Kansas State Faces One Big 12 Question Despite Avery Johnsons Start

The Big 12 is heading into the part of the season where the picture starts to sharpen, and this year the frame looks a lot less crowded than usual.

By the end of the weekend, every one of the league’s 16 teams will have played at least one conference game, and the early evidence points to a race with plenty of openings. A handful of close finishes have already hinted that nobody is going to cruise through this thing.

That’s a big shift from last season, when Texas Tech stood out as the league’s best team and BYU sat comfortably behind it at No. 2.

Texas Tech may still be the team to beat, but it no longer looks untouchable. That matters, because the rest of the conference has already shown enough to believe there’s a path into the title game for more than just the usual suspects. The Big 12 still has six undefeated teams left, and several 2-1 squads - Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Houston - have already flashed enough to stay in the conversation.

There’s also proof on the résumé front. West Virginia has knocked off Virginia.

Oklahoma State beat Oregon. Colorado took down Georgia Tech.

And the betting market reflects the uncertainty: every Big 12 team currently has plus-odds to win the conference.

Here’s where the league stands after Week 3.

1. BYU (3-0, 1-0 Big 12): Kalani Sitake’s team keeps treating every week like it matters, and that approach showed again in a 41-23 win at Colorado State, sandwiched between conference games against Arizona and TCU. LJ Martin carried the load with 176 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
2. Texas Tech (3-0, 1-0 Big 12): The Red Raiders are not the same runaway force they were a year ago, when they rolled through the conference with depth and talent everywhere. Still, they looked the part of a contender in a hard-fought win over Houston.
3. West Virginia (3-0, 0-0 Big 12): Rich Rodriguez has the Mountaineers off to a strong start in Year 2, including a 38-27 win over Virginia. That 3-0 record looks worthy of a top-25 spot, even if the polls haven’t caught up.
4. Utah (3-0, 0-0 Big 12): The Utes have been brutal on the scoreboard, outscoring opponents 142-24 through three games. The catch is that they haven’t faced much resistance yet, and Arkansas wasn’t much help.
5. Kansas State (3-0, 0-0 Big 12): Avery Johnson is operating like a different quarterback under Collin Klein.

Against Tulane, he rushed for a career-high 152 yards and threw for 227 more. Even so, an 11-point win with that kind of production leaves a little room for concern.

6. Houston (2-1, 0-1 Big 12): The Cougars were one inch away from tying Texas Tech late on a two-point try, but Conner Weigman didn’t quite get there. Even in a loss, Houston showed enough in a tough road setting to look like a real player in this race.
7. Arizona (2-1, 0-1 Big 12): The Wildcats had a strong week, beating Northern Illinois 42-17 and watching Noah Fifita set the program’s all-time passing mark in the process.
8. Oklahoma State (2-1, 0-0 Big 12): The Cowboys are still tough to pin down, but their 59-0 win over Murray State suggests the opening loss at Tulsa may have been more of a blip than a trend. This weekend’s trip to West Virginia should tell us more.
9. Cincinnati (3-0, 0-0 Big 12): The Bearcats had to dig all the way out of a 21-point hole before Cole Tabb’s 53-yard touchdown run finished off Miami (Ohio). It’s not ideal that it took late drama against a MAC opponent, but the comeback still counts.
10. Arizona State (2-1, 1-0 Big 12): After opening with a road trip to Texas A&M and an international game against Kansas, the Sun Devils have earned a breather.
11. Baylor (2-1, 0-0 Big 12): The Bears need to make the most of a Big 12 opener they can realistically win against Colorado. The schedule stiffens fast after that, with BYU, Texas Tech and Houston waiting near the end.
12. Colorado (2-1, 0-1 Big 12): The Buffs got a lesson the hard way at Northwestern. If you’re going to call a road atmosphere “a library” before kickoff, it helps to back it up.
13. TCU (2-1, 0-0 Big 12): The Horned Frogs have handled business since returning from Ireland, but the next four games - at UCF, BYU, at Baylor, West Virginia - will say much more about what kind of team they are.
14. UCF (2-1, 0-0 Big 12): The Knights got past Georgia State without starter Alonza Burnett, and backup Keyone Jenkins managed only 86 passing yards. Duke Watson did the heavy lifting with 177 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
15. Kansas (1-2, 0-1 Big 12): Dropping a game to Missouri and losing an international contest to Arizona State isn’t exactly how you build momentum in Lawrence.
16. Iowa State (2-1, 0-0 Big 12): The Cyclones will need to beat someone other than SEMO and Bowling Green before there’s any reason to move them up.

In Other News...

Collin Klein Is Sending A Clear Message As Big 12 Play Starts

Kansas State has opened the season with a level of discipline that stands out nationally, and the numbers back it up. Through three games, the Wildcats have been flagged just eight times, a pace that trails only one college football team, which is the kind of early-season detail coaches usually love to see as Big 12 play begins.

Still, Collin Klein is not treating that as a reason to relax. He made clear after the Tulane game that the penalties Kansas State did commit left him frustrated, especially the ones the Wildcats can control, and he pointed to discipline as an area that still needs tightening even with the overall count staying low. For a team trying to carry clean football into conference play, the standard is clear, and Klein does not sound interested in letting a good early trend hide the rough spots. [Read more 🡒]

Kansas State Still Has One Missing Piece As Big 12 Play Starts

Kansas States passing game has found ways to move the ball early this season, but one of its most intriguing spots has yet to fully open up. The tight end room, led by Garrett Oakley and Linkon Cure, has put together only modest production so far, with 15 catches for 174 yards and no touchdowns, even as the staff continues to view the position as a meaningful part of the offense.

Collin Klein said opposing defenses are clearly paying attention to the tight ends and trying to limit them, which helps explain why Avery Johnson has leaned more heavily toward wide receivers and running backs. Still, the expectation inside the program is that role will grow as Big 12 play settles in, and Cure remains the name to watch as a potential breakout piece and the tight end of the future. [Read more 🡒]

Kansas State May Be Building Something Bigger With Its 2028 Start

Kansas State is already working well ahead of the usual recruiting calendar, and the 2028 class is starting to take shape through early contact and an emphasis on getting in front of prospects before the rest of the field catches up. The Wildcats have made in-state talent a clear priority, using those relationships to get on the board with players who fit the programs long-term vision.

One of the early pieces is Taylen Washington, a versatile athlete who looks likely to end up at linebacker and was offered by Kansas State before other schools entered the picture. For a staff trying to build a strong class from the ground up, those early wins matter because they help establish momentum, especially when the goal is to keep top local talent from drifting away. [Read more 🡒]