The Big 12 gets their nine-game conference schedule going this weekend

Big 12 Report: Proving time as conference play arrives

Cody Stoots
Sep 18, 2019, 11:24 pm
@CowboyFB

Wins that matter

Kansas 48 Boston College 24

Kansas! YES! KANSAS! They ROCKED Boston College. 500 yards of offense with the majority of it coming on the ground. Their defense pitched a shutout in the second half. This is a huge turnaround for a team that lost to Coastal Carolina the week before. Les Miles might be in for a long haul to get Kansas where they want to go but he's on the right path with a win like this. It was the first Power 5 win on the road in over a decade for the Jayhawks. Awesome. They might add a few surprises to their win-loss record before 2019 is over.

Kansas State 31 Mississippi State 24

Crazy what happens when you hire a coach who lost six games in five years. Chris Klieman has Kansas State rolling putting up huge numbers against non-Power 5 opponents and securing a big win against an SEC foe on the road. I don't know what success is going to look like for Kansas State in 2019 but they're already on the right track to getting back into a bowl game. Heading to the Little Apple won't be an easy win this year.

West Virginia 44 North Carolina State 27

The Wolfpack won nine games last season and though they lost a lot they were favorites over a struggling West Virginia team. Well, Neal Brown and company smoked their ACC opponent just like Kansas did. Austin Kendall finally got going at quarterback and the defense played lights out in the second half. Again, going to West Virginia isn't going to be a cakewalk despite what the first two weeks may have displayed.

Studs of the week

WVU WR Sam James

Quite the breakout for the youngster. Nine catches led to 155 yards and the above score. He only had 70 yards or so coming into this game. He will be Austin Kendall's best friend going forward.

Kansas RB Khalil Herbert

How about 17 yards per carry? That's what Herbert did on Saturday. He was a monster and has been making the most of his opportunities all year sharing the rock with Pooka Williams. 187 yards total and a touchdown on the day for the senior.

OSU RB Chuba Hubbard

He has been here before. He will be here a bunch. This was as good as his week one performance, maybe better. 256 yards and three more scores. He's already matched his touchdown total from all of last season.

Must-watch game: Orange showdown

Oklahoma State at Texas

Texas got a little reprieve last weekend with Rice on their schedule but just two weeks after squaring off with the dynamic LSU offense another one comes to town. The last time the Longhorns beat the Cowboys was 2014. Oklahoma State held off Texas in 2018 and 2017 saw a low-scoring overtime win by Mike Gundy's crew when Texas QB Sam Ehlinger tried to throw it away and didn't get it away but into a defender's hand.

Texas has no margin for error in the hope for a chance at the playoff and very little room for a loss if they want to win the Big 12 as well. The Cowboys could make a statement

Who better ball?

Texas QB Sam Ehlinger

An interception to end the game in 2017. One of his more unimpressive performances last year. It is time for him to go nuts on a defense that is suspect.

Kansas RB Khalil Herbert and WVU WR Sam James

Both these guys were studs of the week and now their teams play each other so ball out again and help your team claw their way out of the Big 12 cellar.

Big 12 Rankings

1. Oklahoma

2. Oklahoma State

3. Texas

4. Baylor

5. TCU

6. Kansas State

7. Iowa State

8. West Virginia

9. Kansas

10. Texas Tech

Yes, my Texas Tech Red Raiders are at the bottom. Power 5 road loss and got dominated in it. Also, the starting quarterback is hurt. Rough times for the red and black.

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FLIP THE SCRIPT

Here’s why Houston Texans team strategy is becoming increasingly divisive

The Houston Texans approach to the offseason has caused quite a bit of controversy among Texans fans and media. Some really like what the team is doing in free agency, while others are underwhelmed.

But the argument that keeps getting thrown around is whether the Texans are ready to win this season, or if the team will have to suffer through another disappointing season. Most would agree the Texans roster has a number of holes, but how will that roster look after the NFL Draft and hopefully a new franchise QB is taking snaps for the team?

The great thing about the NFL is how fast teams can turn things around and start winning. When we looked at the teams coming off a bad season and drafting around the Texans in 2021, many of them showed a huge improvement the following season.

The Lions were 3-13-1 in 2021, last year? 9-8. The Jaguars went 3-14 in 2021. Last year they won the AFC South and notched a playoff win over the Chargers. Look at the New York Giants, they went 4-13 in 2021. They improved to 9-7-1 and also won a playoff game just one year later. And don't get us started on the Jets. They went 4-13 in 2021, improved to 7-10 with bad QB play, and now Aaron Rodgers wants to play there.

The point being, most of these teams hired new coaches in the last couple of years, added some talent through the draft and free agency and started winning. Why are Texans fans and media so convinced they're in for another season of losing? Why can't the Texans be the team that turns things around and competes for a division title? Especially if they land a franchise QB as expected.

The AFC South isn't a very tough division. In fact, the Texans beat the Jags, Colts, and Titans just this year. Shouldn't we expect them to take a step forward with better players and DeMeco Ryans leading the way?

Be sure to check out the video above as we break it all down!

If you enjoy the videos, subscribe on YouTube for our latest content!

Listen to The Bench with John and Lance weekdays from 7-10AM on ESPN 97.5 and 92.5.


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