Is KU football worst in Big 12 this season?

Posted by Eric Sorrentino November 16, 2009 at 5:12 p.m.

Denver — For the latest episode of ConferenceChatterTV, filmed this week in Colorado, check out the video below. Included is my reaction on what took place from week 11 in the Big 12:

The thought of the Kansas University football team at the bottom of the Big 12 seemed outlandish a month ago.

Sure, the Jayhawks were entering a tough stretch of games, but everyone knew about the gauntlet. My thought back then was, so what? In this new era of KU football — this era of Mark Mangino and Todd Reesing — the Jayhawks would surely be better than half the teams in the Big 12. They would surely challenge for their first outright Big 12 North title.

That was at 5-0. KU now sits in last place in a medicore (at best) Big 12 North division at 5-5. It's for that reason I have to toss this previously unfathomable question out there:

Is Kansas the worst team in the Big 12?

Only Baylor matches the 1-5 mark of KU in conference play. Colorado has a worse overall record at 3-7, but even the lowly Buffs have squeaked out two conference victories.

I'll move up the Sorrentino Scale in this week's blog entry so you get my two cents. The number in parentheses is what the team was ranked last week.

1 (1). Texas (10-0, 6-0): A 47-14 win over Baylor (it was 40-0 at halftime) apparently wasn't enough to lift 'Horns to No. 2 in BCS. What else does UT need to do?
2 (2). Oklahoma State (8-2, 5-1): Cowboys have Cotton Bowl written all over them.
3 (5). Nebraska (7-3, 4-2): Imagine if Neb. would have taken care of Iowa State at home. Huskers would have ran away with North.
4 (6). Oklahoma (6-4, 4-2): Seeing OU in a bowl lower than the Cotton Bowl will be different.
5 (3). Texas Tech (6-4, 3-3): Nice matchup vs. OU next weekend.
6 (12). Missouri (6-4, 2-4): So much for that Baylor loss.
7 (4). Kansas State (6-5, 4-3): Win next week at Neb., and play for Big 12 championship/go to a bowl; lose and the season's over.
8 (7). Texas A&M (5-5, 2-4): If there's a more inconsistent team out there, I'm missing something.
9 (8). Iowa State (6-5, 3-4): Paul Rhoads has worked wonders in his first year in Ames.
10 (10). Kansas (5-5, 1-5): Making a bowl will come down to Missouri game.
11 (11). Baylor (4-6, 1-5): Not much going on here.
12 (9). Colorado (3-7, 2-4): See, here's the hard part: CU beat KU straight up, and the Buffs have more conference victories than the Jayhawks. But that 3-7 mark is so ugly. The Buffs, to me, are the worst team in the Big 12.

Now onto the week 11 awards for Big 12 players who went above and beyond last weekend:

Player of the week: Danario Alexander, Missouri

APTOPIX_Missouri___colocutoutal.jpg

Here's a thought: Alexander is the best receiver in the Big 12.

It might sound out there, but the senior's numbers back it up. First, he ran all over Kansas State in Manhattan last weekend: 10 catches, 200 yards, three touchdowns.

His 1,238 receiving yards are tops in the Big 12 and third in the country. His 11 touchdowns leads the Big 12.

So why isn't this guy on more NFL mock drafts? Most mock drafts I've seen don't even have Alexander as a first-day pick. I'm no scout, but what's wrong with 6-foot-5, 210 pounds and breakaway speed? On his third touchdown against K-State, he sprinted past most of the Wildcats' secondary for an 80-yard score.

Perhaps his past — three knee surgeries and a wrist surgery — still make some scouts wonder if he'll be able to handle the wear and tear of the NFL. You sure can't tell anything's wrong with him now, though.

Surprise of the week: Iowa State becoming bowl eligible

Iowa State held off Colorado last weekend at home, but that wasn't the surprise. The Cyclones improved their record to 6-5 and are eligible for their first bowl game since 2005.

I give a huge amount of credit to coach Paul Rhoads, who won more games this season than Gene Chizik did in the previous two (5-19) with the Cyclones.

