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Five lessons from the week that was in Big Ten football:

1. Wisconsin-Ohio State could be the Big Ten's game of the year: In recent years, the Badgers-Buckeyes matchups have been more significant than Ohio State-Michigan or any other conference pairing. This week's showdown at Ohio Stadium could be just as significant. Ohio State is the Big Ten's best team, and Wisconsin might be No. 2 after another dominant rushing performance against Purdue. Both teams ascribe to the power run game but do it in vastly different yet equally entertaining ways. Although the Kenny G show has been terrific for the Buckeyes, top quarterback Braxton Miller should be back for the Big Ten opener. Miller might not be the biggest offensive star on the field, as Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon has performed as advertised, racking up 624 rush yards and seven touchdowns in the first four games. The game features first-year Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen going up against his former boss, Urban Meyer. One of these teams has held at least a share of the past eight Big Ten titles. The winner takes control of the Leaders Division. Should be a great one.

2. Michigan has real problems: It was tempting to write off Michigan's struggle to beat Akron last week as a hangover from the high-stakes Notre Dame game. But no hangovers the past two weeks. The Wolverines found themselves down two touchdowns in the second half Saturday night at UConn, the same Huskies team that lost at home by 15 to Towson in the opener. Michigan rallied for the 24-21 win, and at least Brady Hoke's team has shown grit at the end of games the past three weeks. But quarterback Devin Gardner committed three more turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble), and he has devolved from potential Heisman candidate to a potential problem spot in just a fortnight. An even thornier issue is the continued inability of the Michigan offensive line to open consistent holes for the running game. If the Wolverines are having trouble running the ball against Akron and UConn, what's going to happen in Big Ten play? There's plenty of time for Hoke & Co. to right the ship, and the upcoming bye week is a welcome sight. But right now, Michigan does not look like the top-15 team we thought it was two weeks ago.

3. The Iowa-Minnesota game has added meaning: We love the pig, but there's a lot more than the Floyd of Rosedale at stake (steak?) this week as Iowa and Minnesota open Big Ten play in Minneapolis. Both teams have shown improvement, especially with their power running games, and enter the matchup with momentum. Iowa exploded for 38 first-half points Saturday against Western Michigan and finished with 59, its highest total since 2002. The Hawkeyes received contributions in all three phases, including two punt return touchdowns from receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley and two pick-sixes from cornerback B.J. Lowery. Iowa's defense has yet to allow a rushing touchdown. After a miserable offensive performance in 2012, Iowa is starting to establish an identity behind its line and a stable of running backs. Minnesota is doing the same, finally showing it can control the line of scrimmage and dominate on the ground. Despite not having its starting quarterback (Philip Nelson) or starting running back (Donnell Kirkwood), Minnesota racked up 353 yards and six rushing touchdowns, including four by backup signal-caller Mitch Leidner, in an impressive win against San Jose State. The Gophers are 4-0 for the second straight season. Both teams have very challenging league schedules, so getting off to a 1-0 start is huge. Big one at TCF Bank Stadium this week.

4. Bo Pelini is still standing, but needs time to regroup: The open week couldn't come at a better time for Nebraska's coach and his team, which ended an emotional week with a 59-20 thumping of FCS South Dakota State. The firestorm from audio-gate should die down, at least a little, as Pelini got through Saturday's game without any further controversy, and received mostly support from Huskers fans. Pelini is hardly out of the woods, though, and must turn his attention to a defense that needs a ton of work before Big Ten play begins Oct. 5 against Illinois. The Huskers surrendered 465 yards to the Jackrabbits, who had a balanced attack (238 yards passing, 227 yards rushing). Pelini called it the defense's worst performance in a season filling up with them. Whether it's youth, talent, scheme or attention to detail, Nebraska's defense must get back on track soon. Although the schedule remains favorable the next month or so, it's hard to see the Huskers repeating as Legends Division champs without some significant upgrades on D.

5. Indiana still hasn't arrived: Indiana entered the year with high hopes for a bowl game this year, and with a warp-speed offense averaging 50 points a game through three weeks, the Hoosiers didn't appear to be deluding themselves. But after an impressive showing last week against Bowling Green, Kevin Wilson's team found itself right back in a familiar spot: unable to defend a good team. Missouri racked up 623 yards -- the most in Memorial Stadium history -- in a 45-28 win in Bloomington on Saturday. The game wasn't even as close as the final score, as Indiana tacked on a touchdown and two-point conversion with 10 seconds to go, and Missouri had three turnovers in the first half to kill promising drives. The Hoosiers' vaunted offense failed to score from the 6:31 mark of the second quarter until there was 11:24 left in the game, and IU punted nine times after punting only five times in the first three games combined. The loss to Navy now hurts even more, as Wilson's team would have to go 4-4 in Big Ten play to become bowl eligible. That seems like an awfully tall order. Penn State comes in next after a bye for both teams, and the Nittany Lions just righted their defense in a 34-0 shutout of Kent State. Penn State has never lost to Indiana and will be favored soundly again on Oct. 5. It might be wait for next year time again in Hoosierland.

