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Two rallies and two routs defined the week that was in the nation's most exciting conference. West Virginia had no trouble torching Iowa State and Texas Tech used a strong third quarter and an impregnable defense to put Kansas State away. But the two games that have had a history of producing instant classics lived up to that history: Kansas rallied from 31-20 down at the half to stun Oklahoma on the road in Christian Graham's best game yet, and Texas nearly erased a 27-10 halftime deficit only to be turned back in the fourth quarter by TCU. Those descriptions hardly do this week justice, so let's talk about the games. Thursday Night Kansas 48, Oklahoma 41 Kansas takeaways: They couldn't hold off Oklahoma's devastating rushing attack. They couldn't keep the Sooners off the scoreboard in the first half, falling behind 31-20 by halftime. At the intermission, it looked like Kansas was headed squarely for a third straight loss and a 4-6 record. What followed was the best and most important half that Kansas has played all season. Christian Graham had a coming-out party, setting career highs with 22 completions (on 29 attempts), 340 yards, 4 touchdowns, and a 219.9 passer rating. Graham is the first freshman quarterback in Big XII history to throw for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns with a passer rating of 200 or higher in a single game--this is the 20th such game in conference history. Rod Fulton found room to run, adding 133 yards and a touchdown on the ground. And while the defense didn't play a game that one might call "good" (see: 41 points allowed), they did come up with a couple of crucial plays in big spots. Jamari Callahan's strip-sack of Eric Pope was recovered by Amir Ransom for a touchdown, and Kameron Reaves jarred one loose from Maurice White that Caleb Whitmore jumped on immediately to forestall a potential game-tying drive. Kansas outscored Oklahoma 28-10 in the second half to execute their largest second-half comeback in 6 years. Somehow, some way, they're still alive. Oklahoma takeaways: When you rush for 154 yards and 4 touchdowns, sack the opposing quarterback 4 times, convert on half your third-down scenarios (plus a fourth down), take a double-digit halftime lead, and score 41 points for the game, that's a winning formula in almost all cases. And yet, Oklahoma came out of this one on the wrong end because the defense couldn't hold back the floodwaters quite long enough. After giving up an average of 20.75 points per game over their past four, Oklahoma yielded 20 in the first half alone--and then 28 in the second. Chances are, though, that it's a blip on the radar considering that the Sooners' defensive improvement has lasted long enough and come against enough of a variety of opponents to look convincing and real. It's not a good sign going forward, though: they still have Oklahoma State on the calendar, and that kind of passing performance from turncoat Chester Brenner would put Oklahoma in a nearly unwinnable situation. The bottom line: Kansas-Oklahoma never fails to disappoint, and this was one of the best installments in the series to date. But part of the draw for this game was the fact that it had such huge potential to make an impact on both teams' postseason bids. With Kansas and Oklahoma both at 4-5 and yet both still in contention for the second seed in the Big XII Championship Game, the winner was due for a huge boost and the loser due for a huge setback no matter the result. Turns out Kansas earned the right to take that step forward, and they'll have two shots to win one game for a bowl bid. (If they beat Texas on Saturday afternoon, they'll also be hoping Oklahoma State can take down TCU to bolster their title game hopes.) Oklahoma, though, falls to 4-6 and sees their 4-game winning streak/rise from the dead snapped. They'll have time to regroup--Iowa State's next on the schedule, after all--but they then face a must-win game against rival Oklahoma State. If Oklahoma comes into that game needing that win for bowl eligibility and Oklahoma State needs one win for a conference title game bid, expect Bedlam to be the most vicious one yet. Saturday Morning #11 West Virginia 55, Iowa State 11 West Virginia takeaways: This got about as out-of-hand as predicted, and it did so about as quickly as predicted. It was 14-0 after one and 21-3 at the half. Earning a 21-3 lead is always playing with fire, but the Mountaineers stepped on the gas with a 21-0 third quarter and just rolled from there. Mohammed Foster had yet another incredible game, throwing for a season-high 401 yards to go with 3 passing touchdowns and a rushing score. Tight end Jason Dupree had a career-best day across the board: 11 receptions for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. J.C. Weldon "settled" for an 8-106-1 line. Mohamed Mustafa had another 100-yard rushing day, scoring twice in the process. The defense was oppressive outside of a late touchdown drive and two-point conversion for Iowa State that didn't even get them to cover the spread. After showing a couple cracks in the armor against Oklahoma State, it was good for the Mountaineers to get back out and be their dominant selves again. Iowa State takeaways: August Blank threw a touchdown pass and converted the two-point try. Paul Bryant had 9 tackles. The Cyclone players and fans got some fresh air on a sunny 50-degree day and got to experience a taste of Appalachia. Those who were there in person or in spirit are commendable for sticking with their team through this 9-game losing streak; those who didn't watch are commended for taking good care of their livers. The bottom line: West Virginia has clinched a berth in the Big XII Championship Game, their second in program history and their first since the Richmond King-Todd Sykes-Rob Evans