So I missed getting my responses in on time for this week's Big 12 Roundtable. I decided to post my responses anyway. You can checkout the roundup (excluding my responses) at Rock M Nation.
- A solid 10-2 showing for the Big 12 this weekend. Which of these wins was biggest for the Big 12 and why?
Well, I know which loss was the biggest for the Big 12. Okay let's not go there alright! Missouri's thrashing of Illinois was impressive for the Big 12 Conference because the Tigers showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with in the North. However, the best win for the conference has to go to the Oklahoma State Cowboys who played in the conference's biggest game. All we heard going into OSU's match-up with Georgia was that the Cowboys couldn't handle the power and speed of the SEC. Turns out that the SEC wasn't all it was cracked up to be in this match.
2. Conversely, the Mountain West did its damage against Colorado and Oklahoma. What's more disconcerting -- a sleeper in Colorado coming unglued, or a power in Oklahoma getting knocked off?
I really had no expectations for Colorado this year. I thought they'd be improved, I even thought they'd be better than Colorado State but it didn't really matter because the reputation of the conference didn't hinge on what the Buffs did. However, there was preseason talk about the Big 12 South being the best division in all of college football and Oklahoma's Egg in Arlington did absolutely nothing to forward that theory. Not only did the Mormon beat down send Sooner fans into a frenzy but it also set the conference back a few notches.
3. Right now, the college football world is rotating around a shoulder that can't rotate itself. What does the Sam Bradford injury mean for the conference right now?
It means at this point that the Big 12 only has one Heisman candidate. The Big Three of Bradford, McCoy and Tebow has officially become the Big Two and the Big 12 can no longer boast of having two quarterbacks in the race.
4. How, if at all, did your perception of your team change after week one, both for better and for worse?
Really? I have to answer this question? Well I thought that Oklahoma's offensive linemen would be able to block and memorize a snap count. I also had thought that the Sooners had some receivers who could catch the ball in clutch situations. Wrong again. Perceptions can change from week to week and hopefully the two areas get significantly better for OU.
5. Give us your offensive player of the week, defensive player of the week, and coaching move of the week, including justifications for your selection. You ARE eligible to vote for your own program.
Offensive Player Of The Week: Blaine Gabbert, QB Missouri - 25/33, 319 yards, 3 TD's
Defensive Player Of The Week: Ryan Reynolds, LB Oklahoma - 10 TKLS, 1 TKL For Loss, 1 INT, 1 Sack
Coaching Move Of The Week: Mike Gundy - O-State lost a starting tight end and their starting middle linebacker the week before the season started and still had their way with Georgia mostly because he hired Bill Young as his new defensive coordinator.
6. Big 12 Power Poll! Rank the teams from 1-12. (Again, the simple criteria for this is power, i.e. who would beat who on a neutral field?)
- Oklahoma State
- Texas
- Nebraska
- Missouri
- Kansas
- Texas Tech
- Oklahoma
- Baylor
- Texas A&M
- Iowa State
- Kansas State
- Colorado