Iowa State, TCU, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were all off. But we still learned plenty about the Big 12 in Week 4:

1. Baylor can’t be stopped: What the Bears have accomplished in three nonconference games has been incredible. Sure, the nonconference slate was bad. But the numbers Baylor is putting up are absurd. Capped with the 70-7 win over Monroe, the Bears outscored their three nonconference opponents by a combined score of 209-23 -- the largest scoring differential in an opening three games, according to ESPN Stats & Information, by any FBS team of the past 10 seasons. The Bears lead the nation in scoring, Bryce Petty leads in the nation in QBR and running back Lache Seastrunk is averaging 11 yards per carry. This offense, obviously, faces tougher tests ahead. But Baylor has the look of an offense that will be scoring on everyone it faces.

2. West Virginia can’t score: How far the West Virginia offense has fallen since that 70-point outburst in the 2011 Orange Bowl. In the first half against Maryland, the West Virginia offensive effort was futile. West Virginia compiled 65 yards compared to 61 yards in penalties; the Mountaineers also had as many first downs (two) as interceptions in the first half, as Maryland jumped to a 30-0 halftime lead before coasting to the 37-0 victory in Baltimore. Coach Dana Holgorsen said afterward he’s sticking with Ford Childress at quarterback, but the quarterback can only do so much with the West Virginia offensive line and receivers. Had running backs Charles Sims and Dreamius Smith not transferred in, this offense would be completely hopeless -- assuming it isn’t already.

3. Texas proved it doesn’t always lie down: During Big 12 media days, Kansas State linebacker Tre Walker was quoted saying that “Texas laid down a little bit” in their game last season because “that’s what they do.” Despite tumbling in with a two-game losing streak, the Longhorns didn’t lie down Saturday, instead grinding out a 31-21 win over the Wildcats. Who knows what -- if anything -- the win will do for Mack Brown or the Longhorns’ season? At the least, the win offered a little respite for a team that’s had to endure nothing but negativity since the first week of the season.

4. The Kansas schools have issues offensively: Both Kansas and Kansas State should be better offensively than what they’ve showed. Despite having former blue-chipper Jake Heaps at quarterback and one of the league’s better running back tandems in Tony Pierson and James Sims, the Jayhawks needed 10 points in the fourth quarter to edge out Louisiana Tech, 13-10. Meanwhile, against a Texas defense that had been porous stopping the run, the Wildcats managed just 115 yards rushing on 38 carries. If not for wideout Tyler Lockett, K-State might not have scored the whole night. Both the Kansas and K-State offenses have good players. Just not good offenses at the moment.

5. Texas Tech is back to square one at QB: For the second straight game, Davis Webb replaced fellow true freshman Baker Mayfield at quarterback. Last week, it was due to injury. In Saturday’s sloppy 33-7 win over Texas State, it was due mostly to the offense remaining stagnant, though Mayfield did get shaken up after taking a shot to his back. Mayfield completed 13 of 18 passes for 122 yards and an interception before getting replaced. But Webb didn’t fare all that much better, going 19-of-43 passing for 310 yards and an interception. Webb also badly missed Jakeem Grant and Jace Amaro wide open in the end zone near the end of the game. Coach Kliff Kingsbury said both quarterbacks would play going forward, but he also noted the position “just has to get better.” It’s unclear how Kingsbury will use his quarterbacks, but Michael Brewer is getting closer to practicing again after sitting out the past several weeks with a back injury. Brewer, the projected starter going into the preseason, could ultimately become Kingsbury’s answer at quarterback once he returns.

Week 4 of SEC action is in the books. Let's take a look at some of the brightest from Saturday's action and hand out some helmet stickers:

Jeremy Hill, LSU: The sophomore running back rolled to an impressive 184 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries to lead the Tigers to a 35-21 win over Auburn on Saturday night. He picked up 152 of those yards in the first half and had scores of 49, 10 and 6 yards. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Hill averaged 7.3 yards per carry for the night.

Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M: The sophomore quarterback was 14-of-21 passing for 244 yards and a touchdown and ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in a 42-13 win over SMU. He led the team in rushing for the game and threw an interception though it wasn't his fault (the ball went through the hands of a receiver). Saturday marked the ninth time he has thrown for 200 yards and recorded a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown in a game, the most of any FBS player since the start of last season.

Aaron Murray, Georgia: It wasn't a pretty win for Georgia over North Texas, especially after an early interception thrown by Murray in the end zone, but he bounced back to have a strong day: 408 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-30 passing. He became Georgia's all-time total offense leader and threw his 100th career touchdown pass in the win, becoming only the second SEC quarterback to accomplish that feat.

