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The Big 12 is one giant mess...
Colorado is officially about to meet their new Big 12 friends! The Buffs will kick off their conference slate against the Baylor Bears this Saturday, marking their game as members of the Big 12 since jumping ship in 2011.
Colorado’s had a bumpy first few weeks of the season, but so has the rest of the Big 12. How do the Buffs stack up against their new (and old) conference-mates? Let’s take around the Big 12 to see who the current king of the hill!
1: Kansas State Wildcats (3-0, #13 in AP Poll.)
The Wildcats of Manhattan are hot right now, coming fresh off a thorough dismantling of then-20th-ranked Arizona. K-State had a bit of a scare last weekend in New Orleans, narrowly beating Tulane on a fourth-quarter fumble recovery for a TD, proving they’re not invincible by any means.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Avery Johnson hasn’t quite been as advertised, throwing a pick in week one and making a few questionable decisions since then, but the talent is clear. He can beat you with his arms and legs, but he still needs to grow into the college game.
K-State is just a solid team down the depth chart. Nothing jumps off the page when looking at their roster, but this squad has no glaring weakness. In a conference without a clear top dog like the Big 12, the Wildcats are in a good position to make a run.
Also of note, former Buff Dylan Edwards is balling out for the Wildcats after transferring last winter. Check out this punt return TD he had last week against Arizona:
2: Utah Utes (3-0, #12 in AP Poll.)
The Utes are probably the best team in the entire Big 12, but they’re facing one huge problem: they have no quarterback. Cam Rising left their week two matchup with Baylor after suffering an injury to his hand and it’s still unclear when he’ll return.
Utah demolished Utah Southern in week one and jumped out to a 21-0 lead over Baylor with Rising playing. Since losing their star quarterback, Utah struggled to put the Bears away and struggled against a lowly Utah State squad.
The talent on this roster is undeniable, but they need Rising to hit their stride. Backup QB Isaac Wilson, younger brother to BYU legend and former second-overall pick Zach Wilson, started to figure it out last week, throwing three touchdowns against the USU Aggies.
With Rising, this team is the probably best team in the conference. Hopefully, they can get him back sooner rather than later.
3: Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-0, #14 in AP Poll.)
Oklahoma State and Mike Gundy are in a position to make some noise this season. The Pokes have the best running back in the country in Ollie Gordon, along with one of the most underrated linebacker corps in the entire country.
The Cowboys dominated FCS powerhouse South Dakota State in week one and killed in-state rival Tulsa last Saturday, but probably should have lost to Arkansas in week two. The Razorbacks outgained OSU by nearly 300 yards, but still managed to find a way to lose in 2OT.
The talent in Stillwater is undeniable, but seventh-year QB Alan Bowman and the Pokes still have some serious questions to answer.
4: Iowa State Cyclones (3-0, #20 in AP Poll.)
Quite a few people picked the Cyclones to be their dark-horse team in the Big 12 this season, and they’re all probably feeling pretty vindicated right now. Iowa State convincingly beat North Dakota 21-3 in week one, went to Iowa City to upset Iowa on a last-second field goal to win the CyHawk trophy, then sat last week on a bye.
Quarterback Rocco Becht looks legit, wide receiver Jaylin Noel is one of the most underrated players in the conference, and the Cyclones have a rock-solid secondary. With the conference looking as shakey as it has, Iowa State could realistically be a contender for the Big 12 title.
5: UCF (3-0)
UCF has the talent to beat any team in this conference any Saturday. Running back RJ Harvey is a beast and the Knights have a scary defensive line. There’s only one problem: KJ Jefferson doesn’t look that great.
The quarterback transfer from Arkansas has had trouble throwing the ball, struggling against New Hampshire in week one and looking okay at best in week two against Sam Houston. Jefferson led a comeback last Saturday against TCU when the Knights were down 28-7 in the second half, who ended up winning 35-34.
The Knights have some fight in them, but they’ll need Jefferson to stay hot to hit their peak.
6: Arizona State Sun Devils (3-0)
If you predicted Arizona State get votes in the AP Poll this season, you’re a bit fat liar. Alas, here we are! The Sun Devils were picked to finish dead last in the Big 12 in the preseason poll, but have strung together some wins in their difficult non-conference schedule.
ASU crushed Wyoming by 41 points to open their season, handled Mississippi State at home in week two, and put away a really good Texas State team in San Marcos last Thursday. Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt has impressed at quarterback, Cam Skattebo is a tank coming out of the backfield and the Sun Devil defense looks great.
Kenny Dillingham’s rebuild is years ahead of schedule, but they probably won’t make too much noise this year. Your team is in an amazing spot ASU fans, so don’t take it for granted.
7: TCU Horned Frogs (2-1)
The Frogs could be way higher on this list, but they managed to blow that aforementioned 21-point lead to UCF last Saturday. After a very tough hangover in 2023 following their national championship appearance, it seems like TCU is back on track after a comeback win over ACC powerhouse Stanford and crushing Long Island.
