Big 12 Football: How have contenders bounced back from early letdowns?

Week 1 wasn’t kind to two Big 12 football teams as they lost at home to teams from the Sun Belt but they bounced back in a huge way.

Kansas State and Iowa State suffered season-opening losses that neither team expected.

The Cyclones came into their season opener ranked No. 23 in the nation and it appeared that they would not have much difficulty defeating the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana. However, Iowa State did not get the desired outcome that they had sought out for.

Kansas State, on the other hand, was unranked going into their opener at home against Arkansas State who had lost to Memphis the week prior. The Wildcats also did not achieve their goal of a favorable outcome in their first game of the 2020 season.

But, as the old saying goes, “It is not how you start but it’s how you finish.”

Iowa State losing was not earth-shattering but being beaten by a Sun Belt team at home by 17 points was a big surprise. The Cyclones also got outscored 14-0 in the fourth quarter and Iowa State did not appear to be the better team.

Kansas State’s loss to Arkansas State was not the biggest upset of the year but it was disappointing that a Big 12 team that is not considered a bottom-dweller program lost to a Sun Belt team that lost to a fellow Group of Five school the week prior. The Wildcats were leading 21-14 at halftime but were outscored 21-10 in the second half and ended up losing 35-31.

However, even after very disappointing season-opening defeats on their home fields, both teams bounced back in huge ways.

Heading into Week 8, both Iowa State and Kansas State are tied for first place in the Big 12 at 3-0. Oklahoma State is also undefeated in conference play but the Cowboys are a game back at 2-0.

The Cyclones have defeated Oklahoma and Texas Tech and beat TCU on the road. The Wildcats beat Texas Tech at home and had two impressive road victories over Oklahoma and TCU. Both Iowa State and Kansas State are nationally ranked with the Cyclones at No. 17 and the Wildcats at No. 20. However, one team will more than likely remain in the first place while the other has a tough matchup in Week 8.

Iowa State has a difficult matchup on the road as it faces No. 6 Oklahoma State this weekend. Kansas State on the other hand plays winless Kansas at home this weekend and the following week the Cyclones travel to face West Virginia.

Both teams will face off against one another in Week 12 after both will be coming off of a bye week. Many college football experts had not predicted that the Wildcats and the Cyclones would be atop of the Big 12 in the preseason. Many had predicted either Oklahoma or Texas would be vying for first place in the league. However, predictions are just predictions and not accurate forecasts of the future.

After Kansas State’s and Iowa State’s earlier season-opening losses to Sun Belt teams, many had written them off with little hope moving forward. But both teams have bounced back stronger than ever and both are well-positioned to compete for the Big 12 title in a season that has been an unpredictable roller-coaster.