Tyler Murphy, Florida: Losing your quarterback is never easy, but Murphy eased that challenge for Florida on Saturday. After Jeff Driskel went down in the first quarter with what turned out to be a season-ending leg injury, the junior came in to complete 8-of-14 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown -- with no interceptions -- to help the Gators to a 31-17 win over rival Tennessee. Head coach Will Muschamp said afterward, "He didn't just manage our team. He produced in critical situations."

Dak Prescott, Mississippi State: Making just his third career start for the injured Tyler Russell, Prescott threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns and even caught a 36-yard touchdown pass in a 62-7 victory over Troy. The touchdown catch was the result of a trick play, a catch-and-run off a pass from receiver Jameon Lewis.

Recognizing the best and brightest from around the Big 12 in Week 4:

RB Johnathan Gray, Texas

Texas needed the sophomore more than ever against Kansas State, especially when David Ash was sidelined for the second half with concussion-related symptoms, and Gray delivered. He put up a career-best 141 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 28 carries in the 31-21 win. The Longhorns trusted their workhorse and he came up big.

WR Tyler Lockett, Kansas State

Lockett put on a show against Texas with a whopping 237 receiving yards on 13 catches. That’s the second-best receiving day in the country this season behind Mike Evans' 279 yards last week vs. Alabama. Lockett had catches of 47, 22, 31 and 52 yards and also contributed a 40-yard kick return. He was unstoppable on Saturday.

Baylor Defense

Baylor has one of the best offenses in the country with several guys who are worthy of Helmet Stickers. But isn’t it time to give a little love to that Bears defense? Baylor racked up eight tackles for loss and intercepted three passes in a 70-7 win over Louisiana-Monroe, and two of those picks were returned for touchdowns of 41 and 63 yards, respectively. We’ll see how the defense holds up against better Big 12 competition, but so far so good.

K Matthew Wyman, Kansas

Let’s give some props to the guy who ended Kansas’ 22-game losing streak against FBS opponents. It wasn’t just that Wyman made the game-winning field goal with time expiring to beat Louisiana Tech 13-10 -- don’t forget the degree of difficulty. Wyman connected from 52 yards, causing the Jayhawks to storm the field. Big kick, big win.

QB Davis Webb, Texas Tech

Webb relieved a struggling Baker Mayfield and threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-7 rout of Texas State, one that probably reopens the discussion of who should be starting under center for the Red Raiders. Honorable mention to Kerry Hyder for his decision to pitch his fumble recovery and create a 9-yard touchdown return. Way to be selfless, Kerry.

AUSTIN, Texas – Even after a must-win game over the defending Big 12 champion, Texas coach Mack Brown wasn’t ready to celebrate just yet. But surely he’s breathing a deep sigh of relief after this one, right?

“I’m not there yet,” he said. “Not there yet.”

It’s safe to say the significance of Texas’ 31-21 win over Kansas State isn’t lost on him. Nobody needed a win on Saturday more than Brown and Texas.

Many will knock Kansas State and say Texas just beat a team that had lost to an FCS school. Big whoop. Some will go a step further and laugh at Texas for celebrating a win over Kansas State, calling it a sign of the times if that’s the Longhorns' standard.

But Texas has every reason to overreact to a win over the Wildcats, its first since 2003. The Longhorns were entering season-on-the-brink territory. Win or fall apart. Frustrated players, angry fans, wild rumors. Lose this game and it all gets a whole lot worse, and we start questioning how Texas will even get to six wins.

Brown needed this to stave off all the negativity, to send a message that the season isn’t over.

“We had to get this game tonight. We had to get back on the right track,” Brown said. “I don’t think this team will let up, I really don’t.”

Ever the optimist, Brown can point to plenty of things he saw Saturday night that reinforce his belief in this team. His veteran offensive line finally began playing up to its potential in paving the way for 227 rushing yards, including 141 and two scores from Johnathan Gray.

"This was a crucial step for us to get things turned around, and it is a great feeling to get that accomplished and know that we are back on the right track," senior guard Trey Hopkins said.

And that maligned Texas defense, that one that was as porous as any in the country through three games, at last showed progress in Week 2 of the Greg Robinson regime. Holding Kansas State to 115 yards on the ground is tangible, unmistakable progress.

Somehow, the Longhorns overcame losing quarterback David Ash at halftime to concussion-related symptoms and linebacker Jordan Hicks in the second half to a sprained ankle.

The laundry list of Texas starters who are injured keeps growing, but the team has a week off before traveling to Iowa State for a Thursday night showdown.

More than anything, Texas just needed positive energy and momentum. The two losses made Brown and his team a national punching bag. Everyone got in their shots. Much of the chatter wasn’t unfair.

What Texas did to Kansas State won’t shut everyone up, but it’s a start. Brown tried his best to block out the negativity, but he let his players deal with it however they pleased.

