Big 12 Wrap: Week Five
I didn't see many of this week's games, but they all pretty much went as expected (or at least as I expected):
Texas 41, Houston 11
Texas overmatched Houston in this one. It was never close, nor was it expected to be. Time will tell if these sorts of opponents will prepare Texas for the middle of the schedule.
Kansas State 27, USC 20
Ell Robertson, who lost the job as starting quarterback heading into the season, came off the bench to secure this one for Kansas State against a quality opponent. So far, K-State appears to be tops in the North.
Iowa State 42, Troy State 12
Everyone makes a fuss over Chris Simms, but Seneca Wallace just keeps rolling up big numbers. Sure, Iowa State was supposed to beat Troy State, but even that shows you how far this program has come along in recent years.
Colorado 31, UCLA 17
Had Gary Barnett lost this one, Colorado's season might have spun out of control. He needed this one in a big way, and got it. Given Colorado's talent, they should scare every team in the Big 12. This team can still do a lot of damage.
Virginia Tech 13, Texas A&M 3
We keep saying that the problem with the offense at Texas A&M is not the quarterback, and this game proved it. The quarterbacks who replaced Mark Farris were awful, and A&M's big problem (aside from R.C.'s offensive meddling) is that it can't run the football. This team won a ton of games in the 90s by running the football and playing great defense. Forget about the QB and figure out what happened to the running game!
NC State 51, Texas Tech 48
I thought going into this one that NC State was overrated, and I still do. Nevertheless, Texas Tech continues a trend under Mike Leach of losing to most quality opponents, even at home. Much like his old mentor Hal Mumme at Kentucky, Leach doesn't seem all that interested in the defensive side of the ball. For that reason, he will continue to lose to quality opponents.
Oklahoma State 52, SMU 16
Oklahoma State finally put together a fairly complete football game. OSU should celebrate now, because the next three games are against Texas, Kansas State, and Nebraska.
Bowling Green 39, Kansas 16
Last week, Bowling Green cruised against Missouri. This week, they went to Lawrence and thumped Kansas. For some reason, 37,000 people witnessed it. With two victories against Big 12 North opponents, Bowling Green would be in first in the Big 12 North at the moment if they were actually a member of the conference. Maybe I should just quit commenting on the games Kansas and Missouri play, and make Bowling Green an honorary member of the conference.
Baylor 37, Tulsa 25
Baylor wins the Vomit Bowl, not exactly blowing out what may be the worst team in Division I-A. And for some reason, 30,000 people witnessed this one. Ugly.
[Posted at 23:51 CST on 09/22/02] [Link]
