ESPN College Football

On the heels of the most disappointing loss of the Mike Gundy era, leaders of the Oklahoma State football team decided to ensure that their teammates were focused heading into the next week.

No, we’re not talking last weekend’s 30-21 loss to West Virginia.

During the week following OSU’s 37-31 upset loss to Iowa State in 2011, Brandon Weeden, Markelle Martin and the rest of the senior leaders on that squad made sure their teammates understood the Cowboys’ Big 12 championship hopes remained intact. They didn’t want the loss to snowball and keep them from winning their first Big 12 title.

Waiting in the wings, redshirting freshman J.W. Walsh observed it all. Now, the Cowboys’ starting quarterback plans to use that experience to help his squad get back on track with the heart of Big 12 Conference play looming.

“When we lost to Iowa State, the older guys took it upon themselves to make sure we were buying into the next week and was not letting Iowa State beat us again,” Walsh said. “Watching what those guys did and trying to incorporate what they did is key for us this year.”

OSU lost its Big 12 favorite status with a sloppy loss to the Mountaineers as turnovers, missed opportunities and horrible special teams play doomed the Cowboys during their first Big 12 trip to Morgantown, W. Va. Walsh and company reviewed their mistakes in the film room on Sunday then turned the switch immediately.

“It’s forget it, time to move on, you have to see the mistakes you made, correct them then time to move forward,” Walsh said. “We can’t let West Virginia beat us twice, there’s still a lot of games to be played, we can still win the Big 12. We can’t sit back and ponder on what we did wrong against West Virginia.”

The Cowboys’ defense actually played well enough to win against the Mountaineers, recording two interceptions while holding WVU to 4.28 yards per play. One of WVU’s three touchdowns was off an interception return. Yet defensive tackle Calvin Barnett left Morgantown disappointed with his unit’s ability to make big plays when it mattered.

“We have to continue to get better, we allowed them to score too much, we didn’t do our job,” Barnett said. “We allowed too many big plays and [were] not making plays on the ball or getting off blocks to make a play when we had a chance to.”

As Barnett reviewed the performance, one thing stood out. The senior liked OSU’s defensive performance during several different stretches, particularly when the Cowboys stayed focused on their individual responsibilities within the system. When they didn’t, trouble arose.

“We have to be our biggest critic,” he said. “There were plays we could have made but didn’t. Everybody being accountable for doing their job, that’s really all it comes down to.”

The mistake-filled performance left the Cowboys with a bad taste in their mouths but also with an understanding of how they can improve. Walsh needs to make better decisions with the ball, the offensive line needs to block better, running backs need to run better, the receivers need to make catches when they get the chance and the defense needs to limit explosive plays from the opposition.

Because, even with the shocking setback, enough talent to win a Big 12 title still roams the halls of the West End Zone in Boone Pickens Stadium.

“We lost a game but it was just because of mistakes, it wasn’t because we aren’t a good football team,” Walsh said. “We made a lot of mistakes and all of those mistakes are correctable.”

OSU had high expectations heading into the season as the preseason favorite to win the conference. Now they’ve tumbled down the conference standings with people questioning how good they really can be. They’ll get their first chance to prove they are a team capable of winning a Big 12 title on Saturday against defending Big 12 champion Kansas State.

“We did lose but at the same time, usually the team that wins the national championship has lost that season and last year the Big 12 [title] was split,” Barnett said. “We still have a chance, our goals are still in front of us, it’s just how bad do we want it because, obviously, we’re not as good as we thought we were.”

Taking stock of Week 5 in the Big 12:

Team of the week: Oklahoma. With their victory over Oklahoma State, the Mountaineers deserved strong consideration here. But by winning in South Bend, the Sooners delivered the Big 12 its best win of the year while vanquishing past demons. OU, which fell to 1-9 all-time against Notre Dame last season, controlled this game wire-to-wire in a 35-21 win. QB Blake Bell operated the Sooners' offense like a veteran in just his second career start. And the OU defense took it to QB Tommy Rees to force three first-half interceptions that allowed the Sooners to pad their lead. OU might have been one of the most overlooked teams during the preseason. After Saturday, the Sooners won’t be overlooked anymore.

Disappointment of the week: Oklahoma State. The Cowboys fell in Morgantown 31-21, despite being 18-point favorites. OSU sputtered all day offensively across the board. J.W. Walsh had a QBR of just 38.1 (scale of 0 to 100) and the Cowboys averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. The defense didn’t fare much better, allowing a West Virginia offense that had been completely inept to rack up 21 first downs. Dating to last year, the Cowboys have now lost three consecutive Big 12 games.

Big (offensive) men on campus: Sterling Shepard and Aaron Wimberly. Both the Oklahoma receiver and Iowa State running back sparked their offenses to big wins on the road. Shepard had five catches for 83 yards, and delivered the nail in the coffin to Notre Dame with a 54-yard touchdown reception to put OU back up by two scores in the fourth quarter.

In a 38-21 win at Tulsa, Wimberly produced Iowa State’s first 100-yard rushing game in more than a year with 137 yards on 19 carries. He added a 31-yard reception as the Cyclones came alive in their first win of the season.

Big (defensive) men on campus: The Oklahoma linebackers, and Sam Carter. Corey Nelson, Frank Shannon and Eric Striker came up with huge plays in the first quarter to set the tone for the OU defense the rest of the way against the Irish. On Notre Dame’s first series, Striker blindsided Rees from behind, popping the ball loose into the arms of Nelson, who returned it 24 yards for a TD. On Notre Dame's next play from scrimmage, Shannon caught a tipped pass and returned the interception 17 yards to the Notre Dame 32. The Sooners scored again four plays later on an 11-yard run by Damien Williams. OU rode the defensive flurry all the way to the win.