“I actually said to those guys what I’ve said to you all: Handle it any way you want to, but beat Kansas State,” Brown said. “The rest of it doesn’t matter. If it bothers you, don’t look at it. If you enjoy drama, look at it. It’s up to you.”

Defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat has argued for weeks that this would be a player-led team. Texas was playing without six injured starters, and its players embraced a next-man-up mentality.

“I give all the credit to the players. This week was a tough week, obviously,” offensive coordinator Major Applewhite said. “We lost, lot of criticism, lot of chances to kind of get rabbit ears. But everybody put their nose to the grindstone and worked.”

The fourth-quarter stops and turnovers are a sign this season can get better. Leaning on and trusting the run game when Ash exited was a sign. Ending three straight years of futility against K-State was a sign, too.

There are reasons -- not many, but a few -- to believe Texas can eventually become the team it was hyped up to be. Brown saw that on Saturday.

“This is part of the team that I expected to see and expect to see for the rest of the year,” Brown said. “This can be a really good football team before we finish.”

It’s just one win. The intense scrutiny probably won’t dissipate much. But the toxic cloud over Brown’s program lifted for one night. Now would be a good time to exhale.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State had the day off. So the two schools got a good look at the biggest threat to Bedlam deciding the Big 12 in December.

Baylor whitewashed yet another opponent Saturday, serving notice to the Oklahoma schools that this won’t just be a two-team race for the conference crown.

By annihilating Louisiana-Monroe 70-7, the Bears became the first FBS team to score at least 60 points in three consecutive games since the Sooners did it five times in a row in 2008. That Oklahoma team set a modern college football scoring record on its way to capturing the Big 12 title.

The Bears are quickly proving they too have a Big 12 championship-caliber offense.

Sure, Baylor has yet to face a quality opponent. Wofford, Buffalo and Monroe hardly comprise a challenging nonconference slate.

But it’s not who the Bears have beaten. It’s the way they’ve beaten them.

Through three games, Baylor has outscored its opponents by a combined score of 209-23 -- the largest scoring differential through the first three games by any FBS team in the last decade.

Buffalo’s defense gave Ohio State problems in Columbus. The Sooners struggled to move the ball against Monroe in Norman.

But in Waco, Buffalo and Monroe were fortunate Baylor didn’t drop off a hundred on them, because it probably could have.

The Bears are the first team to score 28 points in the first quarter in three consecutive games since the stat started being tracked in 1996. Against Monroe, they opened with five touchdowns, despite holding possession for just 2 minutes, 54 seconds.

And through just three games, Baylor has already totaled 24 touchdown drives of two minutes or less. Oregon, for context, led the FBS with 45 such drives last year.

“We've got good people,” coach Art Briles said after the Monroe shellacking. “We've got a good football team.”

The Bears might have more than just that.

Bryce Petty continues to look like the most complete quarterback in the league. He threw for 351 yards and four touchdowns before coming out of the game early in the third quarter again. So far this season, Petty is completing 75 percent of his passes, and leads the country with a Total QBR of 98.3.

“Not only this game, but every game [the mentality] is to attack first,” Petty said.

The Bears can attack in so many different ways, too.

Tevin Reese has thrived since taking over for Terrance Williams as the No. 1 receiver. But Reese has more support at wideout than Williams or Kendall Wright did. Antwan Goodley has at least 90 yards receiving in all three games, including 156 and two touchdowns Saturday. And Robbie Rhodes and Corey Coleman are two of the most dynamic freshman receivers in the league.

But the attack still goes through running back Lache Seastrunk, who has done nothing but augment his Heisman campaign. In just 38 carries, Seastrunk has rushed for 417 yards and six touchdowns, and is averaging almost 11 yards per carry. Seastrunk now has seven straight 100-yard rushing games, the nation’s longest active streak.

Factor in a line that features NFL talents like mammoth guard Cyril Richardson, and this is an offense that appears to be without a weakness.

"We don't match up with them very well -- but not very many people do,” Monroe coach Todd Berry said, two weeks after Buffalo coach Jeff Quinn claimed the Bears should be ranked in the top five.

“We got scalded.”

It hasn’t just been the Bears offense doing the scalding, either. Over a seven-game winning streak dating back to last year, Baylor’s defense is allowing an average of just 21 points a game. In the first quarter Saturday, Joe Williams and Terrell Burt picked off passes for Baylor touchdowns.

The Bears have had their issues defensively in the past. But since dismantling top-ranked Kansas State in Waco last November, Baylor has been a solid defensive unit that has also been very opportunistic.

“When you score defensive touchdowns and you have the ability to score from an offensive standpoint, which we do, and you combine those two things, you've got a chance to put some points on the board,” Briles said. “That's our mentality."

Thanks to an improved defense and a seemingly unstoppable offense, the Bears have the mentality of seriously contending for their first Big 12 title.

Baylor should be decent-to-heavy favorites in its next four games -- the toughest being an Oct. 12 road trip to Kansas State.

