Around the Big 12: Week 6
The Big 12 is an interesting conference each year with surprise teams coming out of nowhere to teams like Baylor and Oklahoma State challenging for a playoff spot.
This year Kansas State is the unlikely leader of the conference and is the 17th ranked team in the nation.
Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez has taken over well for current Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson while Deuce Vaughn continues to shine in the running game.
Oklahoma State is ranked seventh in the nation and travels to TCU this weekend.
Returning starter Spencer Sanders has been sharing the ball with his wide receivers throughout the season as four are already at 200 on the year.
No one saw TCU being the 13th ranked team in the nation after losing head coach Gary Patterson in the offseason but there they are.
Max Duggan has taken command of the offense and has gotten a ton of help from running back Kendre Miller and receiver Quentin Johnston while linebacker Dee Winters has 3.5 sacks on the year.
Another one no one saw was Kansas being 5-1 and ranked at 19 this season.
The Jayhawks will have to continue this run after quarterback Jalon Daniels went down with a shoulder injury.
Texas will play Iowa State at noon this Saturday after coming off a huge win over Oklahoma.
The Longhorns feature a power running back in Bijan Robinson and a quarterback who can spread it across the field in Quinn Ewers.
Baylor will face off against West Virginia tomorrow night as they look to improve to 2-1 in conference play.
Sophomore quarterback Blake Shapen has steadily improved throughout the season and the future is bright for the Bears.
Texas Tech has had an up and down season this year and beat Texas for their only conference win on the year.
Receiver Jerand Bradley leads the team with 317 yards and three touchdowns as quarterback Donovan Smith looks to return from injury.
West Virginia is still looking for their first conference win under quarterback JT Daniels but he has not had the numbers that he could have this year.
Receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton has been a constant big play receiver with 412 yards on the season with four touchdowns.
Iowa State has lost three straight after a 3-0 start and will travel to Texas on Saturday at noon.
Quarterback Hunter Dekkers has done a good job taking over for Brock Purdy and has been consistently finding his top option in Xavier Hutchinson who has over 600 receiving yards on the year.
In three games Oklahoma has let up a total of 145 points in conference play this season and welcomes the bye week as a shot to get back on track.
Running backs Eric Gray and Jovantae Barnes have been a great two headed monster out of the backfield and Marvin Mims as served as a top receiver.
The question is can quarterback Dillon Gabriel get healthy and get the Sooners out of the basement of the Big 12.
James Morrison is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jpm6920@psu.edu.
