Big 12 Football: Power rankings following more chaos in Week 4

Big 12 Football power rankings post-Week 4

3. Oklahoma Sooners 1-1 (0-1 Big 12)

A streak of seven straight wins in Big 12 openers was snapped on Sep. 26 by Kansas State. Oklahoma came into this matchup against Kansas State as a four possession favorite, but that didn’t mean much in the end. Head coach Lincoln Riley and his Sooners coughed up a huge lead to Kansas State and hurt the Big 12’s College Football Playoff chances in the process.

Redshirt freshman quarterback and former five-star recruit Spencer Rattler truly had an up and down performance in Week 4. He had his first career pick in the first quarter, and would wind up having two more before it was all said and done.

Rattler wrapped up this game by registering 387 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, three interceptions, and -5 rushing yards. The offensive line in front of Rattler did him no favors, and the final interception of this game was a bad throw from him that cost the Sooners.

The lack of a true running back option and the inconsistent play of the offensive line signals potential problems that Riley isn’t used to having. For the first time in more than three years, Riley is utilizing a quarterback that is not a grad transfer and/or an experienced signal caller.

But this is a spot that Oklahoma found itself in before. This is the second straight year that Oklahoma lost to Kansas State, and they still won the Big 12 Championship and made it to the College Football Playoff last season. Don’t count out Rattler and the Sooners yet. They have Iowa State on the road next weekend, which won’t be easy.