What we have learned about the Big 12 so far
And then there was one.
The Big 12 has exactly one undefeated team right now, and a new team has found the inside track after 11 weeks of jockeying for position. Whether either of these two teams will still be the two left standing at the end of the regular season remains to be seen.
The Big 12 standings look like this right now:
There are no surprises here, only sadness and recrimination for fans of any programs not named BYU or Colorado. Those two teams could well face each other in the Big 12 title game. But should they slip up even a little, a number of interesting tiebreak scenarios could come into play. Of relevance to the BotC community, there are four teams in a 4-2 logjam at third place. Of these four teams, only Kansas State is in full control of its own destiny, having already beaten West Virginia, and with games against Arizona State and Iowa State still to go. So if the Wildcats win out, the head-to-head record is the only tiebreak that will matter.
Arizona, Kansas State, Houston, and Baylor were all off in Week 11. For the rest of the conference, it was business—and chaos—as usual.
BYU (9-0, 6-0) vs Utah (4-5, 1-5)
To win a holy war, you must be anointed of the gods, and so it is for BYU, as the Cougars beat arch nemesis Utah 22-21 in the latest edition of their rivalry. It took a furious fourth quarter rally, some late-game heroics from QB Jake Retzlaff and a game-winning 44-yard field goal from Will Ferrin to stay undefeated, but BYU did it. Somehow this team just keeps winning, though several obstacles still remain, including tough games against a resurgent Kansas team as well as matchups against Arizona State and Houston.
Utah, meanwhile, was looking for a signature win that would salvage an otherwise disappointing season. With that in mind, the Utes came out firing on all cylinders with third string QB Brandon Rose getting his first start and leading his team to three scores in the second quarter and a 21-10 halftime lead. Unfortunately, that was pretty much it for the Utes, as Rose was just 4-of-11 for 25 yards in the second half. And to compound matters, Rose is now out for the season with a lower leg injury that will require surgery. If you’re keeping track, that’s the third signal caller the Utes have lost for the season, joining Cam Rising and Sam Huard. Angry Utah QB Hating God is a thing, I guess?
After the loss, Utah AD Mark Harlan acted like a whiny fan, fumed about the officiating, and claimed the game was stolen from the Utes, for which he was reprimanded to the tune of $40,000. Be that as it may, it was obviously Utah’s inability to put a single point on the board in the second half that led to the loss.
Colorado (7-2, 5-1) vs Texas Tech (6-4, 4-3)
The Buffs were slow out of the gate, with their first four drives netting 36 yards and four punts. But then the Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter show began in earnest. Overcoming a 13-point deficit, the Buffs went on to score on their next five possessions on their way to a 41-27 victory over Texas Tech. Shedeur had three TDs to his credit, including one to Hunter, but it was Shilo Sanders who had the highlight reel moment for the Buffs. Late in the game, with the Red Raiders closing in and driving to potentially tie the game, Shilo scooped up a fumble and returned it to seal the victory.
For Texas Tech, on the other hand, the loss brought to a screeching halt any momentum from the Red Raiders’ 23-22 upset win over then-undefeated Iowa State. The offense ran up a 13-0 lead against the Buffs only to squander it before a furious fourth quarter rally made things sort of close again. Fans frustrated with the team and the officiating began to throw tortillas on the field and things just got worse from there. Lost in all this? Texas Tech RB Tajh Brooks had 137 yards rushing in this game to become the program’s all-time leading rusher.
Iowa State (7-2, 4-2) vs Kansas (2-4, 3-6)
Just two short weeks ago, Iowa State was undefeated, newly in the Top 10, and the Cyclones had everything on the table. Well, no more of that. A shocking upset loss to Texas Tech dropped Iowa State out of the ranks of the unbeaten and the Clones followed that up with a 45-36 loss to Kansas. It’s not entirely clear what went wrong for Iowa State. The offense opened the scoring with a methodical 99-yard drive, but seemed to fade after that, only showing up late in the game to make things seem close, although QB Rocco Becht had a good game. The defense had itself a terrible game, giving up almost 300 yards passing to go with 237 yards surrendered on the ground.