crew of 2017 that rose as high as #2 in the country. They're on an 8-game winning streak, one shy of the streak that started that 2017 season and still stands as a program record. It won't be easy going against a punchy Baylor with both coaches' vocal cords on the line, but West Virginia will be coming into this one with all the confidence in the world. For Iowa State, it's just one more game until the season's over. Maybe they can close things out on a high note. Saturday Afternoon Texas Tech 23, Kansas State 7 Texas Tech takeaways: The Texas Tech formula was back at it again: run the ball, control the clock, stifle the opposing offense, win the game. The offense was a bit slow to start, only coming up with a single field goal before the half. However, they simply didn't allow Kansas State to move the ball and threaten to score very often, and the result was that they led 3-0 at intermission. The second half was a different story. The run game found its footing, and Solomon McLaughlin started getting chunks of yardage. He scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the third quarter in a 17-point burst that broke the game open, and from there it was clean-up duty. They held the Wildcats to 205 yards of offense and one garbage-time touchdown, more than enough of an effort to secure their 7th win of the season. Kansas State takeaways: Kansas State had five shots to win one game for bowl-eligibility. They're now down to one. If the last yard is the longest one, then surely the last win is the hardest one to get. It wasn't fated to be this Saturday, as the offense wasn't really able to get into the game until it was far too late. Rahim Murrell completed just 14 of 27 passes for 150 yards and a single touchdown pass, and despite a second straight game avoiding an interception he still fumbled the ball away once. Elijah Humphrey was a nonfactor, held to 55 yards rushing. The few times they found themselves in scoring range, they struggled to convert. The kicking game was a huge part of that, as Frank Carney missed both of his field goal attempts (43 and 49 yards). Three sacks allowed didn't help, either. The defense kept Texas Tech reasonably in check, but it wasn't going to happen with the offense stuck in its own tracks. The bottom line: Texas Tech secured its third straight winning season with its 7th win of the season overall. Their defense has looked to be in early-season form, giving up just 7 points in their past two games combined. They'll need that to stay true heading into Senior Night. They get a bye to dot the t's and cross the i's, but then the biggest challenge they've faced all year rolls into town: the red-hot West Virginia Mountaineers. For Kansas State, their week 15 bye serves the same purpose: they need to make sure that everything's in order as they play the single biggest game of football this program's faced in four years. It's do-or-die at Kansas--and they'll hope to follow in the footsteps of that 2016 team, which got that 6th win from this same position. TCU 30, Texas 27 TCU takeaways: Just like in the Kansas-Oklahoma game that opened our week, the Texas-TCU matchup that closed the week was a tale of two halves. This time, though, TCU's dominant first half would end up being just enough to get the job done. Shamar Burroughs was untouchable, rushing for two touchdowns in the first quarter. Sam Milner was in a groove, finding Finn Nielsen for a touchdown in the second. The Horned Frogs raced out to a 27-10 lead at the half, and Big XII teams were 118-1 all-time when leading by 17 or more at the half. But the offense lost its touch in the second half, and TCU could only slow down Simeon Wells rather than stop him entirely. Texas began to chip away at the deficit in the second half. TCU got a bit unlucky: they forced two fumbles, and Texas recovered both. They forced two long field goals, and Will Ladd hit them both. But a single field goal from William Finn would prove to be the difference-maker, keeping Texas at arm's length and ultimately providing the margin of victory for this game. With the win, TCU becomes bowl-eligible and avoids a second straight postseason miss--and they stay right in the thick of the conference title race. Texas takeaways: Despite the massive halftime deficit, Texas had its opportunities to win this one. They matched TCU yard-for-yard. They didn't turn the ball over. They held Sam Milner to 14-28 passing for the day. But playing from behind is never ideal by definition, and it's even harder to do so when not much is coming through the air. Most of Kyler Tackett's 168-yard day came in the second half, but his 13-25 performance left a lot to be desired. They had to go to Simeon Wells even more, and the sophomore tailback responded excellently with 111 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries. But that also ran the clock down and created a situation where Texas had to essentially play a perfect second half to storm back. They almost did, too! But when William Finn kicked his third field goal of the game for TCU's only points of the second half, that proved to be just enough to stall out the charging Longhorns. The bottom line: The loss doesn't change much for Texas. It formally eliminates them from Big XII Championship Game contention, but they were already bowl-eligible and already unlikely to make the championship game in the first place. It means that they'll finish under .500 in conference play for the second time overall--but also for the second year in a row. In contrast, it's a huge win for TCU. The Horned Frogs stay in control of their own conference destiny with a 1-game lead for second place in the Big XII standings, and they will be bowl-eligible for the 4th time in 5 years. This sets up an absolutely pivotal showdown with Oklahoma State next week. Byes: Baylor (5-5), Oklahoma State (7-3)

