Big 12 Power Rankings: Baylor, Oklahoma State Appear To Be Class of Conference

Sep 7, 2013; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners linebacker

(7) breaks up a pass play on a fourth down in the fourth quarter against West Virginia Mountaineers tight end

(88) at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Oklahoma Sooners beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 16-7. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

7. West Virginia Mountaineers

Record: 1-1 (0-1)

Previous Ranking: 8 (Trend: Up)

Last Week: Oklahoma 16, West Virginia 7

This Week: vs. Georgia State

Next Week: at Maryland

The Mountaineers still haven’t gotten their offense back on track, but their defense appears to have made significant strides. WVU held the Sooners to only 16 points, and the did this on the road at Norman. If WVU is going to make these kinds of strides on defense in Big 12 play, they’ll be a tough team to beat once their offense comes together.

WVU may want to consider leaning on their running game a little more than they are used to as they totaled 169 yards on just 24 carries (7.0 per carry) against Oklahoma. Paul Millard completed just 21-of-41 passes and threw a pick in the loss. Had they been more aggressive in the running game, WVU might have been able to pull out the upset.