There’s a lot on the line as Arizona State and Iowa State meet in an unlikely Big 12 title matchup.
In the conference’s first season without historic powers Texas and Oklahoma, we’re getting quite the unlikely Big 12 championship game matchup as No. 15 Arizona State takes on No. 16 Iowa State with a College Football Playoff spot on the line.
The Sun Devils, led by Big 12 Coach of the Year Kenny Dillingham, came out of nowhere to finish 10-2 and earn a berth in the conference title game, despite being picked by the media to finish dead-last in the league entering the season.
Iowa State, meanwhile, got off to a 7-0 start before dropping back-to-back games to Texas and Kansas. However, the Cyclones got back on track, and thanks to a win over Kansas State and some outside help, they’re playing for a conference title and even more.
The stakes in this one are pretty simple: The winner is in the 12-team field, and the loser is out. As things currently stand, whoever wins this game will miss out on a first-round bye guaranteed to the four highest-ranked conference champs and earn the No. 12 seed — though that is potentially subject to change.
This may be the most impactful game this weekend when it comes to the bracket, and it’s also the most straightforward when it comes to understanding its CFP implications.
The loser of this game has essentially no shot at earning an at-large bid, so it’s a de facto CFP play-in game. It’s possible the game has no impact on seeding at all, with the winner simply sliding into the No. 12 spot regardless of who it is.
However, that’s not a guarantee.
Had UNLV beaten Boise State in Friday night’s Mountain West championship game, the winner of the Big 12 matchup could have taken the Broncos’ spot as the No. 4 seed and earned a first-round bye, depending on the other conference title games.
However, with Boise’s win, the odds of the Big 12 champion earning the No. 4 seed diminished significantly. It’s not entirely unthinkable that the winner of this one could jump a Broncos team that has struggled a bit down the stretch in the rankings, and Arizona State would likely have a better chance than Iowa State given its hot finish to the season.
But in all likelihood, this game boils down to a play-in spot for the No. 12 seed. Win and in, as they say.
Leavitt threw for 2,444 yards and 21 touchdowns with just five interceptions on the season, leading Arizona State to a 10-2 record and an opportunity to play in the Big 12 Championship.
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It’s no surprise Nick Saban is putting in overtime to push the Southeastern Conference’s narrative that it deserves four teams in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
If his first allegiance is to Alabama, his second is to its conference. And life is even easier for him when he can prop up both at the same time. That doesn’t mean other conferences are going to just let him get away with it.
At least, the Big 12 wasn’t about to become a punching bag to Saban and the SEC. When the former coach suggested to Pat McAfee a three-loss Ole Miss team would have a significantly better record playing in the Big 12, the conference responded with a harsh dose of reality.
Say what you want about bowl games — and it sure seems the SEC only says anything about the ones it wins — but the conference is 8-11 against the Big 12 since 2020.
Saban’s argument also ignores the fact the team currently atop the SEC is a No. 3 Texas program that barely changed its roster from last season in the Big 12 save for the typical graduation/NFL Draft turnover.
It’s foolish to expect Saban won’t cape for the SEC, but no one has to take it as gospel, either.
Nebraska Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule made a key coaching change before Saturday’s game against the USC Trojans. The Huskers are going for it.
After an off week last week, the USC Trojans (4-5) are preparing for a big matchup against new Big Ten Conference neighbor Nebraska (5-4). It’s a crucial game for USC football, given that the Trojans need two wins to gain bowl eligibility.
The Cornhuskers are led by head coach Matt Rhule, who is searching for answers following three straight losses including a 27-20 defeat against a struggling UCLA squad that was 2-5 at the time.
A big problem with Nebraska has been the offense, which has scored 20 or fewer points in each of its last four games, including seven points in two of the four games.
Thus, on Monday, Rhule announced a key change that will affect the upcoming game against the Trojans. Former Houston and West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen will be taking over as the team’s offensive coordinator, confirmed by Matt Zenitz on X/Twitter.
Holgorsen previously worked as an offensive consultant for the team and will now replace Marcus Satterfield, whose responsibility will be as tight end coach.
