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PAGE 10
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FOOTBALL
BIG 12 POWER RANKINGS
FARZIN VOUSOUGHIAN
fvousoughian@kansan.com
1. Kansas State (7-0)
Kansas State landed a spot in the top five in every poll and ranking after its 55-14 win over West Virginia. The biggest story surrounding the Wildcats is quarterback Collin Klein, who put together seven touchdowns against the Mountaineers. After Klein outplayed Geno Smith, critics now see him as the new favorite to win the Heisman.
2. Oklahoma (5-1)
Oklahoma posted over 50 points on the scoreboard for the third time this season. After defeating Kansas 52-7, the Sooners held their opponents to one touchdown for the second time this season. The team's biggest test comes next week when they host Notre Dame.
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3. Texas Tech (6-1)
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Texas Tech has pleasantly surprised a lot of fans in Lubbock this season. A thrilling 56-53 win in triple overtime against Texas Christian pulled Texas Tech up in the rankings. Quarterback Seth Doege lifted the Red Raiders when he threw seven touchdown passes, making him one of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12.
4. West Virginia (5-2)
West Virginia's experience in the Big 12 hasn't gone its way. West Virginia has given up 53 points on average against Big 12 teams. The Mountaineers fell to 5-2. Geno Smith's luck also ran out after he threw two interceptions.
5. Texas (5-2)
Texas overcame adversity after it snapped its two-game losing streak in a wild shoot-out against Baylor. Although the Longhorns allowed 50 points, the offense managed to score more, just enough to win. Running back Joe Bergeron was the hero for the Longhorns when he rushed for 117 yards and five touchdowns. They will want to continue to feed the ball to Bergeron moving forward.
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Texas Christian quarterback Trevone Boykin found a rhythm this weekend with his offense against Texas Tech. Boykin ran into a couple of problems when he threw two interceptions, but he managed to still play well after recently being named the new starting quarterback. Coach Gary Patterson has to like the progress out of his new quarterback and is probably hoping that it will translate into some wins before the end of the season.
6. Texas Christian (5-2)
Oklahoma State has been limited with its scoring after being ranked first at one point. In the end, the Cowboys sealed a victory over the Cyclones over the weekend. The Cowboys recently built some consistency after putting together their first winning streak of the season.
Iowa State fans enjoyed their brief time being ranked. Now, the Cyclones are out of the top 25 after losing three of their last four games. A game against Baylor gives them an opportunity to turn around because of Baylor's struggles this season.
7. Oklahoma State (4-2)
Quarterback Nick Florence showed Baylor a lot of good things at the start of the season. He threw 11 touchdowns and four interceptions to start the season. In the last three games, while the Bears have lost, Florence threw nine touchdowns and six interceptions. The Bears want to try and beat the Cyclones this week, who also have issues in the conference.
9. Baylor (3-3)
8. Iowa State (4-3)
10. Kansas (1-6)
Michael Cummings got the start over Dayne Crist; Coach Charlie Weis played both quarterbacks in the game, but it did not translate into any success. Kansas fell flat on all three phases of the game against Oklahoma. Texas can easily do the same thing if Kansas does not void its holes in practice this week.
FOOTBALL
Texas coach comments on Kansas football and Weis
Although the Kansas Jayhawks and the Texas Longhorns are headed in different directions after seven weeks of football, they will clash in Lawrence this weekend.
NATHAN FORDYCE
nfordyce@kansan.com
Texas coach Mack Brown said during Big's Day 12 teleconference that the Kansas is an improved team despite its 1-6 record.
Brown had nothing but praise for Kansas coach Charlie Weis. He said Weis' resume speaks for itself.
"They are a much better football team than the one we played last year," Brown said. "They're running the ball well."
"When you look at Charlie, he to me is one of the great coaches in
the country," Brown said. "What he did with Bill Belichick and the Patriots is just unbelievable. I thought he did a great job at Notre Dame. And see what he did with the Kansas City Chiefs in turning that offense around immediately."
Brown said that hiring Dave Campo as defensive coordinator was a "brilliant choice" because Campo has a history of coaching in the NFL and in college.
BIG 12 SHOOT-OUTS
Six teams in the conference are in the top 15 for offensive scoring. Only TCU, Iowa State and Kansas rank below the top 25 in points scored.
"It's a fun league to be in right
now," Brown said. "The fans are seeing great football games. And for the people who like to see scoring, you are seeing a lot of scoring in this league."
Brown said the Big 12 is the most competitive it has been in the 15 years he's been at Texas.
"It's just crazy with the speed," Brown said. "What you're having to do now and not in the past is that you have to play every week."
"The first thing everybody wants to do is fire their defensive coordinator because everyone has a quarterback and everybody can move the ball," Brown said.
Over the weekend, the Big 12 actually had more touchdowns than punts (48 and 47, respectively) something that is directly linked to the high octane offenses.
Though the Longhorns are sitting at No. 25 in the nation with a 5-2 record, Brown realizes he has to find a way to keep motivating his team.
BRINGING THE INTENSITY
His team played 34 freshmen over the past two years. Brown said it's difficult to keep motivating younger teams but it's something that has to be done.
"We have to get every ounce of energy out of everyone every day because we aren't good enough to beat anyone right now unless we are playing with intensity and playing at our highest level," Brown said.
Edited by Emma McElhaney
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Texas coach Mack Brown celebrates a touchdown in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game against Baylor on Saturday, in Austin, Texas. Texas won 56-50.
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