Chicago Bears: http://cfbhc.com/wiki/index.php?title=List_of_Chicago_Bears_starting_quarterbacks Norris Brooksheer added to the list

#6 CB Ivory Hull 6-2 173 3 Texas [Zone Coverage] 89 - Accepted $6.325 million #26 OT Fred Huber 6-5 285 3 Tennessee [Pass Blocking] 82 - Rejected N/A

CHAOS!

Can confirm, everyone in the Big XII seems like they've been scrambling to avoid that second place.

Western Kentucky has clinched a share of the C-USA East. They can clinch a CCG berth with a win over FAU week 15, OR a win over MTSU, OR a loss by both FAU and Old Dominion. Boston College is at Clemson next week. A win would make them the Atlantic Division champions; a loss would make them bowl-ineligible.

We've got quite a few military guys, quite a few A&M fans, and absolutely no shortage of statheads on here, so you'll fit right in. The Pac-12 commissioner is Franz Kafka, and he'll get you sorted out. Welcome!

After the instant classic in Norman on Thursday night, we head right on into Saturday in the nation's most exciting conference with two sizzling games (three games overall) on tap. We have West Virginia's coronation as they will almost certainly lock up their second-ever Big XII Championship Game bid in the opening slot, we have electrifying true freshman Solomon McLaughlin visiting a desperate Kansas State on the Wildcats' Senior Night, and we have one of the fiercest rivalries in the Big XII South to close things out. The hunt for a bowl game continues, the hunt for that second spot in the conference championship game continues, and none of that comes for free. It's gonna be a good day, so let's talk about the games. Saturday Morning Iowa State (1-9) at #11 West Virginia (7-2)* Iowa State and West Virginia have been the two most consistent teams in the Big XII. That means wildly different teams to these two teams. West Virginia has won seven straight; Iowa State has lost seven straight. The Mountaineers lead the Big XII with 39.4 points per game; Iowa State averages just 15.4. The Cyclones also allow 30.8 to West Virginia's 24.7--not nearly as large of a gap, but still not in the Cyclones' favor. Most of the best players of the field will be on West Virginia's side of the ball. Iowa State's really only had three impact players on defense: cornerbacks David Tolliver (4 INT) and Israel McKenzie (3 INT), and true freshman inside linebacker Amadou Weston (46 tackles, 1 INT). They don't get pressure up front, they don't really break up passes or stuff runs, and therefore they don't have an answer when opponents aren't throwing interceptions. They also happen to be going up against Mohammed Foster, who's been nanometer-precise and mistake-free for most of this season. Foster is tied with Chester Brenner for first in the Big XII with 2864 passing yards (Foster has played one fewer game), he's second with 24 passing touchdowns, and he's second-best in the conference with just 3 interceptions. For comparison, Iowa State has had three different quarterbacks each throw three interceptions in a single game. The run game offers no relief for Iowa State: West Virginia has rushed for 1241 yards and 18 touchdowns to Iowa State's 688 and 8, and no Iowa State starting or backup ballcarrier averages more than 3.6 yards per carry. West Virginia blocks better, they convert third downs better, they have the better kicker, and they're about even on punting and penalties. West Virginia is nearly a 40-point favorite in this one, and that might be putting it lightly. West Virginia will put up as many points as they darn well please. Once Mohammed Foster does a few Mohammed Foster things, consider doing other things with your time during the noon slot--maybe go for a walk or mow the lawn if it's a nice day, maybe go play with your kids, or--if you're really