Carter, TCU’s junior safety, had a huge day against SMU. Carter had two interceptions, forced a fumble and recorded a sack in the Horned Frogs’ 48-17 victory over the Mustangs. For his efforts, Carter was named the Walter Camp national defensive player of the week. With cornerback Jason Verrett ailing with a shoulder injury, Carter might have to take an even bigger leadership role in the TCU secondary moving forward.

Special-teams player of the week: Jaden Oberkrom. In a complete downpour, TCU’s place-kicker nailed two field goals to help the Horned Frogs pull away from SMU in the second half. As the rain began to fall in droves early in the third quarter, TCU had the ball on the SMU 5-yard line trailing 10-7. Because of the rain, a botched shotgun snap resulted in a loss of 20. But Oberkrom made sure the Frogs came away with points with the 35-yard field goal conversion. Had Oberkrom missed, who knows how the game would have gone for TCU? Instead, buoyed in part by getting points off the drive, the Frogs dominated the rest of the way.

Play of the week: After Josh Stewart took a screen pass 73 yards for the touchdown and Justin Gilbert intercepted Clint Trickett three plays later at midfield, the Cowboys seemed to be on the verge of blowing the game away in the first quarter. Instead, West Virginia cornerback Ishmael Banks read Walsh’s eyes off a rollout, stepped in front of the pass for the pick, then returned it 58 yards for a touchdown. The Cowboys never found their footing again offensively, as West Virginia held them to just two scores the rest of the game.

Stat of the week: Oklahoma State running back Jeremy Smith rushed for just 1 yard on 15 carries at West Virginia. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Smith’s rushing total was the second worst by an FBS running back with that many carries in any game in the past 10 years.

Quote of the week: "No doubt in my mind that we're a national championship-type of team." – OU running back Brennan Clay, after the Notre Dame win

This week's Power Rankings feature a new No. 1, as last week's No. 1 takes a tumble:

1. Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 Big 12, last week 3): The Sooners take over the top spot after delivering the most impressive Big 12 win of the season. Notre Dame is not the same team as last season, but the Irish hadn't lost in South Bend since October of 2011. OU has been a different team since Blake Bell took over at quarterback, and Bell was fabulous Saturday, throwing for two touchdowns without a turnover while churning out first downs with his arm and his legs. The OU defense is clearly better, too, picking off QB Tommy Rees on Notre Dame's first two possessions, with linebacker Corey Nelson returning one for a touchdown. The Sooners were clearly a team overlooked in the preseason, and, after five weeks, are looking like a clear Big 12 favorite along with Baylor.

2. Baylor (3-0, 0-0 Big 12, last week 2): After the off week, the Bears' offense will get its first real challenge this weekend from West Virginia's defense that appears to be the most improved unit in the league. Baylor has been unstoppable so far, but the level of competition is about to undergo an uptick. Can the Bears keep it up? They've shown no signs they can't.

3. Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0 Big 12, last week 4): Despite having the week off, the Red Raiders move up a spot with Oklahoma State's loss. The big question in Lubbock is who will be starting at quarterback for Tech come Saturday against Kansas. Baker Mayfield? Davis Webb? Michael Brewer, who has been progressing well from the back injury? The Red Raiders have been solid defensively, and the skill talent is legit. If Tech can get better play from its quarterback, this team could be a handful -- even for OU and Baylor.

4. West Virginia (3-2, 1-1 Big 12, last week 8): What a difference a week makes. The Mountaineers produced the most impressive in-conference win of the season with a 30-21 victory over preseason favorite Oklahoma State. West Virginia's defense continues to play at a high level (Maryland's 37 points were somewhat of an anomaly because of West Virginia turnovers) and Clint Trickett sparked the offense with his energy and leadership. West Virginia's offense is still pretty limited, but at least it no longer looks completely inept with Trickett at quarterback. The Mountaineers can't score with Baylor this weekend, but maybe they can slow the Bears down? Nobody thought West Virginia could slow Oklahoma or Oklahoma State, either, though Baylor's offense is at another level. We'll see.

5. Texas (2-2, 1-0 Big 12, last week 5): The Longhorns have a couple of interesting games looming. Thursday, Texas travels to Iowa State, which looked much better offensively in a 38-21 win at Tulsa this past Thursday. Then, Texas gets surging Oklahoma in Dallas. This figures to be the defining two-game stretch of the season for the Longhorns. Win the next two, and the season -- as well as Mack Brown's status in Austin -- looks totally different than it did two weeks ago. The off week could not have come at a better time for the Longhorns, giving acting defensive coordinator Greg Robinson another week to acclimate to his defense and quarterback David Ash another week to recover from the head injury that knocked him out of the Ole Miss and Kansas State games.

6. TCU (2-2, 0-1 Big 12, last week 6): Did TCU's offense finally uncover an identity during a rainy fourth quarter against SMU? The Horned Frogs poured on 31 points in the final quarter and did it with some new faces, as Ty Slanina, Ja'Juan Story and Cameron Echols-Luper all factored into the scoring onslaught in the first real action of their TCU careers. The Horned Frogs can really turn their season around with a win in Norman this weekend. That won't be easy, though, if All-American cornerback Jason Verrett (shoulder) and defensive end Devonte Fields (foot) can't play.

7. Oklahoma State (3-1, 0-1 Big 12, last week 1): The Cowboys plummet six spots after an uninspiring performance in Morgantown. It was just one loss, but it was a loss that exposed weaknesses across the board. For the first time in seemingly forever, Oklahoma State's kicking game is awful. The Cowboys' secondary gave up 320 yards to a West Virginia passing attack that previously had been completely futile. And on the other side of the ball, when the Mountaineers dared QB J.W. Walsh to beat them deep, he couldn't do it. That allowed West Virginia to stuff the Cowboys' running game, which also doesn't appear to have that bell-cow running back Oklahoma State has been accustomed to featuring. The Cowboys are better than they looked at West Virginia -- but how much better?