How much this change will impact the matchup against USC on Saturday is yet to be seen, but an already tough opponent will be getting tougher with the change. Holgorsen’s ability to field high-octane offenses at past coaching stops suggests that Nebraska is getting an upgrade in offensive tactics.
The Big 12 went wild with the field goal fakes on Saturday.
During Brigham Young University’s road game against UCF, the team pulled off a very rare double snap on a field goal attempt that sent kicker Will Ferrin running for a successful first down.
You don’t often see two snaps on the same play, but BYU somehow pulled it off to maximum effect to keep the drive alive.
The other saw Texas Tech placekicker Reese Burkhardt snag a flip over the holder’s shoulder after the long snap and run it in for a touchdown against hosting TCU.
Both of these very savvy fake field goals helped out the teams bold enough to run them. After all, fortune favors those who don’t kick.
The Big 12 is having a fantastic year in football, but it’s going under the radar. Can the BYU Cougars and Iowa State Cyclones BOTH get the Big 12 into the College Football Playoff?
The Big 12 conference is well aware of how easily they can be unjustly left out of the biggest events of a college football postseason. The very first College Football Playoff left out a talented TCU Horned Frogs team and a great Baylor Bears team even though both teams were 11-1.
In 2016, the 2-loss Oklahoma Sooners were kept out even though they were a conference champion, while a non-conference champion Ohio State Buckeye team was let in. But this year? This year, if the results continue to roll in as they have, it will be a travesty if two Big 12 teams DON’T make the College Football Playoff.
We are halfway through the college football season, and the Big 12 has two undefeated teams. The No. 13 BYU Cougars and No. 9 Iowa State Cyclones are both 3-0 in Big 12 play and 6-0 overall. And, what makes this spicier, is that they won’t play each other until a hypothetical Big 12 Championship game in Arlington.
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Is it a “Sure Thing?”
Both teams have games they might lose. BYU still has to play the Utah Utes in the “Holy War” rivalry game. While Utah still has questions to figure out, this is traditionally the epitome of the “throw out the record books.” Utah leads the all-time series 59-32-4, but BYU won their last matchup in 2021. This year? The vaunted BYU defense will likely get to feast on freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson. Yes, Isaac is the younger brother of BYU great and NFL quarterback Zach Wilson. Yes, that’s the “Holy War” for you.
Iowa State also has to play Utah, but they have to see the Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-1, 3-0 in Big 12 play) and No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats as well. That’s three tough games in the back half of the season… but they’re also all played in Ames, Iowa.
In a year where the Notre Dame Fighting Irish sit at No. 12 in the AP poll with a loss to the Northern Illinois Huskies, why can’t both BYU and ISU make it? No. 8 LSU Tigers team has a loss to the unranked USC Trojans. The No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers have a loss to an unranked Arkansas Razorbacks (who are 0-1 against Big 12 opponents this year).
If the Big 12 football continues to have football so nice, why can’t the CFP invite it twice?
The Big 12 had ANOTHER exciting week of college football. BYU and Iowa State lead the way, but where did Colorado fall after a tough loss to Kansas State?
It would be hard for the Big 12 conference to fit more excitement into a five-game slate than they did last weekend. In a weekend that was set to be dominated by rivalries in the SEC and Big Ten, Big 12 football still seemed to dominate the headlines.
You had ranked teams falling apart (sorry, Utah Utes), last-minute comeback heroics (shouts to the Kansas State Wildcats), and dominant efforts from College Football Playoff caliber teams (Iowa State Cyclones and BYU Cougars… We see you).
The Big 12 did have six teams on byes this week, but that didn’t stop some of them from moving in our power rankings. Further, the top of the conference appears up for grabs… while the bottom continues to be more or less the same week to week. While that’s up for some programs to figure out, the “truck stop conference” appears to be doing anything besides stopping.
