Fans across the Big 12 found plenty to complain about before the 2026 season, and most of it had nothing to do with the football.
The conference’s new Monster Energy branding drew a wave of groans, with supporters from Orlando to Provo piling on the green logo once it started showing up on fields, jerseys and helmets. The early reaction was rough.
The on-field results, though, gave people something else to talk about. Big 12 teams opened 13-3, with three wins of 70 points or more in Week 1 and three more above 50.
That’s enough to kick off the first in-season power rankings, where the top four stayed put and Colorado made the biggest leap of the week.
- Texas Tech (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
A 33-10 win over Abilene Christian wasn’t flashy, especially with six other Big 12 teams hanging 50 or more on FCS opponents. Still, Texas Tech avoided any late-game drama, and Will Hammond’s 298 passing yards and a touchdown offered a decent first look.
- BYU (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
The Cougars opened with a 63-7 rout of Utah Tech, and Bear Bachmeier delivered three touchdown passes and 198 yards through the air. The real test comes this weekend against Arizona.
- Houston (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) Houston got the win, but Willie Fritz has to be uneasy after Oregon State quarterback Braden Atkinson threw for 376 yards and a touchdown.
- Arizona (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
The Wildcats handled Northern Arizona 35-7 and then eased up in the second half. With BYU next, plenty of Arizona fans were already looking ahead.
The first week also produced a pair of huge offensive statements. Kansas State hit the 70-point mark for the first time since 2000 in a blowout of Nicholls, with nine different players reaching the end zone.
Utah rolled Idaho 66-14. Arizona State joined the fireworks too, and Cutter Boley’s debut was impossible to miss: 387 passing yards and six touchdowns.
Colorado made the most striking move of all. The Buffaloes jumped from 14th to 8th after a comeback win at Georgia Tech, and they did it in a way fans don’t usually associate with Colorado.
This one came with defense and the running game, not a track meet. Coach Prime may have something different in Boulder.
Baylor, meanwhile, landed just behind the Buffs after a narrow loss that came down to inches. Auburn escaped 17-16 when it stopped Matthew Klopfenstein just short of the goal line on the final play, after DJ Lagway’s pass found the tight end. The Bears lost, but they showed more than many expected.
A few teams are still in the “wait and see” bucket. Cincinnati beat Boston College 34-15, which looks better on paper than it may feel in reality.
Kansas got solid numbers from Isaiah Marshall in his first college start - 246 yards and two touchdowns - though there were also some shaky throws against a weak FCS opponent. UCF put up 73 on Bethune-Cookman, the highest total in the league last week.
West Virginia led Coastal Carolina 24-0 at halftime and then had to sweat it out.
TCU moved up one spot without playing after backing off its fight with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Iowa State beat SEMO 38-10, though the tone around Ames doesn’t sound especially upbeat beyond that.
At the bottom, Oklahoma State is right back in the cellar. The Cowboys already moved on from Mike Gundy after last season’s embarrassing loss to Tulsa, hired Eric Morris and brought in a wave of high-profile transfers from North Texas.
None of it changed the outcome on Saturday, when Tulsa beat OSU 24-10. And the schedule doesn’t help: Oregon is next.
In Other News...
Collin Klein Knows Exactly How K State Should Remember Chris Klieman
Chris Kliemans retirement did not send Kansas State into a search for a stranger. Instead, the Wildcats handed the program to one of its most familiar figures in Collin Klein, who was named head coach after Klieman stepped aside following seven years on the job. Klieman also gave his blessing to the move, endorsing Klein as his successor and staying around the program in an advisory role.
For Klein, the transition has made the messaging around his predecessor pretty simple. He has spoken with clear appreciation for the mentorship Klieman provided and pointed to both the man and the resume as reasons the Wildcats should think of this as a continuation of a standard already set, not an ending. In Manhattan, that matters because Klieman leaves behind more than a coaching vacancy. He leaves a template for how the program expects to be led. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Heads Into Road Test With One Big Health Concern
Kansas States trip to Washington State comes with the usual early-season injury watch, and the Wildcats have at least one notable situation to monitor on the other sideline. Cougars senior receiver Tony Freeman is likely to miss the game after hurting his knee in the previous matchup, a blow that could alter how Washington State approaches its passing game against a Kansas State defense trying to settle in on the road.
The Wildcats have some health questions of their own, though the outlook appears better than it first looked for starting linebacker Mekhi Mason after he left a recent game with an injury. Left guard Tanner Morley is also still working back from a fall camp injury and was limited in his snaps, leaving Kansas State with a few moving parts as it prepares for a tricky road test and tries to get as close to full strength as possible. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Gets Encouraging News On A Key Defensive Starter
Kansas State got a little relief in the aftermath of its season opener, where linebacker Mekhi Mason went down with a lower-body injury and left the Wildcats waiting for an update. Coach Collin Klein said the issue may not be as serious as it first appeared, a welcome development for a defense that had already built Mason into a key piece alongside Gabe Powers in the middle of the linebacker group.
Mason arrived as a transfer from Louisiana Tech with a rsum that included second-team All-Conference USA honors, and his role showed how quickly Kansas State trusted him to stabilize the unit. The encouraging part now is not just that the injury appears less severe, but that a return could come soon, leaving the Wildcats with a meaningful decision about how quickly to ease him back into the lineup. [Read more 🡒]