8. Kansas State (2-2, 0-1 Big 12, last week 7): Bill Snyder maintains the Wildcats will stick with the two-quarterback system, which has yielded mixed results. K-State has moved the ball better when Daniel Sams has been in at quarterback. But when he's in, the Wildcats are virtually no threat to pass. Sams has 29 rushes and only four passing attempts. Is Sams really that poor of a passer? Maybe it's time for K-State to find out.

9. Iowa State (1-2, 0-0 Big 12, last week 10): It's hard to believe a center could make that much of a difference. But the return of Tom Farniok sure seemed to do wonders for Iowa State's offense, which finally got going in a 38-21 win at Tulsa. The Cyclones also finally involved running back Aaron Wimberly, who ignited the running game with Iowa State's first 100-yard performance in more than a year. With former blue-chip junior-college transfer E.J. Bibbs emerging now at tight end, QB Sam Richardson no longer appears to be on his own. Jack Trice will be rocking Thursday night for the Longhorns, as Iowa State has a chance to land a signature win to build off of for the rest of the season.

10. Kansas (2-1, 0-0 Big 12, last week 9): The Jayhawks have a winning record but have been mostly unimpressive. Can they turn around the offense against Texas Tech? That will hinge almost entirely on quarterback Jake Heaps, who has talent but has been unable to find any rhythm so far with a collection of unproven wideouts. If the Jayhawks can be competitive this weekend, it will be a good sign they are moving in the right direction. If they get blasted, it could be a long season, especially with Iowa State and West Virginia seemingly having found their stride.

Oklahoma earned the best win by any Big 12 team this season with a 35-21 victory over Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., jumping over Baylor to become the Big 12 favorite. But the Bears will have their say when OU visits Waco, Texas, on Nov. 7. Oklahoma State falls to the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl after its upset loss to West Virginia. Still plenty of games to play, so don't be surprised to see some team improve its bowl projection significantly as October progresses.

Here are the Big 12 bowl projections after Week 5:

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. BCS at-large

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Baylor vs. SEC No. 3/4

Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Pac-12 No. 2

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Big Ten No. 4/5

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: TCU vs. Pac-12 No. 3

Texas Bowl: Texas vs. Big Ten No. 6

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Kansas State vs. American No. 4

Heart of Dallas Bowl: West Virginia vs. Big Ten No. 7

The Sooners notched a big nonconference road win for the Big 12, West Virginia’s defense came up big in an upset of Oklahoma State, and TCU finally found some offense against SMU.

What we learned about the Big 12 from Week 5:

The Sooners are a different team with Bell: This question has to be asked: How did Blake Bell not win the starting quarterback job during the preseason? Since taking over for Trevor Knight, Bell has been superb, leading the Sooners to a big 35-21 victory Saturday at Notre Dame. Bell completed 22 of 30 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns for a Total QBR of 79.1 (scale of 0 to 100), which almost certainly will go up once the strength of Notre Dame’s defense is factored into the equation. Bell also didn’t turn the ball over, as OU controlled the game from beginning to end. Save for a Nov. 7 showdown in Waco, the Sooners’ remaining slate doesn’t look nearly as daunting as it did a month ago. With Bell running the show at this level, OU is very capable of winning every game left on its schedule.

The West Virginia defense appears legit: The performance against Oklahoma State was the best by a West Virginia defense since joining the Big 12. The Mountaineers controlled the line of scrimmage to shut down OSU’s vaunted running game, and the secondary laid the lumber, knocking receivers Josh Stewart and Jhajuan Seales out of the game with big hits. The 21 points, in fact, were the fewest scored by a Cowboys offense in a loss since the 2009 Cotton Bowl. West Virginia did give up 37 to Maryland a week ago, but the six turnovers from the West Virginia offense had a lot to with that. In holding the Bedlam schools to a combined 37 points, Keith Patterson’s unit has now locked up, perennially, two of the Big 12’s highest-scoring offenses. The Mountaineers will get their shot at another on Saturday in Waco, and Baylor’s high-flying attack will provide the toughest test to date. But the West Virginia defense will give Baylor its toughest challenge yet as well.

Oklahoma State not the same offensively: The Cowboys have basically played two teams with a pulse and scored only 21 points both times. The Pokes seems to really be missing former coordinator Todd Monken and running back Joseph Randle, maybe even more than anybody thought they would. The Cowboys never found a flow offensively in Morgantown with Mike Yurcich’s play-calling, and Randle’s successor, Jeremy Smith, finished with just 1 yard on 15 carries. Given J.W. Walsh’s limitations throwing the ball downfield, it’s been awhile since an Oklahoma State offense had this many vulnerabilities.

TCU offense gains confidence with new faces: The Horned Frogs offense finally came alive late in the third quarter of a 48-17 win against SMU. And it came alive via plays from some new faces. True freshman Ty Slanina hauled in a 20-yard touchdown with four minutes left in the third quarter to break a 10-10 tie. On TCU’s next possession, former Florida transfer Ja'Juan Story took a 56-yard pass to the house to ignite the rout. Then freshman Cameron Echols-Luper returned a punt 51 yards to set up another touchdown. Going into the SMU game, Slanina, Story and Echols-Luper had a combined five touches through three games. The trio, however, figures to be a big part of the Horned Frogs' attack going forward, including next weekend in Norman.

OU at Baylor looking like the Big 12’s biggest game: With the Cowboys’ loss in Morgantown, OU-Baylor in Waco on Nov. 7 is looking more and more like the game of the year in the Big 12. Several other pivotal matchups remain (TCU-OU, the Red River Rivalry, Tech-OU, Baylor-OSU, Baylor-Tech, Bedlam). And there are still other teams (Tech, TCU, OSU, even Texas) that could play their way to the top of the conference title race. But as of today, OU-Baylor is looking like the game that will have more conference title implications than any other.

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

QB Blake Bell, Oklahoma: In his first career road start, Bell threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another 59 to knock off No. 22 Notre Dame. He was a solid 22-for-30 through the air in the 35-21 victory, and his 54-yard touchdown to Sterling Shepard ended up being the clincher in the fourth quarter. He managed the offense well despite dealing with a leg cramp.

West Virginia defense: What a showing from a unit that was one of the Big 12’s worst last season. West Virginia got so many important stops, including shutting down the nation’s best red-zone offense with a goal-line stop that led to a missed field goal. The Mountaineers silenced the OSU running backs, who combined for 47 yards. They snagged a pick-six in the first quarter and another interception to secure the victory in the fourth. Impressive showing all around.

QB Clint Trickett, West Virginia: Despite a shoulder injury that looked pretty nasty, Trickett came back in and wowed in his first start as a Mountaineer, throwing for 309 yards and a touchdown in West Virginia’s 30-21 win over No. 11 Oklahoma State. The Florida State transfer pulled off perhaps the upset of the day and showed plenty of toughness in doing so.

S Sam Carter, TCU: While Trevone Boykin deserves praise for his fourth-quarter play, we’ll give the honor to Carter for his two interceptions against SMU. The first came when the game was still 10-10 and set up the Frogs’ go-ahead touchdown. They’d score on their next four possession, and Carter finished off the Ponies with a 66-yard interception for a touchdown. He also had five tackles, a sack and forced a fumble.

RB Aaron Wimberly, Iowa State: We could probably give one to Sam Richardson, too, but Wimberly really stepped up in ISU’s 38-21 win over Tulsa on Thursday. The junior college transfer entered the night with 10 carries but thrived with a big workload, picking up 137 yards on 19 rushes. He’ll be a guy ISU can lean on going forward.

With his hair askew, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen addressed reporters with a relieved look on his face early Saturday evening. Meanwhile, in South Bend, Ind., Oklahoma had just taken a 14-0 lead over Notre Dame.

The Big 12 landscape was in motion.

Holgorsen’s Mountaineers upset Big 12 favorite Oklahoma State 31-20 on Saturday, knocking the Cowboys behind Texas in the Big 12 standings. OU answered a lot of questions in its 35-21 win over Notre Dame while Baylor and Texas Tech watched from afar, forced to wait until they could have their say in stadiums across the Big 12 in the Saturdays to come.

With OSU’s loss, the Sooners elevated themselves to conference-favorite status on Saturday, securing the most impressive win by a Big 12 team to date. OU quarterback Blake Bell continued to answer all questions about his ability with a veteran performance in the first road start of his career. Bell passed for 232 yards, rushed for 59 yards and didn’t make any big mistakes as the Sooners improved to 4-0 with TCU visiting Oklahoma Memorial Stadium next Saturday. The OU defense also made its case to be called the class of the Big 12, holding Notre Dame to 324 yards and forcing three interceptions, which the Sooners turned into 21 points.

Yet it was the Mountaineers who delivered the biggest surprise of the day in Morgantown. After arguably the worst performance of the Holgorsen era a week ago against Maryland, very few people gave WVU a chance against Oklahoma State despite its home-field advantage. A bevy of depth-chart changes and a new starting quarterback sparked the Mountaineers to the upset win. Former Florida State quarterback Clint Trickett delivered one of the gutsiest performances of the day in his first start at WVU, playing through an injured shoulder to lead his squad to a victory. He finished 24-of-50 passing for 209 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Subpar numbers, superb result.

“You can look at stats, but bottom line, our team bought in to getting out there and playing ball,” Holgorsen said. “Clint did a great job of keeping the play alive and we had a sense that he could do that from watching him at Florida State. He’s what we thought he was, he’s tough, he’s smart, he doesn’t get rattled. He just gets out there and plays ball.”

Now, as the sun set on Week 5, OU’s Nov. 7 visit to Waco, Texas, looms larger than ever with OSU’s loss to the Mountaineers. Baylor hosts the Sooners in a Thursday night tilt that could decide the Big 12 champion. The Bears, who host WVU next weekend, join OU as the league’s most impressive teams as October approaches and face the easier path --WVU, at Kansas State, Iowa State, at Kansas-- to remaining undefeated after Halloween.

The Sooners, meanwhile, host TCU, battle Texas in the Red River Rivalry, visit Kansas and host Texas Tech before traveling to Waco. It’s not an easy stretch, but it’s not nearly as difficult as it appeared to be prior to the first kickoff of 2013.

What about Texas Tech, you ask? The Red Raiders face three of four games on the road in October, finishing at OU on Oct. 26. Not the ideal scenario with true freshmen at the quarterback position. That uncertainty under center is what separates Baylor from Texas Tech. Kilff Kingbury’s squad could be in the Big 12 title race, but their legitimacy will determined in the next four weeks, and they’ll have to prove they’re being overlooked.

All is not lost for the Big 12 preseason favorite, however, as the Cowboys could still find themselves back in the race by going undefeated for the rest of their Big 12 schedule. Only West Virginia, with one Big 12 loss to OU, could hold the tiebreaker over OSU in that scenario, so this could just be a dent in the Cowboys’ résumé -- their story is written in pencil.

OSU, OU, BU and TTU entered the day as the favorites in the conference. But, make no mistake, a lot happened during a light schedule in the Big 12 on Saturday. A clear Big 12 title favorite emerged in OU, and OSU’s weaknesses were exposed at WVU, while BU and TTU remain hungry to prove themselves as legitimate contenders after their bye weeks.

October should be fun; get your candy corn ready.