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No. 1 – BYU Cougars
Dominant defense, strong specialists, and an offense capable of getting the job done. BYU gets to boast a lot of things after getting to 6-0 over the weekend with a convincing win over the Arizona Wildcats. Provo, Utah, continues to look like one of the toughest places to play in America.
No. 2 – Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State went halfway across the country to Morgantown, West Virginia, and beat the West Virginia Mountaineers into the “should we fire our coach?” conversation. ISU continues to impress with their explosive receiving core and dominant defensive backs. It’s hard to pick a team more built for modern football.
No. 3 – Kansas State Wildcats
Quarterback Avery Johnson may have had the best play of the weekend with his game-winning 50-yard touchdown pass over the Colorado Buffaloes. Johnson was held in check as a runner, but the rest of the Wildcats added over 200 yards rushing to make up for his -15. KSU continues to dominate Big 12 play since dropping their game to BYU. Thankfully for one fan in particular.
No. 4 – Texas Tech Red Raiders
Had the Red Raiders not lost so badly to the Washington State Cougars in the non-conference, it would be easy to rank Tech even higher. Tech comes out of the bye unscathed, but their in-conference strength of schedule is questionable. Narrowly beating the Cincinnati Bearcats and Arizona Wildcats hasn’t aged well, but beating the Arizona State Sun Devils in Lubbock looks better each week. Tech has similarly weak opponents the next two weeks, but if they can scare Iowa State later this month they may have a shot to climb.
No. 5 – Arizona State Sun Devils
ASU climbs the highest this week. Last week’s 8th-place team leaps into the top half of the conference after knocking off what’s left of quarterback Cam Rising and the Utah Utes. While that game may tell us more about Utah, it’s hard to ignore Arizona State’s 5-1 record. That, and they have a running back with the best running back name in college football: Cam Skattebo.
No. 6 – Cincinnati Bearcats
Last weekend’s narrow win in Orlando over the UCF Knights may ultimately tell us more about UCF, Gus Malzahn, and whatever the situation is with KJ Jefferson… but for now, Cincy is 4-2 and their two losses are to an undefeated Pitt Panthers team and those darned Red Raiders. When he’s “right,” quarterback Brendan Sorsby is a talented gunslinger and Corey Kiner is a strong back.
No. 7 – Colorado Buffaloes
Coach Deion “Prime” Sanders, his son and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and wide receiver cornerback Travis Hunter make for a star-studded team… but the Buffs continue to flirt with the bad type of destiny as they continue to play these close finishes. Colorado thought they had a huge win over KSU with just under three minutes left…Now, they look ahead to get on track with Arizona.
No. 8 – Arizona Wildcats
Arizona’s win over Utah is looking less impressive, and while their loss to BYU isn’t disqualifying… it wasn’t pretty. Big Noon Kickoff and the crowd it brought created a challenging environment, but quarterback Noah Fifita needed to show America something in this one.
No. 9 – Utah Utes
The Utes will want to blame the Friday night collapse to Arizona State on the “first-game-back-rust” of Cam Rising, but truthfully they were outplayed as an entire offense. The biggest thing keeping Utah from a precipitous fall is that, if Rising were to return to form, they have some potential big wins on their schedule. Until they hit those marks, they continue to trend down.
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No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia with the rare “climbs a spot in a loss,” but that is really more a function of teams ahead of them falling. WVU has three losses to three teams who may all end up in the College Football Playoff (and are all ranked in the AP top 10 right now), but at some point they’re going to have to beat the good teams put in front of them. WVU could shoot up the rankings if they finish 9-3, but they face another ranked opponent next weekend in Kansas State.
No. 11 – Oklahoma State Cowboys
OSU manages to “climb a spot without playing,” which is really hard for a team that is 0-3 in conference to pull off. But it’s hard to “get worse” in a week you don’t play, and we have to assume they’re working on their quarterback issues in the bye week, right? A return to Arlington for the Big 12 title game is out of reach… but is a good bowl game?
