The good news from Week 4 is that the Big 12 went a collective 5-1, which is its best week of the season. And Kansas had a bye, which felt like a win for the conference. The bad news is three of the five wins were over absolute cupcakes and the even worse news is that the one loss was Oklahoma State. Yep. The Cowboys were the only team in the conference to lose this past week. Fabulous. But didn’t America really lose when Iowa State faced off against San Jose State? I think yes.

So most Big 12 fan bases have something to feel good about this week, and we should all feel good that the conference is guaranteed a .500 record against Power 5 opponents each week from here on out, which lets face it, is an improvement. Let’s take a look around the league and see what kind of completely irrational (I’m talking Boone Pickens-level irrational) optimism sprung up over the last seven days.

Baylor

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Baylor - 35

Oklahoma State - 24

Baylor won a bizarre game against the Cowboys. In some ways, it was very typically Baylor. For instance, playing Ish Zamora and giving up copious amounts of rushing yards to their opponent - very Baylor. Possessing the ball for less than 19 minutes and only rushing for 134 yards - very non-Baylor. By the end of the game, Our Daily Bears was convinced Baylor is the best team in the conference and the favorite to win the Big 12. Apparently, the Bears are about to run through the Big 12 like it was the Baylor defense.

Iowa State

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Iowa State - 44

San Jose State - 10

This one was over early as the machine that is the Iowa State Cyclones opened up a first half lead that even Ole Miss couldn’t have blown. ISU played two quarterbacks and both had success as they combined for over 300 yards passing to go with Mike Warren’s 103 rushing yards. The guys at Wide Right & Natty Light saw the game as a step forward and confidence builder for the Cyclones. It feels like Iowa State is really hitting its stride and you have to wonder, will anything stand in the Cyclones’ way as they march toward that November 11 showdown with Kansas? I mean, other than five straight losses?

Kansas State

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Kansas State - 35
Missouri State - 0

College football in the state of Missouri these days is...not great. In a game that was called at halftime, allegedly because of inclement weather but rumored to actually be because Bill Snyder refused to wear his Alamo Bowl pullover out in the rain, the Wildcats completely outmatched the Bears. K-State did give up 54 yards of total offense, which is something they’ll have to address as the get into the conference season. After the performance, Bring On The Cats is understandably worried about K-State’s defense being tested this weekend.

TCU

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TCU - 33
SMU - 3

This was a strange game in which TCU again struggled against inferior competition, but ended up looking dominant by the end. This was a 6-3 game at halftime before the Frogs ran off 27 unanswered in the second half. Whatever Patterson said at halftime must have worked, because it was a completely different game in the second half. Kenny Hill is throwing for a ton of yards, which is one reason Frogs O’ War says the Frog’s key offensive players are as good as they’ve ever been..

West Virginia

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West Virginia - 35
BYU - 32

West Virginia had by far the best non-conference win of the week and one of the best non-conference wins of the season for the Big 12, which is a sad commentary in and of itself. The Mountaineers won the game, but were out-gained by the Cougars 521-481 as WVU gave up 280 yards rushing. All just a day at the office for the guys at The Smoking Musket, who have come to realize “It isn’t a West Virginia game if it isn’t tougher than it needs to be.” We feel your pain, guys.

Byes: Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech