Big XII Conference Recap- Week 1

Although Kansas essentially had a bye-week to start the season, many other Big XII teams were in action. Here’s a brief recap of everything that happened in the conference this past weekend.

Florida State 37, Oklahoma State 31

The biggest game of the weekend as far as the Big XII is concerned happened in Arlington,  where OSU hosted Florida State. The Cowboys gave the reigning champions everything they had in a 37-31 loss. Even though the Cowboys have probably lost more starters and key players than just about anyone in the conference, they didn’t look the least bit intimidated by the Seminoles. Florida State did have a little bit of a field day in the air against the Cowboys totaling 370 passing yards, so coach Mike Gundy knows what to work on in the upcoming weeks, but if people thought that OSU were going to be down this year, this game might have caused those people to retake their stance. Next up for the Cowboys: a home encounter against Missouri State.

Alabama 33, West Virginia 23

West Virginia looks to be improved over last season. The Mountaineers went down to Atlanta and fought hard against Alabama despite the 33-23 loss. The team that lost convincingly to Kansas may not be the punching bag they were last year. West Virginia did well through the air and QB Clint Trickett was 29 of 45 for 365 yards. If this guy can stay healthy, the Mountaineers could creep into the middle of the pack in the Big 12, become bowl eligible, maybe upset a team or two, and have a real impact on the championship of the league. Next up for WVU: Towson at home.

Oklahoma 48, Louisiana Tech 16

Fourth-ranked Oklahoma beat Louisiana Tech 48-16 in Norman. Quarterback Trevor Knight was a cool 19 of 34 for 253 yards through the air and Samaje Perine and Keith Ford combined for 138 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. The Big 12 favorites are off to a good start. This weekend, the Sooners travel to nearby Tulsa to face the Golden Hurricane.

Kansas State 55, Stephen F. Austin 16

Kansas State came out and dominated Stephen F. Austin in Manhattan Saturday night. Jake Waters was excellent for Kansas State at QB, and K-State fans know that if you give Bill Snyder at least two years with a quarterback, something good usually happens with Collin Klein being the most recent example. No wonder K-State fans are excited for this season. The #20 Wildcats travel to Ames, Iowa for their first conference match-up of the season against the Cyclones of Iowa State.

North Dakota State 34, Iowa State 14

Speaking of Iowa State, things could get really ugly, really fast for the Cyclones. Not only were they thoroughly trounced by North Dakota State, they have the aforementioned K-State coming to town on Saturday. The loss to NDSU looks better when you realize that the Bison have beaten Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, and Colorado State in recent years, but in the Big XII, there is no time to relax. The Wildcats will be hungry to take advantage of a Cyclones team that has lost its confidence.

Baylor 45, SMU 0

Down in Waco, Baylor opened their new stadium with a convincing 45-0 win over SMU.  After pouncing out to a 24-0 lead in the first quarter, the Bears never looked back and looked like the team that many picked to win the Big XII again this season.  In fact, the only thing that wasn't convincing about the game on Saturday was the fake brick/tarp thing in McLane Stadium.  Up next for Baylor: A home date with Northwestern State (Louisiana).

Texas 38, North Texas 7

The Texas Longhorns started the Charlie Strong era with a tidy 38-7 home win against North Texas.  The Mean Green are not a pushover, and this win could be the start of great things in Austin.  Or not.  Who knows.  Maybe we'll learn more next weekend when the BYU Cougars come down to Austin.

TCU 48, Samford 14

TCU handled Samford easily in Saturday's 48-14 win.  It's too early to tell if the Horned Frogs have regained their pre-Big XII form, but a win this coming weekend against Big 10 foe Minnesota will go a long way in establishing the Horned Frogs as a team to reckon with in the Big 12.

Texas Tech 42, Central Arkansas 35

Aside from Iowa State's performance, the shakiest team of the week appeared to be Texas Tech.  The Red Raiders won on Saturday, but the 42-35 score line against Central Arkansas is not a good look.  Sophomore QB Davis Webb did throw for 452 yards and four touchdowns, but the Red Raider defense looked shaky at best against the Bears.  Tech was behind midway through the second quarter before establishing a two TD lead that they would never relinquish. This week, Tech travels to UTEP for a tough match-up against the Miners.

Up-to-date Big XII Standings:

Baylor 1-0, 0-0

Kansas State 1-0, 0-0

Oklahoma 1-0, 0-0

TCU 1-0, 0-0

Texas 1-0, 0-0

Texas Tech 1-0, 0-0

Kansas 0-0, 0-0

Iowa State 0-1, 0-0

Oklahoma State 0-1, 0-0

West Virginia 0-1, 0-0