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.

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.

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.

One thing the Big 12 is not is dull. Here’s a recap of the wild weekend it was in the conference:

Team of the week: Baylor. The Bears completely dismantled a Buffalo team that hung tough with Ohio State last weekend. There was no hanging tough in Waco for the Bulls, who were chased out of town with a 70-13 shellacking. During one unreal 11-minute stretch, Baylor racked up 576 yards of offense while averaging 12.5 yards a play. The Bears also scored touchdowns on their first eight drives, and probably would have scored a ninth had they not run out of time in the first half. Baylor has won six straight dating back to last season.

Disappointment of the week: Texas. First, the Longhorns lost 40-21 to BYU. Then, they lost defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who was fired Sunday and replaced with Greg Robinson. Mack Brown said at the beginning of August he was confident this would be his best team since 2009. If the Longhorns aren’t careful, it could be his worst. Texas has at least a half-dozen losable games left on the schedule, including this weekend’s meeting with emerging Ole Miss.

Big (offensive) man on campus: J.W. Walsh. The Oklahoma State sophomore answered many questions about his passing prowess in a 56-35 win over UTSA that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score. Walsh set an Oklahoma State single-game completion percentage record by connecting on 24 of 27 passes. He found four different receivers for touchdowns and rushed one in on his own. Even though he’s known for his wheels, Walsh now has the 17^th-best passing EPA (expected points added) in college football.

Big (defensive) man on campus: Gabe Lynn. The Oklahoma safety has been maligned in the past for giving up huge plays in the pass, notably in the 2011 home loss to Texas Tech. But Saturday against West Virginia, the former cornerback was delivering the huge plays from his new position. In the third quarter, Lynn intercepted Mountaineers QB Paul Millard, then later scooped up a fumble and returned it 27 yards. The two turnovers killed West Virginia drives and helped keep the Mountaineers at bay even while the Oklahoma offense struggled.

Special-teams player of the week: Tramaine Thompson. The veteran playmaker showed why the Wildcats have one of the most dangerous return units in the country. Thompson’s 94-yard kickoff return to begin the second half put an underrated Louisiana Lafayette away. The return duo of Thompson and Tyler Lockett remains one of the best in the country.

Play of the week: The last time a Kansas wide receiver caught a touchdown pass, Justin McCay was still playing for Oklahoma. McCay, now a Jayhawk, vowed to end that ignominious streak, which dated back to Oct. 22, 2011. In the second quarter against South Dakota, McCoy hauled in a 5-yard pass from quarterback Jake Heaps at the back of the end zone that put Kansas ahead for good while ending the streak for good, too.

Stat of the week: According to ESPN Stats & Information, Baylor already has 16 touchdown drives of two minutes or less, which leads the nation. Oregon has 15. No other program is in double digits. The Ducks led the FBS last year with 45 such drives. Baylor is on pace this season for 104.

Quote of the week: “I haven’t even gotten out of the game. … I’d like to watch the video.” -- Texas coach Mack Brown, when asked after the BYU game whether Manny Diaz would remain his defensive coordinator. Brown fired Diaz the next day.

After Week 2, there is one big riser and one big faller in this week’s Big 12 power rankings:

1. Oklahoma State (2-0, 0-0 Big 12, last week: 1): So much for the notion J.W. Walsh can’t pass. The dual-threat quarterback set an Oklahoma State single-game completion percentage record and threw more touchdown passes than incompletions. Walsh has the ninth-best QBR in college football, and he’s a major reason the Pokes keep the top spot.

2. Baylor (2-0, 0-0 Big 12, last week: 4): It’s one thing to beat Wofford and Buffalo. It’s quite another to completely destroy both of them. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Baylor has 16 touchdown drives of two minutes or less, the most of any offense in the country. The Bears are also averaging 47 points … per first half.

3. Oklahoma (2-0, 1-0 Big 12, last week: 2): The Sooners take a step back despite the West Virginia win because of the uncertainty at quarterback. The good news is that the defense and run game look much improved. But the Sooners can’t win the Big 12 without a viable passing attack, right?

4. TCU (1-1, 0-0 Big 12, last week: 5): TCU’s QB situation has been resolved by Casey Pachall’s broken arm. The Frogs have been more efficient with Trevone Boykin at QB, but he’ll have to do it for four quarters beginning Thursday night in Lubbock against Texas Tech.

