Big weekend for conference's top teams

By Mike Bushnell

Published Nov. 2, 2007

In addition to No. 9 Missouri traveling to Colorado, the other highly ranked Big 12 teams all have important tests ahead of them this weekend.

One of them, No. 15 Texas, has a date at 2:30 p.m. at Oklahoma State, the co-leader of the Big 12 South.

After suffering an embarrassing non-conference loss at Troy, the Cowboys have rebounded to open up 3-1 in conference play.

The Longhorns also barely eked out a 28-25 home win against a dismal Nebraska team last weekend in Austin, Texas.

Texas trailed 17-3 and needed a heroic fourth-quarter comeback anchored by junior tailback Jamaal Charles, who ran for 290 yards in the game.

Texas coach Mack Brown has called his team the "most criticized 7-2 team in the nation." And the team needs to move to 8-2 for any of those criticisms to go away.

Winning the award for most unexpected line is No. 8 Kansas.

The team is 21-point favorites at home against Nebraska, whose season has completely fallen apart as they are just 1-4 in the conference.

The Jayhawks are 8-0 for the first time since 1909 and 4-0 in Big 12 play for the first time in school history.

An already weak Nebraska team was hurt even more when senior quarterback Sam Keller broke his collarbone last week against Texas. Junior Joe Ganz will take the reins behind center on Saturday, and he closely battled Keller for the starting job during spring and summer practice.

And No. 6 Oklahoma, trying to stay afloat in the national title race, will play host to a Texas A&M team that isn't as good as its 6-3 record indicates. The Aggies' conference wins are against Baylor and Nebraska and a one-point win at home against Oklahoma State.

The Sooners are coming off a bye week, so they should be well rested and able to take care of business against the Aggies.

All three teams' dreams of a national championship are once again on the line. But while Kansas and Oklahoma should cruise, Texas' trip to Stillwater, Okla., has all the makings of a trap game.