desperate--watch an SEC football game. #11 West Virginia 55, Iowa State 6 Saturday Afternoon Texas Tech (6-4) at Kansas State (5-5)* It's Senior Night in the Little Apple, and Kansas State is hoping to give Elijah Humphrey, Devon Tillman, Ari Kern, Brian Kowalski, and Leon Payne the best parting gift they could ask for: a postseason bid for the first time since 2016. After a 5-2 start, their chances of doing exactly that were as high as they've ever been. But three chances have come and gone, and that elusive sixth win has remained out of reach. The Wildcats have two chances left to attain it: at home against Solomon and Company, or on the road against fellow bowl-borderline Kansas. The objective for Kansas State is simple: stop the run, and take care of the ball. And, of course, that's easier said than done. That was the objective against Oklahoma, but the Sooners rushed for 205 yards and came up with a pair of takeaways in the 29-26 overtime heartbreaker. Texas Tech doesn't do too much differently on offense from Oklahoma. Solomon McLaughlin is going to carry the ball upwards of 30 times. Chase Shapiro's going to keep it himself a few times. Texas Tech is more secure with the ball than Oklahoma is, but McLaughlin isn't necessarily as explosive as Maurice White yet (cue Iowa State's defense vehemently disagreeing with that assessment). Kansas State has to figure out how to bottle him up and keep him under his 133.6 yards/game average. As of this point in the season, the Wildcats have given up 121.6 yards per game on the ground and 4.88 yards per carry. Texas Tech's defense matches up a bit weirdly with Kansas State's offense. The Red Raiders are good across the board in most of the areas where the Wildcat offense also succeeds: they don't give up a lot of touchdowns through the air, they don't give up an inordinate amount of yardage on the ground, they don't really give up big plays at all (see: Cameron "Bae" Riley), and they're capable of slowing down balanced attacks. At the same time, they don't really pick on the same areas that typically bite Kansas State. They've intercepted just 8 passes this season, which is fewer than anybody not named Oklahoma in this conference. They allow a lot to happen in short range, allowing a completion percentage of 61.0%--but Rahim Murrell is a 57.7% passer himself. If he can adapt, take what the defense gives him, and avoid throwing picks, then Kansas State has a shot. If Elijah Humphrey can bounce back from the 48-yard stinker he had against Oklahoma State, then Kansas State has a shot. Kansas State has more "if" clauses than Texas Tech, though--the Red Raiders just have to have a good game on the ground and the Wildcats will be playing catch-up. So for that reason, I'm predicting Texas Tech to win it. Texas Tech 27, Kansas State 17 Texas (6-4) at TCU (5-4)* Closing out the Big XII slate for week 14 is another matchup that's had a lot of history behind it. TCU has only scored 2 wins against Texas in 8 attempts. And beyond that, Texas's wins have tended to come in blowout fashion. But the two times that TCU has won this game, it's been memorable. Who can forget one of the most stunning upsets in college football history when a struggling TCU ended Texas's 18-game winning streak back in 2014, sending Texas into a three-game spiral that cost them their season? Who can forget Nathan Burden's quarterback sneak to change the guard in the Big XII South in 2018, signaling the beginning of the end of Texas's reign as a national power--and putting the Horned Frogs on course for their first-ever Big XII Championship Game appearance? Now, TCU comes into this game likely needing to sweep their final three to have a shot at a return to the conference title game. They come into this game needing one win to