this week in the

INSIDE ONE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S PREMIER CONFERENCES | COMPILED BY PATRICK STEVENS, SPECIAL TO GATEHOUSE MEDIA

BY THE NUMBERS POWER RANKINGS game of the week STANDINGS Breaking down the Big 12 (Last season’s final rankings) No. 21 VIRGINIA TECH

Team Conf. All T25 (10-4 in 2016) 1. Oklahoma: Oklahoma 9-0 11-2 3-1 vs. No. 22 WEST The Sooners ran Oklahoma State 7-2 10-3 3-1 the table in the West Virginia 7-2 10-3 0-2 VIRGINIA (10-3) Kansas State 6-3 9-4 0-4 Big 12 last year TCU 4-5 6-7 0-3 and enter this season on a Texas 3-6 5-7 0-3 10-game winning streak. Texas Tech 3-6 5-7 0-3 Baylor 3-6 7-6 1-2 Lincoln Riley inherits a good Iowa State 2-7 3-9 0-3 When: 6:30 p.m. CDT Sunday situation in Norman. Kansas 1-8 2-10 0-3 Where: FedEx Field, Landover, Md. TV: ABC 2. Oklahoma INDIVIDUAL LEADERS State: Expecta- (Last season’s numbers) tions are high PASSING YARDS for the Cowboys, Player Yds. 1. Patrick Mahomes II, TTU 5,052 whose explosive offense 2. Mason Rudolph, OKST 4,091 should again lead the way to 3. Baker Mayfield, OKLA 3,965 a 10-win season. They also 4. Skyler Howard, WVU 3,328 5. Kenny Hill, TCU 3,208 get Oklahoma at home this season. PASSING TOUCHDOWNS OKAY, Player No. 1. Patrick Mahomes II, TTU 5,052 3. Kansas State: 2. Mason Rudolph, OKST 4,091 Bill Snyder’s back 3. Baker Mayfield, OKLA 3,965 for another run 4. Skyler Howard, WVU 3,328 HOKIE 5. Kenny Hill, TCU 3,208 after offseason JUSTIN CRAWFORD, treatment for throat cancer, RUSHING YARDS MOUNTAINEERS TAKE Player Yds. and the Jesse Ertz-led Wild- 1. D’Onta Foreman, TEX 2,028 ON VIRGINIA TECH cats look like a team plenty 2. Joe Mixon, OKLA 1,274 capable of making noise in 3. Justin Crawford, WVU 1,184 4. Justice Hill, OKST 1,142 the Big 12 race. 5. Samaje Perine, OKLA 1,060 KEYS FOR KEYS FOR lineup, though the return 4. West Virginia: RECEIVING YARDS VIRGINIA TECH WEST VIRGINIA of S Dravon Askew-Henry The Mountaineers Player Yds. Contain Crawford. No rust for Grier. Two from injury will certainly have some holes 1. Dede Westbrook, OKLA 1,524 help. There is still a fair 2. James Washington, OKST 1,380 West Virginia TB Justin years ago, Will Grier was on defense and 3. KD Cannon, BAY 1,215 Crawford cranked out 1,184 Florida’s starting QB before bit of experience in the a few questions on offense. 4. Jonathan Giles, LSU 1,158 back of the defense, but 5. Allen Lazard, ISU 1,018 yards on just 163 carries last a positive test for a banned But if the new pieces fit well season, and he should be supplement led to a one- West Virginia will have together, they should again SCORING the clear-cut top option in year suspension. He trans- new starters up front. finish in the top half of the Player Pts. Xxxx the Mountaineers’ backfield ferred to West Virginia and league. this year. He’s the biggest now takes over an offense PREDICTION 5. Texas Christian: TEAM STATISTICS known in West Virginia’s that averaged 485.5 yards Virginia Tech 27-20. (Last season’s numbers) offensive lineup, which per game last year, good It’s the return of the Black There’s a lot riding on Kenny Hill’s TOTAL OFFENSE means he’s going to be a big for 17th in the country. Diamond Trophy game Team Yds./G Pts./G part of Virginia Tech coor- It has been more than 22 between these schools from senior season. If Oklahoma 555 43.9 dinator Bud Foster’s plans. months since Grier played neighboring states. The the QB can cut down on turn- Texas Tech 567 43.7 overs and make the Horned Baylor 523 34.6 Jackson in action. in a game, so it would be Hokies and Mountaineers Oklahoma State 495 38.6 Hokies coach Justin Fuente no surprise if there are met every year from 1973 Frogs more efficient, a top-25 West Virginia 486 31.2 finish is possible. TCU 463 31.0 settled on redshirt freshman some nerves heading into to 2005, including more Texas 491 31.9 Josh Jackson as his starting his Mountaineer debut. than a decade as rivals in 6. Texas: Tom Iowa State 422 27.7 quarterback three weeks Settle into new defen- the Big East, but those Herman takes Kansas State 389 32.2 before the opener. That It’s tough regular showdowns ended Kansas 360 20.3 sive roles. over at low tide might have been a little ear- to develop a high-end shortly