Dirty Dozen Rankings - Week 3

Our weekly rankings of all Big 12 teams. The second game of the non-conference season has been played, and we've had some more upsets and blowout victories. The teams are ranked based on where I think  they are right now in the season. Previous weeks rankings are in parenthesis. As always, comments and criticism are welcome.

1. texas(2): Showed a pass rush and a running game after a slow start in Laramie.
2. Missouri(3): Tough but solid win over Bowling Green.
3. Oklahoma State(1): Last week they scored a big upset, this week they were the big upset.
4. Nebraska(4): Solid win over another cupcake at home. Yawn.
5. Oklahoma(5): They beat the everliving hell outta Idaho State. That still shows us nothing.
6. Kansas(6): It says something when UTEP is one of your toughest non-conference games.
7. Baylor(7): Had a bye week, so no movement.
8. Texas A&M(8): Ditto.
9. Texas Tech(9): The blowout win over Rice was an improvement over last week.
10. Iowa State(12): The victim of a blowout against archrival Iowa.
11. Kansas State(10): Lost to Louisiana-Lafayette; need to find a passing game.
12. Colorado(11): If they don't win against Wyoming on Saturday, they may go 0-12.

Notes: texas still isn't hitting on all cylinders, but they did show a pass rush this week, tallying 5 sacks against Wyoming. Sergio Kindle continues to be a non-factor in the pass rush, with only 7 tackles and no TFL or sacks to his name this season. This has caused the coaches to turn apologist for Kindle, saying he is really grading out high and is doing his job. Yeah, I think I heard the same explanation from Oklahoma coaches when Tommie Harris put up subpar stats, too....The fact that Missouri might be the second-best team in the conference right now speaks to how discombobulated this season has been so far. Mizzou did show some heart, though, coming back to beat a game Bowling Green squad. In seasons past, the Tigers would have lost that game...I might be a little too generous with my ranking of Oklahoma State after their loss to Houston; we'll have to see how the defense performs against Rice before we can make any final conclusions...Oklahoma probably could have put their cheerleaders out on the field against Idaho State, and made a game of it. After their ugly loss to BYU, though, the Sooners needed a confidence-building win over someone, anyone, and gametime experience for Landry Jones; they were able to get both in their win over Idaho State. This week's game with Tulsa will pose a nice challenge for them, although I expect them to win a close one at home.... Nebraska beat Arkansas State handily at home; we'll find out if they are really a contendor for the North after they travel to Blacksburg and play Virginia Tech. I am skeptical of how good Tech is, but since they are ranked, a win there is a good win for the conference...Kansas' Murderers Row of a schedule continues as they face Duke this week in Lawrence. Hope they don't chip a nail....Baylor had a bye week to bask in the glory of their win over Wake Forest; now they get Connecticut at home. This Connecticut team beat Baylor last season, but I expect the Bears to romp on Saturday....A&M also had a bye week, and now faces an opponent from the WAC  in Utah State. While the State Aggies are better than New Mexico, it should still be another win for A&M....Texas Tech had a solid performance in a blowout win over Rice. Their wide receivers should be a decent test for a texas secondary I still am not impressed with this week. If Tech can pull the upset in Austin, they will shoot up the DDR rankings....They actually moved up in the rankings despite their blowout loss, because KSU and Colorado are simply worse than they are. I guess they can take solace in the fact that they might finish 4th in the Big 12 North, and that is an improvement over last season?....Kansas State's loss to Louisiana-Lafayette was not a surprise, but it still is an embarrassment for the conference....Before this season is over, Dan Hawkins may force some Colorado fans to swear off football forever. Parents in oulder may want to ban their children from watching television on Saturdays this Fall, so great is the thread.