5. Texas Tech (2-0, 0-0 Big 12, last week: 6): Baker Mayfield has been spectacular through two games, with seven touchdowns, no interceptions and a 71 percent completion percentage. But Mayfield will be tested for the first time against an aggressive TCU defense that will be welcoming defensive end Devonte Fields back into the starting lineup.

6. West Virginia (1-1, 0-1 Big 12, last week: 7): Oklahoma’s quarterback woes overshadowed the Mountaineers’ stingy defensive performance in Norman. The West Virginia offense, however, continues to sputter, especially through the air. How long will Dana Holgorsen stick with Paul Millard over Clint Trickett if this continues?

7. Texas (1-1, 0-0 Big 12, last week: 3): The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire.

8. Kansas State (1-1, 0-0 Big 12, last week: 8): Bill Snyder’s bunch bounced back with a nice performance over one of the Sun Belt’s better teams in Louisiana-Lafayette. Maybe the Wildcats are better off using two quarterbacks, as Jake Waters (278 yards passing) and Daniel Sams (63 yards rushing) got the offense moving in different ways.

9. Kansas (1-0, 0-0 Big 12, last week: 10): Justin McCay made good on his vow to end the Kansas receiver scoreless catch streak, and the Jayhawks handled South Dakota after a shaky first quarter. Next up? A tricky road trip to Rice, which figures to reveal where exactly this Kansas defense is.

10. Iowa State (0-1, 0-0 Big 12, last week: 9): Kansas won its FCS opener. Iowa State did not. But the Cyclones could jump-start their season next weekend. Take home the Cy-Hawk Trophy for a third straight season, and nobody in Ames will be talking about Northern Iowa.

Here's what we learned in a weird Week 2 in the Big 12:

1. Texas is the same Texas: During the offseason and the preseason, coach Mack Brown kept saying how this Texas team was different than the ones from the past three seasons. However, in a loss to BYU on Saturday, this looked like the same Texas. The Longhorns' defense surrendered a school-record 550 yards on the ground while the Texas offense could only watch on in horror. This will be an interesting week in Austin. And if the Longhorns fall to a surging Ole Miss team this weekend, the wheels could begin to careen off -- assuming they haven’t already.

2. J.W. Walsh can throw: In just his fourth career start, the Oklahoma State sophomore showed that he’s not just an option quarterback. Against UTSA, Walsh completed 24 of 27 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns as the Cowboys coasted to an easy win. Walsh, in fact, broke Brandon Weeden’s school record for completion percentage in a game (88.9 percent), and notched the third-highest QBR of any player in college football for the week. Sure, the performance came against UTSA. But if Walsh continues to throw like that, the Cowboys will be difficult to contain on offense this season.

3. Oklahoma’s QB controversy is just getting started: Freshman Trevor Knight might have won the quarterback job during the preseason. But Saturday night against West Virginia, he gave the Sooners plenty of reasons to reopen the competition. After a lackluster first half, Knight fell apart in the second. He completed just one of five passes and threw two interceptions before the Sooners benched him in favor of Blake Bell early in the fourth quarter. After Sam Bradford and Landry Jones both shattered multiple passing records during their careers, Oklahoma is now struggling just to complete passes. Coach Bob Stoops hinted after the game that he might make a switch at quarterback. Considering the way Knight played Saturday, Stoops might have to with Notre Dame, TCU and Texas coming up on the schedule.

4. Trevone Boykin is the man for the Frogs: TCU’s quarterback controversy resolved itself Saturday when starter Casey Pachall suffered an injury to his non-throwing arm that required surgery. With Pachall expected to miss an extended period of time, Boykin can officially move forward as the quarterback in the TCU offense. Pachall won the starting job during the preseason; but so far, the offense has been more effective with Boykin, who, after replacing Pachall, led the Horned Frogs to three straight scoring drives on Saturday to put away Southeastern Louisiana. After Pachall left school last season, Boykin went just 3-6 as a starter. But he looks like an improved quarterback across the board and brings an element of mobility to the position that was missing with Pachall in the game.