secure a bowl game. And Texas, with bowl eligibility wrapped up and the conference title game likely out of reach, comes into this game wanting to win because that's just what Texas does when they play TCU. What we have here is a battle of defense against offense. TCU's freshman-heavy offense has had its inconsistencies this year, as has Texas's relatively young defense. But the Longhorns have flipped a switch on offense these last two games, and the TCU defense has been a tough nut to crack at 20.8 points allowed per game in conference play. The good news is that something's gotta give, and it'll be exciting when it does. TCU's defense has been a smothering unit, working their way to the top of the Big XII in almost every category across the board. They lead the conference in yards allowed per attempt and completion, completion percentage allowed, and passer rating allowed. They're second in yards allowed per carry and per game. They're stacked with NFL talent, and they've begun to play like it this year. The only thing they don't do at a high rate is create havoc: they've pulled down a league-average 14 quarterback sacks, but their 9 interceptions is the third-lowest mark in the conference. And that's fine, because Texas's offense isn't prone to giving up havoc plays. They have about an average offensive line, but Kyler Tackett has been a steady passer...more often than not. He's third in the Big XII with a 66.1% completion percentage, and the only Big XII quarterbacks who have thrown fewer than his 7 interceptions are a mixture of players who almost never throw (Eric Pope, Chase Shapiro), players who have not started the full season (Peter Edge, Oscar Strange), and Mohammed Foster (Mohammed Foster). Tackett doesn't really do anything sexy, but he gets the job done. The same can be said about Simeon Wells: he's not nearly as dynamic a runner as Maurice White or Solomon McLaughlin, but he can get 100 yards per game on reasonably efficient running. Texas will need to get TCU to play ball on as many fronts as possible, because allowing the Horned Frogs to hone in on any one threat is a sure way to get that threat shut down. So if you're TCU, how do you score on Texas? This game could turn into a rockfight easily, but that just makes finding every inch of forward progress even more vital. Texas's defenses have done a good job of bending without breaking, allowing opponents to complete 61.0% of their passes but avoiding getting burned over the top--similar to Texas Tech. They're also the only Big XII team with more passes intercepted (13) than passing touchdowns allowed (11). For Sam Milner, that's workable but concerning at the same time. Milner and his receiving corps have not really demonstrated any real kind of downfield explosiveness, as the redshirt freshman averages just 6.4 yards per attempt and 11.1 yards per completion. Both of those marks rank behind every non-Iowa State quarterback in the Big XII. He's thrown 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, and Shamar Burroughs (4.2 YPC) doesn't really bring a whole lot of dynamic playmaking either. But the real key: Texas has not defended the run in the red zone at all. They've given up 2.1 rushing touchdowns per game, which more than washes out their underwater defensive TD/INT ratio. It's not even like they give up a huge amount of yards per carry--they just don't get enough push on the goal line no matter how obvious the run is. TCU's offensive drives will slowly bend the Texas defense until it either snaps back into place and forces a turnover, or until it's bend to unrecognizability in the endzone. This game strikes me as a toss-up, but I think TCU's defense will give them an edge here. Let there be frogs. TCU 17, Texas 16 Byes: Baylor (5-5), Oklahoma State (7-3)