The Bears have never won in Manhattan. But K-State labored to move the chains Saturday night against a Texas defense that previously had been surrendering rushing totals at record levels.

Neither K-State, nor West Virginia (Oct. 5), Iowa State (Oct. 19) or Kansas (Oct. 26) seems capable at the moment of slowing down these Bears, who appear to be rolling on a collision course toward a Thursday night bout with Oklahoma in Waco on Nov. 7.

That showdown could go a long way in determining the Big 12 title, which even with the falls of TCU and Texas isn’t just about Bedlam. As the Oklahoma schools got to see Saturday, it’s about Briles’ high-flying bunch, too.

In today’s mailbag, Longhorns search for answers, Sooners hype up the Bellicopter and Red Raiders begin talking big after last week’s win over TCU.

To the bag:

Brian in Colorado writes: Texas has been trying to move toward becoming an SEC-style team, so what are the odds that Texas will have Mack Brown step down and then try and steal Kirby Smart from the Tide? Smart would be a perfect fit for a talented team that needs a younger coach to bring an energetic style.

Jake Trotter: Smart is a tremendous coordinator, but I imagine Texas will go after an established head coach first. Besides, Texas only tried to become an SEC-style team because of Brown.

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Josh in Oklahoma writes: Given Texas' inability to stop the option, how great would it be to see the BellDozer turn into the BellBone for OU-Texas?

JT: Great for who? Certainly not Texas. Then again, I’m not sure Blake Bell’s skill set is tailored for the read option. Bell is tough to tackle, but he doesn’t have the requisite quickness to operate the option, play in, play out. That’s one reason why Trevor Knight beat him out during the preseason. But if Bell throws like he did against Tulsa, he won’t need to run the option all that often, anyway.

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Ric in Moore, Okla., writes: My guess is Blake Bell will be a very average QB, and OU loses 3-4 games this season. Your thoughts?

JT: Bell showed me a lot in that Tulsa game. I think he’ll hold onto the job. I still don’t see OU winning more than 10 games, though.

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Nicholas in Houston writes: In the last chat, you said, "Bottom line, if Texas and OU aren't carrying their weight, the Big 12 is going to be viewed as a sub-par conference.” Do you think that if one non-OU-Texas team goes undefeated and another comes really close, would that Big 12 perception improve?

JT: Honestly, not really. Oklahoma State went 12-1 in 2011 and it didn’t do much for the conference’s perception nationally. The Cowboys still got left out of the national title game, even though really they were more deserving than Alabama on paper. Now, if OSU and Baylor won 10 games annually over the course of a decade, that would be something different. But the OU and Texas brands were built over the course of 70 years, and when their brands suffer, so does the Big 12. A great season here or there from the non-flagship schools does little to change that.

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John in Tulsa, Okla., writes: I know it's not the case for every team, but I'm wondering what the advantages and disadvantages are for having the defensive coordinator on field level. Logic would say that having the coordinator in the box would aid in reading the formations, personnel, tendencies and plays of the opposition. The only explanation I could come up with was that having the defensive coordinator on field level helps make adjustments real time instead of via headset. But how effective are the adjustments that are made at that point?

JT: John is correct -- offensive coordinators usually call plays from the box, while defensive coordinators often call plays from the sideline. Maybe it’s because offense is more analytical, and defense, more emotional? Also, offensive coordinators are on their own time to some degree when making adjustments, giving them time to relay calls from the box. Defenses are on the offense’s time, meaning defensive coordinators have just moments to holler in their adjustments before the snap.

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Jeff in Austin writes: The perception is that if UT, OU, or OSU were undefeated after the regular season they would likely play for the trophy in January. What would the likelihood of Baylor or Texas Tech playing for the national championship if they went undefeated while everyone else was at 12-1?

JT: Assuming the SEC filled one side of the title game, Baylor and Tech would probably need Oregon, Stanford, Clemson, Ohio State, Louisville, Florida State, UCLA, Michigan, Notre Dame and Miami to all go down. The Bears and Red Raiders, however, have never won a Big 12 title. Isn’t it a bit premature to be talking national title after three games?

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Ali in Fort Worth, Texas: What do you make of three Big 12 teams beginning conference play against West Virginia?

JT: I didn’t even realize this was the case until you brought it up. It should be an advantage for West Virginia in the Oklahoma State and Baylor games.

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Brian from the Apache forward operating base in Afghanistan writes: Jake, love the blog. If Mack Brown does lose his job what are you early thoughts on the man who would replace him? I mean, I would think Texas would warrant a big name guy for the job right?

JT: Given its proximity to high school talent and its infinite resources, Texas is probably the most attractive head-coaching job in college football. Stanford’s David Shaw was the name I kept hearing when I was in Austin last weekend. But don’t rule out Texas making a pitch to Nick Saban, either.