5. The Baylor offense is scary: For the second week in a row (this time against Buffalo), Baylor scored four touchdowns in the first quarter, prompting Bulls coach Jeff Quinn to suggest the Bears might deserve to be ranked with the team he faced last week (Ohio State). Baylor might not be on that level just yet. But there’s no reason why with this balanced and prolific offense, the Bears can’t contend in a wide-open Big 12.

Recognizing the best and brightest from around the Big 12 in Week 2:

RB Brennan Clay, Oklahoma

On a night when the Sooners’ quarterback plan fell apart, Clay came in and saved the day. The senior backup was a workhorse against West Virginia, rushing for a career-high 170 yards on 22 carries in a 16-7 victory. No matter whom OU goes with behind center, it's at least got two talented, proven backs to lean on in Clay and Damien Williams, who nearly joined Clay is hitting the 100-yard mark.

QB Baker Mayfield, Texas Tech

Just because Mayfield and Tech were playing Stephen F. Austin doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve some credit. The freshman walk-on continues to impress, throwing for 367 yards and three touchdowns. He added 66 yards on the ground, too, and would’ve easily finished with more than 500 total yards had he not sat out the second half to give Davis Webb reps in the blowout. We'll know a lot more about just how good Mayfield is next week when TTU takes on TCU.

WR Tramaine Thompson, Kansas State

Tyler Lockett might set more records, but Thompson was the spark KSU needed to bounce back from its season-opening loss. He returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, added a 79-yard punt return down to the 1-yard line and finished with 46 receiving yards. It’s hard to beat that all-purpose contribution, and it's safe to argue that the Wildcats have one of the best kick-return duos in the country.

LB Bryce Hager, Baylor

We could give this honor to several members of the Baylor offense, but let’s give the Bears’ defense some love. Hager had 124 tackles last season and only two on Saturday. That's normally a bad day in his book, but he gets the sticker for his impressive 91-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Buffalo. To say Hager was rumbling and stumbling on that run-back doesn’t do it justice. Baylor coach Art Briles said after the game that Hager's return was the nail in the coffin that the Bears needed.

QB J.W. Walsh, Oklahoma State

Walsh is making Mike Gundy look smart for anointing him the Pokes’ starter. He was a near-perfect 24-for-27 passing against UTSA with 326 yards and touchdowns to four different OSU receivers. He also rushed for a touchdown before letting Clint Chelf take over and finish off the Roadrunners. While Chelf also made solid use of his reps against UTSA, there's no doubt who the preferable option is right now for OSU at quarterback.

By request, we’ll be revealing here what games the Big 12 blog team will be covering week-to-week. Last weekend I was in the Metroplex for Texas Tech-SMU and TCU-LSU. This Saturday, I’ll be covering Oklahoma-West Virginia along with Brandon Chatmon. Max Olson will be in Provo, Utah, for Texas-BYU.

We’re also going to try something new. Beginning next Thursday, we’re going to have a different guest picker each week who will go head-to-head with me in picking games.

How does one become a guest picker? Contact me here and tell me why you should be our guest picker. Creativity counts.

As for last week’s picks, the FCS destroyed an otherwise flawless docket. Thanks, guys.

SEASON RECORD

Last week: 7-2 (.778)

Overall: 7-2 (.778)

My picks for Week 2:

TCU 48, Southeastern Louisiana 7: The Frogs bounce back in a big way to even up their record against the state of Louisiana. Both Casey Pachall and Trevone Boykin play well while spitting time, leaving TCU’s quarterback situation unresolved heading into next week’s conference opener in Lubbock.

Oklahoma State 44, UTSA 9: The Cowboys settle into the J.W. Walsh option offense and look much crisper offensively. The defense, meanwhile, puts together another stellar performance. But is it for real or is it just smoke and mirrors?

Baylor 51, Buffalo 17: Buffalo puts up more of a fight than Wofford, but this one ends in a rout, too, suggesting Baylor just might have the best and most complete offense in the Big 12.

Oklahoma 35, West Virginia 13: Former Sooners coach Barry Switzer made the prediction this week that the Mountaineers would not be gaining 787 yards on Oklahoma this time. He must have watched West Virginia’s William & Mary game. Along with Tavon Austin, the Mountaineers could wind up missing offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, who left West Virginia for the same job at Oklahoma during the offseason. The Sooners’ line looked strong last week, while West Virginia’s looked shaky. Charles Sims is a big-time playmaker. But he doesn’t have many creases to slide through this week either in Norman, and the Sooners will cruise.

