they may be at the end of the year.
Baylor
The Baylor fans are crazy for their football team and they have every reason to be. They may be the best football team in the nation.
Baylor is 7-0 on the year and they are 4-0 in October. Their four games in October have been walks in the parks and some of them have been against teams in their conference who some thought would at least challenge them. However, that has not been the case. Here are the games:
- October 3: Texas Tech – They won 63 to 35.
- October 10: Kansas – They won 66 to 7.
- October 17: West Virginia – They won 62 to 38.
- October 24: Iowa State – They won 45 to 27.
Their area of concern is that they must replace their leader at quarterback. It would seem unrealistic to state that they could simply and easily replace Seth Russell. In the seven games, Russell was 119 of 200 for 2,104 yards. He also had 402 yards on the ground on 49 carries. Through the air and on the ground, he accounted for 35 TD’s. However, Baylor has Jarrett Stidham to step in.
http://gty.im/494098878
Stidham, in mostly mop up roles, is 24 for 28 for 331 yards and 6 TDs with 0 INT. He will rely heavily on Corey Coleman, who already has 962 yards and 18 TDs on 47 receptions. The Baylor Bears are confident in Stidham, but look for them to rely on the legs of Shock Linwood. Linwood has carried the ball 121 times for 974 yards (8 yard average) and 9 TDs.
The Bears have five games remaining and they have a very tough back-to-back-to-back competition with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TCU. OSU and TCU are on the road. They are thankful for the week off this week and next week’s game against Kansas State to help prepare for those games. It is going to be an extremely tough road, but there is a chance that they could win them all. If they do, they will easily secure a playoff bid.
TCU
TCU is 8-0 and they are 4-0 in October. However, they have dropped in the respect category over these past eight weeks with a few wins where they have just “squeaked” by. In October, they played four games and the results of those games were:
October 3: Texas – They beat Texas handily, 50 to 7.
October 10: Kansas State – They beat KSU 52 to 45, and needed a strong 4th quarter to do it.
October 17: Iowa State – They beat Iowa State 45 to 21.
October 29: WVU – They won 40 to 10.
TCU football is all about the Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson show. The show rests on Boykin’s arm.
He is 198 of 297 for 2,927 yards with 28 TDs. However, he can also beats you with his legs. On they year, he has 524 yards on 88 carries. He definitely needs to be in the Heisman talk with his performance, team play, and the excitement that he brings on the field when he scrambles.
They have four games remaining on their schedule. They do not want to look ahead to the day after Thanksgiving, because they have games against Oklahoma State (11/7) and Oklahoma (11/21); however, the game against Baylor on the 27th of November has the potential to decide who will win the Big XII and who will go to the college football playoff series.
Oklahoma State
http://gty.im/494513602
Oklahoma State Cowboys are 8-0 and they were 4-0 in October. They have had close games recently. In October, they played the following games:
October 3: Kansas State – They slipped by KSU with a 36 to 34 win.
October 10: West Virginia – They beat the Mountaineers 33 to 26.
October 17: Kansas – They finally had a cakewalk with a 58 to 10 win.
October 31: Texas Tech – The won a shootout 70 to 53.
Mason Rudolph is having a good year from a passing yard statistic vantage point. He has 2,882 yards for an average of 301 yards a game. However, his TD/INT ratio is not impressive. He is currently sitting at 12 TDs and 8 INT.
They have four games remaining and they are tough. They have TCU on the 7th, Iowa State on the 14th, and then they finish up with back to back games against Baylor (21st) and Oklahoma (28th).
The Cowboys will most likely lose at least two, if not three, of their last four games. Their downfall is their running game. They are led by Chris Carson and Rennie Childs, but they only have 365 yards and 245 yards respectfully after eight games.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Sooners are 7-1 for the season and 4-1 in October. They had their bye in September, so they played five games during October. Their October games were the following:
October 3: West Virginia – They won 44 to 24.
October 10: Texas – They lost 24 to 17.
October 17: Kansas State – They blanked them 55 to 0.
October 24: Texas Tech – They blew them out 63 to 27.
October 31: Kansas – They cruised to an easy 62 to 7 win.
The Sooners are led by Baker Mayfield. He is 170 of 244 with 2,470 yards and he has 25 TDs while only having 4 INT.
As we have already seen, the top four teams all play each other, so it is anyone’s ball game and each team really controls their own identity. However, Oklahoma may not have enough fire power to stay with TCU and Baylor, so Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will most likely be battling for 3rd and 4th place in the BIG XII.
Bottom of the Barrel
There are now six teams in the Big XII that are at the bottom of the barrel, and one of them was in the top tier in September. It is amazing what four weeks can do to a team. The team that fell from grace is West Virginia. The other five teams that they are joining at the bottom of the barrel are Texas, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Kansas.
Texas
http://gty.im/492170326
Texas is 3-5 for the year and 2-2 in October. After a real rough start, they were trying to “save” their season with their play in October. Here is how they tried to salvage their season and give themselves a glimmer of hope for a bowl game:
October 3: TCU – They got DESTROYED 50 to 7.
October 10: Oklahoma – They beat the #10 team 24 to 17.
October 24: Kansas State – They won 23 to 9.