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Shelby in Big Spring, Texas, writes: How concerned should Raider Nation be that Tech's offense did not move the ball much during the TCU game? Scoring on the first and last possessions is a little unusual for Tech's offense? Also, yay or nay on the gray unis?

JT: I’m a fan of the gray uniforms. I’m not overly concerned. Despite its problems on the other side of the ball, TCU is still really good defensively. The one concern I might have is the Tech offensive line. Can they protect the quarterback? If so, the skill talent is there for this Tech offense to be prolific.

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P.J. in El Paso, Texas, writes: How much of UT’s woes can be attributed to lack of a top QB? It seems that the top teams in the Big 12 all boast pretty good QBs. Texas has top talent everywhere else.

JT: Quarterback is the least of Texas’ worries this season. Have you seen this defense? Even with Johnny Manziel back there, this Texas team would not be going anywhere.

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Clint in Houston writes: Looking back, Texas failed to recruit or offer a scholarship to some of the best QBs in the country. With Texas' shoddy QB play and comparatively horrible record since Colt McCoy, shouldn't Mack be let go for the program's lack of interest in Andrew Luck, RG3, Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston?

JT: This will ultimately be part of Brown’s undoing. But only part of it. Brown has also whiffed on coordinator hires, failed to forge offensive and defensive identities since the ’08-09 teams and struggled to recruit mentally tough players.

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SoonerPaintJob in Oklahoma City writes: After an impressive performance through the air, where do you see Bellicopter and company ending up by season’s end? Does it feel a little like 2000?

JT: I don’t see a Roy Williams on defense or a Josh Heupel on offense. So no, this doesn’t feel like 2000. Bell looked good against Tulsa, but it was against Tulsa. I’m nowhere near ready to proclaim this a team of destiny after home wins over Louisiana-Monroe, West Virginia and Tulsa.

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Jay in Midland, Texas, writes: Jake, you promised a revised ceiling for Texas Tech should they beat TCU. Time to get your Guns Up!! How do you see the conference shaking out, now that we are three weeks into the season?

JT: I still see the conference title being decided by OU, OSU and Baylor. But the Red Raiders are looming. If they slip past these next four games -- all winnable games -- to get to 7-0, I might be compelled to move them into the upper tier.

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Finkaboutit in Ames, Iowa, writes: The past two years Iowa State has had some talent on the offensive side of the ball, and we have not had any form of solid offense. Does ISU need to start looking for a new offensive coordinator?

JT: Why do Iowa State fans keep insisting the Cyclones have had talent on the offensive side of the ball? The last Iowa State offensive skill player to get drafted was Seneca Wallace 10 years ago. A different play-caller doesn’t change the fact that Iowa State is deft of playmakers offensively. The Cyclones’ offensive woes stem from mediocre recruiting more than anything else.

Baylor has started this season the way it finished off the last -- red-hot. Dating back to 2012, the Bears have now won six straight games. But it hasn’t just been Baylor’s high-powered offense. Since last November, Baylor defense has been solid, allowing an average of just 24 points per game over the six-game winning streak.

Senior safety Ahmad Dixon, one of the leaders of the Bears defense, spoke with ESPN.com about Baylor’s goals for this season, whether this defense is for real and just how difficult it is to stop the Baylor offense in practice:

Jake Trotter: What is the goal for this team?

Ahmad Dixon: The No. 1 goal right now is to win the Big 12. And in order for us to win the Big 12, we have to take it one game at a time, one week at a time, one play at a time. We can’t get overwhelmed by the schedule. You can’t think about more than what’s at hand. We have to focus on whoever we’re playing that week. This week our only focus is ULM. We’re not worried about anything else. That’s the only way we can reach that goal as a time.

Trotter: In the past, you guys have talked about winning the Big 12. But was it more wishful thinking then? And does this season have a different feel?

Dixon: Yeah, it was more so wishful thinking. Not to say our teams weren’t as good in the past. It’s just we had a lot of guys growing up, a lot of guys maturing on the run. Mainly speaking for the defense, we’ve had a lot of young guys on the defense. Guys who were thrown in there as sophomores who had never really played. We’ve never given ourselves the chance defensively to reach these goals. And the defense has never given the offense a chance to come close to reaching these goals. Now guys defensively are in tune, they know what’s going on.

Trotter: Is this defense for real?

Dixon: A hundred percent. We’re getting better every day. Coaches are coaches, but it’s different when the players are playing and the players are coaching. That makes the job for our coaches easier. That way they can just focus on making sure we’re prepared right.

Trotter: What you guys did at the end of last year against Kansas State, Oklahoma State, UCLA, does that give you confidence for this year?

Dixon: Those were great teams that we played. We didn’t just beat bottom of the barrel teams. Those were contender teams we beat and we’re still fueling from that. We’re still rolling off that. We’re about to pick it up another now.

Trotter: How good is this offense you face in practice?