after Virginia Tech for Texas, which PASSING OFFENSE lier than expected to end the defense in the Big 12, but left for the ACC. Expect a is 46-42 since 2010. But the Team Yds. Yds./G competition to succeed one- coordinator Tony Gibson close one, particularly since Texas Tech 5,556 463.0 Longhorns have some good Oklahoma State 4,211 323.9 year starter Jerod Evans, has done that. Unfortu- both teams boast capable young talent, and they could Oklahoma 4,134 318.0 but it also bodes well for the nately for him, graduation defenses. Whichever team surge back to relevance in a Baylor 3,652 280.9 Hokies that Jackson sepa- sapped the Mountaineers gets an offensive rhythm TCU 3,486 268.2 hurry. West Virginia 3,343 257.2 rated himself so quickly. of much of their starting first is likely to win. Iowa State 3,106 258.8 7. Baylor: It’s the Texas 3,024 252.0 first season for Kansas 2,885 240.4 Kansas State 2,041 157.0 BEST OF THE REST this week’s other top games the Bears under Matt Rhule, who RUSHING OFFENSE has hit all the right notes Team Yds. Yds./G TULSA (10-3) at No. 10 MARYLAND (6-7) at No. TEXAS-EL PASO (4-8) at Baylor 3,143 241.8 OKLAHOMA ST. (9-3) 23 TEXAS (5-7) No. 7 OKLAHOMA (11-2) since arriving in Waco. Baylor Oklahoma 3,078 236.8 When: 6:30 p.m. CDT Thursday When: 11 a.m. CDT Saturday When: 2:30 p.m. CDT Saturday won’t be as good as it was a Kansas State 3,013 231.8 few years ago, but it won’t be West Virginia 2,969 228.4 Where: Boone Pickens Sta- Where: Darrell K. Royal-Texas Where: Oklahoma Memorial Texas 2,871 239.3 dium, Stillwater, Okla. Memorial Stadium, Austin, Stadium, Norman, Okla. an easy out. TCU 2,535 195.0 TV: Fox Sports 1 Texas TV: Fox Oklahoma State 2,221 170.8 8. Texas Tech: Iowa State 1,953 162.8 Notes: This might be one of the TV: Fox Sports 1 Notes: New coach Lincoln Riley — Same as it always Kansas 1,429 119.1 most fascinating games of the Notes: The Tom Herman era who took over when Bob Stoops is under Kliff Texas Tech 1,243 103.6 season’s opening weekend. The begins at Texas after the unexpectedly retired in June — Kingsbury, the Red DEFENSE-SACKS host Cowboys Longhorns gets one game in Raiders will score a bunch of Team No. should again endured three before a colossal points and they’ll give up a TCU 43.0 have one of consecutive matchup at Ohio Texas 41.0 bunch of points. This could Oklahoma State 32.0 the country’s losing seasons State on Sept. be the start of another losing Baylor 32.0 top offenses (and just one 9. The Sooners season in Lubbock. Kansas State 30.0 with seniors bowl bid) under were in solid Kansas 28.0 Mason Rudolph Charlie Strong. shape, and the Oklahoma 25.0 Rudolph Herman Mayfield 9. Iowa State: The West Virginia 23.0 and James Texas will rely presence of Cyclones weren’t Iowa State 19.0 Washington among the best on QB Shane Buechele to do senior QB Baker Mayfield was Texas Tech 14.0 exactly good last quarterbacks and receivers, even better than last year, a big part of that. Texas-El Paso year, but they respectively, in the country. In when he threw 21 TDs and 11 relies on a ground-and-pound were competitive. The next NUMBER TO KNOW Tulsa, it gets a Week 1 opponent interceptions as a freshman. approach, and it boasts argu- step is closing out some of that has developed a potent Maryland begins its second ably the best NFL prospect in the big leads they let slip offense under former Baylor season under DJ Durkin. Conference USA with senior Will away in 2016. 10 assistant Philip Montgomery. Hernandez at left guard. Preseason ranking for Okla- 10. Kansas: The homa State in the Associated Jayhawks took a 6 p.m. SE Missouri State at Kansas JHTV Press poll, one spot shy of its ROUNDING IT OUT step forward on 6 p.m. Central Ark. at No. 20 Kansas State highest ranking ever entering THE REST OF THE MATCHUPS defense last year 6 p.m. Liberty at Baylor FS2 and made modest improve- a year. The Cowboys were No. Time (CDT) Matchup TV 7 p.m. Northern Iowa at Iowa State ment on offense. Repeat that 9 in the preseason poll in both SATURDAY 7 p.m. Jackson State at Texas Christian FSN and they could win four games 2009 and 2011. 3 p.m. Eastern Wash. at Texas Tech FSN for the first time since 2009.

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