UMass has now allowed 542 points this season, which means they are guaranteed to break 2014 Georgia State's record for most points allowed per game in a season. If they were to shut out their final opponent, they would still finish at 45.17 points allowed per game. They're currently at 49.27 per game. UMass is also at a -452 point differential; that same Georgia State holds the current record at -37.5/game, or -450 for a full season. A UMass loss or a 1-point UMass win would break that record as well.

Post-game notes: At 11 points, this is Kansas's largest halftime deficit overcome since overcoming three different 14-point halftime deficits in 2014. It's also the first time we've given up 31 points in the first half and still gone on to win. This is the third time overall that we've given up 40+ points and still won. The previous two were 2018 over West Virginia and this year over Oklahoma State. Christian Graham set career highs in completions, yards, touchdowns, and passer rating despite taking 4 sacks. (O-line, where are ya?) The 219.86 passer rating is the third-highest in Jayhawk history (starters only), the 4 touchdowns tie the school record, and the 340 yards rank 6th. The biggest note: Malcolm Davis passed Tai Miller for second place in Big XII history in both career receiving yards and career receiving touchdowns: he now sits at 4074 and 35, and only Raheem Robinson has more among Big XII receivers.

Why do you do this to me Franz

Another instant classic in Norman. Good game Ted.

Thursday Night Kansas (4-5) at Oklahoma (4-5)* Six times, Kansas and Oklahoma have met on the field of battle. No matter the circumstances, no matter who's down and who's up, this game has taken on an intensity matched by very few matchups anywhere in the country. The Jayhawks upset #8 Oklahoma in 2014 and the top-ranked eventual national champions the following year. They've split the last four, with a common theme of Kansas taking the lead and Oklahoma rallying to either win or at least make it a ballgame. Four times out of six, the winner went on to take the Big XII North crown. And because of all that history, because of the rivalry this has become, a matchup between 4-5 teams takes on a certain level of importance in the nation's most exciting conference. Never mind the fact that both teams are clawing desperately toward the postseason, and never mind the fact that the winner has a plausible shot at the conference championship game: it's Kansas-Oklahoma, so it's a game worth watching. This matchup's evolved over the years as the teams have evolved, and this year presents a wholly new version of the two teams. Both the Jayhawks and Sooners are starting freshman quarterbacks, with Christian Graham manning the blue helm and Eric Pope manning the red. But while Kansas relies on Christian Graham to keep the ship steady, Oklahoma relies almost exclusively on the run game--a complete reversal to anyone who remembers this series from 2014 and 2015. Maurice White is one of the best runningbacks in the country, averaging 131.2 yards per game while adding 12 touchdowns for the season. The last time he failed to rush for 100 yards and a touchdown in a game was his freshman year. Kansas can be run on--just ask West Virginia (150 yards), Vanderbilt (115 on 23 carries), or particularly Notre Dame (207 yards). They blunted Texas Tech's run-heavy attack, though they still gave up 24 points. Bottom line: Maurice White is going to get his, and it's up to Kansas to limit the damage. On offense, it's another story. Kansas's offense has had its moments, but it's been in a funk these past couple of games. It relies on multiple different playmakers stepping up--quarterback Christian Graham, wide receiver Malcolm Davis and tight end Noah Hills, runningback Rod Fulton--as well as a strong offensive line. Every piece of that puzzle has been out of sync just enough to be a problem for the Jayhawks. The line is missing assignments, which impedes the run game, which puts more pressure on Graham, which causes the rookie to misfire--it's all related. Before Oklahoma's 4-game winning streak, that would have been no problem against a Sooner defense that was lost in space. Over these last four, though? Oklahoma's been good. They've held opposing passers to a 124.5 passer rating, given up fewer than 4.2 yards per carry, and forced 5 turnovers. They're extremely young on defense, but Kansas can't take advantage of that if their offense remains inconsistent. It's rare that a Kansas-Oklahoma game turns a team's fortunes around; it's usually an affirmation of a trend that's already been in place. In this case, the momentum favors Oklahoma by a clear margin. The Sooners are playing the game that they had hoped for at season's dawn, and Kansas can't find its footing. In the seventh clash of the titans, the first post-division meeting of the Northern superpowers, I'm going to go with the hot team and the home team. Oklahoma 27, Kansas 20