Meanwhile, Kansas is finally hitting its stride. It took several weeks for the Jayhawks to learn to close out games, but a comprehensive win over Houston followed by a close loss to Kansas State helped the team build some confidence. Against Iowa State, all the positives were on display. QB Jalon Daniels went 12/24 for 294 yards and two scores and RB Devin Neal added 116 yards on the grounds and two TDS. In the process, he became KU’s all-time leader in both rushing yards (3,951) and rushing touchdowns (43). With an outside chance at still making a bowl game, Kansas has plenty left to play for this season.
Arizona State (7-2, 4-2) vs UCF (2-5, 4-6)
Eleven weeks in, Arizona State remains the biggest surprise of the Big 12. After a 35-31 escape against UCF, the Sun Devils are in a tie for third place in the league and have performed well above expectations so far. This time, without star RB Cam Skattebo in the lineup, Arizona State had to rely on QB Sam Leavitt and he did not disappoint, passing for 161 yards and three TDs, and drawing comparisons to Jake “The Snake” Plummer. The Arizona State defense struggled to contain UCF’s potent offense in a game where the lead changed five times. But the unit came through when it mattered. With the game on the line, the defense made a key stop on 4th-and-2 and left the Knights with too little time to score.
For UCF, its continued dominance of the Space Game notwithstanding, this was yet another disappointing loss where the Knights just could not get out of their own way. Penalties, missed opportunities, and series of mistakes, including at least two huge miscues on special teams, led to 14 points for the Sun Devils and put UCF firmly behind the 8-ball. This wasted a stellar effort from the UCF defense, which only gave up one touchdown though nearly 45 minutes of play. Now the Knights must win out just to make a bowl game.
West Virginia (5-4, 4-2) vs Cincinnati (5-4, 3-3)
West Virginia didn’t get on the scoreboard until the second quarter but scored 24 unanswered points on its way to a 31-24 win over Cincinnati. It was the WVU defense that really shone in this game, rattling the Bearcats QB and forcing three turnovers to get the win. It’s a good thing too, because the ‘Eers still need another win to for bowl eligibility, a potential bright spot in an otherwise strange season. It might also save Neal Brown’s job.
Cincinnati actually played well enough to win this game. Scott Satterfield’s squad led the game in nearly every offensive category including total yards, rushing yards, and first downs. The defense turned in a great effort too, holding the ‘Eers to under 250 yards total, including just 92 yards on the ground. Unfortunately, the two turnovers that bookended the game pretty much guaranteed the Bearcats’ loss. Like WVU, Cincinnati needs to win another game to become bowl-eligible, but with games against Iowa State, Kansas State and TCU still left on the schedule, that might be too tall an order.
TCU (6-4, 4-3) vs Oklahoma State (3-7, 0-7)
TCU trucked Oklahoma State 38-13. The season has been a mixed bag for the Frogs, but a dominant win over a program like Oklahoma State was just what TCU needed. QB Josh Hoover had 287 yards passing and the team added another 175 yards on the ground. This happened on a day when the defense forced three turnovers and dominated the line of scrimmage too. The Frogs are bowl eligible now, but is that now the goal for a program just two years removed from the CFP title game?
There’s no point in breaking down this specific game for Oklahoma State, one where Ollie Gordon finally returned to form, because none of it really mattered. Oklahoma State is headed towards a historically bad season, certainly the worst run since 2000. The current seven-game losing streak is the longest of Mike Gundy’s tenure in Stillwater and the Pokes will miss the post-season for the first time since 2005.
Recall that this is a team that returned most of the roster from last year’s 10-win season and was picked to contend for a Big 12 title. How have things gone so badly wrong? It’s hard to point to a single reason, but losing the goodwill of fans probably won’t help.