Big 12 Poll Reactions, Week 1
This week's polls have been released. Here's how the Big 12 fared, from the top of the polls to the bottom, and what it means.
OKLAHOMA (5th AP / 5th Coaches). The Sooners get bumped a spot in both polls after their sluggish, late-night flirtation with disaster at UTEP, which could be dismissed as a random, early season lapse on the road, or taken as an omen that a wave of preseason injuries and other attrition on the offensive line is going to take its toll, after all. The 24-7 final was nowhere near covering the spread, and voters who actually watched the game would have seen a steady diet of pressure from the Miners giving Landry Jones and the rest of the OU offense fits. Oregon, which had no such trouble with Arkansas State , moves up a spot from fifth. (Last week: 4th AP / 4th Coaches.)
WEST VIRGINIA (9th AP / 8th Coaches). Writers and coaches alike flipped over Geno Smith's gaudy passing stats in a 69-34 win over Marshall, especially the latter, who moved the Mountaineers ahead of both Arkansas and South Carolina into the top ten. (In the AP poll, WVU is tied for the No. 9 position with the Gamecocks, and still one spot back of Arkansas.) Barring some major upsets in front of them, that will have to do for the next month or so, as an off week followed by lopsided dates with James Madison and Maryland don't allow for much upward mobility. (Last week: 11th AP / 11th Coaches.)
TEXAS (17th AP, 15th Coaches). Texas did exactly what Texas is supposed to do to Wyoming, quietly dispatching the Cowboys while working toward a few long-awaited answers at quarterback and running back. AP voters – possibly none of whom had access to Texas-Wyoming no the Longhorn Network – dropped UT a couple spots in favor of more dramatic winners
OKLAHOMA STATE (18th AP / 16th Coaches). The coaches were so impressed with Oklahoma State's 84-0, why-is-this-happening blowout over Savannah State – administered largely by walk-ons and other scrubs – that they felt compelled to move the Cowboys up three spots, from 19th to 16th, ahead of TCU (idle) and Stanford (a shaky, 20-17 winner over San Jose State). Now that the glorified scrimmage is in the books, OSU can look forward to its first real opponent, at Arizona, which has "trap game" written all over it. (Last week: 19th AP / 19th Coaches.)
KANSAS STATE (21st AP / 20th Coaches). The Wildcats had a much tougher time with Missouri State Saturday than the 51-9 final suggests – it was only 16-9 after three quarters, before five unanswered K-State touchdowns in the fourth – but that was more than enough to keep them steady in both polls, sliding up a slot in each courtesy of Boise State's loss at Michigan State. We'll know a little more after this weekend's visit from Miami. (Last week: 22nd AP / 21st Coaches.)
EVERYONE ELSE… Baylor picked up a handful of votes in both polls after Sunday's 59-24 thrashing of SMU, but the Bears are still probably a few weeks – and possibly an upset at West Virginia on Sept. 29 – away from cracking either top twenty-five. Texas Tech's win over Northwestern State was good for exactly one vote in the Coaches' poll, at No. 25.