No. 12 – Houston Cougars
The Coogs are still riding high off of a win over TCU more than a week ago, and head to Arrowhead stadium looking to build on an actual “winning streak.” Unlike other teams in this part of the Power Rankings, it appears they may have found a quarterback in Zeon Chriss. If they can ride the dual threat of Chriss into a few more Big 12 wins, who’s to say they can’t shock the world and make a bowl game?
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No. 13 – TCU Horned Frogs
TCU is another team that couldn’t get worse if they weren’t playing, but they are hoping to take advantage of a down Utah team this weekend. TCU blew a late one to UCF and beat the Kansas Jayhawks. While that makes it weird to put them ahead of UCF… It’s a function of what we’ve seen on the field most recently.
No. 14 – UCF Knights
I get it- it’s weird to see UCF fall below a team they beat. But UCF is spiraling, and positively worse than they were a few weeks ago. They have major questions at quarterback, a prominent media voice asking for a new coach, and two games coming up they absolutely will not win. The Bounce House is a tough place to play, but it’s hard to feel good about what’s happening in Orlando.
No. 15 – Baylor Bears
The bye week didn’t change anyone’s mind on head coach Dave Aranda. I’m sure they’re going to have a great Tuesday practice, but until they have a good game, they’re going to sit at the bottom of the power rankings. It feels impossible that they head into Lubbock and compete, let alone win, right?
No. 16 – Kansas Jayhawks
Still can’t be ranked higher than last in an FBS conference until you beat an FBS team.
All four ranked teams (Iowa State Cyclones, BYU Cougars, Utah Utes, and Kansas State Wildcats) each head into tough matchups this weekend. What matchups must you see?
All four ranked Big 12 teams play this weekend, and only one gets to play at home. As exciting as the Big 12 has been this season, the “roller coaster” effect of the conference has not projected many teams into the College Football Playoffs.
Presently, many experts argue that the Big 12 will get just one team in. Therefore, winning the conference will be paramount. This weekend, all four ranked Big 12 Teams could lose.
The No. 16 Utah Utes, No. 14 BYU Cougars, No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones, and No. 18 Kansas State Wildcats each face tough tasks in Week 7, and none of them can afford a loss this late in the season. No. 14 BYU is clinging on to a great nonconference win over SMU, but letting one slip at home would be catastrophic for their chances at a Big 12 Title. No. 11 Iowa State heads to West Virginia, who is undefeated in Big 12 play and should be raucous on Saturday night.
But what game will be the best game? We rank the Big 12 games between ranked programs in Week 7.
This week’s four most important Big 12 games:
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Game 4 No. 16 Utah Utes at Arizona State Sun Devils
In this week’s version of Big 12 meets Friday Night Lights, the Utah Utes head to Tempe, Arizona, to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils. The biggest issue for Utah, however, will be in their own backfield: who takes the snaps?
Head coach Kyle Whittingham, as recently as Monday, gave a very vague answer about starting quarterback Cam Rising’s availability. Utah is a very strong team, but without Rising they are a much more beatable one. Backup quarterback (turned starter through injury) Isaac Wilson has more interceptions than touchdowns. As a true freshman, the game appears to be moving too fast.
Arizona State’s Clayton Smith has a sack in four of his last five games and in each of his four “sack games,” Arizona State has ended up victorious. Is the long shot possible?
Game 3 No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones at West Virginia Mountaineers
Iowa State enters the weekend as the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the AP Top 25 Poll, and the West Virginia Mountaineers enter the weekend undefeated in the Big 12 conference. If the Mountaineers had won even one, let alone both, of their Power 4 non-conference games this game could have slingshotted up to the number one spot. West Virginia is averaging nearly 440 yards of offense per game, and and Iowa State allows just 271 yards per contest. Something has to break there.
Game 2 No. 14 BYU Cougars Host Arizona Wildcats
BYU sits atop our Big 12 power rankings, but Arizona has already gone into the state of Utah and taken out a top Big 12 team before. BYU rides the hot play of quarterback Jake Retzlaff. Retzlaff has over 1350 total yards and 13 total touchdowns through 5 games.