Colorado_Iowa_St_Football-5.jpg

At the start of the season, I didn't think Rhoads could take ISU to a bowl in his first season. It's one of the better stories in the conference this season.

Sleeper alert: Jermie Calhoun, Oklahoma

The freshman running back carried 18 times for 94 yards (5.2 yards per rush) in OU's 65-10 thrashing of Texas A&M.

Most people know about Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray in the Sooners' backfield, but Calhoun could make a major impact next year. He runs a 4.49-second, 40-yard dash and is a five-star Rivals.com recruit out of Ben Wheeler, Texas.

With Brown being a senior, Calhoun could join Murray, a junior, in the backfield next season.

That should be all for now, friends. As always, discuss.

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srj (anonymous) says…

The Big 12 is so bad, if Florida losses an epic battle to Alabama in the SEC Championship, Texas might not get the championship game.

And voters might look up the fact TCU maybe played a tougher schedule then Texas.
November 16, 2009 at 5:29 p.m.
gccs14r (anonymous) says…

I don't see how you rank Colorado dead last when they have more conference victories than and beat KU. As for KU and Baylor, I guess it depends on who's getting better and who isn't. Baylor beat Missouri in Columbia, something that KU isn't going to manage. They probably won't win their last two games, either, but they're probably not going to take the pounding that Texas and Missouri will give to KU. I'd change the order of the last three spots to Colorado, Baylor, and KU.
November 16, 2009 at 5:52 p.m.
LarryNative (anonymous) says…

TCU may have played a tougher schedule to date (48) then Tx (50) but that's only because Texas knocked out OU's QB and they have been on the skids ever since wich lowered OU's rating thereby lowering anyones rating that has played them. TCU should play Boise St. in a bowl game. Both in weak conferences. Texas would tear TCU a new one. Florida has not covered the spread for weeks, overrated.
Championship game should be Tex vs Ala.
November 16, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

November 16, 2009 at 7:49 p.m.
monkeyspunk (anonymous) says…

Yeah LarryNative, just like OU took it to Boise State a few years back! Yeah, you tell 'em!

Oh, and just like 'Bama smashed Utah! Yeah! You sure got it right! Yeah! Big name conferences are the only good ones! Yeah!

You sure know your football there LarryNative! Yeah!
November 16, 2009 at 7:58 p.m.
Sulla (anonymous) says…

The Toilet Bowl will return soon, ye olde nostalgic Ku football fans...but alas Mr.Man will have a job near the stadium running a hamburger stand on game day(he is a deadringer to 'Wimpy' on Popeye).
November 16, 2009 at 8:20 p.m.
parrothead8 (anonymous) says…

Even if KU finishes bowl eligible at 6-6, what bowl wants the 10th-best team in a weak Big 12?

The 10th-best team in the SEC played the 8th-best team in the Big 12 back on October 3. Arkansas beat Texas A&M 47-19. Not even close.

Big 12? Overrated.
SEC Championship Game = National Championship Game.
November 16, 2009 at 9:47 p.m.
Shortcircuit (anonymous) says…

Let me get this straight, if k-state loses against Nebraska that would put their record at 6-6 and 4-4 and their season would be over. The jayhawks season will come down to the Missouri game and if they win they will go to a bowl game. The hawks record would likely be 6-6 and 2-6 with the Missouri win and this gets them into a bowl? I don't see that happening, sounds like some ku homer math.
November 16, 2009 at 10:29 p.m.
parrothead8 (anonymous) says…

Shortcircuit, it's true. Six wins makes you bowl eligible, but you are only allowed to count ONE win against an FCS (formerly I-AA) opponent towards your win total.

Two of K-State's six wins thus far were against FCS teams (Massachusetts and Tennessee Tech). They can only count one of those towards their bowl eligibility. So they MUST win against Nebraska in order to be eligible for a bowl. That's what they get for scheduling weak teams.
November 16, 2009 at 10:59 p.m.