Week 1 of the college football season is in the books as other leagues are still playing games on Sunday and Monday, but every team in the Big 12 has now played at least one game. The start of the season always answers a ton of questions about all the new look rosters, programs, and head coaches.
In the Big 12 this offseason, no team had more hype than Oklahoma State as Eric Morris brought most of his stars from North Texas with him to the Power 4 level. All that hype was instantly wiped out as Oklahoma State lost outright to Tulsa, creating a ton of questions in a truly wide open league.
Power Ranking the Big 12 after Week 1
16. Iowa State Cyclones
Jimmy Rogers and the new-look Iowa State Cyclones debuted on Saturday, picking up a 38-10 win over Southeast Missouri State. Jaylen Raynor looked like he's ready for Power 4 football, accounting for 4 touchdowns. Getting a win to start the season is great, but Iowa State is quickly going to find out where they stand next weekend against Top 25 ranked Iowa.
15. Baylor Bears
Dave Aranda enters the season on the hot seat, and the season opener against a new-look Auburn team gave him a chance to pick up a big win early. The good news is that the Bears held Auburn to just 17 points and picked off Byrum Brown 3 times after the defense was abysmal last season. The bad news is that DJ Lagway was just as bad, with a 50% completion percentage and an interception, yet the Bears had a chance to win the game on a 2-point conversion that was inches short of the end zone.
14. Kansas Jayhawks
After a ton of changes in the offseason, Kansas was able to kick off the season against LIU, allowing the Jayhawks to cruise to victory while working through some kinks. Isaiah Marshall was electric in his first start, making big plays with his arm and legs, and he looks like he could be one of the most interesting QBs in the conference. Next weekend's matchup against Missouri will be a much better gauge of where this team stands, but the early signs were promising.
13. Colorado Buffaloes
It looked like Colorado might suffer a miserable loss to start the season until the Buffaloes came alive late. Julian Lewis struggled the entire game but put together the best drive of his career to score the go-ahead touchdown. The defense was incredible the entire night but ultimately blew the game on the final drive before Boo Carter blocked Georgia Tech's game-winning field goal attempt. The Buffaloes are going to need to improve a ton, but leaving that messy game with a win is a massive victory given how it was trending.
12. UCF Knights
Scott Frost's second season back at UCF got off to a great start with the Knights cruising to a 73-6 win over Bethune-Cookman. The ground game powered the offense as UCF rushed for 360 yards and 7 touchdowns, averaging 9.5 yards per carry. It's a great sign that UCF won the game in a blowout, but it's far from the real test they'll have next week at Pitt.
11. Cincinnati Bearcats
Despite all the losses this offseason, including Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati went out and beat a Power 4 opponent to start the season. JC French IV only passed for 77 yards and a touchdown, but he added 3 touchdowns on the ground, flashing his potential at this level. Boston College isn't the best opponent, but the team now gets a pair of easier games to start progressing as an offense.
10. TCU Horned Frogs
After blowing out North Carolina a year ago, TCU saw its fortunes flip, and now it's impossible not to be concerned about what the rest of the season could look like. Jaden Craig is a clear downgrade from Josh Hoover, but the ground game should be the focus of the offense moving forward. If there's one reason for optimism, it's that the defense held North Carolina in check the entire game and should be the strength of the team. It's hard to criticize TCU a ton for losing a game in Ireland in wet conditions, but they'll need to bounce back in a big way.
Read Also: Predicting the AP Top 25: Oregon survives, Lane Kiffin arrives, and Michigan wins in controversy
9. Oklahoma State Cowboys
There was a ton of hype surrounding Oklahoma State with Eric Morris bringing most of his electric North Texas offense with him to Stillwater. The hype was instantly killed as Drew Mestemaker threw a pair of interceptions as Tulsa held the Cowboys to just 10 points. The bad news for Oklahoma State is that the challenges are only getting tougher as Oregon comes to town after a shaky performance, which will have Dan Lanning fired up to have his team bounce back.
8. West Virginia Mountaineers
Rich Rodriguez debuted his new look against the West Virginia team against Coastal Carolina, and the Mountaineers looked far better than the group we saw last season. Cam Cook instantly set the tone with a 72 yard run as the Mountaineers ran the ball at will on the Chanticleers. The Mountaineers get one more dress rehearsal to clean up the issues that let Coastal back into the game next week against UT Martin before they'll have a big test against a dangerous Virginia team.
7. Arizona Wildcats
It wasn't a major blowout, but Arizona showed plenty to be excited about in a 35-7 win over Northern Arizona. Noah Fifita passed for a pair of touchdowns without a pick while the Wildcats got 3 touchdowns out of the rushing attack. The defense pitched a shutout, but a pick 6 by the Wildcats' backups kept the team from throwing a 0 on the board to start the season.
6. Arizona State Sun Devils
While Sam Leavitt was impressing for LSU, Cutter Boley was breaking records for Arizona State. Boley passed for 6 touchdowns in his Sun Devils debut, building fast bonds with transfers Reed Harris and Omarion Miller, who both went above the 100 yard mark. The defense did allow an early touchdown, but from that point on Morgan State couldn't get anything going.
5. Utah Utes
Morgan Scalley's tenure leading the Utah Utes got off to a stellar start with a dominant 66-14 win over Idaho. Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin continue to provide reasons to be excited at quarterback, Wayshawn Parker turned in a 3 touchdown performance, and Braden Pegan looks like an instant star at WR. The competition is only going to get harder, but it was a solid start for the new regime as they knock the rust off.
4. Kansas State Wildcats
Collin Klein's return to K-State this time as head coach went perfectly, with the Wildcats picking up a 71-3 win over Nicholls. The defense allowed just 122 yards of offense, shutting down the Colonels' passing attack. Avery Johnson played a clean game, passing for 3 touchdowns, which is encouraging, while the team punched in 6 rushing touchdowns in an all-around great showing.
3. Houston Cougars
The Houston Cougars found themselves on upset alert in the 4th quarter before a 75 yard touchdown drive created a 14-point lead to put the game away. The duo of Makhi Hughes and Re'Shaun Sanford II powered the offense on the ground and should be a great tandem to lean on this season. The secondary is going to need to find some answers as Oregon State was able to move the ball at ease through the air.
2. Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders didn't look like the same dominant force that we watched last season, but it didn't matter as they cruised to a 33-10 win over Abilene Christian. Will Hammond's return from a torn ACL was encouraging, but he still needs to develop if this offense is going to take that next step. The defense is still coming together as well, but Jamond Mathis looks like the steal of the offseason with a 2.5 sack performance.
1. BYU Cougars
The BYU Cougars looked like a team trying to send a message on Saturday Night, beating Utah Tech 63-7. Bear Bachmeier threw 3 touchdowns before halftime, while 5 different Cougars scored rushing touchdowns, somehow with LJ Martin being kept out of the end zone. BYU was close to making the Playoff last season, and it's clear they're much closer to Texas Tech's level this season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google