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It's a limited weekend of action within the Big Twelve Conference this weekend, with just six teams in action. West Virginia wins the prize for best non-conference opponent of the weekend as they take on bordering Maryland in a rivalry game. However, the game that draws the most attention is the nightcap in Austin where the reeling Longhorns host Kansas State.
11:00 - Louisiana Tech at Kansas: Both teams have a single win on the season, with the Jayhawks winning their lone home game and Bulldogs losing their lone road contest. The main thing to know about this game is that it features the nation's 93rd ranked scoring offense (Kansas) against the 105th ranked scoring offense (LA Tech).
Subplot: To this point Kansas has mirrored their own 2012 football season. The Jayhawks won the opener in 2012 before losing the second game of the season to Rice. That loss started a string of eleven consecutive losses to end the year at 1-11. KU dropped their second game of the season, once again, to Rice last weekend to even their record at 1-1. This is a great opportunity for the Jayhawks to separate themselves from a horrendous 2012 season.
2:30 - West Virginia at Maryland: The Terrapins approach this game averaging nearly 40 points per game and the Mountaineers are boasting of a seemingly improved defense that is only allowing 13.3 points per game.
Subplot: Redshirt freshman Ford Childress took control of the West Virginia offense last week and guided the Mountaineers to a season high 41 points. He'll take a significant step up in competition this weekend, giving us all a better glimpse at his true potential.
3:00 - Louisiana-Monroe at #20 Baylor: The Bears currently have the nation's top scoring offense and second ranked scoring defense. Granted they've yet to truly be tested and despite the fact that the Warhawks are on a two-game winning streak (including a win last week at Wake Forest) its doubtful that they'll be a challenge to the Bears either.
Subplot: Baylor has possibly been playing the best football in all of the Big Twelve through the first three weeks of the season. This is the first game where you can compare a score against another conference team as the Warhawks were Oklahoma's season opening opponent..
6:00 - Texas State at #25 Texas Tech: On the surface this may look like your typical "we bought us a win" type game but Texas State isn't a team that'll go away easy. The Bobcats are pretty scrappy and could make this an interesting game through the first two quarters.
Subplot: For the first time this season Baker Mayfield looked like a true freshman against TCU last week. He was ultimately replaced by Davis Webb led the Red Raiders to a 20-10 victory over TCU. Now we'll see how Mayfield responds knowing that someone is looking over his shoulder.
7:00 - Kansas State at Texas: The Longhorns have given up an average of 42 points per game over the last two weeks and Kansas State is averaging 36 points per game. That's where this game will be won or lost for these two teams.
Subplot: Here's a stat that may shock you, the Longhorns haven't won a football game against Kansas State since October 4th, 2003. The Wildcats started the season with a shocking loss to North Dakota State and Texas has been reeling after consecutive losses to BYU and Ole Miss. There's certainly a lot riding on this match-up as a win by Kansas State would signify that the Wildcats are once again on the right track and a win by Texas would bring a much needed sigh of relief to Mack Brown and his coaching staff. The Longhorns haven't been 1-3 since 1956. Yeah, we'll be watching this one!
Big Twelve Week Four Power Rankings
1. Oklahoma State (3-0, last week #1)
2. Oklahoma (3-0, last week #2)
3. Baylor (2-0, last week #3)
4. Texas Tech (3-0, last week #4)
5. Kansas State (2-1, last week #6)
6. West Virginia (2-1, last week #8)
7. TCU (1-2, last week #5)
8. Texas (1-2, last week #7)
9. Kansas (1-1, last week #9)
10. Iowa State (1-2, last week #10)