BYU Cougars Football – Page 4 – Syndication Server

Big 12 Power Rankings: BYU earns a big win; Oklahoma State stumbles

After a big win over Arkansas, BYU saw the biggest jump in this week’s Big 12 power rankings while Oklahoma State suffered a sharp drop.

It was a wild week in college football. A number of the top teams struggled early in games before pulling away late, including the Texas Longhorns against Wyoming.

BYU picked up the biggest win of the week.

The Cougars went to Fayetteville and knocked off the Arkansas Razorbacks to give BYU a big win in its first year at the Power Five level. In the other Big 12-SEC matchup, Missouri beat Kansas State on a walk-off 61-yard field goal that was the longest in SEC history.

Then there’s Oklahoma State, which simply struggled in its loss to South Alabama. They still don’t have an answer at quarterback.

So, how does the Big 12 stack up in this week’s power rankings? Let’s take a look.

Big 12 opener, Backyard Brawl, Big 12-SEC matchups highlight Predictions for week 3

Big 12 play begins in week three but an in-state battle highlights this week’s conference picks.

This week in the Big 12, there are some really intriguing matchups.

There are four in-state contests taking place, two Big 12-SEC matchups, the renewal of the Backyard Brawl, a border rivalry game, and two Big 12 squads looking to pick up their first wins of the season.

How have we done through the first two weeks of the season? Well, after a rough week one, we rallied in week two.

Week 2: 12-2

Overall: 21-7

Get ready for Saturday with this week’s Big 12 predictions.

USA TODAY Sports latest Big 12 Bowl Projections after Week 2 action

Updated Big 12 Bowl Projections from USA TODAY Sports after week 2.

The Oklahoma Sooners have picked up two solid wins to start the 2023 season and look like a team that will be in contention in the Big 12 this season.

There are some really good teams at the top of the league this year, with Texas and Kansas State looking like the primary foes for the Sooners to make a return trip to the Big 12 title game.

They still have a lot to prove on the field to accomplish what they want this season, but it’s so far so good for the Sooners.

After beating SMU in week two, where does USA TODAY Sports project the Sooners and the rest of the Big 12 to land in their latest round of 2023 bowl projections.

Red River Rivalry flip: Updated look at ESPN’s matchup predictor after Oklahoma’s win over SMU

ESPN’s matchup predictor flipped the win probability for the Red River Rivalry. How does the rest of the schedule look after week 2?

Two weeks into the season and the Oklahoma Sooners sit 2-0 like everyone expected. They’ll take on Tulsa this week and should be able to come away with another big win before going on the road for the first time in week 4 when they face Cincinnati.

The ESPN Football Power Index is a big fan of the Oklahoma Sooners. After two wins, the Sooners sit at No. 8 in the nation. Even after the Longhorns win over Alabama, Texas is just two spots ahead of OU in the computer-based model.

So after the Sooners 28-11 win over SMU, what does the ESPN matchup predictor say about the remainder of the schedule? Let’s take a look.

Is Texas back after rolling the Tide? Big 12 power rankings after Week 2

Texas Longhorns beat Alabama Crimson Tide and Big 12 goes 1-2 vs. Pac-12. Who’s on the move in this week’s Big 12 Power Rankings?

Week 2 had several fantastic matchups. Three Big 12 teams played Pac-12 opponents. The Texas Longhorns provided an SEC preview in its win over Alabama.

Big 12 teams matched up with the Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC and SEC on Saturday, providing an intriguing group of games for fans to dive into. The conference went 10-4.

Here are this week’s Big 12 power rankings after Week 2.

Where did the Big 12 land in USA TODAY Sports 1-133 re-rank after week 1?

Big moves happened this week. Where did the Big 12’s 14 teams land in the updated USA TODAY Sports re-rank after week 1?

Week one of the college football season provided a nice balance of blowout wins and upsets to get the ball rolling. In the Big 12, several teams that could be contenders in the Big 12 took losses to upset the apple cart to start the season.