1. Can Oklahoma strike for the Big 12 Conference? The Sooners have the chance to earn the biggest nonconference win of any Big 12 team this season if they can knock off Notre Dame in South Bend on Saturday. OU has its eye on inserting itself into the BCS title conversation and that could begin with a win against the Fighting Irish.
2. What does Dana Holgorsen have in store for his former colleagues at Oklahoma State? Holgorsen spent one season as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State before he was named coach in waiting at West Virginia. He played a major part in transforming OSU’s offense into what it is today so both teams will be very familiar with the other’s offensive attack. Add in the Mountaineers’ struggles on offense this season and you have to expect Holgorsen will have some new, creative wrinkles to confuse OSU’s defense and spark WVU’s offense.
3. How will TCU respond to a 1-2 start? TCU coach Gary Patterson didn’t like how his team was handling its start to the season, saying his group was "feeling sorry for themselves." Yet the Horned Frogs have had two weeks to get things going back in a positive direction and, even though they’ve stumbled at the start, they still have one of the top defenses in the conference. And that’s a terrific foundation to build upon.
[+] Enlarge
David Purdy/Getty ImagesPaul Rhoads and Iowa State are off to a slow start.
4. Can Iowa State get its first win of the season? The Cyclones opened the season with losses to Northern Iowa and Iowa. Worst yet, Paul Rhoads’ crew has played just two games heading into tonight’s game at Tulsa, making it tough to find any kind of rhythm and confidence on either side of the football. ISU’s defense has been particularly bad allowing 27.5 points and 417.5 yards per game thus far. It’s a young roster, full of inexperience, so if the Cyclones don’t win tonight, things could snowball in a hurry for the Cyclones.
5. Will OSU stumble in Morgantown? The Cowboys will be a big favorite when they step on the field in Morgantown, W. Va., after WVU’s embarrassing 37-0 loss to Maryland last weekend. It would be easy for the Pokes to overlook the Mountaineers and stumble on the road in a conference play, particularly since WVU does have some talented, albeit young, players on the roster. WVU will be looking to prove it is better than it showed against the Terps while OSU will simply be looking to get off to a good start in conference play. Motive advantage: WVU.
6. Can TCU find some type of offensive identity? What is TCU’s identity on offense? Does anybody know? The Horned Frogs have looked uncertain during their first three games, particularly with Trevone Boykin under center. Don’t be surprised if TCU re-commits its offense to the running game with talented runners B.J. Catalon and Waymon James in the backfield while putting Boykin on the back burner.
7. How will OU quarterback Blake Bell do in his first road start? The Sooners signal caller has the opportunity to send a message with a stellar performance in his first road start. The Fighting Irish will be looking to stop the run and play physical, forcing Bell to beat them with his arm. If he can do it on a national stage, the junior will remove all doubt who should be leading the Sooners’ offense for the next two seasons.
8. Is OU’s defense the real deal? The Sooners' defense has been terrific in OU’s first three games. Yet it hasn't been tested like it will be against the Fighting Irish. OU’s defense is built for speed and handling the spread offenses in the Big 12 so if ND comes out and tries to ram the football down OU’s throat, the Sooners will have to have an answer or risk being compared to last season’s disappointing unit.
9. Will Ford Childress reward Holgorsen for sticking with him? The WVU quarterback has kept his starting job after throwing more touchdown passes to Maryland defenders than his teammates last weekend. He threw more interceptions than he completed passes to WVU receivers in the loss. Yet Holgorsen didn’t hesitate when asked if he was sticking with the redshirt freshman. Childress will be looking to reward that loyalty against OSU.
10. Will Iowa State find an answer to its offensive woes? This was supposed to be a breakout season for quarterback Sam Richardson. It’s not looking good for the sophomore thus far. His numbers aren’t horrible (502 passing yards, 62 completion percentage) but he’s been unable to spark the Cyclones offense and take the entire team to another level like ISU fans would have hoped. If Richardson hopes to turn things around, he can start against a Tulsa defense that gave up 51 points to Oklahoma on Sept. 14.

Having a highly ranked recruiting class and a bunch of four-star signees sounds good in the spring and summer, but it's a different story when the season begins. The freshmen who are game-ready are the ones who get the playing time, no matter their star rating. Here's a look at the five Big 12 schools getting the most from their true freshmen:

1. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders practically earn this top spot by default by relying on two true freshmen at quarterback. Baker Mayfield made a big first impression, but it seems the battle is opening back up after two solid games from freshman Davis Webb, and the imminent return of Michael Brewer. Still, going 4-0 with two rookies behind center makes coach Kliff Kingsbury’s bunch a worthy No. 1 on this list.

Tech has played eight other true freshmen in 2013, and a few are making solid contributions. Receiver Dylan Cantrell has six catches for 56 yards, linebacker Malik Jenkins has recorded five tackles and a pass breakup and receiver Carlos Thompson already has a 73-yard kick return and 35-yard punt return.

2. Oklahoma: Is it possible Oklahoma’s best running back is its fourth-string freshman? Keith Ford, the gem of the Sooners’ class, has rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and wowed in OU’s last game against Tulsa.

Fellow freshman Stanvon Taylor earned his first career start against Tulsa, and he’s one of several newcomers contributing in the secondary along with Hatari Byrd, Ahmad Thomas, L.J. Moore and Dakota Austin. Linebacker Dominique Alexander has also chipped in six tackles through three games.

3. West Virginia: Of all the new skill players who joined West Virginia’s offense this year, who would’ve expected Daikiel Shorts would be the Mountaineers’ leading receiver and Wendell Smallwood would be their No. 2 back? Shorts has 12 catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and Smallwood has 139 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries thus far.

A total of seven true freshmen have played for WVU this season, and four of them are defensive backs. Corner Daryl Worley is off to a nice start with six tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.

4. Oklahoma State: Many expected Ra’Shaad Samples to be OSU’s breakout true freshman receiver, but so far that distinction belongs to Marcell Ateman. He has hauled in eight passes for 92 yards, good for fourth-best on the team.

Freshman kicker Ben Grogan has hit all 19 of his extra-point attempts and is 1-for-2 on field goals, and defensive backs Jordan Sterns and Deric Robertson have combined for eight tackles this season.

