Power 5 week 4 recap: Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Not the Big 12

By: The Waco Kid

Photo: Brian Powers, USA Today Sports

Brock “Brockoli” Purdy adds to his Iowa State legend by knocking off Oklahoma.

There might be an overwhelming consensus that we here at Biscuits & SEC may have a bias against other conferences, so let me briefly address that. We kind of do. For starters, the blog is called Biscuits & SEC; if you want Breakfast Tacos and the Big 12, Hoppel Poppel and the Big Ten, Eggs Benny and the ACC, or Tofu and the Pac 12, somewhere there is a Denny’s reservation with your name on it (we don’t know where you get tofu). Secondly, is it really a bias when week in and week out the top teams in your conference cannot seem to win, or is it just an undeniable truth that becomes too painful to cope with? If you want to read articles that criticize every deserving team, with no remorse, this is the place to be. So grab your biscuits (no pictures please), put on the pair of genie pants that we all at one point purchased from a Goodwill in college, and enjoy a recap of your favorite Power 5 conference teams. 

Before I get into the actual games, I’d like to start by asking if anyone else is a little pissed off that Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon are ranked in the top 15 without playing a single down of football? Talk about a bias…The newest polls have them ranked above undefeated Miami, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, and Tennessee squads. Some of these programs might be a stretch for top ten teams but do they not deserve to be rewarded for their on field production? Big Ten and Pac 12 teams have shown us nothing so far while other conferences are two to three games into college football play; start these unproven teams at the bottom of the top 25 and let them play their way in, even if that means playing one week with a lower designation, don’t take away from the teams that have already proven themselves in actual games.

As for the ACC, there were some expected blowouts, close games, and poor performances that barely yielded a win. The Virginia Cavaliers traveled to Memorial Stadium to face heavily favored Clemson in an ACC showdown. UVA looked like a Lebron James led team in the 2018 NBA finals. Clemson was able to outscore the Cavs in all four games, I mean quarters, leading to a 41-23 victory. Trevor Lawrence threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns while Travis Etienne added 73 yards and another score on the ground. Will a Hercules arise that can slay Orthus, the two headed monster that seems to have made its new home in Clemson, South Carolina?

Photo: Courtesy of the ACC

North Carolina headed to Massachusetts to go punch for punch with undefeated Boston College in the Thrilla in Chestnut Hill-a. North Carolina’s Sam Howell, once again, impressed with 225 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, and only 1 interception. Javonte Williams continues to compete for top ACC running back, with over 100 total scrimmage yards and two scores, Williams is running stride for stride with Travis Etienne for that title. Boston College did all it could to stay in the game but in the end quarterback Phil Jurkovec threw a two point conversion pick to conclude the game 26-22. 

After two weeks of harsh criticism, Pittsburgh showed up last week against Louisville and proved they were worth talking about. That was short lived, as they lost 30-29 to North Carolina State on a 13 yard touchdown pass from State’s quarterback Devin Leary with 23 seconds remaining in the game. As good of a game as it was, Pittsburgh will now be demoted back down to the irrelevants. Duke lost to ranked opponent Virginia Tech 38-31. It is worth noting that VA Tech was missing 21 players and two coaches. It is also safe to say this loss was somehow Chase Brice’s fault. Could Brice be sabotaging his new team to make sure his previous team, Clemson, has an easier way into the playoffs? I do not know, but he sure does not seem too motivated to win. Finally I must address the Florida State dumpster fire that Jimbo Fisher lit the match to and has watched slowly burn since his departure. This week the ‘Noles played Jacksonville State. Ever heard of them? Me neither, but they gave FSU a run for their money. Jacksonville State was up 21-14 at halftime before a second half Seminole comeback. The ‘Noles ended up securing their first win of the season 41-24, behind the play of backup quarterback Jordan Travis who passed for 210 yards and a touchdown. Tallahassee has always thrived on the attention their college has brought in, but now it seems the state capitol will become a GTL town just like the rest of Florida. 

