Big 12 Light

The first BCS standings were released Sunday night, and six Big 12 teams made the cut.

No. 22 Kansas State, 5-1
The Wildcats’ strong showing against in-state rival Kansas inched them into the BCS top 25, but they’ve struggled a bit throughout the season. The blowout loss versus Nebraska may be understandable, but the close call against Central Florida exposed Kansas State’s weaknesses. The Wildcats have a brutal three-week stretch, including Oklahoma State, Texas and Missouri, all three of which rank higher in the BCS polls right now. It’s unlikely they will survive without at least one loss, and with that, Kansas State may just lose its ranking too.

No. 19 Texas, 4-2
The Longhorns turned a corner this weekend, beating Nebraska 20-13 and keeping the Big Red offense out of the end zone all afternoon. Texas needed this win. Not only are the Horns back in the polls after dropping off for the first time in a decade, but they gained some confidence in a defense that was supposed to be the best the school’s ever seen and in a sophomore quarterback who carried unreasonable expectations of Longhorn nation on his shoulders alone. That confidence will help carry Texas throughout the rest of the season, but coaches and players need to keep up the good strategies put to practice against Nebraska for the rest of the season to maintain a BCS ranking.

No. 16 Nebraska, 5-1
The Cornhuskers tumbled down in all poll rankings after the upset against Texas. Golden boy Taylor Martinez was taken completely out of the equation, which crippled the Nebraska offense. Was this drop too far and too harsh? Maybe not. Only one team of Nebraska’s five wins has a winning record after seven weeks of play. But the next two weeks will give the Cornhuskers a chance to claw their way back into the top 10 with games against Oklahoma State and Missouri.

No. 14 Oklahoma State, 6-0
The Cowboys had a few close calls against Troy and Texas A&M, but when a team is averaging 49.5 points per game, how can the BCS deny them a decent ranking? But now Oklahoma State is facing the toughest part of its season. The Cowboys host Nebraska next week and Oklahoma in the season closer, and they have to travel to Manhattan, Kansas, to face Kansas State and then go to Austin, Texas, to square off against the Longhorns. That’s the equivalent to taking the LSATs, MCATs, GRE and the GMAT all in a month and a half. But if the Cowboys can hold on from week to week and pass the tests, then the season closer against Oklahoma may be the determining game in who wins the Big 12 South, and maybe who takes the top of the BCS.

No. 11 Missouri, 6-0
The Tigers’ Homecoming will either be incredibly joyous and devastating. This weekend Missouri hosts Oklahoma, and so far, this Tiger squad hasn’t really been tested. The close game against San Diego State is a little worrisome, but five other blowout wins overshadow that one gaffe. Whether the Tigers pull out the win, Oklahoma will be a real wake-up call in Columbia and will give pollsters a true look at what Missouri is made of.

No. 1 Oklahoma, 6-0
While TCU and Boise State may not be happy with the BCS, as per usual, Oklahoma deserves its No. 1 ranking. The Sooners have faced teams from across the country in the preseason that brought many different looks on offense and defense than the Sooners are used to seeing in the Big 12. This has forced coaches and players to almost start from scratch each week and implement new strategies against each type of scheme. The Sooners are still posting an average of 36 points per game, which admittedly is low for this high-scoring team, but now that they have started Big 12 play, preparation for the next week’s game will be much more familiar, although not necessarily easier.

Fun Fact: A Big 12 team has won the national championship every five years after the conference’s inaugural year. Nebraska won in the 1995 season; Oklahoma won in the 2000 season; Texas won in the 2005 season. With three unbeaten teams and six total in the BCS rankings, will another Big 12 team take the crystal football in the conference’s final year? Give me your take on this and the BCS rankings.