5. Baylor: Baylor might have two of the conference’s most talented true freshmen in receiver Robbie Rhodes and defensive tackle Andrew Billings, but they haven’t had to do much so far. Rhodes has 65 receiving yards and Billings has recorded three tackles, including one tackle for loss. Kiante’ Griffin is also contributing at linebacker with three tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

TCU can also make a case for the No. 5 spot. The Frogs don’t have a Devonte Fields-caliber breakout star yet, but receiver Ty Slanina has two reception and is currently listed as a starter, and former ESPN 300 prospect Tevin Lawson is breaking into the rotation at defensive tackle with two stops already.

Before the season began it was clear the Big 12 Conference title race would be wide open. Four weeks into the season, it’s even more clear. Oklahoma State remains the favorite, Baylor has looked dominant, Oklahoma is improving and Texas Tech has been the surprise of the league. Yet, the majority of the league is still in the race.

Best game: The reality is there hasn’t been a great game involving a Big 12 team thus far, unless you want to count Kansas’ 13-10 win over Louisiana Tech on a last-second field goal. But Texas’ 31-21 win over Kansas State on Sept. 21 was intriguing due to all the distractions surrounding the Longhorns’ program. UT responded with a win to start off conference play in a game that was probably the most entertaining Big 12 game this season.

Best player: Bryce Petty runs away with this one. The Baylor quarterback has been outstanding through three games, completing 50 of 67 passes for 1,001 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. And he has done it while throwing eight combined passes in the second half of three games. Many question the Bears' competition as they have rattled off 209 points in three games. But isn’t that what championship-caliber offenses should do to inferior opponents?

Best performance: J.W. Walsh was a monster for Oklahoma State in the Cowboys’ 56-35 win over Texas-San Antonio on Sept. 7. The sophomore quarterback was 24-of-27 for 326 yards with four touchdowns and added another score on the ground. He was brutally efficient while finishing with a 98.1 Total QBR and earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. Nine different receivers caught passes from Walsh against UTSA as OSU showed its passing game wasn’t going anywhere following a run-heavy offensive performance in its win over Mississippi State to start the season. KSU’s Tyler Lockett has a case here with his 13-catch, 237-yard performance against UT, but that outstanding individual effort doesn't lessen the pain of the loss.

Best surprise: Wreck ‘em. There wasn’t much expected from Texas Tech in coach Kliff Kingsbury’s first season. The Red Raiders didn’t get the message, saying “Why not us, why not now?” with their 4-0 start to the season, including a win over TCU. True freshman quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Davis Webb have both played a key role in the Red Raiders’ quick start, but their defense has been the overlooked foundation of their success. It is allowing 4.6 yards per play, ranking third in the Big 12.

Biggest disappointment: Every season we hear about how much Texas has improved. This season was no different. But the Longhorns have been a disappointment yet again with an embarrassing loss at BYU and a home defeat at the hands of Ole Miss. Those two performances are so bad people forget the Longhorns almost opened the season by trailing New Mexico State at halftime before a couple of late first-half touchdowns. Now, even after their impressive win over K-State, a season-ending injury to linebacker Jordan Hicks and lingering concerns about David Ash’s head have put a damper on a terrific Saturday in Austin. Disappointing is a perfect word for UT’s start.

Four weeks into the season, only Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech remain undefeated from the Big 12. Looking at their schedules, however, all four teams have a reasonable chance to remain unbeaten before they begin to play one another.

Who has the best chance to reach 7-0? I've tried to answer that question using conjecture and a little bit of math.

First, I assigned a chance of victory for the next four games for each of the remaining undefeated teams. This was pure conjecture. After that, I inputted the mathematical formula for multiplying percentages (convert to decimals, multiply and then multiply the total by 100) to arrive at the overall chance of each team getting to 7-0. Here are the results:

Baylor

Oct. 5, West Virginia: West Virginia won last year 70-63. Only Baylor looks capable of scoring that much again this year. Chance of victory: 95 percent

Oct. 12, at Kansas State: K-State looks to be limited offensively, and it’s looking like the only way to beat the Bears will be to outscore them. Chance of victory: 65 percent

Oct. 19, Iowa State: Iowa State can’t move the ball, either. At least not well enough to give Baylor much problem in Waco. Chance of victory: 97 percent

Oct. 26, at Kansas: The Jayhawks haven’t won a conference game in three years. Chance of victory: 92 percent

Overall chance of getting to 7-0: 55 percent. Of the four unbeatens, Baylor has the easiest path to 7-0, with its most challenging game being a road trip to Kansas State.

Oklahoma State

Sept. 28, at West Virginia: The Cowboys are a three-touchdown favorite in Morgantown for a reason. Chance of victory: 85 percent

Oct. 5, Kansas State: This year, OSU regains the advantage at QB with J.W. Walsh. Chance of victory: 80 percent

Oct. 19, TCU: The Cowboys get TCU in Stillwater for the second year in a row. OSU coasted past the Frogs last season. Chance of victory: 75 percent

Oct. 26, at Iowa State: Could the 2011 upset be in OSU’s head at all? Chance of victory: 80 percent

Overall chance of getting to 7-0: 41 percent. The Cowboys will be decent-to-heavy favorites in all four games, but they have to avoid the kind of slip-up they suffered in Ames two years ago.

Texas Tech

Oct. 5, at Kansas: The Red Raiders have been a little unsteady at quarterback the last two weeks. Could Michael Brewer return from his back injury in time for this game? Chance of victory: 75 percent

Oct. 12, Iowa State: The Cyclones could still be winless by the time they visit Lubbock. Chance of victory: 85 percent

Oct. 19, at West Virginia: Texas Tech crushed the Mountaineers in Lubbock last year. Chance of victory: 60 percent

Overall chance of getting to 7-0: 38 percent. The Red Raiders haven’t been quite as impressive as the top three teams, but they already own four wins and have three winnable games coming.

