Around The Big 12, Week Eight: Nap Time

Two Big 12 games were played Saturday, and the combined margin of victory was 100-43. Not great.

The first game was Oklahoma-TCU. We saw how that went. We don’t need to talk about it.

The second was Texas Tech-Kansas, and if we’re being honest, there’s not much to talk about there either. The Red Raiders won 48-16. Alec Bowman returned from a punctured lung to throw for 408 yards and three scores on 36-46 passing. Kansas did that thing where they hung around for a quarter and looked mildly competent — it was 3-3 through the first fifteen minutes. Then the Red Raiders won the second quarter 21-0 and led 24-3 at the half, and all semblance of competence from the Jayhawks was gone.

So that’s all the action from the weekend. And with all Big 12 teams having played four conference games so far, it’s a good time to take stock of where everyone sits in the race for the Big 12 title.

Texas (4-0) is the lone undefeated team in the conference, as everyone surely predicted before the season started. At No. 7 in the AP Poll, the Longhorns are arguably the Big 12’s best chance at a College Football Playoff bid. And if Texas isn’t the best shot, then Oklahoma (3-1) is. The Sooners are still an AP Top 10 team at No. 9 and are still very good. Just ask TCU!

West Virginia (3-1) is No. 13 in the AP Poll, and it’d be wrong to rule the Mountaineers out of the race for the Big 12 title. But getting drubbed by Iowa State isn’t a good look, to say the least, and we haven’t seen West Virginia since the Mountaineers left Ames with their tails between their legs.

Texas Tech is also 3-1 and tied with West Virginia and Oklahoma for second place in the conference. I’m not sure how long that will last, and the Red Raiders have already lost to West Virginia, which is their lone game against a top-tier team so far. Texas Tech should put a scare in Oklahoma and Texas Tech, but the Red Raiders are definitely a long shot.

Baylor and Iowa State are both at 2-2. I have nothing to say about either of these teams. They’re solidly middle of the pack, although the Bears really haven’t beaten anyone, while Iowa State has the win over West Virginia on its resume.

Oklahoma State, TCU and Kansas State are tied for seventh with 1-3 records in the conference. These three teams were picked to finish fifth, third and sixth, respectively, in the Big 12 preseason poll. I have no explanation for this.

Also, did you know that TCU has only scored one more point than Kansas in Big 12 play? That’s a real stat that I just learned. My Sunday is ruined.

Kansas is last. The Jayhawks are 0-4. Sometimes, the only consistent thing in this world is misery.