Tramel's ScissorTales: No. 1 Kansas ranked in Big 12 football (2023)

The Big 12 team rankings can give you a headache.

If you just want to predict who will win, put OU #1, everyone else's names in a hat and start drawing.

But if you want to rank teams based on performance and turnover, it's a little more difficult.

Texas has one of the Big 12's few good wins, a 38-18 victory over Lafayette, Louisiana in Week 1. ThenLonghorns self-destructed by Arkansas 40-21.

Kansas State posted a league-best win, dominating Stanford 24-7, and Stanford beat Southern California 42-28 in Week 2. But Kansas State lost running back Skylar Thompson to a knee injury, and the Wildcats looked shaky without him as they survived Southern Illinois 31-23.

Texas Christianity? The Horned Frogs beat California 34-32, a California team that lost to Nevada, and now they visit Kansas and you get the idea.

It's a mess. But to stick with our stipulation that we only rank teams based on what they do -- the games they played, where they played and how they played -- here it is:

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1. Kansas State (2-0)

KSU led Southern Illinois 21-3, though Thompson fell to 7-0. The Wildcats then gave up three touchdowns in less than two minutes, the last two on a fumble and an interception.

Quarterback Will Howard played a lot for KSU last season when Thompson was injured. Howard was pretty ineffective and Saturday night didn't seem much better. Howard had one fumble, one interception and went 76 yards on eight of 17 passes.

Reports say Thompson will miss several weeks.

"Skyler will be out indefinitely," KSU coach Chris Klieman said. "We don't see it as a season-ending injury, that's what worries me. But it will take some time.

"It was tough, no doubt. What he went through last year, he was able to come back and play his sixth year, he had a great fall camp. I know when he went down, I think we all was a little out of breath. Angry, 'Oh no, not again'."

It could be a long year for the Cats without Thompson. But right now they are number one.

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2. Texas Christian (2-0)

No big deal in California, but the Big 12 isn't loaded with quality wins.

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3. Oklahoma State (2-0)

Sorry, too tight TulaneAnd a 76-0 win over Western Carolina, a game that should never have been on the schedule, didn't put the Sooners over the top. But the Jekyll & Hyde Longhorns win.

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4. Texas (1-1)

Maybe Louisiana-Lafayette turns out to be a ruse and Arkansas a Southeastern Conference underdog. But for now, neither team will be punished much for playing against two legitimate opponents.

"We went into a hostile environment where we didn't play anywhere near the standard we should have," UT coach Steve Sarkisian said. "Regardless of the environment, hot, cold, snowy, high. We have to play to a standard, and we didn't reach that standard on Saturday night."

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5. Texas Tech (2-0)

The Red Raiders kept Stephen F. Austin on the floor all game to secure the win in a strong win over Houston.

The Lumberjacks led 13-7 in the third quarter, with freshman quarterback Tyler Slough faltering, completing 11 of 21 passes for 167 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

"Be pleased with how our defense has played the last few weeks," Tech coach Matt Wells said. "We were a little lopsided on offense. We're just trying to figure things out. We've got to play better down the O-line."

OSU Transcripts:Cowboys defense saves game against Tulsa as offense struggles

6. Baylor (2-0)

The Bears beat Texas Southern 66-7, but that doesn't matter much. We'll see Baylor soon.

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7. Oklahoma State (2-0)

vs. Missouri State (23-16) andTulsa (28-23).Cowboys play Boise State Saturday night; they could begin to change history.

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8. Iowa State (1-1)

The Cyclones nearly doubled their total yardage (339-173) and Iowa State's first loss (21-11). Final score: Iowa State 27 yards, Iowa State 17 yards.

Four turnovers were to blame, and it got so bad that Cyclones coach Matt Campbell benched four-year starting quarterback Brock Purdy.

"For us, that's why you like to have such big, impactful games early in the season," Campbell said. "For you to measure where you are and where you're not. Can you continue to grow? Can you continue to get better? It's a big challenge for us and we're really looking forward to taking deal with it.”

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9. West Virginia (1-1)

Long Island's 66-0 rout couldn't make up for the stink of the loss to Maryland. A 66-0 loss at Long Island doesn't make up for the losses.

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10. Kansas (1-1)

The Jayhawks lost 49-22 at Coastal Carolina, but hey, KU looks better.

OSU Transcripts:Cowboys defense saves game against Tulsa as offense struggles

Kum iz Nebraske: Bob Devaney

It's OU-Nebraska week, dvsthere will be a big red competition, who dominated the sport in the 1970s and 80s. Barry Switzer and Tom Osborne, Johnny Rodgers and Keith Jackson, Norman and Lincoln's game of the century.