Now for Big 12 fans, you may want to talk to your college counselors about establishing a safe place on campus because this is about to get homicidal. Has the Sun Belt already captured the Big 12 championship or is that still up for debate? Louisiana Lafayette beat Iowa State a team that went on to win against TCU and OU, and then TCU beat Texas Saturday. Arkansas State beat Kansas State who put away Oklahoma and Texas Tech the past two weeks. Will a November 5th meeting between Arkansas State and Louisiana Lafayette determine the Big 12 champion, or will we have to watch an over-ranked University of Texas team “outright win” the Big 12 according to the Longhorn Network? 

This past weekend the Big 12 saw two top teams fall to unranked opponents, luckily we will get to see these teams play each other next week in the Red River Rivalry, determining who is the most overrated team in the nation in preseason. Texas hosted the TCU horned frogs down in Austin, a team that has won five out of their six previous meetings. TCU has seemed to master the art of cow tipping, while those longhorns can’t figure out a way to get out of the dirt once they are down. Sam Ehlinger passed for 236 yards and an astonishing 4 touchdowns with only one interception, proving that padded stats do not correlate to wins (shout out Dak Prescott). It’s not like this was a classic Gary Patterson defense that shuts offenses down; no this was a typical Big 12, who gets the ball last, shootout, with TCU putting it away 33-31. The same type of game Texas was barely able to survive in overtime last weekend. Texas will continue to be praised for their “quality losses” and if they can beat a 1-2 Oklahoma team, will probably jump right back into the top 10. However, I fully expect the Longhorns to fall to the Sooners next week, and continue to be the team that cries every time someone makes a Horns down gesture. 

The Oklahoma Sooners were no better, falling to Iowa State 37-30. Could someone please bring out a step stool for Spencer Rattler in the fourth quarter so he can see defenders and not throw interceptions to end the game? They say the rattlesnake is among the most venomous of snakes and can kill its prey with one bite, so why does this Rattler keep biting himself? Spencer threw for a commendable 300 yards and two touchdowns but his turnover cost OU the game. Iowa State’s Breece Hall looked like an extra in Mad Max, driving over the Oklahoma defense for 139 yards and two scores. Thankfully, we are seeing the Sooners for what they really are during the regular season, as opposed to having to see them another year in the playoffs get beat down by out of conference talent. I personally, being a Waco Kid, think that it might be time that Rattler takes a front row seat to some Mordecai magic.

Photo: Jay Biggerstaff, USA Today Sports

The Oklahoma State Cowboys remain the lone undefeated team in the Big 12. Has it looked pretty? No, but they continue to improve week after week and now look like a Mike Gundy coached team. Quarterback Shane Illingworth threw for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns while the Chuba Hubbard of old made an appearance with 145 yards rushing and two scores. Kansas showed no signs of life in this 47-7 beat down. The only points scored were on a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, which screams trash time points. This Cowboys team has the makings of what could be another proficient Mike Gundy offense, business up front, party in the back (field). 

Baylor traveled to Morgantown to face the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Bears’ defense looked good holding the Mountaineers to only 21 points in regulation, but a question arose with multiple hometown friends: is Charlie Brewer the answer? We have seen Charlie Brewer on the ground crying more than the first time someone watches the movie Friday Night Lights. His stat line was not bad, passing for 229 yards and three touchdowns but he added two interceptions to go along with that. He just does not seem to have whatever “it” is. As weird as it sounds his whole career has been a success because of what Baylor has been able to do defensively. West Virginia was led by poor quarterback play and Leddie Brown who rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns. If Oklahoma State falls, the Big 12 will be wide open and either one of these teams could step up to the plate, however it seems this conference is doomed to have at least two loss teams across the board, rendering the conference inconsequential in the College Football Playoff discussion. 

Things are definitely getting interesting in college football. It will be even more fun when I get the chance to beat up on the Big 10 and Pac 12. 

See you on the couch next week.