Dixon: They’re great. You get to see so many different guys do so many different things so many different ways. It’s more guys. Not just Kendall Wright or Terrance Williams. The whole wide receiving corps is great. It’s not just one guy. You have several guys. And you have great running backs, Lache Seastrunk, ?Glasgo Martin, Shock Linwood.

Trotter: And an offensive line that will block you, right?

Dixon: Thank you very much. I’m pretty sure the guys on this offensive line will be in the NFL. It’s a great offense. Coach (Art) Briles has done a great job bring the guys in he wants to run this offense the way he wants to run it.

Trotter: Last question -- your favorite local place to eat in Waco?

Dixon: Little hole in the wall spot called the Real Deal Soul Food. I could eat there any given day any given time. I enjoy eating there.

It's time to bring the pain, Jack!

• One play, which went largely unnoticed, impressed West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen more than any other during Ford Childress' first start at quarterback for the Mountianeers, writes Dave Hickman of the Charleston Gazette.
• Texas Tech has a punter emerging as a weapon that could help win field position battles, writes Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
• Can TCU still win the Big 12? Fort Worth Star-Telegram writers Jimmy Burch and Stefan Stevenson weigh in during this roundtable.
• Mike Gundy would prefer a different scenario heading into Oklahoma State's bye week, reports Kelly Hines of the Tulsa World.
• Depth at offensive tackle is a big concern for Oklahoma, writes Guerin Emig of the Tulsa World. Bob Stoops got a contract extension approved on Thursday.
• Kansas State is trying to focus on the present and ignore the past when the Wildcats take on Texas, writes Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle. KSU has won five straight games against UT.
• Kansas is looking for more ways to get Tony Pierson involved, writes Rustin Dodd of the Wichita Eagle.
• A pair of Jayhawks have reunited in the secondary writes Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World.
• Iowa State quarterback Sam Richardson was almost replaced during the Cyclones' loss to Iowa, reports Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register.
• Jyruss Edwards has overcome a lot to become a key part of Louisiana-Monroe's offense, writes Brice Cherry of the Waco Tribune. ULM faces Baylor on Saturday.
• A closer look at the state of Texas football from Andy Staples at SI.com.

Trevor Matich says Baylor has a great shot to win the Big 12 but needs the defense to improve for the Bears to have any hope.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Kansas State beating Texas: A tradition unlike any other, albeit a ridiculous one.

There’s no easy way to wrap one’s head around how the Wildcats have had Texas’ number ever since the 2006 season. There are no obvious answers in this unlikely rivalry, as Kansas State comes to Austin on Saturday aiming for its sixth consecutive victory over Texas.

The Wildcats won in 2006 with 23 passing yards. They won in 2010 with 9 rushing yards. They won in 2011 with 121 total yards of offense.

Failed KSU coach Ron Prince went 0-3 against Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska but was somehow 2-0 against Texas.

Colt McCoy graduated with more wins than any quarterback in NCAA history. He went 0-2 against Kansas State.

The curse is real, isn’t it?

This disclaimer shouldn’t be ignored: Texas played for national titles in 2005 and 2009 and BCS bowls in 2004 and 2008. Due to the Big 12’s two-division schedules, the Longhorns didn’t face Kansas State in any of those four seasons.

All week long, Texas players and coaches were asked why K-State keeps winning this game. Long story short: They honestly don’t know.

None of this is meant to slight what Bill Snyder and the Wildcats (and Prince) have achieved. They’ve won the turnover margin 16-3 and have outscored Texas by a combined 70 points in these past five games. They’ve earned each and every win, and they’ve been winning the same way all these years.

“They are the same team they were when I came into this league 16 years ago,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “If you go back and look at every defensive call that was made by Kansas State in 1998, it's the same ones today. If you look at their offense, it's the same today.

"So you know where these guys are; they just get you in a fight. And they take care of the ball and they have a great kicking game. It's been that way for years.”

The last time Texas tasted sweet victory against Kansas State was 2003, when a young Vince Young came in and saved the day with a game-winning score.

The circumstances aren’t too similar to today, though Texas was out to prove itself after an early-season home loss to Arkansas. You can’t help but chuckle at some of the postgame quotes from that Oct. 4 matchup. They seem far more fitting for the problems today’s Longhorns face.

“This brings back the swagger,” Texas running back Cedric Benson said. “We can get rid of the ‘soft’ talk.”

Added Brown: “We needed a tough win. We needed a come-from-behind win. I’m proud the guys did what they needed to do to win.”

Texas needs this year’s win a whole lot more. Pick up a third consecutive loss on Saturday and who knows what would come next for this season and this Longhorns program.

Brown has chalked up some of his team’s problems in the past two weeks to a lack of confidence. That just might be the missing ingredient for Texas. Beating KSU would bring back plenty of it.

But that five-game streak -- including wins in each of the past three seasons -- all but guarantees Kansas State will take the field at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium this weekend knowing it can beat Texas, no matter how good either team is or how different they are from a year ago.

