Last week in this space I asked readers to sound their opinion on the making fun of Nebraska.

Well, the votes are in and the Iowa State Daily is now ready to project that Nebraska will continue to be made fun of. (No word yet on my street cred, though, so I’ll assume that I just don’t have any unless told otherwise.)

I would like to thank everyone for voting and the Nebraska fan who pointed out a colossal oversight on my part last week. No Nebraska is not a wannabe Iowa … they are Iowa, but without the soybeans.

Brett was 4-2 last week running his picks record to 33-9.

KANSAS 3-1 (0-1) AT KANSAS STATE 3-1 (0-1)

Last week: Kansas lost at No. 15 Texas Tech 30-17; K-State lost at Oklahoma 43-21.

Kansas came through with a win over the in-state rival Wildcats last year for the first time since the invention of the wheel and look to prove last year wasn’t a fluke.

The Fighting Manginos put up a fight against the Red Raiders and their high-powered offense last week, while Kansas State got exposed after a soft non-conference schedule.

The physical defensive front the Jayhawks will throw out against the Wildcats will make it two in a row for the Fighting Manginos.

THE PICK: KANSAS

TEXAS A&M 3-1 (1-0) AT COLORADO 3-1 (1-0)

Last week: Texas A&M beat Baylor 16-13 (OT); Colorado won at Oklahoma State 34-0.

Texas A&M nearly pulled off the unthinkable last week by almost losing to Baylor for the second year in a row.

As embarrassing as that is, you can’t capture the full magnitude until you understand that this was AT HOME for A&M.

Not good.

Colorado continues to quietly take care of business as they try to position themselves for a run in the North. A win this week puts the Buffs at 2-0 going into their game with Texas, so if Gary Barnett and company can get through their schedule against the South with a 2-1 record, they may be the favorites for the division.

The Buffs’ final five games are against all the North teams, so a win this week – while it’s still early – could go a long way in making the division Colorado’s to lose.

THE PICK: COLORADO

No. 15 TEXAS TECH 4-0 (1-0) AT NEBRASKA 4-0 (1-0)

Last week: No. 15 Texas Tech beat Kansas 30-17, Nebraska beat Iowa State 27-20 (2OT)

Nebraska’s offense has been the punchline of many jokes so far this season, but last week in their thrilling double-overtime victory, the passing game finally got on track to the tune of over 450 yards.

That being said the Huskers still only managed 13 points in regulation, showing the redzone offense is still a work in progress.

That doesn’t bode well with Texas Tech’s “basketball on grass” offense coming to town. Last week Tech got a game from Kansas, helped by two Red Raider fumbles that led to points for the Fighting Manginos.

Tech saw a fierce, physical defensive front for the first time last week that wreaked havoc on the offense, and Nebraska’s defense will be even tougher for the Red Raider offensive line.

While Texas Tech might not score 70 – remember last year? – Nebraska’s anemic redzone offense won’t be able to score enough to keep up.

THE PICK: TEXAS TECH

BAYLOR 3-1 (0-1) AT IOWA STATE 3-1 (0-1)

Last week: Baylor lost at Texas A&M 16-13 (OT); Iowa State lost at Nebraska 27-20 (2OT).

This game features teams with identical records coming off identical overtime losses on the road in which each held leads as a late as the first overtime period.

Both teams will be bent on making up for missed opportunities last week and should provide for a fairly entertaining game, much like last year’s suspense filled one-point ISU victory.

Baylor is improved and is easily the best team they have put on the field since the Big 12 began in 1996. The Bears are currently No. 16 in the nation in scoring defense. Last week they held Texas A&M dual-threat QB Reggie McNeal to just 12-of-31 passing for 132 yards and will face a similar mold of quarterback this week with Bret Meyer.

Plus, Iowa State’s Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde personality could make this into a suspenseful afternoon in Ames. If the ISU team that pounded Iowa and nearly beat Nebraska shows up, the Cyclones should be in control by the fourth-quarter. If the team that struggled to beat Army (FYI Baylor won at Army 20-10) and Illinois State shows up, things could get hairy for the Cyclones.

Iowa State also needs a little work shoring up the passing defense, so look for Baylor to put up a fight and hang around, but the Cyclones win it by 14 in a big day by the ISU receiving corps.

THE PICK: IOWA STATE

LAUGHTER OF THE WEEK: MISSOURI 2-2 (0-1) AT OKLAHOMA STATE 3-1 (0-1)

Last week: Missouri lost to No. 2 Texas 51-20; Oklahoma State lost to Colorado 34-0.

It would be dangerous to say that Missouri and my boy Gary Pinkel would be a lock to even beat Roland-Story, but the sad truth is, Oklahoma State is that bad.

The Cowboys struggled through the non-conference highlighted by a five-point win over Montana St. and a 10-point win over Arkansas St., but my intramural team could do better. Then, last week, Okie St. got blasted at home by Colorado.

It’s never a good sign when you’re losing 34-0 at home. Even Pinkel hasn’t achieved something like that … yet.

THE PICK: MISSOURI

GAME OF THE WEEK: OKLAHOMA 2-2 (1-0) VS. No. 2 TEXAS 4-0 (1-0) (AT COTTON BOWL – DALLAS, TX)

Last week: Oklahoma beat Kansas State 43-21; No. 2 Texas won at Missouri 51-20.

The Red River Shootout and the Cotton Bowl have been the end of national championship hopes for as long as Texas fans can remember.

For five consecutive years the Oklahoma Sooners have beaten the rival Longhorns, including last year’s 12-0 victory. The past two years Texas has been outscored 77-13.

No wonder Mack Brown’s seat has been getting so hot. If Brown can’t deliver a Longhorn victory this year, with Oklahoma being down and Texas with a clear path to the national title game, he could be lining up at the unemployment office at the end of the year.

The Sooners blew away Kansas State last week in Norman, but the passing game remains atrocious. As long as Texas can load up with the box and defend the run without worrying about the pass, I don’t see how the ‘Horns can lose.

Vince Young is really, really good and has already carried his team to victory against an Ohio State defense that was better than what Oklahoma will throw out there.

Mack Brown finally gets his victory over Oklahoma and finally gets the fans off his back, that is, until they lose to somebody else instead.

THE PICK: TEXAS

And now it’s time for everybody’s favorite part of the column, the “I Hate Nebraska” moment of the week.

Last weekend I spent a good chunk of my life that I will never get back: Driving through Nebraska to and from Lincoln. Let me just say it was so much fun I could hardly contain myself.

Omaha to Lincoln was absolutely worthless as we drove past countless cars with their Nebraska “Blackshirts” flags hanging out the window and about six million HUSKR1 license plates. Gag me.

Then on the return trip, as we rode bumper-to-bumper, the 50-some odd miles back to Omaha, my wonderful editor Grant Wall pointed out a billboard that had already been changed to read “Nebraska 27 Iowa State 20” to mock everyone as they returned to Iowa.

Classy.

But, as always, I got the last laugh. While I was carousing around Nebraska’s $372.8 million press box, I managed to pour a big cup of Mountain Dew all over their carpet. HA. Except for Mr. Wall, nobody there saw it happen. Score: Me 1, Nebraska 0.

Oh, by the way Husker fans, Texas Tech has ALREADY scored.