What we have learned about the Big 12 so far
As Othello once said, in a fit of Shakespearean despair, chaos is come again. And so it is with our favorite college football conference, where things become more uncertain even as the picture begins to clear.
Eight weeks into the 2024 season, two teams in the conference are still unscathed. That those two teams are called BYU and Iowa State is a surprise, but what is even more shocking is that both teams have a legitimate shot at running the table from here on out. That would have been unfathomable just a few weeks ago.
But that’s college football for you, and a key reason why it remains—for all its many flaws—the most interesting sport in the world.
Let’s start at the top of our informal conference power rankings, shall we?
#10 Iowa State (7-0, 7-0) vs UCF (3-4, 1-3)
So this is happening? Quietly and with almost no hype or fanfare, and after a gritty 28-16 road win over a tough West Virginia team, Iowa State found itself ranked in the Top 10, and had everything on the table in front of it. And then the Cyclones blinked a little. Taking on a game UCF squad at home, Iowa State’s defense—one of the Big 12’s best—just could not stop the run. The Clones allowed 354 yards o the Knights, including almost 200 yards to the Knights RB RJ Harvey. It took a quarterback sneak from Iowa State’s Rocco Becht in the waning seconds of the game to seal the 38-35 win over UCF.
The schedule is setting up perfectly for the Cyclones, with probably only the regular season finale of a home Farmageddon game standing between Iowa State and the Big 12 title game.
How well Iowa State will handle its first 7-0 start since 1938 remains to be seen.
As for UCF, a season that began with promise has gone awry. This was the Knights fourth straight loss and that it came when the team was leading by two touchdowns in the third quarter is a particularly bitter pill to swallow. A mediocre defensive effort after all-everything DE Nyjalik Kelly left the game wasted an otherwise banner day for the Knights offense, with RB Harvey gaining 196 yards and QB Jacurri Brown adding another 156 yards on the ground at an eye-popping 11.8 yards/carry.
#11 BYU (7-0, 4-0) vs Oklahoma State (3-4, 0-4)
The Cougars were off in Week 6, but did not miss a beat on their return to competition, taking out Arizona 41-19 with a defensive performance that produced four turnovers and a steady game from Jake Retzlaff. The six minutes of chaotic nonsense in that late night game against Kansas State has launched BYU into its best start since 2020. Predicted to finish near the bottom of the Big 12, the Cougars are instead already bowl eligible, but are dreaming a lot bigger than that.
A hiccup against Oklahoma State almost derailed all that though. BYU’s luck nearly ran out when the Pokes took a late lead in the game after a long drive that burned almost nine minutes off the clock. But a 35-yard strike from Retzlaff to Darius Lassiter helped the Cougars pull ahead and save the undefeated season with a 38-35 win over Oklahoma State.
The Pokes, on the other hand, just can’t seem to put it all together. Just a few weeks ago, the program was 3-0 and a clear contender for league honors. Since then, Oklahoma State has lost four straight games and is dead last in the Big 12. This is mostly because of an inability to effectively run the ball or stop the run on defense. RB Ollie Gordon, last year’s Doak Walker winner, did not make much of an impression in losses to Kansas State and West Virginia, and QB Alan Bowman had been mostly ineffective. Still, things may be turning around for the Pokes. Against BYU, the team managed 269 yards rushing including 107 yards for Gordon.
Colorado (5-2, 3-1) vs Arizona (3-4, 1-3)
The Buffs are right in the middle of a logjam of Big 12 teams with just one conference loss after a heartbreaking 31-28 loss to Kansas State, and that’s pretty good considering Colorado’s slow start this season and the storm of questions that swirl around Coach Prime all the time.
Against former Pac-12 conference mate Arizona though, there would be no such skepticism. Although all-everything corner/receiver Travis Hunter was still hobbled by an injury, the Buffs barely broke a sweat on their way to a 34-7 victory over Arizona. QB Shedeur Sanders threw for two scores and ran for another and Colorado put together its most complete game of the season.
Arizona, on the other hand, seems to be headed in the opposite direction. A week after bouncing undefeated Utah, the Wildcats looked like they were on their way to another late game win over Texas Tech in Week 7. But a missed field goal and a turnover led to a 28-22 loss. The Wildcats tried to surprise Colorado with an onside kick to start the game, but the Buffs didn’t bite and Arizona followed that up with a horrible game from quarterback Noah Fifita, who threw an interception, lost a fumble, and could not connect with favorite target Tetairoa McMillan. Brent Brennan’s team still seems to be in search of an offensive identity, and it might be too late to salvage this season.
Texas Tech (5-2, 3-1) vs Baylor (3-4, 1-3)
The Red Raiders hot start to the season came to a screeching halt against Baylor this past week. Though Tech had somehow figured out how to win one-possession games, with four of the team’s five wins coming by just one score (the only FBS team to pull off that feat), those statistics were mostly irrelevant in a blowout 59-35 loss to the Bears that ruined Homecoming in Lubbock.
The early wins helped gloss over the Red Raiders’ serious problems on defense. For example, in a 28-22 win over Arizona, Texas Tech gave up a 15-point first half lead and two turnovers before holding on to win the game. Against Baylor, this was even more obvious as the Raiders gave up 275 yards passing and 5 TDs to the Bears’ Sawyer Robertson. To add insult to injury, Baylor also piled up 255 yards and three scores on the ground.
