Big 12 Football: Week 1 Power Rankings
Jayhawks . 10.. team. 821. . 1-0. Previous:
Record in previous 5 games: 1-4
Total offense rank (in conference): 10th
Total defense rank: 5th
It did not come easy, but Kansas picked up their first football win since October 26, 2019. They had a weak opponent in South Dakota, who has only made one playoff appearance since joining the FCS in 2008.
Regardless, South Dakota made sure this game never got out of reach and in fact controlled much of the second half. Kansas needed a last-minute touchdown from Lawrence Arnold to avoid a massive upset.
The biggest issue with Kansas was the lack of offensive production. If Velton Gardner can only get 21 yards on 19 carries against an FCS school, how will he and the run game perform against the rest of this conference?
Next Game: at #17 Coastal Carolina
9. team. 877. . 0-1. Previous: . Mountaineers
Record in previous 5 games: 2-3
Total offense rank: 9th
Total defense rank: 10th
This was a sloppy performance by West Virginia down the stretch of their opening game. The Mountaineers scored a touchdown on three of their first four drives en route to a 21-17 lead. After this, they would have two interceptions, two fumbles, and four punts. WVU would also lose 40 yards due to penalties.
An optimistic view would be that despite all of that, West Virginia only lost by six points. It is fair to expect some rusty play early in the year, as we have seen plenty of talented teams stumble out of. the gate in the past.
They will have to get things back on track soon, as matchups with Virginia Tech and Oklahoma will close out the month of September for the Mountaineers.