Quarterback Josh Hoover looks like a flashback to Max Duggan, as he’s currently third in the nation in passing yards and their offense has had little trouble putting points on the board. Their defense is a whole other story though. TCU’s opponents have had no trouble marching down the field and scoring on the Frogs. We’ll have to see how things shake out for the Frogs when conference play starts.
8: Colorado Buffaloes (2-1)
Colorado has the most top-level talent on their roster in the Big 12, but their supplemental talent is the question. The Buffaloes stars popped off against NDSU and Colorado State, but they got dominated in the trenches by Nebraska. Many Big 12 teams are structured like Nebraska, being big and stout on both lines, which doesn’t bode well for the Buffaloes.
If Colorado can protect Shedeur Sanders and establish a run game, there isn’t a team in this conference that the Buffaloes can’t beat. CU took a step forward in Fort Collins last weekend and they need to capitalize on that momentum heading into Big 12 play.
9: BYU (3-0)
The Cougars of Provo are 3-0, but don’t let that deceive you. They convincingly beat Wyoming and Southern Illinois, but barely squeaked by SMU in Dallas. The Ponies almost lost to a Brendon Lewis-led Nevada Wolfpack in Reno.
BYU’s record is impressive, but they still have a lot to prove. The Big 12 is an extremely deep conference and the Cougs probably don’t have the depth to keep up. On the bright side, head coach Kilane Sitake is off the hot seat for now.
10: Arizona Wildcats
In their first three weeks under new head coach Brent Brennan, calling the Wildcats underwhelming would be an understatement. Arizona’s defense has struggled despite retraining key pieces from last season, and their offense is proving to be one-dimensional. Every time Noah Fifita drops back, he’s probably going to throw it to Tetairao McMillan. TMac is probably the best WR in the country, but he can’t carry the team.
Arizona got housed last week in Manhattan by the Big 12’s other Wildcats. If the Arizona offense can diversify and the defense can figure it out, this team could still win the conference.
11: Cincinnati Bearcats (2-1)
The Bearcats are one of Big 12’s most interesting teams. They have a great defensive line, led by Dontay “The Godfather” Corleone, and some elite offensive line talent in Luke Kandra. Indiana transfer Brenden Sorsby has impressed at quarterback as well, winning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after UC’s win over Miami of Ohio.
The Bearcats have some sneaky good players. but don’t really have the depth to make a serious run at the conference championship. After losing to Pitt at home in week two, they find themselves in the eleventh spot in the rankings. Expect them to rise as conference play hits its stride though.
12: Baylor Bears (2-1)
Thus far, Baylor has looked better than expected. Toledo transfer Dequan Finn has looked great for the Bears, and their wide receiver core seems legit.
Baylor’s only loss comes against Utah, which is nothing to be ashamed of. The Bears have also bludgeoned the likes of Air Force and Tarleton State in their non-conference slate. On paper, this Baylor team has what it takes to make some noise. We’ll have to see if they can put it all together against the Buffaloes this Saturday.
13: Kansas Jayhawks (1-2)
Of all the teams in the Big 12, Kansas has been the most disappointing by a country mile. This was supposed to be a dream year for the Jayhawks, but it’s off to a nightmarish start.
KU demolished Lindenwood in week one, went on the road to Champaign only to lose to the Fighting Illini, and got beaten badly by UNLV in their own house. Jalon Daniels was a dark horse Heisman candidate before the season, but he’ll be lucky to keep his starting job by the end of the season if he doesn’t get things right. Daniels has thrown six interceptions compared to three touchdowns in only three weeks.
Running back Devin Neal is still great and the Jayhawks have one of the better secondaries in America. They have what it takes to turn things around, but it all starts with Daniels.
14: West Virginia Mountaineers (1-2)
Much like Iowa State, many people picked the Mountaineers to be a dark horse contender for the conference title. Unfortunately, that take hasn’t aged too great. WVU got smoked by Penn State in Morgantown in week one, bounced back to crush Albany to get things right, and then proceeded to blow a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to Pitt in the Backyard Brawl last Saturday.
West Virginia fans are pissed, and rightfully so. Head coach Neil Brown’s seat is getting hotter by the day and fans are only growing more impatient with this team. If they don’t have a stellar season in conference play, the Mountaineers will probably have a new head coach this time next year.
15: Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-1)
Do not let their record fool you! Texas Tech is not a good football team, plain and simple. They let Abilene Christian put 51 points on their head in week one in a narrow overtime win, got dominated in Pullman by Wazzu in week two, but bounced back to thoroughly beat North Texas last weekend.
The Red Raiders’ defense looks pretty atrocious and their offense is very clearly still figuring things out. Maybe they can pull off some upsets down the line, but they’ve got some serious issues to address first.
16: Houston Cougars (1-2)
Houston is bad this season, but that’s okay! They’re in the first year of a complete rebuild under former Tulane coach Willie Fritz, so the expectations were low from the start. Unfortunately, those expectations probably won’t rise too much.
The Coogs got crushed at home by UNLV to open their season, but actually hung in with 15th-ranked Oklahoma for a four-point loss in Norman during week two. Last Saturday, they dominated cross-town rival Rice by a final score of 33-7.
Houston is headed in the right direction under Fritz, but they still have a long way to go.
by RylandScholes
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