For Baylor, this was the first conference win of the season and it could not have come soon enough for Dave Aranda and the reeling Bears. This was easily the best game Baylor has played all season. After an 0-3 start in the Big 12, even most fans had checked out and the team was playing to empty stands. Will this unexpectedly big win bring fans back to the fold? We’ll see.
Arizona State (5-2, 2-2) vs Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1)
Picked to finish dead last in the Big 12, the Sun Devils were briefly the league’s biggest surprise. Thanks to running Cameron Skattebo*, the Big 12’s current leader in all-purpose yards, Arizona State was able to hold on to defeat a ranked Utah team 27-19 in Week 7 despite losing QB Sam Leavitt to injury halfway through the game. But things fell apart against Cincinnati this past week. The Sun Devils scored on the opening drive but it was pretty much all Bearcats after that as Cincinnati rode its defense to a 24-14 win over Arizona State. That and the inability to make a field goal has frustrated Kenny Dillingham who suggested the school would hold open tryouts for a new kicker. (He later apologized).
*My household has been pronouncing Skattebo as Sku-TEE-bow and nobody is more disappointed than I am to discover it’s actually SCAT-uh-boo
Cincinnati is finally having the sort of season Bearcat fans expected in the Big 12. While the team hasn’t been perfect, the two losses (to 6-0 Pitt and a then 5-1 Texas Tech) were by a combined four points. The 5-2 start is a marked improvement over last year’s 3-9 campaign which left the Bearcats last in their new conference. More importantly, Cincinnati is finally winning at home after going a dismal 0-7 at Nippert Stadium in Scott Satterfield’s first year. A big game against Colorado where the Bearcats’ league-leading defense takes on the offensive fire power of the Buffs could be the next big step.
TCU (4-3, 2-2) vs Utah (4-3, 1-3)
Perhaps more than any old team in this new league, it is TCU that has fallen from its once lofty perch. Just two years ago, the Frogs were national title runners up. Now the program is struggling to stay above .500 and has some truly inexplicable losses on its resume, including a blowout disaster against crosstown rival SMU and a head scratcher against a struggling Houston squad. So what gives? Nobody really knows, but against Utah in Week 8, the Frogs finally put together a great defensive performance in a 13-7 win over Utah. TCU held the Utes to to just 68 yards on the ground, and while the offense sputtered, it was a timely and effective outing.
The Utes, on the other hand, are reeling. Cam Rising made his return to the field against Arizona State, but he was clearly not 100% and the Utes lost 27-19 to the Sun Devils. Somewhat predictably, Rising is now hurt and lost for the season, and with him most of Utah’s prospects for a Big 12 title and playoff appearance as well. QB Isaac Wilson, playing in relief, never got comfortable against the Horned Frogs, and the Utes’ valiant defensive effort was mostly wasted. Afterwards, Wilson and head coach Kyle Wittingham felt compelled to apologize for the offensive showing, but it’s not clear where the Utes go from here.
Kansas (2-5, 1-3) vs Houston (2-5, 1-3)
Kansas finally won a game! A 42-14 pasting of the hapless Houston Cougars ended a five-game skid for the Jayhawks, and in fact, this was KU’s first win over an FBS team all season. The program has struggled to duplicate its success from 2023, but against the Cougars at Arrowhead, QB Jalon Daniels finally looked like a star quarterback, passing for three TDs and running for another score, racking up over 300 yards of total offense by himself. On a day when CB Cobee Bryant hauled in three picks, it was more than enough. If nothing else, it was a bit of catharsis for Kansas, and just in time for the Sunflower Showdown too.
As for Houston, Willie Fritz’s dream job has turned into a nightmare. After suffering two straight shutout losses, the Cougars appeared to turn the corner in a 30-19 upset win over TCU. But the winning feeling evaporated quickly against Kansas. An early collapse on defense followed by four turnovers (three INTs for QB Donovan Smith and another for backup Zeon Chriss) pretty much ended any challenge from the Cougars. An upcoming home game against Utah could go either way, but Fritz’s seat has to be feeling just a bit warm right now.
West Virginia (3-4, 2-2)
We come to it at least, the plight of the Mountaineers. While the 3-4 record is certainly disappointing, head coach Neal Brown is not on the hot seat yet (even after his bizarre “are you not entertained” moment). But fans are right to be frustrated. Against Iowa State in Week 7, the ‘Eers started well enough but could not keep the offense rolling, especially in the second half. Two turnovers essentially doomed any chance of recovery against the Clones’ stout defense, a far cry from West Virginia’s dominant 38-14 win over Oklahoma State in Week 6.
Against Kansas State, the defense sold out to stop the run and it mostly worked. West Virginia held the Wildcats’ DJ Gidden to just 57 yards, though he did manage to score two TDs. The ‘Eers were not quite prepared for Avery Johnson to turn into a consummate passer, however, and it showed. The ‘Eers passing defense was nothing to write home about before this game, and it got worse as QB Garrett Greene was injured in the second half and didn’t return to the game.
A road game at Arizona may be just the thing to turn around West Virginia’s season. But I wouldn’t count on it.