Big 12 Football Power Rankings 2017: Week 1 edition
By Phil Poling
David Beaty and the Kansas Jayhawks open the 2017 season against Southeast Missouri State. Kansas will be defending their home turf in Lawrence, and Beaty is hoping to get off to a hot start in his third season. He’s a combined 2-22 at the helm of the Kansas football program, with both wins coming last year against Rhode Island and Texas. The Jawhawks opened the 2016 campaign with a 55-6 win over Rhode Island.
One particular player to keep an eye on is Kansas defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr. He was voted the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year heading into this season, and finished second in the Big 12 in sacks a year ago.
More: Is Dorance Armstrong Jr. the real deal?
Even with a convincing win over the Redhawks though, don’t expect Kansas to rocket up the power rankings. This is still a team with lots to prove. They followed up last season’s opening weekend victory with a 37-21 loss to Ohio University, starting their streak of nine consecutive losses. The 7 p.m. kickoff is scheduled to air on ESPN3.
The Cyclones start the 2017 season defending their home-field in Ames against the Northern Iowa Panthers. Another night game for the Big 12, Iowa State and Northern Iowa kick things off at 8 p.m.
Head coach Matt Campbell is looking to turn the corner in his second season as the Cyclones lead man. He coached the Cyclones to a 3-9 record in his inaugural campaign, including two conference victories (Kansas, Texas Tech). Although they’ll be integrating a new quarterback, the main target on offense remains star wide receiver Allen Lazard.
More: Is Allen Lazard college football’s top wide receiver?
Northern Iowa opened the 2016 season in a similar fashion, traveling to Ames, Iowa, for a showdown with the in-state Cyclones. And the Panthers walked away victorious, beating Iowa State by a score of 25-20. Expect Campbell and Co. to get the ship straight against the Panthers, but if they’re unable to do so, Iowa State has an argument to be in that 10 spot.
Kliff Kingsbury enters his sixth season in Lubbock, Texas, as the head coach of the Red Raiders. With an unflattering record of 24-26 over that span, Kingsbury could at least claim a top offense; 2017 may be a different story.
Replacing first round pick Patrick Mahomes at quarterback is not an easy task, but the Red Raiders only won five games with the gunslinger a year ago. Couple that with the usual defense Kingsbury deploys, and Texas Tech could be in for a long, tumultous season. Dakota Allen returns to Lubbock after spending a season on the Netflix hit “Last Chance U,” but he can’t solely turn them into contenders — or even pretenders.
More: Can Dakota Allen be an impact player for the Red Raiders defense?
The Eastern Washington Eagles finished 12-2 in the Big Sky a year ago and prepare for a 4 p.m. kickoff against Texas Tech. Would this even be considered an upset if Tech lost? This game will be broadcast on FSN.
Still recovering from the Art Briles-era, Baylor will introduce new head coach Matt Rhule to college football against the Liberty Flames in Waco, Texas.
Zach Smith returns for his sophomore campaign with some game experience, but graduate-transfer Anu Solomon arrives from Arizona looking to make an impact. Gone are KD Cannon, Kyle Fuller, Shock Linwood and Seth Russell from last year’s offense, but Rhule gets an opportunity to build the program from the ground up.
Hosting Liberty at 7 p.m., the Bears will open the Rhule-era in a night game. As you can tell, Saturday night will be a busy one for Big 12 fans with a full slate of games coming their way. Baylor versus Liberty will broadcast on FOX Sports 1.