Big 12 Rankings: Sooners Remain No. 1, But Are Issues Ahead?

Oklahoma heads into this weekend’s game with TCU nursing a quarterback quandary that could define its season

The Red River Showdown defined the Big 12 last weekend, as Oklahoma and Texas played a classic at the Cotton Bowl. But, as the Sooners have the last four years, they walked away with the win. But the Sooners also came away with some ‘quarterback’ controversy. Sooners coach Lincoln Riley’s decision at quarterback this weekend could define OU’s season.

The Big 12 returns nearly in full this week, as nine of the 10 teams are in action. Baylor is playing a non-conference game with BYU, while West Virginia has the week off.

So here’s this week’s Big 12 Rankings from Longhorn Country.

1. Oklahoma: 6-0 (3-0 in Big 12)

The Sooners gave up more than 375 yards in total offense for the fourth straight game. Their run defense leaked like a cracked dam in the first half (and the pass defense wasn’t much better). Sooners coach Lincoln Riley went with his gut and switched quarterbacks from Spencer Rattler to Caleb Williams — and it worked.

But now comes the hard part. Who does Riley choose at quarterback? And it’s a decision that could have short-term and long-term ramifications.

2. Oklahoma State: 5-0 (2-0 in Big 12)

The Cowboys move up, courtesy of Texas’ loss. But don’t overlook this Cowboys team as they go into their game with Texas on Saturday. Yes, the Longhorn offense ran over the Sooner defense in the first half of last week’s game. But, the Cowboys come to Austin with one of the best defenses in college football (yes, I just wrote that about an OSU defense) and a week of rest. The Cowboys haven’t given up more than 24 points in a game this season. Texas will be their biggest test yet. But they’re up for it.

3. Texas: 4-2 (2-1 in Big 12)

The temptation is to punish Texas by dropping them more than one spot after their loss to the Sooners. But, I’m only dropping them one spot. They have a set of triplets that some NFL teams covet. Their defense is better than it showed in the second half against the Sooners. And, right now, I think they’re playing better than the No. 4 team below. But I’m curbing my enthusiasm this week with the OSU matchup. The Cowboys will be a tough out for the Longhorns, even in Austin.

4. Baylor: 5-1 (3-1 in Big 12)

The Bears took care of business against West Virginia, and with future Big 12 member BYU coming to town this weekend, the Bears are hoping to reach bowl eligibility under second-year coach Dave Aranda. That’s great news for a program that saw the bottom fall out after the departure of Matt Rhule for Carolina. But, could there be dark clouds on the horizon? If LSU fires Ed Orgeron, do the Tigers make a play for their former defensive coordinator?

5. Iowa State: 3-2 (1-1 in Big 12)

It’s time for Iowa State’s offense to show up, because that Cyclone defense is nearly lights out. ISU is coming off a bye week and heading into their ‘Farmaggedon’ game with Kansas State. The good news is that Iowa State appears healthy going in. The bad news for Iowa State is not just that K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson is back from injury, but that the Wildcat offense looks like a different animal with him at the controls.

6. Kansas State: 3-2 (0-2 in Big 12)

This might seem controversial, given what happened below the Wildcats. But, it feels right to keep the Wildcats where they are coming off a bye week and quarterback Skylar Thompson’s great performance against Oklahoma two weeks ago. Thompson makes all the difference to that offense, and it could really influence whether the Wildcats can upset Iowa State on Saturday.

7. TCU: 3-2 (1-1 in Big 12)

TCU moves up a couple of spots from last week, and the Horned Frogs flat dominated Texas Tech last weekend, using the run game like a cudgel and seeing its top two backs, Zach Evans and Kendre Miller, rush for more than 100 yards. But — and this is part of the reason I didn’t move the Horned Frogs higher — Evans and quarterback Max Duggan are questionable for Saturday’s game with Oklahoma. And if the Horned Frogs don’t have Evans, they’ll have issues.

8. Texas Tech: 4-2 (1-2 in Big 12)

The Red Raiders drop just a spot from last week. But, let’s be clear. This team misses Tyler Shough at quarterback and it’s time to give running back SaRodorick Thompson a Bijan Robinson-esque workload if the Red Raiders expect to get to a Bowl game. Thompson had 118 yards rushing and three touchdowns last weekend.

9. West Virginia: 2-4 (0-3 in Big 12)

I can’t figure out what’s wrong with the Mountaineers. They should really be better than this. The only reason they’re not No. 10 is because, well, Kansas. But, at this point, doesn’t WVU start worrying about that game with the Jayhawks in late November?

10. Kansas (1-4, 0-2 in Big 12)

The Jayhawks are coming off a bye and hosting Texas Tech for homecoming. I don’t expect a win, but I expect a closer game than many will suspect. At some point, the Jayhawks are going to steal one.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

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