No. 24 Kansas (5–1, 1–1)

Last week: L 34–30 @ Colorado

This week: vs. Oklahoma

The Jayhawks are one game away from bowl eligibility, but their issues on defense are proving to be greater than their record. Being upset by tomato-can Colorado was tough to swallow, but giving up 70 points in two weeks to the Buffs and Iowa State isn’t exactly representative of the No. 24 team in the country. Quarterback Todd Reesing and his offensive corps can keep things flying but might be too tired in the long run to play defense as well. Coach Mark Mangino needs to get their issues straightened out, but with the Sooners coming to town, it might have to wait another week. Landry Jones is a high-quality backup, and the Sooners’ defensive speed may be the only team to match up Kansas’ offense this year.

Kansas State (4–3, 2–1)

Last week: W 62–14 vs. Texas A&M

This week: vs. Colorado

A week after giving up 66 to Texas Tech, Bill Snyder’s ball club put up 62 on Texas A&M, meaning that home-field advantage really does matter. That or the Wildcats are an improving bunch. They are leading the Big 12 North (gasp!) after opening the year with losses to Louisiana Lafeyette and after scoring as many points against the Aggies as they had in the four previous games against FBS opponents. Running back Daniel Thomas is tearing up defenses with his power, and the Wildcats’ 5-foot-5-inch wide receiver returned another kick for a touchdown last weekend. Playing an improved Colorado for the divisional lead will be a challenge, but nobody believed the Wildcats would be here anyway. Coach Bill Snyder’s reputation would be canonized if he could take this team to a bowl game.

Colorado (2–4, 1–1)

Last week: W 34–30 vs. No. 17 Kansas

This week: @ Kansas State

Before last Saturday’s game against Kansas, Colorado had yet to maintain consistency through all four quarters of a game. After the Buffaloes blew a 27–10 third quarter lead, lack of consistency seemed destined to be the story for Colorado once again. But with Kansas holding a 30–27 advantage with less than nine minutes left in the game, Colorado’s Rodney Stewart broke off a 13-yard run to score a touchdown, which put his team back into the lead for good. Quarterback Tyler Hansen was given reins of the Buffalo offense in favor of Cody Hawkins, who had been at best sub-par in Colorado’s first five games. That decision turned out to be the difference maker in the game. Hansen threw for 175 yards (17–25–1) and one touchdown, adding a touchdown of his own with second quarter run. Colorado’s upset victory allayed some of the team’s lowly 1–4 start, but the Buffaloes only scrounged up 322 yards of total offense against the Jayhawks, which was just barely above their league worst average of 311 offensive yards per game.

Missouri (4–2, 0–2)

Last week: L 33–17 vs. No. 16 Oklahoma St.

This week: vs. No. 3 Texas

Missouri’s rocky adjustment to conference play continued last weekend, as No. 16 Oklahoma St. held the Tigers scoreless in the second half to help preserve a 33–17 win. After starting the year 4–0, Missouri has lost two straight. Sophomore quarterback and the Big 12’s third-leading passer Blaine Gabbert amassed 325 passing yards. Gabbert, however, was intercepted three times, including one pick the Cowboys returned 26 yards for a touchdown. The Tigers only trailed Oklahoma State 24–17 at halftime, but for the second week in a row, Missouri’s offense was unable to close out the game. In Missouri’s first Big 12 game, against Nebraska, the Tigers allowed the Cornhuskers to tally 27 unanswered points. The offense once again stalled out in the latter part of the game as Missouri managed to gain only 80 yards in the second half. The need for the offense to stay consistent will be imperative this weekend when the Tigers return home to face No. 3 Texas.

Nebraska (4–2, 1–1)

Last week: L 31–10 vs. Texas Tech

This week: vs. Iowa State

The Cornhuskers were destroyed a week ago by Texas Tech, pushing the team back in pursuit of its first Big 12 North title since 2006. After the blowout loss, their quarterback situation is apparently up in the air. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said in an Associated Press story earlier this week that the job is “always open,” meaning that early-season starter Zac Lee may not be under center Saturday against Iowa State. Lee, a junior, threw for 1,213 yards and 10 touchdowns in the team’s first six games this season, but the Huskers struggled to move the ball against Texas Tech, even though Lee completed 16 of his 22 passes.