BYU is 5-0, and looking to improve on their top 15 ranking the AP Poll. Arizona entered the year as a darkhorse contender and, while that has fallen through some, quarterback Noah Fifita has been their best player in big moments. If Arizona finds some secret to winning in the state of Utah and plays spoiler again, BYU may see their season ruined.
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Game 1 No. 18 Kansas State Wildcats at Colorado Buffaloes
The last person you want to play in a given week when you’re back is against the wall and you’re trying to play your way to Arlington for the Big 12 title has got to be the best quarterback in the Big 12. But the best quarterback in the Big 12 (Shedeur Sanders) and the best player in college football (WR/DB Travis Hunter)? Coach Deion “Prime” Sanders has Colorado not-so-quietly climbing up the Big 12 Leaderboards.
But, KSU quarterback Avery Johnson is as true of a dual-threat quarterback as there could possibly be. Kansas State looks to keep their run to the conference title, and perhaps a revenge game with the Cougars, and a talented Colorado team sits in their way this week.
The Big 12 Conference is one of the wildest conferences in all of College Football. After Week 6, BYU, Iowa State, and Colorado lead the Conference heading into Week 7.
The Big 12 was not immune to the chaos of Week 6 in college football. Top teams fell on unranked road trips, fields were stormed, and goalposts went down and into the river.
As we cross the midway point of the season, things are getting tighter. The preseason rankings are so far in the rearview it’s hard to imagine they ever happened. (Remember when the Utah Utes and Kansas Jayhawks were in the top three?)
Going into Week 6, it felt like the Big 12 was set to have a quiet week. As we emerged from it, multiple upsets mixed up our Power Rankings completely.
For some teams, having Week 6 off was actually a benefit. The BYU Cougars left a lasting impression and sit atop the charts. For others, like the Kansas Jayhawks, the more they play the farther they seem to fall.
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No. 1 BYU Cougars (5-0, 2-0)
It would have taken some serious leapfrogging for anyone to really get ahead of quarterback Jake Retzlaff and the Cougars. In their bye week, BYU didn’t lose (obviously), but perhaps more importantly they saw their biggest non-conference win (SMU Mustangs) continue to win and earn a spot in the AP Top 25. The Cougs hope to be well-rested and ready for the Arizona Wildcats this weekend.
No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones (5-0, 2-0)
Iowa State eventually took control of their game with the Baylor Bears, and had they dominated it from start to finish (ISU was down 14-3 in the second quarter, but won 43-21) they may have taken the top spot. The Cyclones rode explosive plays from wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, combined with a steady pounding of the rock from Jaylon Jackson.
ISU will see the West Virginia Mountaineers this weekend as they continue to make their case to play at the Big 12 title game in Arlington.
No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats (4-1, 1-1)
Kansas State was off this week, but they remain an impressive Big 12 team with one bad loss to the most impressive Big 12 team. After losing to BYU in Week 4, KSU bounced back in Week 5, and heads to Boulder for a huge matchup with the Colorado Buffaloes in Week 7. If Avery Johnson continues to play as he has for four of their five games, that Week 7 matchup could end up feeling like a playoff game.
No. 4 Colorado Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0)
As the fourth unmoved team in our Big 12 Power Rankings, Colorado also sits pat after a bye in Week 6. Colorado has the best two players in the conference in WR/CB Travis Hunter and Quarterback Shedeur Sanders. They have the most thrilling win (over Baylor Bears in OT), and one of the most dominant (48-21 over UCF Knights) in the conference thus far.
The biggest knock thus far has been a bad loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Had that gone differently, it’s fair to think they would be atop the conference. If they were to knock off Kansas State in Week 7… They may be about to get that chance.
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No. 5 Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-1, 3-0)
In the greatest surprise of the Top 5, Texas Tech leaps up two spots from 7th to 5th. The Red Raiders are undefeated in the conference, and Lubbock continues to be one of the most challenging venues to play in. Tech is the only Big 12 team that is 3-0 in conference, but their strength of schedule is up for debate. Beating the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson was strong, and narrowly escaping home contests with the Cincinnati Bearcats and Arizona State Sun Devils. Much like the Buffaloes, a non-conference loss at the Washington State Cougars plagues the Red Raiders’ ranking.