Oklahoma

Sept. 28, at Notre Dame: The Sooners are slight favorites according to Vegas, but this is basically a coin-flip matchup. Chance of victory: 50 percent

Oct. 5, TCU: The three-game gauntlet of Notre Dame-TCU-Texas doesn’t look nearly as daunting as it did a month ago. Chance of victory: 75 percent

Oct. 12, Texas: You can throw out the records in the Red River Rivalry. Chance of victory: 65 percent

Oct. 19, at Kansas: The Sooners have won eight games in a row by double digits over Kansas. Chance of victory: 92 percent

Overall chance of getting to 7-0: 22 percent. The Sooners have the toughest road to 7-0, due to the road tilt at Notre Dame and the neutral-site rivalry game with Texas.

Final thought
Baylor, OSU, Oklahoma and Tech all have better than a 20 percent chance of getting to 7-0. But the chances all four teams get there are not good. Using the percentages above, there is only a 1.9 percent chance that all four reach 7-0.

Texas moves back up in this week's Power Rankings, West Virginia moves back down and the top four remain steady:

1. Oklahoma State (3-0, 0-0 Big 12; last week: 1): When he was the coordinator in Stillwater, Dana Holgorsen recruited quarterback J.W. Walsh to Oklahoma State. This Saturday, Holgorsen's Mountaineers must deal with stopping Walsh, who’s been terrific since taking over the starting quarterback job in the opener. Walsh ranks sixth in the country in QBR and is a major reason why the Cowboys are three-touchdown favorites for their game in Morgantown.

2. Baylor (3-0, 0-0 Big 12; last week: 2): The Baylor-hasn’t-beaten-anybody argument only holds so much water. Who in the Big 12 has really beaten anybody? Oklahoma State over Mississippi State? Texas Tech over TCU? Oklahoma over West Virginia? The fact is, even against three doldrums, Baylor has been as impressive as any team in the league. This offense has a chance to be as prolific as the 2011 Oklahoma State Cowboys or the 2008 Oklahoma Sooners.

3. Oklahoma (3-0, 1-0 Big 12; last week: 3): After opening with three home victories, the Sooners will finally find out about their team during a road trip to South Bend, Ind., this weekend. They should find out a lot about quarterback Blake Bell, too -- he was marvelous after replacing Trevor Knight two weeks ago against Tulsa. But that was against Tulsa in Norman. This is Notre Dame in South Bend. If OU wins this game, people will begin to mention the under-the-radar Sooners as a possible dark horse national title contender.

4. Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0 Big 12; last week: 4): The Texas Tech defense continues to play well, but the offense was sluggish again in a 33-7 victory over Texas State. Kliff Kingsbury has to decide whether he’s going to stick with Baker Mayfield as his starting quarterback or go with Davis Webb, who has made plays the last two weeks in relief of Mayfield. Kingsbury might secretly and anxiously be waiting on the return of Michael Brewer, who’s been injured since the summer with a bad back but is close to rejoining the team on the practice field.

5. Texas (2-2, 1-0 Big 12; last week: 8): After winning their Big 12 opener 31-21 over Kansas State, the Longhorns still have plenty to play for. But they are also beaten up. Linebacker Jordan Hicks is out for the season again with a ruptured Achilles tendon, quarterback David Ash continues to deal with concussion issues and offensive playmaker Daje Johnson remains out with an ankle injury. The game with Oklahoma (Oct. 12) looms, too. A victory in Dallas is about the only thing that can save Mack Brown’s job and completely reverse momentum in Austin.

6. TCU (1-2, 0-1 Big 12; last week: 5): Gary Patterson was not pleased with his team during the off week. Patterson told reporters last week the Horned Frogs were “feeling sorry for themselves” after the 20-10 loss at Tech. “If we don’t grow up,” Patterson said, “we’re not going to win any more ballgames.” The Frogs had better grow up quickly if they want to avoid letting this season turn into a catastrophe. TCU faces road trips at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in October.

7. Kansas State (2-2, 0-1 Big 12; last week: 7): Even though Texas had been a sieve stopping opposing quarterbacks on the ground, Bill Snyder elected to use Daniel Sams sparingly in Austin. Sams averaged 6 yards a carry but got only eight carries as Jake Waters again took the bulk of the snaps at quarterback. Even though wideout Tyler Lockett is having a monster season, the Wildcats with Waters behind center have been just average offensively, which is flirting with disaster in the Big 12. Especially when the defense is just average, too.

8. West Virginia (2-2, 0-1 Big 12; last week: 6): So much for the idea that the Mountaineers could just replace Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. West Virginia looked completely inept offensively in a 37-0 loss to Maryland, which is a good team, but not that good. The Mountaineers, who had one of the best passing attacks in the country last year, suddenly can’t pass. Quarterback Ford Childress threw for just 62 yards with two interceptions Saturday, not that Paul Millard fared any better in West Virginia’s first two games. Holgorsen said he’s sticking with Childress at quarterback, which is a sign the Mountaineers are building for the future. The present is not a pretty sight.

9. Kansas (2-1, 0-0 Big 12; last week: 9): With the bottom half of the Big 12 struggling so much, the Jayhawks have the opportunity to win a couple of games in the league. But Kansas has its own problems. An offense that was supposed to be improved actually has been worse so far this season. After scoring just a field goal over three quarters against Louisiana Tech, the Jayhawks had to scramble late to escape with a 13-10 win. Jake Heaps owns the worst Total QBR (32.2) in the league and the Kansas wide receivers so far have been a disappointment. There is some talent on Charlie Weis’ offense, especially in the backfield. But it has yet to manifest on the field.

10. Iowa State (0-2, 0-0 Big 12; last week: 10): The Cyclones have back-to-back Thursday night games on deck: at Tulsa and at home against Texas. If Iowa State can’t prevail in either, this will end up being the worst season of the Paul Rhoads era. The only way the Cyclones can avoid that fate is by conjuring something in the run game, which has been abysmal so far this season.