October 31: Iowa State – They were blanked 24 to 0.
In November, they have three games on their schedule that they could/should win: Kansas, West Virginia and Texas Tech. They finish the season with Baylor. Their October and easier November schedule, along with their play improvement, may give them a glimmer of hope for a bowl game.
Can Tyrone Swoopes really be the wild card for them?
As a throwing QB that has been benched, he is 20 for 48 for 236 yards with 2 TDs and 0 INT. However, he is being inserted for his legs, where he has 207 yards on 40 carries.
The new Swoopes?
Against Kansas State, he rushed the ball 7 times for 50 yards and 3 TDs.
Against Iowa State, he rushed the ball for 58 yards on 10 carries.
Texas Tech
http://gty.im/494110788
Texas Tech is 5-4 on the season and 2-3 in October. All three losses have been against Top 25 teams in their conference. They have also played five games in October, and it has been a roller coaster month for them. Here is a look at how they have fared:
October 3: Baylor – In an ugly game, they loss 63 to 35.
October 10: Iowa State – Breezed through the Cyclones for a 66 to 31 win.
October 17: Kansas – It was not pretty, but they won 30 to 20.
October 24: Oklahoma – Not even close, they lost 63 to 27.
October 31: Oklahoma State – They lost in a shootout, 70 to 53.
It’s all about the arm of Patrick Mahomes II. On the season, he is 260 of 402 for 3,331 yards. He has struggled with 12 INT, but his 25 TDs and 370 yards a game average keep them a fun team to watch and root for.
They have a chance to win all three of their final games. They play West Virginia and Kansas State before finishing the season with state rival Texas.
West Virginia
http://gty.im/155397866
West Virginia is 3-4 on the season and 0-4 in October. The month of October was an absolute disaster for them. Most of their games were not even close.
October 3: Oklahoma – They lost 44 to 24.
October 10: Oklahoma State – They lost a close one, 33 to 26.
October 17: Baylor – They lost in a blowout, 62 to 38.
October 29: TCU – They got embarrassed 40 to 10.
The Mountaineers are in serious trouble. They may go 2-2 in their last four games, finish 5-7, and miss the chance to even play in a no-name bowl. A change is needed.
Skyler Howard is the leader for the Mountaineers, but they may want to look at 2016 and hand the reigns over to William Crest Jr. Howard is 111 of 188 for 1,566 yards while throwing 15 TDs and 6 INT.
Iowa State
Iowa State is 3-5 for the year and 2-3 in the month of October. October has been a tough month for the Cyclones. Here is look at what has occurred for this team:
October 3: Kansas – They beat Kansas 38 to 13.
October 10: Texas Tech – They lost ugly, by the score of 66 to 31.
October 17: TCU – They lost 45 to 21.
October 24: Baylor – They lost 45 to 27.
October 31: Texas – They shut them out 24 to 0.
There are really no bright spots for the Cyclones. We will take a look at their leading stat holders at QB, WR, and RB.
QB: Sam B. Richardson – He has 1,420 yards throwing with has 8 TDs and 8 INT.
WR: Allen Lazard – He has 35 catches for 472 yards and 3 TDs.
RB: Mike Warren – He has 954 yards on 153 carries for a 6.2 average, while scoring 4 TDs. He may be the bright spot, but not producing enough scores.
Iowa State may have one or two more wins in them but one thing is certain, they are not going bowling.
Kansas State
http://gty.im/461218003
The Question: What has happened to Kansas State?
This is not the season that most were expecting. They are 3-4 for the season, and in October they are 0-4. Their month has been ugly, no question about that. Here is what happened to them:
October 3: Oklahoma State – They lost 36 to 34, in a game they should have won.
October 10: TCU – They lost 52 to 45; the wheels started to come off.
October 17: Oklahoma – They got demolished, 55 to 0.
October 24: Texas – They lost 23 to 9.
Kansas
The Kansas Jayhawks are 0-8 on the season with an 0-5 record in October. October was not any better than September. In October, Kansas played the following games:
October 3: Iowa State – They lost 38 to 13.
October 10 – Baylor – They got blown out, 66 to 7.
October 17 – Texas Tech – They made it a game, but lost 30 to 20.
October 24: Oklahoma State – They got blown out, 58 to 10.
October 31: Oklahoma – They got blown out, 62 to 7.
With the record that the Jayhawks have, and three of the five games in October being blowouts, it should not be a surprise that their statistical leaders do not have impressive stats. Here is a look at their leaders:
Quarterbacks:
Ryan Willis: Completed 95 of 169 for 960 yards and 5 TDs and 4 INT.
Montell Cozart: Completed 66 of 105 for 752 yards and 2 TDs and 1 INT.
Running Backs
Ke’aun Kinner: Had 95 carries for 390 yards with 5 TDs.
De’Andre Mann: Had 58 carries for 265 yards with 0 TDs.
Wide Receivers
Tre’ Parmalee: Had 29 receptions for 464 yards with 2 TDs.
Steven Sims: Had 21 receptions for 234 yards with 2 TDs.
The Jayhawks play texas, TCU, WVU and Kansas State in November. There is a chance for a win but definitely no guarantees.