But there's one name you should remember when someone loves the OU-Nebraska legend.

Bob Devaney.

Nebraska football was a formidable force in the early 20th century. The Cornhuskers regularly win Missouri Valley and Big Six titles.

Between his stellar accomplishments coaching Texas A&M and Texas, Dana Bible led the Cornhuskers to a 50-15-7 record from 1929-36.

Nebraska recruited Biff Jones from OU, and Jones coached the 1940 Cornhuskers to the Rose Bowl.

But Nebraska football languished for two decades after that. Winning in three seasons over the next 21 years. Nebraska came back good on the Sooner twice; The Huskers hired Pete Elliott, Bud Wilkinson's assistant, but he stayed at Lincoln for only one year, in 1956, before enrolling at UC Berkeley. Nebraska promoted Elliott's assistant, Bill Jennings, who played and coached for Wilkinson. But Jennings went 15-34-1 in five seasons with the Huskers and his contract was not renewed.

So in December 1961, the Cornhuskers were looking for a football coach. According to the Omaha World-Herald, new athletic director Tippi Dye tried to hire her coach Hank Fordberg from Wichita State, but he took the Texas A&M job. Nebraska is trying to maintain a power play with Michigan State coach Duffy Dougherty. Dougherty has always been a Spartan.

But Doherty recommended the former Michigan State assistant coach. A researcher named Devaney.

The history of American football was forever changed.

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Devaney was born on April 13, 1915 in Saginaw, Michigan. After high school, Devaney worked in a factory for three years before attending Alma College, just outside of Saginaw. He coached high school football in Michigan for 14 years before being hired as an assistant coach by the University of Michigan.A player named Chuck Fairbanks was on the first two Spartans teams, including on Devaney's staff.

Wyoming hired DeVaney as head coach in 1957, and the Cowboys went 35-10-5 in DeVaney's five seasons.

So Tippy Dyety took Daugherty's advice and hired Devaney, even though Wyoming initially refused to terminate Devaney's contract, making the Huskers sweat.

It's worth the wait.

Devaney coached the Cornhusks for just 11 seasons, but he was to Nebraska what Wilkinson was to Oklahoma.

Devaney went 101-20-2 in his 11 Husker seasons and won national championships in 1970 and 1971. As athletic director from 1967 to 1992, he transformed Nebraska from a dormant athletic program into a vibrant department, both financially and competitively.

Devaney coached Nebraska in the 1971 Game of the Century, a landmark event that celebrates its 50th anniversary this week.The No. 1 Huskers defeated the No. 2 Sooners 35-31 at Owen Field.

Devaney's success at Nebraska was immediate. His first team went 9-2 in a 36-34 victory over Miami in the Gotham Bowl.

After that, the Huskers won four straight championships and replaced OU as the Beast of Eight. Nebraska went 38-6 from 1963-66 and made two appearances in the Orange Bowl, the Cotton Bowl and the Sugar Bowl.

"I think Bob was one of the best young coaches of all time," writes Barry Switzer in his book,the smuggler's girlfriend"The nation must remember Bob Devaney as one of the true greats in college football history."

The OU-Nebraskarivalry wasn't long before Devaney. Some important games from the 1930s. That is it.

Then Nebraska assumed the mantle of OU's conference kings in the 1960s, and the Sooners regrouped — first under Fairbanks, then Switzer, Devaney's Osborne protégé.

Under Devaney and Osborne, Nebraska football flourished for four decades. When you list the most important people in the history of the Big Red Rivalry, Bob Devaney is number one.

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The History of Boise State University

Don Rominger is committed to history, a consistent reader andOccasional contributor to ScissorTales.It has good old stories, mostly about college football, which is another one this week, with Oregon State and Boise State.

NEO was one of two schools to win the 1958 National Junior College Athletic Association championship.

I am responsible for that, Rominger said. “It happened like this.

"Both (teams) went undefeated in the regular season that year. NEO finished No. 1 in the NJCAA poll, but declined an invitation to play in the NJCAA championship to await an invitation to play in the Junior Rose Bowl. Junior The Rose Bowl Bowl Game, in pitting the California juco state champions against the top teams in the East, is favored over the smaller NJCAA games.The Junior Rose Bowl draws as many as 55,000 fans to the historic Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

“Because the California school is not part of the NJCAA, both junior Rose bowlers are considered NJCAA play superior.