No. 6 Arizona Wildcats (3-2, 1-1)
Arizona is leapfrogged this week by the same Red Raider team that beat them. The third-quarter push made it look like Arizona had some late-night magic in-store… but ultimately the Wildcats couldn’t stay out of their own way. Beating the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City still ranks as one of the best wins in the conference, but the Wildcats will need to have the same mojo as they head to Provo this weekend to propel themselves up the rankings.
No. 7 Utah Utes (4-1, 1-1)
After losing to Arizona, the Utes saw the Red Raiders leap frog past them in the rankings (as Tech beat Arizona). Utah is, on paper, one of the strongest teams in the conference. But until injured quarterback Cam Rising is both playing and back to himself, it’s hard to figure out where this team lands. The Utes boast a strong defense, and the team has high hopes. Getting right with a win over Arizona State this weekend would be a strong start.
No. 8 Arizona State Sun Devils (4-1, 1-1)
The Sun Devils rebounded from their loss to Texas Tech, with an extra week to prepare, by beating last week’s last-placed team in the conference (Kansas Jayhawks). A game-winning drive late helped ASU’s win-loss total and it helped move them up in our Power Rankings. If the Sun Devils can beat Utah they may keep moving up… and if they can’t, they may fall back some.
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No. 9 Cincinnati Bearcats (3-2, 1-1)
After starting the year with head coach Scott Satterfield on the hot seat, the Cincinnati Bearcats’ “odd” year of close losses and big wins had an off-week. As Cincy looks to knock off the UCF Knights Saturday, they likely set up the second half of their season to either be a “Bowl Game push” or a “bowl plunge,” as in down the drain. Win or lose, quarterback Brendan Sorsby has been a really strong signal-caller.
No. 10 UCF Knights (3-2, 1-1)
The UCF Knights felt like one of the darlings of the Big 12 heading into Week 5. Then, they lost in blowout fashion to the Colorado Buffaloes. To follow that up? They get throttled by the Florida Gators. UCF isn’t quite in a free fall, but they’re not far.
UCF needs to throw together a string of conference wins in October to make any progress in the rankings, and that will likely require quarterback KJ Jefferson to be a true dual threat.
No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers (3-2, 2-0)
West Virginia is 2-0 in the conference, and their two non-conference losses are to Power 4 opponents (The Penn State Nittany Lions and Pittsburgh Panthers). But we’ve gotten to the point where it’s hard to understand their strength of schedule within the conference. Kansas looks like a bad football team, and WVU beat them, at home, by a score of just 32-28. Oklahoma State opened the year a favorite but is far from it now, and WVU beat them 38-14 last weekend.
If WVU makes a splash with the Iowa State game this weekend, they may have the highest climb in the rankings of any team this year. But until then? Here’s where we are.
No. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-3, 0-3)
The Oklahoma State Cowboys season is in danger of slipping away. Three straight conference losses has Mike Gundy’s crew reeling and, while they have a bye week this week, they have to go to Provo to play BYU later this month and head to Colorado later this year. That’s conceivably five conference losses for a team that, coming off a trip to the title game last year, thought they had a trip to Arlington locked up.
While it would take more upsets, it wouldn’t be impossible for the Cowboys to miss a Bowl Game altogether.
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No. 13 Houston Cougars (2-4, 1-2)
The Houston Cougars leap two spots here after securing their first Big 12 win in Ft. Worth over the TCU Horned Frogs. After making the move to Zeon Chriss it appears they have figured out who they want to play quarterback, their defense has been a strength all year, and their running game proved dominant in the contest. Houston’s found a path to victory as they head into a bye week. After the bye week, they get to try to repeat the same success with the Kansas Jayhawks.
No. 14 TCU Horned Frogs (3-3, 1-2)
TCU has a conference win, but they also have a blowout loss to rival SMU, a blown lead to UCF, and now a loss to Houston. TCU is not the same program that played in the national title game in 2023. Their defense can’t stop the run, their offense has talented individuals but lacks cohesion. In the modern Big 12 conference that won’t beat anyone they have left.