Kansas State 31, Louisiana-Lafayette 20: Coach Bill Snyder has his bunch back on track with a solid victory over the underrated Ragin’ Cajuns. Daniel Sams steals enough snaps away from Jake Waters to rush for more than 100 yards while igniting a full-blown quarterback controversy in Manhattan. At least Snyder has another week to work that out before his ‘Cats visit Austin on Sept. 21.

Texas 28, BYU 10: If Texas has indeed turned the corner, then this is a game it needs to win easily, right? Well, that’s what happens, as the Longhorns roll in Provo behind two big-play touchdowns from Daje Johnson. Uh, keep feeding this guy the ball.

Kansas 28, South Dakota 17: Finally, somebody represents the Big 12 against that pesky FCS. Jake Heaps throws three touchdowns, including one apiece to backfield mates Tony Pierson and James Sims.

Texas Tech 66, Stephen F. Austin 7: The Baker Bandwagon is filling up fast. Baker Mayfield throws for another four touchdowns and 400 yards, setting up next week’s showdown against TCU -- the school he originally wanted to attend but which never gave him a scholarship.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- J.W. Walsh would never know when he’d be coming into the game.

Now, he’ll know he won’t be coming out.

Monday, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy announced that Walsh would be his starting quarterback going forward, effectively ending a two-quarterback experiment with Walsh and Clint Chelf. Gundy pulled Chelf after the first two series against Mississippi State in favor of Walsh, who mostly with his legs sparked the Cowboys to a 21-3 win.

“We started to see results from what J.W. was giving us,” Gundy said. “We were playing a team that has the capability of beating us -- we needed to stay with what we thought gave us the best chance to win the game.”

The Cowboys have decided Walsh gives them the best chance to win the rest of the season. As a result, Oklahoma State will feature a very different offensive attack than the Cowboys have been accustomed to running. That means fewer four-wide formations and more three-back sets, as Oklahoma State transitions to an option-based offense that utilizes Walsh’s skill set.

"Any time you have something that's working, you never want to go away from that,” said Walsh, who leads the Big 12 in rushing after one week. “Use what's working and attack what you see with the defense, and that's what we did Saturday.”

The Cowboys did most of their damage against Mississippi State with Walsh operating the option out of a three-back pistol offense.

"We installed that last spring,” offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said. “It was effective back then, so we continued to work at it. We studied tape of the San Francisco 49ers, who ran it well with Colin Kaepernick. We tried to grab some film from that. They ran some of those exact plays out of that formation, so we just looked at a lot of their tape."

The turning point in the game came late in the second quarter with Oklahoma State trailing 3-0. Out of the three-back pistol, Walsh read the defense perfectly and took an option keeper 46 yards down the left sideline. Two snaps later, Walsh scored on the exact same play to give the Cowboys their first lead.

“The schemes that we played were new and played to his advantage,” Gundy said. “The schemes that we were running were new and I don't know if Mississippi State was ready for them."

That will be one challenge for the Cowboys the rest of the season. They may have caught Mississippi State off guard. That won’t be so with future opponents.

Yurcich faces another challenge as the Cowboys switch attacks. Oklahoma State has been recruiting to fit the offense Brandon Weeden quarterbacked.

Oklahoma State is deep and talented at wide receiver. But when the Cowboys go to the three-back set, their better playmakers like Josh Stewart or Tracy Moore are on the sidelines. Against Mississippi State, Stewart and Moore combined to catch only eight passes. For Oklahoma State to reach its full potential offensively, the passing game will have to remain part of the attack -- and there's reason to believe it can be. Last season, Walsh completed 66.7 percent of his passes and had three games where he threw for more than 300 yards. Incorporating the option while keeping Stewart and Moore on the field and involved will be paramount for Walsh and the Cowboys.

“I feel like we'll be able to build on [the option],” Walsh said. “And expand on our offense going forward.”

It took just two drives for Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy to make a change. And he’s not planning to make another one.

