THE STATE OF THE BIG 12: Week 4 gives us a little more clarity.

I said a little.

Only 6 teams were in action, with only one conference game. University of Louisiana-Monroe was probably the best non-conference opponent.

Team-by-team analysis after the jump.

With only 2 conference games played so far, we still don't know a lot about how things might shake out. Kansas State's win in Norman showed us quite a bit that relates to the Sooners and the Wildcats, but not much else because we really don't know yet how good or bad most teams are (except for Kansas). So without further adieu, let's go down the list (this is not necessarily a ranking):

1. Texas.
   Bye week, at Oklahoma State next Saturday.
   The Longhorns have been efficient and have protected the ball, giving David Ash the chance to get the ball to his playmakers in space. Texas is averaging 260 ypg rushing, with only 150 of that coming from Brown & Bergeron. The big question? UT has yet to face a significant opponent. I've said this before, but I think the winner in Stillwater comes out as my favorite to win the conference. Right now I favor Texas.
2. Kansas State
   Beat OU in Norman, bye week
   The Wildcats proved it again...playing disciplined and clean football cures a lot of ills. The Sooners moved the ball at will when they weren't busy making mistakes, but KState slowly and surely ground OU's defense to a pulp. Colin Klein has the all time nickname as far as I'm concerned (Optimus Klein), and is the toughest player in the game anytime he's on the field. Snyder is just flat amazing, turning a team that lacks overall speed and skill at the major positions into a squad NOBODY in the Big 12 wants to play. Could they win the Big 12? Yes, but I think they will need some help to do so (likely cannabalism). Kansas State will probably be 6-0 (3-0) when they visit Morgantown Oct 20, with a Div 2 cupcake at home after the bye week (Kansas), followed by Iowa State in Ames.
3. Oklahoma State
   Bye week, Texas in Stillwater
   While we all wonder how J.W. Walsh will do with almost two weeks of snaps with the first team to prepare for UT, the biggest concern will be the Cowboy defense. This unit will struggle to get the Longhorns off the field. Minus turnovers, this could be a long day for OSU. A win, and I think the Cowboys would be a clear favorite to defend their Big 12 title.
4. West Virginia
   beat Maryland in Morgantown, Baylor in Morgantown
   The Mountaineers have yet to play a game on the road. That will change in a big way on Oct 6 when they visit Austin. What they have to expect will be seen in Stillwater this week. Given their performance against Maryland, I might be intrigued by Baylor this weekend.
5. Oklahoma
   lost to Kansas State at home, bye week
   This is a welcome bye week, as the Sooners lick their wounds from a mistake filled performance against Kansas State. I'm a bit surprised at how sloppy and poorly coached OU looked. I would expect Texas Tech to take one on the chin when the Sooners come to Lubbock on Oct 6. OU needs to let somebody know they are still contenders in the Big 12.
6. TCU
   beat Virginia at home, at SMU
   Still haven't played anybody and are struggling in the red zone. They definitely need to work on scoring more points, but don't look to be tested much with Iowa State, at Baylor, and Texas Tech over the next 3 weeks.
7. Speaking of....the Cyclones, Bears, and Red Raiders...somebody in this group needs show themselves capable of doing something other than beating really crappy teams. I'm convinced one of these teams will pull a decent upset in the Big 12 this season.

So here we are, still with not much indication of anything other than who the top tier and bottom tier of teams will be.

What? I left a team out? I'm pretty sure I included all of the Div 1 programs in the Big 12.