10 Big Thoughts on the Big 12: Week 5

1. That was ridiculous, West Virginia and Baylor. 163 total points, 1,507 total yards, and 180 total plays were called in the 70-63 Mountaineer victory. It was as close to NCAA 13 as you can get in real life, and that’s without getting picked off ten times due to the ridiculously over-improved defenses in the game.

September 29, 2012; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith (12) reacts on the sidelines in the second half in the game against the Baylor Bears at Milan Puskar Stadium. West Virginia defeated Baylor 70-63. Mandatory Credit: Rob Christy-US PRESSWIRE

2. Geno Smith is the leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman, and no there isn’t an argument right now. 20 touchdowns, zero turnovers. 83.4 percent of his passes are completed – that’s about five percent better than anyone else. He had six completions and eight touchdowns alone against Baylor. Even if he played against community colleges and raked in those stats, he’s the Heisman leader right now.

3. I think we all need to admire what’s happening at Baylor right now. Art Briles is setting up a system with the Bears – it’s not going to be a program that just had Robert Griffin III and falls off the face of the Earth.

4. Weather was a factor in TCU’s struggles against SMU, and it doesn’t show up in the box score. Casey Pachall looked good to start with a couple of touchdown passes in the first quarter. He went 8-15 passing until the final drive of the first half with three straight incompletes. Including those incomplete passes, he went 2-11 on passing the rest of the day.

5. Iowa State’s offensive line was abysmal in their loss to Texas Tech, and it was a key reason why Steele Jantz had four turnovers in the game. That being said, if the Cyclones are going to focus on being more of a defensive-minded team, ball control is important. Jantz will not work out at the quarterback position with his high-risk passing and play-making, because Iowa State needs to win the turnover ratio for their defense to succeed.

6. Texas Tech’s defense may be legit. That defensive line forced Jantz to scramble almost all night long.

Sept 15, 2012; Oxford, MS, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback David Ash (14) prepares to pass the ball against the defense of the Mississippi Rebels during the game at Vaught Hemingway Stadium. Texas Longhorns defeated the Mississippi Rebels 66-31. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

7. It looked like WVU/Baylor all over again in the first quarter of the Texas vs. Oklahoma State game. Once things settled down, the Longhorns survived a back-and-forth game mostly on David Ash’s arm. He finished the game with an amazing 30-37 passing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.

8. Oklahoma State again exposed the Longhorn’s rush defense, which is now ranked at 89th nationally. They may not have the best defense in the Big 12 as expected, but the emergence of Ash at the quarterback position has balanced things out. Even giving up over 500 total yards on the road, Texas still was able to pick up the win.

9. Can Texas’ pass defense do anything against Geno Smith? It will be an intriguing matchup. But what’s underrated is how much Ash could do against West Virginia’s defense.

10. Iowa State will have to earn their way back toward the top of the rankings. They fall the furthest after a lackluster offensive effort in a conference where you just simply need to succeed on that side of the ball.

1. West Virginia
2. Kansas State
3. Texas
4. TCU
5. Texas Tech
6. Oklahoma
7. Baylor
8. Oklahoma State
9. Iowa State
10. Kansas

Brian Spaen is the lead editor for Clones Confidential. Keep up with the latest sports fails and disdain toward the Big Ten by following him on Twitter.

Read his other work on the Oregon Ducks blog, Autzen Zoo, and Lacrosse the Web.