Full league back in action during week three and the big one on the docket was a road trip for top ranked Oklahoma. The Sooners answered the call as did most of the league in their respective games. Perhaps the wildest one occurred in Stillwater where the OSU Cowboys and Tulsa kicked off AFTER MIDNIGHT.
Would you have stayed around for that one? Power rankings 1-10, let's get it going.
1. Oklahoma
How They Fared: 23-13 win over Florida State
Previous Ranking NC
A solid win on the road against a top five opponent. If that doesn't earn you some clout I don't know what will. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Sooners was their defense. Minus a somewhat lucky downfield pass that broke for a touchdown the Seminoles had nothing going most of the game. Oklahoma takes on Mizzou this weekend in what should be a bit of a payback game from a year ago.
2. Texas A&M
How They Fared: 37-7 win over Idaho
Previous Ranking NC
A somewhat sloppy start for the Aggies in this one but strong 2nd and 3rd quarter performances put this one out of reach. It's a little tough to keep them at #2 over OSU because the Cowboys consistently put up huge numbers, but that doesn't seem to be A&M's personality even though they are a damn good team.
3. Oklahoma State
How They Fared: 59-33 win over Tulsa
Previous Ranking NC
What do you say about this one. OSU kicked off after midnight, played until past three in the morning. Perhaps this is something we'll see more of after conference realignment. But it's all about the kids right?
4. Texas
How They Fared: 49-20 win over UCLA
Previous Ranking #6
Texas sold me this weekend. Sure it was UCLA and the Bruins played poorly. But it was on the road and Texas looks to be playing with a lot more confidence since the quarterback switch. It's a bit of a youth movement in Austin and they seem to be stepping up to the plate.
5. Baylor
How They Fared: 48-0 win over SF Austin
Previous Ranking #4
I'm anxious to see RGIII and Baylor play some stiffer competition. Especially since this might be the final year that they can do that, have a good team and be in a good conference. 48-0 is good against anyone, it's better when you do it in three quarters. This one was called due to lighting.
6. Missouri
How They Fared: 69-0 win over Western Illinois
Previous Ranking #5
The first Missouri like performance of the year. Usually we get one of these earlier on in the season but it's understandable given the early competition that it would take a few weeks for Mizzou to lay the wood to someone. Not much to take from this one, next weeks OU game will be a major challenge for the Tigers.
7. Iowa State
How They Fared: 24-20 win over UConn
Previous Ranking #8
The Steele Jantz show is alive and kicking and all the Cylones keep doing is winning. In the long run they might still be an 8-10 team but so far they've done exactly what Paul Rhoads teams do, overachieve and win. They come out, play hard and they don't give an inch. It's exactly what some teams wish they had.
8. Texas Tech
How They Fared: 59-13
Previous Ranking #7
I think everyone is just waiting for Tech to play someone. They are likely a pretty solid team ranging anywhere from #5-#8 in the conference with a chance to pull an upset somewhere. There just isn't anything to work off of after an easy 2-0 start.
9. Kansas State
How They Fared: 37-0 win over Kent State
Previous Ranking #10
So it was only Kent State. Doesn't matter. Kansas State looked pretty good on Saturday, especially defensively. Some are still rightfully skeptical that they can put together a strong offensive performance against better competition but they will get a chance to show where they really stand with a game against Miami. Arthur Brown leads the defense against his former school.
10. Kansas
How They Fared: 66-24 loss to Georgia Tech
Previous Ranking #9
It took so much for Kansas to climb up to the #8-#9 spot after last year and it took about two and a half quarters to plummet back down. The Jayhawks had it handed to them by Georgia Tech and with a defense like that it's hard to see a game left on the schedule that you can call a win. Plenty of time to change it but Kansas is back in the "show me" mode.