After saying both quarterbacks would play against Mississippi State, Gundy replaced starter Clint Chelf with J.W. Walsh after two series in Saturday’s 21-3 victory over the Bulldogs. On Monday, Gundy said Walsh will be the guy moving forward and he had no plans to play both quarterbacks when Oklahoma State faces Texas-San Antonio this Saturday.

Even though the Cowboys entered the season opener with a plan to play both quarterbacks, Gundy has been consistent in saying he prefers to have one main guy behind center. And Walsh adds an ability to threaten defenses as a running quarterback in read-option situations that Chelf simply doesn't provide.

Walsh’s production backs up Gundy’s decision. The redshirt sophomore ranks third in the Big 12 in total quarterback rating at 83.6, joining Baylor’s Bryce Petty and Texas’ David Ash as the lone conference signal callers with a QBR over 80. His 99.8 rating on third down tied Petty atop the conference. Walsh had 13 carries for 125 yards, more rushing yards than any quarterback in the nation, and completed 18 of 27 passes for 135 yards in the win.

Against the Bulldogs, the Cowboys offense was more explosive with Walsh behind center. The Cowboys averaged 6.5 yards per play when Walsh was in the game and 1.8 yards per play with Chelf behind center, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Walsh isn’t the prototypical quarterback size, but he finds a way to make plays with his feet and find passing lanes to throw through to keep defenses honest.

So while it seems Gundy had a quick hook for Chelf and is making a hasty decision to give the job to Walsh, the numbers make it easier to see why Gundy is ready to hitch the Cowboys’ offensive destiny to the redshirt sophomore quarterback.

Here's what we learned after an up-and-down opening week in the Big 12:

Baker Mayfield might be a walk-on, but he can play: It didn’t take long for the rest of us to see why freshman walk-on Baker Mayfield won Texas Tech’s starting QB job. While accounting for five touchdowns in the 41-23 win over SMU, Mayfield displayed a rocket arm, an aggressive mentality and a great deal of savvy. The Red Raiders are hoping to get Michael Brewer back, perhaps as soon as next month. But if Mayfield keeps performing the way he did against SMU, it’s difficult to see coach Kliff Kingsbury going with a different quarterback.

The defenses in the Sooner State might be better: Inconsistent defense has plagued Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in recent seasons. Both teams have fielded some of the most prolific offenses in the country, but this season, they might have the defenses to go along with those offensive attacks. In their opener, the Cowboys obliterated Mississippi State up front, and kept the Bulldogs from scoring again after the opening drive. The Sooners completely blanked Louisiana-Monroe in a 34-0 rout. Both Oklahoma State and Oklahoma will face better offenses down the line. But it was a promising debut for both units.

Kansas State, West Virginia and Iowa State have a long way to go: Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen said as much after his club narrowly escaped FCS opponent William & Mary. Kansas State and Iowa State weren’t so lucky. The Wildcats fell at home to North Dakota State, while Iowa State lost to Northern Iowa. All three Big 12 teams are in rebuilding mode, which was pretty evident this weekend.

TCU is winless, but it is going to win plenty of games: In a 37-27 defeat to LSU, TCU showed it belonged on the field with one of the top teams in the SEC. Even without All-American defensive end Devonte Fields, TCU’s front held up against LSU’s powerful run game, and the Horned Frogs' defensive backs made several plays against the pass. Quarterbacks Casey Pachall and Trevone Boykin made their share of plays, too, especially Boykin, who pulled TCU to within a field goal midway through the fourth quarter. The Frogs will have to hash out their quarterback situation. But the defense is in place, and enough playmakers exist on offense for this team to contend in the Big 12.

The QB run game will be a big part of the Big 12: Over the years, the Big 12 has been defined by the arms of its quarterbacks. This season, it could be their legs, too. Both Oklahoma State and Oklahoma won their openers by leaning on the quarterback run game. J.W. Walsh replaced starter Clint Chelf and rushed for 125 yards to lead the Cowboys to the win. In his debut, Oklahoma’s Trevor Knight ran for 103 yards. Boykin and Kansas State’s Daniel Sams also pulled off big plays with their wheels in relief of starters Pachall and Jake Waters. Even Mayfield and Texas’ David Ash showed plenty of mobility in their openers. The pass will remain the Big 12’s calling card. But many of these passers can really run, too.