There is, however, no getting around it. Texas A&M will be in Manhattan tonight, averaging 513 yards and 37 points per game.
The fact the Aggies (3-2, 0-1 Big 12) are fresh off a disappointing 36-31 loss to a nationally ranked Oklahoma State is no comfort to the Wildcats (3-3, 1-1). For one thing, the similarities between Texas A&M and Texas Tech are obvious.
"Both defenses get to the ball and on offense they have a quarterback who can run and throw the ball," said running back Keithen Valentine. "If we can do everything that we can do, then we will be all right."
The shellshocked Kansas State defense was overwhelmed by Texas Tech's prodigious offense. In 17-plus seasons, no Bill Snyder-coached Kansas State team had ever surrendered more than 64 points.
But Texas Tech's first-time starter at quarterback, Steven Sheffield, threw for 490 yards and seven TDs, completing passes to 10 different receivers.
Now comes Aggies quarterback Jerrod Johnson, who leads the Big 12 in total offense at 356 yards a game. Johnson has thrown for 1,579 yards and 14 touchdowns.
If the Wildcats manage to intercept one of his passes, it will be his first of the year.
"He presents a lot of challenges for us," Snyder said. "He is putting up some very good numbers, both through the air and on the ground. He is a very dangerous player in both of those aspects. He has the capability to do a lot of positive things. He also has a lot of good players around him."
The Wildcats, in the meantime, were trying to sort out their own quarterback situation. Sixth-year senior Grant Gregory seemed to have won the job with his play in a one-point victory over Iowa State the week before the Texas Tech debacle. But Gregory played so poorly against the Red Raiders he was replaced by the man everyone thought he'd beaten out, Carson Coffman.
Snyder said he was unsure who would be tonight's starter.
The Aggies have lost two in a row, bowing to Arkansas 47-19 two weeks ago.
"We made progress even though it didn't show up on the scoreboard," coach Mike Sherman said. "One play makes a difference in the ball game, and if we'd made that one play are we going to feel that much different about ourselves? We have made progress and I want them to believe in that."
Nebraska seeks rare win
over Big 12 South opponent
LINCOLN, Neb. - How No. 15 Nebraska fares in crossover games against the Big 12 South won't necessarily decide where the Cornhuskers end up.
But games like the one today against Texas Tech can give them an idea of where they stack up in the league's power structure.
"If you want to be a dominant force in the Big 12 like Nebraska was early on in the conference's history," Nebraska center Jacob Hickman said, "you've got to beat the South teams."
Only one of the past five North Division champs - Missouri in 2007 - won more than one of its three games against its southern brethren. Colorado, in fact, won the North in 2004 despite going winless against the South.
Nebraska (4-1, 1-0 Big 12), this year's North favorite, enters the Texas Tech game with losses in 14 of its past 21 regular-season meetings with South opponents. Six of the seven wins over that span came against Baylor or Texas A&M; the other one was against Texas Tech.
When the Big 12 began in 1996, Nebraska was at the height of its national prominence, and it won 14 of its first 18 crossover games.
The Huskers' resurgence under second-year coach Bo Pelini has been fueled mostly by lightweight nonconference competition and five straight wins over North opponents, including a 27-12 come-from-behind victory at Missouri last week that vaulted the Huskers to their highest AP ranking since September 2007.
Texas Tech (4-2, 1-1) has won three straight against the Huskers, the last two decided in the final minute or overtime, and is 14-7 against the North since 2002.
Tech coach Mike Leach said Friday junior quarterback Steven Sheffield will get his second start, and first on the road.
Sheffield took over after Taylor Potts sustained a concussion Oct. 3 and is the latest in a long line of Tech quarterbacks to produce eye-popping numbers. In last week's 66-14 rout of Kansas State, Sheffield set a school record in the first half by passing for 370 yards and five TDs, and he finished with 490 yards and seven TDs through the air.
Iowa State hopes to
bounce back against Baylor
AMES, Iowa - Iowa State could very easily play a game of coulda, shoulda, woulda.
The Cyclones could be 5-1 and 2-0 in the Big 12. They should have at least forced overtime against Kansas State two weeks ago and they would have stunned No. 17 Kansas had Austen Arnaud's pass with about a minute left not sailed a yard over Darius Darks' outstretched hands.
Paul Rhoads isn't having it. Iowa State's first-year coach doesn't believe in moral victories, just real ones, and that's what he's hoping for when the Cyclones (3-3, 0-2 Big 12) host Baylor (3-2, 0-1) tonight.
"We'd love nothing more than to be 5-1 right now. We're (a few) plays away from being that. But that's what losers say," Rhoads said. "That's what a team that's 3-3 says."
What Rhoads won't say is that the journey to 3-3 could set the Cyclones up for better success - also known as victories - down the road.
Iowa State has clearly made strides through the first half of the season. The Cyclones have already snapped a 10-game losing streak dating to 2008 and they broke a 17-game road winless streak at Kent State on Sept. 19.
Next up on Iowa State's wish list is to stop an 11-game skid in the Big 12. To do so, the Cyclones will have to get by a Baylor team that crushed them, 38-10, last season in Waco.
But the Bears will be without the player who hurt Iowa State the most in that blowout, quarterback Robert Griffin. He's out for the season with a knee injury, and Baylor has yet to settle on who'll be behind center against Iowa State.
Senior Blake Szymanski was in line to take over for Griffin before injuring his shoulder, but he got some playing time late in Baylor's 33-7 loss at No. 20 Oklahoma and is listed as the starter.
Szymanski hasn't had much practice time in the past two weeks, and freshman Nick Florence showed poise in replacing him - even though the Bears could manage just seven points against the Sooners.
Texas Christian at midway
point in BCS-busting chase
FORT WORTH - Texas Christian probably has to do more than just win if it wants to finally become a Bowl Championship Series buster.
With the first BCS standings of the season coming out at the end of this weekend, and a trip to Brigham Young coming up next, the 12th-ranked Horned Frogs could use a momentum-boosting lopsided victory today against Colorado State.
At a quick glance, it doesn't seem like that should be too difficult a task.
The Frogs (5-0, 1-0 Mountain West), one of only eight unbeaten teams remaining, are a three-touchdown favorite at home, where they have won 11 in a row and 17 of 18. The only loss in that span was by a touchdown two years ago against Utah, the original BCS buster.
Colorado State (3-3, 0-3) has a three-game losing streak after giving up 21 unanswered points over the final 19½ minutes at home last week against No. 24 Utah.
But listen to TCU coach Gary Patterson, and realize he is indeed talking about Colorado State, not looking ahead to next week's trip to No. 18 BYU.
"This is really a tough, tough matchup. We've got a lot of work to do to win this game," Patterson said. "Putting everything together, this is probably the most formidable opponent that we've had."
Plus, Patterson remembers what happened last season, when the Frogs gave up an early touchdown and scraped their way to a 13-7 victory over Colorado State, their only win in the regular season by less than 17 points. That was a week before beating BYU 32-7 to end the Cougars' 16-game winning streak.