One game doesn’t completely define a team, but it definitely doesn’t help their credibility on the national scale. When you play down a level of competition like much of the conference did, you better make sure you come away with a win because everyone else on your schedule is going to be licking their chops.

That’s what Texas Tech and Baylor face this week as they prepare to host two of the best teams in the Pac-12 and top 15 squads in the country in Oregon and Utah.

But before we get to that, let’s take a look at how Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports re-ranked the Big 12 in his updated 1-133 re-rank after week 1.

Updated look at how the ESPN matchup predictor projects Oklahoma’s remaining schedule

The Oklahoma Sooners win projections moved in a positive direction in an updated look at the ESPN matchup predictor after week one’s win.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ 73-0 win over the Arkansas State Red Wolves was eye-opening. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Red Wolves or the Texas A&M Aggies, anytime you score 70 or more points and shut out your opponent, it’s kind of a big deal.

Now this game will not win Oklahoma a Big 12 title or put it in the national title conversation, but it’s a strong step in the right direction in Year 2 of Brent Venables.

ESPN analytics took note of the Sooners’ week one dominance in their updated win projections for the 2023 season in their matchup predictor.

The ESPN matchup predictor runs thousands of simulations with data derived from recent results on the field and recruiting.

Now that ESPN has Week 1 data to plug into the simulations, the results have become even more favorable. Let’s take a look at how the ESPN matchup predictor sees the rest of Oklahoma’s schedule playing out.

TCU, Baylor and Texas Tech upset, Texas struggles early: Big 12 Power Rankings after week 1

Texas schools struggled in week 1 and there were some impressive performances elsewhere in the Big 12. Here are this week’s power rankings.

It was an up and down Week 1 in the Big 12. Several teams had impressive performances, but others suffered upset losses to Group of Five schools.

In particular, the schools in Texas struggled in the season’s opening week. Texas Tech, TCU and Baylor lost as favorites. TCU was more than a 20-point favorite in its home tilt against Colorado.

Tech lost to Wyoming on the road, and Texas State knocked off Baylor. Houston picked up a win, but it was only by three points against UTSA. Texas had moments where it didn’t look like the Big 12 front-runner in what turned out to be a comfortable win over Rice.

It was a weird week in the conference. While it’s just Week 1, it’s all we have to go off of thus far. Here’s how the Big 12 stacks up in this week’s power rankings.

Big 12 week 1 predictions: West Virginia with a tough road matchup vs. Penn State

West Virginia goes on the road in week one to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in a pivotal nonconference matchup. Here are this week’s Big 12 picks.

There aren’t a lot of big-time matchups in the Big 12 in week one, but there are a few intriguing contests. West Virginia goes on the road to take on Penn State. Texas Tech is the only other Big 12 team playing away from home this week, but take on Wyoming in what could be an interesting contest.

Houston hosts UTSA, a team that’s started to gain national recognition among Group of Five teams.

UCF got the Big 12 started off right with a huge win over Kent State on Thursday night. John Rhys Plumlee had 371 combined passing and rushing yards and four total touchdowns in their 56-6 win over Kent State.

Can the conference keep things going starting Friday night with Kansas hosting Missouri State?

There will be some big-time performances this week. Here are our Big 12 predictions for week one.

USA TODAY Sports Big 12 Bowl projections for the 2023 season

A look at the final preseason bowl projections for the Big 12 from USA TODAY Sports.

Week 1 will give us a full slate of games this weekend, marking the full start of the 2023 college football season.

The Oklahoma Sooners should get off to a great start against the visiting Arkansas State Red Wolves. It’s expected the Sooners will bounce back this season, erasing what happened in the 2022 season and truly kickstarting the Brent Venables era in Norman.

How successful the season will be is anyone’s guess. Most expect the Sooners to get back into the Big 12 title game or at least win nine or ten games.

As we’ve seen in recent years, the Big 12 is difficult to figure, with one or two teams often exceeding preseason expectations.

With the start of the Oklahoma Sooners season coming Saturday, let’s take one more look at the USA TODAY Sports bowl projections and where each Big 12 team lands. The College Football Playoff projection features some regular attendees.