“K-State has had our number for a while,” Texas linebacker Jordan Hicks said. “We’re taking it upon ourselves to change that.”

All the Longhorns have to do is, well, exactly what Kansas State does year after year in this series. Despite all numbers and logic, they just need to find a way to win.

Thanks to the fine work of the folks of ESPN Stats & Info and a sports information department near you, we’re excited to continue the tradition of ending the week with a large heaping of knowledge in the form of numbers.

Chew on these nuggets of fun info and random trivia, and you’re sure to be the smartest guy or gal at your tailgate.

Did you know …

• Baylor is averaging 590.9 yards per game on offense since 2011 and has now put up 400-plus in 29 consecutive games.
• The Bears set a Floyd Casey Stadium record for single-game scoring with 69 against Wofford in their season opener, then broke it with 70 against Buffalo.
• Baylor has scored in 32 of the last 33 quarters it has played, including all eight this season. The offense also has first-quarter scores in 18 of its last 19 games.
• Iowa State defensive back Nigel Tribune is the first true freshman to see the field for the Cyclones since 2011, when three played right away.
• ISU punter Kirby Van Der Kamp has 46 career punts of more than 50 yards.
• ISU QB Sam Richardson has a TD-INT ratio of 13-3 and is averaging 53 rushing yards per game in his career.
• James Sims passed John Riggins and Gale Sayers last week to take over the No. 5 spot on Kansas' all-time rushing chart with 2,685 career yards.
• Kansas' streak of road losses extended to 23 games with last week's loss to Rice.
• Jayhawks LB Ben Heeney had a career-high 18 tackles against Rice and has collected sacks in each of KU's last three games.
• We could list a dozen stats about Kansas State's dominance over Texas in their series, but we'll keep it to a few today. The Wildcats have won their last five games against Texas.
• In their past five matchups, Texas has produced 1,849 total yards of offense and Kansas State has put up 1,317 total yards. But KSU was plus-13 in turnover margin in those games.
• When the Wildcats have held an opponent to 10 points or less, they're 91-0 since 1990.
• Oklahoma has won its last 36 games when leading at halftime.
• Blake Bell had 437 yards of total offense in his first career start last Saturday. That ranked No. 9 on the Sooners' single-game record list. He was only the fourth quarterback in school history to throw for 400 yards in a game, joining Landry Jones, Sam Bradford and Josh Heupel.
• Jaz Reynolds' 82-yard reception last week against Tulsa was the longest non-scoring catch in Sooner history.
• Oklahoma State has surpassed 50 points in a game 25 times since Mike Gundy took over as head coach.
• The Cowboys are 15-for-15 in the red zone this season with touchdowns on all 15 conversions.
• Prior to last week, OSU receiver Josh Stewart had caught four passes or more in 15 consecutive games. The sophomore is already No. 9 on the school's all-time receiving list.
• Since the beginning of the 2010 season, Texas is 23-18 with 10 of those losses coming in home games. Texas had lost just four home games from 2001 to 2009.
• Opposing quarterbacks have averaged 122.7 rushing yards per game against Texas this season, which is 20 more than any other FBS team has allowed. K-State leads in the Big 12 in quarterback rushing at 81.7 yards per game.
• Texas is currently ranked last in the Big 12 in nearly every defensive statistic, including points (30.3) and yards (491.3) per game.
• Trevone Boykin has already accounted for 3,042 yards of total offense in his career but has a TD-INT ratio of 14-12 in the 10 starts he's made.
• TCU led the Big 12 in interceptions last season with 21 and is already leading the league in that category this year with five.
• The Horned Frogs haven't been shut out in a game since 1991. Their streak of scoring in 258 consecutive games is currently the third-longest in FBS.
• Until last week's win over TCU, Texas Tech had lost eight straight games when scoring 20 points or fewer. The Red Raiders hadn't won a home game with 20 points or fewer since 2001.
• No Big 12 school has played more true freshmen than Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have put 10 on the field this season. Texas A&M currenrlt leads the nation in that stat with 17.
• At one point last season, Texas Tech went six games and 485 defensive snaps without forcing a turnover. Tech has three takeaways in three games this season.
• West Virginia faces Maryland for the fourth consecutive season this weekend. Ever since losing the 2003 Gator Bowl to the Terps, WVU has won seven straight games in this series.
• The Mountaineers have used 29 players this season who, prior to 2013, had never appeared in a game for WVU. That includes 14 first-time starters.
• Since 2002, West Virginia is 29-18 against current members of the ACC. Going into this weekend's game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, WVU is also 4-0 under Dana Holgorsen when playing in pro stadiums.

Texas looks to right the ship when the Longhorns open Big 12 play against Kansas State in Austin.

Joe Schad reacts to the report that a Texas regent talked to Alabama coach Nick Saban's agent about Saban coaching the Longhorns if Mack Brown retired.