By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
There have been many surprises so far this season in the Big 12. The rest of the season should be fun to watch in this conference.
Oklahoma – The Freshman Phenom
Nobody outside of Norman, Oklahoma thought the Sooners would be where they are now. Oklahoma is a perfect 4-0 and a lot of that has been thanks to the play of their young QB. Himoteo Del Este has been incredible in the first four games of his career. He has thrown for 1,374 yards and rushed for another 478. He has the third-most rushing yards in the league. His 17 total touchdowns are the 4th most in the league.
This red-hot start has Oklahoma out in front, but the hardest part of their schedule is about to start. In the next four weeks, they will have to play LSU, Texas A&M, Colorado, and Texas. Time will tell if Del Este can keep up this level of play in the meat of conference play. If he can, Oklahoma could get their first conference championship since Season 18.
Texas – Defense, Defense, Defense
Texas’ defense has been on fire to start the season. They have accounted for 19 total sacks, which is the most in the league. They also have the league’s best rush defense and have forced the third most takeaways. Currently, Texas is home to the player who leads the lead in interceptions (Valente Martinez) and the player who leads the league in TFLs (Owen Moreland). They have six players who average more than 1 TFL per game.
The offense for Texas is going to look different after Bo Jones takes over at QB. Texas’ defense will need to keep up their dominant level of play to make a deep run in the playoffs. But, so far, they have been up to the challenge.
Colorado – Slept On
Colorado started the season 0-2 and many wrote them off as done for the season. However, those two losses were to teams that are currently tied for their conference lead. And since that 0-2 start, the Buffaloes have rattled off back-to-back wins. Their balanced offense has been potent, with QB Sky Sanders and HB Taylor James accounting for 20 total touchdowns. The defense has done its part, leading the lead in turnovers (11). Colorado has been impressive this season.
Colorado will get a big chance to prove just how good they are next week. They will head to Austin to take on the preseason conference favorites. If they can beat Texas, the rest of the league will be forced to wake up to the fact that Colorado is legit.
Texas A&M – Turnovers Tell the Tale
The Aggies started the season 2-0, but have now dropped their last two to fall to 2-2. The team has still put up respectful stats in both losses, but there is one stat that has changed. The Aggies only turned the ball over once in their first two games. They turned the ball over eight times in their two losses!
The Aggies are now tied for the most turnovers in the league. Texas A&M has a good team and they have more than enough time to get back to their winning ways. All they need to do is take care of the football.
LSU – They Survived the Guantlent
LSU’s first four games were nightmarish. They had to play Florida State, Michigan, Auburn, and Texas. All four of their opponents have extremely talented teams. LSU came to the halfway point at 1-3. Now, the schedule is going to get easier (at least on paper).
Now, that is not to say the rest of the Big 12 is going to let them win. They should expect everyone to play them tough. However, they don’t have any more Auburns on their schedule.
West Virginia – The Pine-Dale Connection
The Mountaineers have started the season 0-4, but it hasn’t all been bad. MLB Al Pine and FS Brent Dale have been a fantastic duo for the defense. They have 75 combined tackles this season, which is the second most of any teammate duo this season. They also have had five TFLs and a pair of pass breakups.
Pine and Dale have been flying all over the field to make plays. If and when West Virginia wins their first game this season, it will likely be after a big game for one or both of these players.