There’s finally a reason for Mack Brown to smile in Austin, Baylor continued to dominate, and things look like they could get ugly in Morgantown. It’s very possible West Virginia doesn’t sniff a bowl game, but Iowa State and Kansas don’t look like world-beaters either.

Here are the Big 12 bowl projections after Week 4:

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. BCS at-large

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Baylor vs. SEC No. 3/4

Valero Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Pac-12 No. 2

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Big Ten No. 4/5

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: TCU vs. Pac-12 No. 3

Texas Bowl: Texas vs. Big Ten No. 6

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Kansas State vs. American No. 4

Heart of Dallas Bowl: West Virginia vs. Big Ten No. 7

1. Good teams are good in all three phases of the game. That’s not breaking news, but we saw what it means at North Carolina State on Thursday night. The Wolfpack got to Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd early and the pressure disrupted his rhythm. He didn’t find it until late in the third quarter. But the Tigers’ defense and special teams kept the Wolfpack in check. Once Boyd found his game, Clemson easily pulled away to a 26-14 victory. The Tigers look like No. 3.

2. The Texas regent who called Jimmy Sexton about Alabama head coach Nick Saban reminds me of the Sports Illustrated expose on Oklahoma State. That’s probably not the only phone call that Sexton received that week about a client of his from another school. What has that got to do with Oklahoma State? Both cases are an inside look at how business gets done. Saban said on his radio show last night that he’s “too damn old to start over.” He and Terri are happy in Alabama, and they have learned the hard way how important that is.

3. Three weeks into the season, 22 FBS schools have scored on every trip into the red zone, but only four of them have scored touchdowns on every trip: Oklahoma State, Texas State, Georgia State and Hawaii. Oklahoma State has the most trips, with 15, and winless Hawaii the least -- just one. A special shout out to Dennis Franchione’s Bobcats, who also lead the FBS in red zone defense, allowing only one touchdown and one field goal in seven trips. Texas State plays at No. 25 Texas Tech on Saturday night.

Texas is crumbling, Oklahoma appears to be on the right track, Texas Tech has surprised and Oklahoma State remains the favorite. Here are some things that are ailing the Big 12 and some cures for those ailments:

What’s ailing the Big 12

Losing to FCS teams. After a summer in which Big 12 coaches touted the overall depth of the conference, Iowa State and Kansas State -- both bowl teams in 2012 -- lost to FCS opponents in Week 1. West Virginia escaped with a late win over FCS opponent William and Mary. Big 12 teams already have lost seven nonconference games, including against Ole Miss (over Texas), LSU (over TCU) and Iowa (over Iowa State).

The cure

Don’t talk about it, be about it. Oklahoma State did knock off Mississippi State and OU gets a shot at Notre Dame on Sept. 28, so all is not lost. But the league’s reputation has taken a hit.

On to Part II:

What’s ailing the Big 12

Lack of defense. The Big 12 has a reputation for poor defense. While nobody in the league likes that reputation, nobody’s done much to change it during nonconference play. The league average is 19.3 points and 384.5 yards allowed per game against FBS schools during the first three weeks of the season. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech have had strong single-game performances, but no Big 12 defense looks dominant.

The cure

Is there one? Things aren’t going to get any easier for Big 12 defenses when conference play begins. All is not lost for Big 12 defensive coordinators, however, because several Big 12 squads remain riddled with uncertainty at quarterback. This isn’t the Big 12 of old when defenses had to slow Robert Griffin III one week, then deal with Brandon Weeden the next. So there’s hope for Big 12 defenses. But based on the first three weeks, don’t hold your breath.

Part III:

What’s ailing the Big 12

Fluid quarterback situations. The season is 3 weeks old, yet 22 quarterbacks on Big 12 teams have thrown at least one pass this season, and 17 of them are in double digits in pass attempts. Blowouts have played a role in those numbers, but 15 quarterbacks have started a game in the 10-team league. Meanwhile, Oklahoma, West Virginia, TCU and Oklahoma State already are pinning their futures on the shoulders of a quarterback who didn’t take the first snap of the 2013 season.

The cure

Better quarterback play. Oklahoma State's J.W. Walsh, Oklahoma’s Blake Bell and West Virginia’s Ford Childress appeared to have upgraded their team’s offenses when they took over. TCU’s Trevone Boykin has a ton of talent, but he hasn’t become the run-pass threat he should be to this point. And Texas ... they’ve got other problems.

Part IV:

What’s ailing the Big 12

What happened to RG III, Tavon Austin, etc? There seems to be a lack of star power in the league. Stars were expected to emerge early this season, but they’ve been few and far between. Several standouts such as Baylor’s Lache Seastrunk, Kansas’ James Sims and Oklahoma State's Josh Stewart have performed well, but supplemental stars haven't emerged. Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty is showing good signs and several other players have had strong single-game performances. But the lack of legitimate game-changing performers is a surprise.

The cure

Time will tell. Petty, Oklahoma's Bell, TCU’s B.J. Catalon and others have the shown the potential to be stars, but the difference between stars and good players is pretty simple. Stars play like stars. Every single week. No excuses.

And finally, Part V:

What’s ailing the Big 12

Nobody has been challenged. Oklahoma State, Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas Tech are the current favorites to win the conference. Now, which from that foursome has recorded the best victories so far? Oklahoma State's victory over Mississippi State leads the pack, followed by Texas Tech’s win over TCU. Do we really know anything about these favorites? And what about Texas, West Virginia, Kansas State and TCU? It’s not crazy to think they can recover and insert themselves in the Big 12 race. (Sorry, Kansas and Iowa State, but you’ll have to prove it on the field.)

The cure

Conference play. We’ll start to learn how good Baylor and Petty really are in October. And the same can be said for a host of Big 12 teams and players. True favorites will start to separate themselves and pretenders will fall by the wayside. Some players with potential will blossom into stars, and other potential standouts will continue to flash some upside, but lack consistency. Should be a fun October.