AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Bijan Robinson spent far too much of last season watching others play football. No more. The Longhorns’ running back is getting the football a lot in 2021, early in games and late. That’s just what new coach Steve Sarkisian promised when the season began. Robinson has been one of college football’s standout players over the first half of the season as No. 21 Texas heads into Saturday’s showdown in Dallas with No. 6 Oklahoma. 

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas is ranked again and on a three-game win streak powered by tailback Bijan Robinson and an explosive offense. Scoring points in bunches has helped propped up a defense has been good enough. But the unit has shown just enough cracks to earn some concern heading into Saturday’s matchup with No. 8 Oklahoma and quarterback Spencer Rattler. Hidden in a romp over Texas Tech were three long touchdown passes over the top of the secondary. TCU, Texas had the game in hand until giving up a 99-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that swung momentum late.

UNDATED (AP) — The Big Ten is set up to be the most interesting conference in the country over the final two months of the season. The latest AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank has five Big Ten teams ranked among the top 11. The fun starts next Saturday when No. 4 Penn State visits No. 3 Iowa. The Penn State-Ohio State-Michigan-Michigan State round robin starts the day before Halloween when the Nittany Lions are at Ohio State and the Wolverines visit the Spartans. Because of the way the schedule lays out, it’s possible all four of those Big Ten East teams could be ranked inside the top 10 heading into Oct. 30. Reality Check is psyched to see how the Big Ten plays out, but it does have a quibble with where at least one of those top-10 teams is ranked this week.

UNDATED (AP) — SMU’s Tanner Mordecai is throwing touchdown passes at the fastest rate in the Football Bowl Subdivision since 2012. The Oklahoma transfer has passed for at least four touchdowns in each of the Mustangs’ games and his total of 24 is the most through five games since West Virginia’s Geno Smith threw for the same number in 2012. Iowa intercepted six passes against Maryland for the Hawkeyes’ most since they had seven against Wisconsin in 1982. Six players rushed for at least 200 yards over the weekend, led by Chase Brown’s 257 on 26 carries for Illinois against Charlotte.

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