"Unfortunately, the Junior Rose Bowl did not inform NEO coach Red Robertson that the game would be played under NCAA single-line rules, as opposed to the two-line games observed by the NJCAA (and NEO). He did not play and lost a 30-12 at Santa Monica City College.

"In 1968, when I accepted a job as NEO's assistant football coach (among other jobs). Red Robertson convinced me that as the #1 NJCAA team in 1958, NEO actually had the best team in the NJCAA that season. t I know about the NJCAA playoffs. So I took Red's analysis and put the 1958 national title on the press guide list for the Northeast A&M Championship. Years later I notified NEO Sports of the department's mistake. I ask them to take a statement from their future press guide.

"Imagine my shock when the university recognized our 1969 national champion in 2009 because it was printed on a large banner that said '1958 National Champion.' So I contacted the athletic department again and told them my story of complicity in the mistake .

"They're not so sure about that because, you see, they recognize the Championship in their media guide. (As director of football PR, as part of my role, I was the first to create a media guide for the Academy, and the first (to include the title).I even asked them to check the official NJCAA yearbook for a list of championship game results -- (listing the winner of the 1958 championship as champion).

"So I contacted the president of the university. He said he would look into it.

“Last I looked, the banner still had the 1958 team listed as national champions.

"Okay then. Maybe they really are."

Fantastic story. Moreover. 1958 National Juco Championship? Tyler Junior College of Texas lost that game 22-0. winner? Boise Junior College, which became a four-year university in 1965, is now known as Boise State University.

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Mailbag: OU running backs i NFL

profitjay is hurtIKeller MurraySunday, not to mention Baker Mayfield, piqued readers' interest.

David:"It's hard to say who's better, CBS' Oklahoma quarterback or Fox's Oklahoma quarterback."

Tram:I don't want to tackle a QB on CBS or tackle a QB on Fox.

On CBS, Murray led the Arizona Cardinals to a 38-13 rout of the Tennessee Titans. He completed 21 of 32 passes for 289 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Murray ran for 20 yards and a score on five carries. Arizona sets itself up as a playoff contender if Murray stays healthy, which he didn't last season.

On Fox, Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons 32-6. It was considered a bridge season for the Eagles as they waited to select a quarterback in 2022, but Hurts put the program on hold. He completed 27 of 35 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns; also ran for 62 yards.

Mayfield, meanwhile, was strong, but the Kansas City Chiefs outscored Mayfield's Cleveland Browns 33-29. KC trailed 10-22 at halftime, but Patrick Mahomes played Mayfield, who completed 21 of 28 passes for 321 yards and no touchdowns. Mayfield threw a late, desperation interception as Cleveland tried to come back.

All in all a really good daylincoln riley bek.

"We are recovering":

Selection of classic films: "In the heat of the night"

You may remember the TV adaptation (1988-95) based on the 1967 movie. Erase the TV show from your mind. I love Carol O'Connor but this movie is one of the best Hollywood movies ever made and the TV series didn't do it justice.

In fact, the show brings murder to the small town of Sparta, Mississippi, every week. In the movie, the murders in Sparta are a rare event, so rare that the police chief doesn't know how to investigate it.

Black Philadelphia detective Virgil Tubbs, played by Sidney Poitier, visits a family in the South and helps police chief Bill Gillispie (the great Rod Steiger).

The murder mystery is a subplot of the psychological drama of the relationship between Tibbs and the chief, and Poitiers and Steiger are excellent in their roles.

The film is full of time and place discrimination and social injustice. Director Norman Jewison places you in the Deep South of the 1960s. The film depicts stifling southern summer nights, and you begin to feel the heat.

1967 may be the best year for American cinema ever. "Bonnie and Clyde." "High school senior." "Cool hand Luke." "Guess who's coming to dinner?"

"In the heat of the night" beat them all and won the Oscar for best picture. Steiger won Best Actor, and the film won three other Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, and Best Film Editing.

Some of the best movie lines come out in "In the Heat of the Night."

In response to Steiger's question about the names of Philadelphia police detectives, Poitier said with justified anger that they call me MR. Tibbs! "

Steiger defended the suspect's arrest, saying, "My motives are money and dead bodies."

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is a wonderful movie and it's also about race relations. But while "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" spoke to America about racial tensions, "In the Heat of the Night" did. A huge hole.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard from Monday to Friday from 16:40 to 17:20. On the Sports Animal Radio Network, including FM-98.1. Support the work of him and other Oklahoma journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.