Big 12 Notebook For 10-17-2006 - College Football News And Picks

Big 12 Notebook For 10-17-2006
By Jeff Zell
Posted: 6:00 am PDT 2006-10-17

Adrian Peterson is gone.

Sooner fans have probably come to realization with this by now.

Filling the shoes for Peterson is nearly impossible. A couple of running backs are going to give it a try. Peterson's backup on the depth chart is Allen Patrick. ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel says he's an I-back style of runner like Peterson.

Peterson's backup last year, Jacob Gutierrez, who is a Quentin Griffin-style back, will also have to pick up the slack.

"I'm still not even trying to think about an offense without him, but I guess it is reality," receiver Malcolm Kelly told SoonerSports.com. "We're going to have to come out and play, man. Everybody came here to play football, and that's what we're going to have to do."

"We won't make any rash decisions," offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said. "I don't think the offense is going to change dramatically."

BCS Standings: The Big 12 was disrespected in the initial BCS standings in comparison to the AP poll. While the conference has five teams in the Top 25 of the polls, the Big 12 only has three teams in the Top 25 of the BCS. Texas, which ranks ninth in the BCS, was hurt by the computer rankings. While the Longhorns sit at No. 5 in the polls, the computers rank the Longhorns No. 15.

Eight Hundred Wins: Nebraska earned its 800th victory and took sole possession of the Big 12 North with its 21-3 win over Kansas State on Saturday. Nebraska's total ranks as the fourth-most wins in Division I-A history. Michigan is No. 1 with 856 wins. Notre Dame and Texas are second and third with 816 and 806 wins, respectively.

Franklin's Failure: Who would have known the third play from scrimmage would come back to haunt Missouri and WR William Franklin against Texas A&M? Franklin failed to tuck the ball away and was stripped of the ball on what would have been a 65-yard touchdown. The Aggies ended up winning by exactly six points. Also having a pain-delivering tailback like Jorvorskie Lane, who punished Missouri defenders on 28 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown, made a difference. Lane has scored 14 touchdowns this year, including at least one in each game. He's the second-leading scorer in the nation behind Northern Illinois' Garrett Wolfe.

A Look Ahead: Nebraska hosts Texas in the Big 12 game of the week, with the Longhorns favored at WagerWeb.com. How will young Texas QB Colt McCoy perform on the road? ... Colorado got Dan Hawkins his first win of the season; - can the Buffs pull of an upset against an Adrian Peterson-less Sooner team? Oklahoma remains a solid favorite even without Peterson. ... Kansas and Baylor face off ... Texas A&M takes its No. 23 ranking to Oklahoma State ... Iowa State looks for its first conference win, against Texas Tech ... Missouri tries to get back to its winning ways at home against Kansas State.

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