Overrated/Underrated: Ateman, OSU Hoops and Bye Weeks

I’m back for another week of overrated/underrated, and I promise not to mention Mike Yurcich even one single time this week (mostly because I already wrote 1,200 words on his greatness yesterday). Let’s jump in.

Marcell Ateman

I told Carson before the season that Ateman was going to be Rudolph’s dude on third and fourth downs when he had to have a play. Remember this 4th down in 2015 against Kansas State. Big ones!

He’s proving to be that again (along with The President, of course) this season. Rudolph went to him when he most needed it in Lubbock, and Oklahoma State might have the most talented 1-2-3 punch between a running back and two receivers in the country. Actually, I’m not sure how they don’t.

I don’t remember who said this, but Ateman has a little Mike Evans in him. I don’t know if he’ll go on to have a career in the NFL, but I do know that how much Oklahoma State relies on him is disproportionate to how much teams actually pay attention to or worry about him.

Verdict: Underrated

Bye Weeks

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to put the keyboard away for a while. It’s been eight straight weeks of covering practice and games, and I’m paler than Peyton Manning after a winter in Indianapolis.

It stinks that there’s no OSU football, sure, and it really stinks that there’s no good football, but I’m glad for the time to reintroduce myself to a book (and my kids).

Verdict: Underrated

TCU

I really enjoyed this piece from Ian Boyd about how TCU is doubling down on what it has always done well — play small, fast guys and hope it works. I just can’t help but think that they’re going to finish lower than No. 8 in the polls at the end of the season. What does Mike Gundy always talk about is vital to the stability of a top team? Mature, great play at quarterback.

Maybe Kenny H. has turned a corner, but the teams he has started on in his career have an aggregate record of 27-16. That’s not great, and he didn’t strike me as somebody who was going to lead his team to a Big 12 title game when OSU played them. Was he good enough on that day for TCU to win? Sure. Was he arguably better than Mason Rudolph that day? Yep. But nothing about what he did screamed that TCU will be playing after New Year’s Day in 2018.

TCU gets WVU at home tomorrow, goes to KSU next weekend and has to go to Norman later on in the season. Maybe they run the gauntlet — their defense is certainly stout and they pushed all the right buttons on offense against Gundy and Co., but I’m more dubious than Travis Ford is of Brad Underwood.

Thank you to @IlliniMBB head coach @CoachUnderwood for joining us today! pic.twitter.com/6j0mba7HHk

— MAC St. Louis (@macstlouis) October 2, 2017

Verdict: Overrated

OSU Hoops

There is more excitement about Oklahoma State’s red zone offense right now than there is about Oklahoma State hoops. I get it, too. Its best player left, and it is currently embroiled in a scandal in which nobody knows the ending. Keiton Page is effectively serving as one of its top assistant coaches. The whole thing is just messy.

However, OSU still has a Big 12 Player of the Year candidate (for now) and one of the best dunkers in school history (although he’s injured right now).

Fine, I see why everyone is bummed out.

I do think there’s a good team lurking somewhere in there if Zack Dawson is as good as advertised, Lindy Waters makes the sophomore leap, Dillard heals up, Player-3 is allowed to play, Kendall Smith can fit in and Yankuba Sima can protect the rim. There’s a real chance this team could be a delight come February. There’s also a real chance none of that happens and it finishes last in the Big 12. Right now, I’m not sure which is more likely.

Verdict: Properly rated