Big 12 football was as expected in Week 1 for most of the conference, except for massive upsets pulled off against the Baylor Bears and Texas Longhorns.
The Big 12 had an overall good show out in the first week of college football action. All of the 10 members of the conference were in action, at some point, during Week 1. Seven of the 10 Big 12 teams won their games in Week 1.
Oklahoma State kicked off Big 12 teams in action on Aug. 31 against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. The Pokes’ offense played great as they put up 59 points on a respected Tulsa team. Defense remains the biggest question mark for the Cowboys.
Oklahoma started their season against the UTEP Miners. Superstar quarterback Baker Mayfield only had one incompletion while throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Mark Andrews is the real deal with more than 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.
West Virginia is the only team that has not played yet. Tonight, they face the Virginia Tech Hokies in Landover, MD. Head coach Dana Holgorsen received a huge contract extension during the offseason. This is also the first chance we have to see Florida transfer quarterback Will Grier in action since 2015.
Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and TCU all had easier matchups in Week 1. Each of those teams faced FCS opponents, and most took care of business. The Liberty Flames pulled off the massive upset against Baylor.
The only other team in action over the weekend was the No. 23 ranked Texas Longhorns and first-year head coach Tom Herman. Texas was expected to roll over a Maryland team that was a heavy underdog. Things did not go as planned for the Horns.
Now, let’s take a look three Big 12 teams to be concerned about after Week 1.
This was supposed to be the return to glory for Texas. The hiring of former Houston head coach Tom Herman needed to bring some change to the program after Charlie Strong had a rough three-year tenure in Austin.
Texas started the game with a Holton Hill pick-six. Things went downhill from their for the Horns. Maryland scored 27 straight points and never looked back. Texas did make a big push in the second half to recover, but the Terps had every answer.
Things do not get much easier for Texas in the coming weeks. San Jose State comes to Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium next week. The No. 4 USC Trojans host Texas in Week 3 at The Coliseum in Los Angeles. Even though USC did not look great in their season opener against Western Michigan, they’ll be a tough out for anyone.
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Sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele had an admirable effort but it wasn’t enough. If he continues to throw for 375 yards and rack up three total touchdowns, Texas will be find. However, losing to Maryland shows this team might not be ready to even have a winning record yet.
No one expected Baylor to do what they had done the past few seasons. They lost their last six games of the 2016 regular season before defeating the Boise State Broncos in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl. Former Temple head coach Matt Rhule was brought in to clean up and rebuild this program.
Even with lower expectations, losing to the Liberty Flames was something few people thought possible. Baylor became famous for shredding FCS programs in season openers really since the 2012 season.
Rhule surprised many by naming Arizona transfer Anu Solomon the starting quarterback. Sophomore Zach Smith was expected to get the nod. Solomon was not able to keep pace with Liberty QB Stephen Calvert who racked up 447 yards and three touchdowns. Solomon completed just 50 percent of his passes.
Baylor needs a huge recovery effort against the UTSA Roadrunners next week before they travel to Durham, NC, to face the Duke Blue Devils. The Bears also have three of the best teams in the Big 12 to kick off conference play. Things need to get better, and fast.
A lot of college football fans would say that any victory for the Kansas Jayhawks is a huge success. However, head coach David Beaty did lead Kansas to a few wins last year. His improvement of the program is expected to continue.
Southeast Missouri is not one of the better FCS programs. Kansas had an opportunity to show us all that they could actually beat one or two FBS teams in 2017. However, unless they pull the same thing off this year like they did against Texas last year, that might not happen.
Kansas has a tough test in the Central Michigan Chippewas in Week 2. Central Michigan pulled off a massive upset in one of the most memorable plays in college football history against Oklahoma State at the beginning of the 2016 season. The Chips are accustomed to playing Big 12 teams.
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Quarterback Peyton Bender needs some consistent play to continue. He as backup quarterback Carter Stanley breathing down his neck if he collapses in the coming weeks. Bender threw for more than 350 yards and four touchdowns.