Here are five thoughts from Week 2 in the Big 12.
Texas is certifiably, unequivocally not "back." Texas lost on Saturday night and did so in embarrassing fashion, 40-21 to an average BYU team coming off a loss to Virginia. Any issues at quarterback were way, way down the list, too. The defense that gave up more rushing yards than any team in school history in 2012 doesn't look like it's made much improvement. Giving up 550 rushing yards to a one-dimensional BYU offense is unthinkable, especially for a defense with the caliber of athletes and experience that Texas possesses. What's more telling of the situation in Austin? That Mack Brown couldn't guarantee defensive coordinator Manny Diaz would return to coach next week, or that there's no one saying Mack is crazy for entertaining the possibility of an immediate change? The Longhorns had zero excuses to lose to the Cougars, but losing like that ratchets up the talk about the future of Texas' program 10-fold.
It was a rough day for a few QBs in the Big 12: You have to start this conversation with Casey Pachall. He hasn't looked like his old self through two games, but he put so much effort into returning to the Frogs' team after leaving school last season. Anyone with a heart had to feel for him when he went down with a broken left arm and underwent surgery. The good news for him is it's his non-throwing arm, so he might return, but his is an injury that just doesn't seem fair. Elsewhere, Trevor Knight got benched for Blake Bell after turning the ball over three times and WVU quarterback Paul Millard didn't get much help from his receivers in the 16-7 loss to Oklahoma. He completed just over half of his passes, but Dana Holgorsen didn't give Clint Trickett a shot to spark the Mountaineers. I'm pretty sure every QB mentioned here would love a do-over. Bob Stoops wouldn't commit to starting Knight next week against Tulsa, saying it was something the staff would have to "discuss" during the week. Uh oh.
It's about to get a little uncomfortable in Stillwater. Oklahoma State still looks like the class of the Big 12 and moved to 2-0 on Saturday, but news of a pending Sports Illustrated story overshadowed a 56-35 win over Texas-San Antonio. A "series" from the magazine this week will reportedly allege that former assistant Joe DeForest paid players performance-based incentives, grade-changing and hostesses in the program provided sex to recruits. DeForest denied those claims on Saturday, and current LSU coach Les Miles did the same. Oklahoma State released a statement noting that most of the allegations occurred from 2001-07 and that no active players or coaches were interviewed for the story, but this could be a rough week in the national conversation for the Cowboys. We'll see what, if anything, this means for the Cowboys when it comes to NCAA violations. For now, it seems the tangible impact will be minimal.
Baylor's offense is in midseason form. Yes, it was just Buffalo, but Baylor was averaging 1.2 points per play when it ran up a 56-13 halftime lead over the Bulls. The Bears finished with a 70-13 win, but so far, Bryce Petty, Lache Seastrunk and Baylor's deep receiving corps are living up to the hype. All signs point to the Bears entering their Thursday night game in November against Oklahoma with an impressive 7-0 record.
Kansas State is not as bad as it looked in Week 1. The Wildcats raced to a 34-3 lead in an eventual 47-28 win over a decent Louisiana-Lafayette team. K-State had a rough opening-game loss to North Dakota State, but I'm still buying the Wildcats as a bowl team. The two-quarterback system with Jake Waters and Daniel Sams is something that can work for this team all season, but I'd like to see more from the young, developing defense.
