Week 1 in the Big 12 got rolling Thursday night with three games, and while it wasn’t the official start of the season - thanks, TCU - there was still plenty to chew on. Colorado delivered the conference’s biggest statement, and UCF and Utah each handled business in lopsided fashion. Here are the main things that stood out.
Colorado left Atlanta with a win that had to be earned the hard way. The Buffaloes went into Georgia Tech’s building and did the thing the Yellow Jackets did to them in 2025: controlled the game without letting the margin reflect it for much of the night. Colorado outrushed Georgia Tech 183 to 51 and looked stronger at the line of scrimmage on both sides.
Julian Lewis was uneven for most of the night, but he came through when it mattered most, finding Charlie Williams for the go-ahead touchdown with fewer than 40 seconds left. Even then, Colorado still needed a little more help from its defense and special teams.
The Buffaloes kept getting stops when they needed them, and if not for a special teams mistake, Georgia Tech’s total would have stopped at six. Then Boo Carter slammed the door by blocking the potential game-winning field goal as time expired.
It wasn’t pretty. It was messy, ugly, and packed with mistakes. But Colorado got the result, and that mattered plenty for both the Buffaloes and the Big 12.
UCF didn’t exactly reveal everything about itself against Bethune-Cookman, but the Knights’ ground game was impossible to miss. In Orlando, UCF rolled up 360 rushing yards in a 73-6 win and basically ran the Wildcats out of the building.
Alonza Barnett III made his debut and finished 11/18 for 158 yards and two touchdowns, though the matchup never really gave him much of a chance to show the full range of his game. The rushing attack did the heavy lifting. Duke Watson led the way with 110 yards and a score, while Addae Agyeman and Landen Chambers combined for 130 yards and three touchdowns.
Utah had a similar kind of night against Idaho, and the Utes made it look easy. Devon Dampier was sharp, throwing three touchdown passes, and the offense pounded out 364 yards on the ground in a game that never felt competitive.
The opponent wasn’t strong, but Utah still checked every box it could have asked for. The Utes were dominant in every phase and won by a mile.
In Other News...
UCF Transfers Just Gave Scott Frost The Start Fans Wanted
The new-look Knights wasted little time making a statement in Scott Frosts return, rolling past Bethune-Cookman 73-6 to match the program record for points in a game while setting the largest margin of victory in school history. It was the kind of opener UCF wanted after an offseason built around change, with the offense looking sharp from the start and the atmosphere quickly turning from curiosity to celebration.
Duke Watson helped set the tone with a burst that flipped the game early, and quarterback Alonza Barnett III added to the momentum in his UCF debut by finding the end zone through the air and on the ground. The result also kept two of the Knights more durable streaks intact: an 11th straight season-opening win and Frosts 25th victory as UCF coach, a strong first step for a team hoping this season feels different from the last few. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Gave Fans Plenty To Love But One Bigger Test Awaits
The opener could hardly have gone much better for UCF, which rolled past Bethune-Cookman to start 2026 with a blowout that immediately put the offense in the spotlight. New quarterback Alonza Barnett III added two total touchdowns, six different Knights reached the end zone on the ground, and the team paired that balance with cleaner play in a few of the areas that mattered most, including penalties and turnovers.
Jayden Williams also gave the defense its own highlight with an interception return for a touchdown, a reminder that the Knights were getting contributions across the board rather than leaning on one phase alone. Still, the real question now is how much of that debut can carry over once the level of competition rises, because the kind of control UCF showed in Week 1 will be a much tougher act to repeat against a more demanding opponent. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Looked Ready For A Much Bigger Test Next Week
The season opener could hardly have gone much smoother for UCF, which overwhelmed Bethune-Cookman from the start and turned the night into a showcase for how quickly this team can score in bunches. Duke Watson broke free for a 64-yard touchdown run, Jayden Williams added a pick-six, and quarterback Alonza Barnett III kept the pressure on with multiple scoring plays as the Knights put together a performance that looked far more complete than a typical first-week tune-up.
For a program trying to build real momentum, the bigger takeaway may be what comes next. UCF now gets Pittsburgh, a far stiffer test than anything it saw in the opener, and the early signs suggest the Knights have enough speed, playmaking and depth to make that matchup interesting. The only question is whether what worked so easily against Bethune-Cookman will hold up once the competition tightens. [Read more 🡒]