No. 15 Baylor Bears (2-4, 0-3)
The Baylor Bears appear to be letting the Dave Aranda experiment run its course. It’s unclear why else they would be keeping him and his staff in Waco for the rest of this season. Baylor is 2-4 presently but has various halves and quarters of games they’ve played where they look like they could be 4-2. Their inconsistency continues to plague them and fixing that may take a very painful off-season.
No. 16 Kansas Jayhawks (1-5, 0-3)
Kansas still has not beaten an FBS team. It is hard to be ranked anything besides last in an FBS conference until you can beat an FBS team. Period.
The Big 12 conference is full of exciting football… and some ugly football. What is the good game, the bad game, and the ugly game this weekend?
The Big 12 is solidifying itself as the third power conference in college football for one reason: excitement. Every single week, the Big 12 finds some new way to impress and make headlines. Last week, it was coach Deion Sanders and Travis Hunter propelling the Colorado Buffaloes up the Big 12 power rankings following a big win in Orlando.
Do the UCF Knights have different luck at home this week? With just one ranked team in action, what does the Big 12 have up their sleeve for Week 6? Without the No. 17 BYU Cougars, No. 18 Utah Utes, or No. 20 Kansas State Wildcats in action to carry the load, is there any good game to watch this weekend? Without Coach Prime in action, is there anything to keep an eye on? Or is it just all ugly?
Let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly coming up in Week 6 out of the Big 12:
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The Good: UCF Knights Hosting Florida Gators
Last week, Coach Prime announced that UCF would have a big recruiting weekend because he was in town. But this weekend? UCF can take down the Florida Gators and take one more step towards control of the Sunshine State.
Florida is in a down season… for the third season in a row. The Billy Napier experiment is failing, and UCF can put one more nail in the coffin. Meanwhile, UCF is – as a program – trending upwards.
Head coach Gus Malzahn leads quarterback KJ Jefferson and running back RJ Harvey as the Knights look to respond to a tough loss to Colorado. UCF’s efforts have been largely based on winning in-state recruiting battles, and a win over their SEC neighbors would go a long way with kids in Floridian high schools.
The Bad: Kansas Jayhawks at Arizona State Sun Devils.
After starting the year with high hopes, and coming off of multiple years of steady growth, it appears the world has figured out the coach Lance Leipold system in Kansas. The Jayhawks have not won a game over a FBS opponent yet this year. That’s bad.
Arizona State sits at 3-1, but their wins appear to be over bad teams. Sure, the Mississippi State Bulldogs are an SEC team… but not a good one. Yes, San Marcos, Texas, can be a hard place to play… but it was a Big 12 team against a Sun Belt team in Texas State. The Sun Devils played a competitive game in Lubbock against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Week 4 but still came up short. It’s hard to imagine that either of these teams are “good,” but that doesn’t mean it can’t be competitive or fun.
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The Ugly: Houston Cougars at TCU Horned Frogs
The Houston Cougars football program went from 2000 to 2023 without being shut out once. In four games this season, Houston has been kept out of the end zone twice and scored just once in garbage time against the UNLV Rebels. The Cougar offense is ugly. Quarterback duties will be split between Donovan Smith and Zeon Chriss, but it feels certain if either scores a touchdown the job is theirs.
The TCU Horned Frogs were in the National Championship in 2022. They are 8-9 in the 17 games since, and saw their coach thrown out of a blowout loss to crosstown rival: the SMU Mustangs. It was ugly.
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes has Kendal Briles, AJ Ricker, Malcolm Kelly, Doug Meacham, and Ryan Dorchester on his staff, each of whom coached at Houston in some capacity. But the cherry on top? Dana Holgorsen, whom Houston fired last December, serves as a Defensive Analyst at TCU.
This game is sure to be ugly throughout… the only question is if it’s ugly enough to be the kind of thing you can’t look away from.