No matter who the signal caller is for Nebraska on Saturday, Pelini’s run-first offense will rely heavily on Roy Helu Jr., who was only recently surpassed as the Big 12’s leading rusher by Iowa State’s Alexander Robinson. Helu has 620 yards and six touchdowns so far in 2009, and is the Cornhuskers’ go-to guy on almost every down. Helu had a season-low 135 total yards last week, something that could explain the Huskers’ dismal 215 yards of total offense.

Baylor (3–3, 0–2)

Last Week: L 24–10 @ Iowa State

This Week: vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State

The Bears are struggling, after dropping two in a row and now playing host to an Oklahoma State team that is banged up but still healthier than Baylor. Coach Art Briles’ club have scored 17 points in the last two weeks, with the only touchdown, against Iowa State, scored with nine seconds left on the clock. The quarterback and running back issues are obviously hurting the team, but to go from bowl talk to potentially not winning another game is hard to swallow in Waco. The team has to find a spark somewhere, but the loss to the Cyclones extended Baylor’s conference road losing streak to 12.

No. 25 Oklahoma (3–3, 1–1)

Last week: L 16–13 vs. No. 3 Texas

This week:@ No. 24 Kansas

The Sooners’ hopes are all but gone for a Big 12 title, let alone the national title many thought they would compete for at the beginning of the season. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford went down Saturday (again), and Oklahoma struggled mightily to move the ball against No. 3 Texas’ defense in the Cotton Bowl, particularly on the ground. The Sooners were able to throw for 327 yards against the Longhorns, but were held to -16 yards rushing.

Freshman quarterback Landry Jones filled in admirably for Bradford, going 24-of-43 for 250 yards and a touchdown, but threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, sealing the Sooners’ fate against their Red River rivals. The slate doesn’t get much easier for the banged up Sooners, though, as now they head to Lawrence to face the last of the ranked Big 12 North teams, Kansas, and still have Nebraska, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State remaining on their schedule.

No. 14 Oklahoma State (5–1, 2–0)

Last week: W 33–17 vs. Missouri

This week: @ Baylor

Dez Bryant who? The Cowboys didn’t seem to miss their All-American wideout Saturday in their resounding defeat of Missouri, winning in dominating fashion against the Tigers. Sophomore receiver Hubert Anyiam had 10 catches, 119 yards and a touchdown filling in for the suspended Bryant. Quarterback Zac Robinson went 22-of-35 passing for 227 yards and a touchdown, while Keith Toston went for 87 yards on the ground for the 14th-ranked Cowboys. It was the defense, though, that really won the game against the Tigers.

The orange-clad Cowboys held Missouri to just 3-of-15 on third down conversions and forced four turnovers, including an interception that was returned for a touchdown.

Now sitting at 5–1, Oklahoma State will likely be the last threat to No. 3 Texas’ title hopes in its matchup on Halloween.

No. 3 Texas (6–0, 3–0)

Last week: W 16–13 vs. No. 20 Oklahoma

This week: @ Missouri

The Longhorns’ game last week was a slop fest that featured eight turnovers and a re-injured former Heisman winner. All that aside, though, the Longhorns remain in line for a BCS championship berth if they can win out.

Although the Sooners were only ranked No. 20 at game time, they may have been the best team on Texas’ schedule this season. Missouri, at 4–2 this season, should be a solid test for the Longhorns, although they have struggled of late, dropping their last two to ranked teams.

Texas Tech (5–2, 2–1)

Last week: W 31–10 @ No. 15 Nebraska

This week: vs. Texas A&M

The Red Raiders have rebounded from two straight losses to then-No. 2 Texas and then-No. 17 Houston with three straight victories of 20 points or more, including a 21-point win last weekend against then-No. 15 Nebraska.

Texas Tech got off to a quick 21–0 lead against the Cornhuskers and were able to hang on for the victory. On Saturday, the Red Raiders will try to keep their momentum going against a struggling Texas A&M team.

Texas A&M (3–3, 0–2)

Last week: L 61–14 @ Kansas State

This week: @ Texas Tech

Through the first three games of the season, the Aggies steamrolled through their competition by an average of almost 27 points a game as they unveiled, statistically, one of the best offenses in the country.

 In the last three games, however, the Aggies showed that the start to their season was more of a product of who they were playing — New Mexico State, Utah State and UAB — than how they were playing.