Big 12 voters got a lot of attention this week, and for once the conference had the kind of poll showing its fans have been waiting on. Five teams landed in the latest AP poll, with BYU headlining the group at No. 2 after its dramatic win over Notre Dame.
The Cougars picked up 20 first-place votes in the process. Texas Tech followed at No. 8 with one first-place vote, while Utah landed at No.
- Houston checked in at No. 14 and Arizona rounded out the list at No.
That national respect lines up neatly with what’s happening inside the league. At the season’s midpoint, the Big 12 has a real cluster of playoff-caliber teams, and Week 7 only sharpened the picture. Some teams took a step forward, some stumbled, and a few stayed exactly where the results said they belonged.
BYU sits alone at the top of these rankings for good reason. The Cougars are 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Big 12 play, and there’s a case to be made that they deserve the No. 1 spot in the country, not just here. They’re unbeaten, they’ve worked through a tougher schedule than Miami, and that win over Notre Dame gives Kalani Sitake’s team what might be the strongest resume in college football right now.
Texas Tech has earned its spot right behind BYU. The Red Raiders are also 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the league after hammering Arizona State 53-25. J’Koby Williams did plenty of damage in that one, rushing for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
Houston, meanwhile, is proving it belongs in the same conversation even with one loss on the record. The Cougars are 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12 after knocking off Oklahoma State 35-32 in a matchup between ranked teams. They get another big stage this weekend when they head to Utah for a game that will be part of “College GameDay.”
Utah stays unbeaten at 6-0 and 3-0 in conference play, but the ranking comes with a question mark. The Utes beat Colorado 27-24 on Saturday, and that result didn’t do much to quiet the belief that they may be a bit overrated.
Their best win is still up for debate, with Arkansas and Iowa State serving as the options mentioned here. Houston will give them a much clearer test.
Arizona keeps climbing too. The Wildcats are 5-1 and 2-1 in the Big 12, and they got a bump last week simply by moving into the top 25 without taking the field.
Below the top group, the middle of the league is already feeling turbulent. Oklahoma State is 4-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play after the loss at Houston, and while nobody will blame the Cowboys for dropping that one on the road, their defense came up short.
Kansas State, also 4-2, sits at 1-2 in league play, but the Wildcats continue to own the Sunflower Showdown. Their winning streak in that rivalry is up to 18, a run that started in 2009 with Collin Klein as a redshirt-freshman quarterback and continues now with Klein as head coach.
Baylor and West Virginia both bring their own weekly drama. The Bears, now 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12, followed a stretch that suggested they might be a surprise team with a rough outing against TCU.
DJ Lagway completed 22 of 53 passes for 256 yards and an interception as Baylor was held to six points. West Virginia, at 4-3 and 1-3 in league play, keeps turning games into track meets.
That was true again in a 45-42 win over Cincinnati, with Michael Hawkins throwing for 464 yards.
Cincinnati has hit a rough patch after opening 4-0. The Bearcats are now 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12, and the late fade under Scott Satterfield is starting to look familiar once again.
UCF sits at 3-3 and 1-2, and a bye week may have come at the perfect time before hosting BYU at the Bounce House. The Knights could make life uncomfortable for the Cougars if they bring that energy.
TCU moved itself out of immediate coaching hot-seat chatter by beating Baylor, but the Horned Frogs still have work to do at 3-3 overall and 1-2 in conference. The next stretch could help, with West Virginia and Kansas coming up. Iowa State, also 3-3 and 1-2, made a notable change off the field this week by hiring Jared Benko as its new athletic director to replace longtime AD Jamie Pollard.
Arizona State has been badly exposed against the better teams on its schedule and sits at 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12. The Sun Devils have taken losses to Texas A&M 48-20, Baylor 55-19 and Texas Tech 53-25. A quarterback change may be in the cards as they prepare for Kansas State.
Kansas is still searching for answers at 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the Big 12. Lance Leipold is now 0-8 in rivalry games with the Jayhawks, and this looks like it could become his fifth losing season in Lawrence.
Colorado rounds out the rankings at 2-4 and 0-3, though the Buffaloes did show a little something in the second half of their 27-24 loss to Utah. That wasn’t enough to lift them out of the bottom spot.
In Other News...
Kansas State Just Added More Fuel To A Rivalry Kansas Cant Stop
The latest Sunflower Showdown only deepened a rivalry Kansas cant seem to crack. Kansas State handled the 124th meeting 35-14, stretching its run in the series to 18 straight and once again leaving the Wildcats with bragging rights that extend far beyond one October afternoon. Avery Johnson was at the center of it, piling up 209 passing yards and 132 rushing yards while helping Kansas State control the game from start to finish.
The follow-up recognition fit the moment, with kicker Luis Rodriguez and defensive back Nick McClennan earning Big 12 weekly honors after their roles in the win. For a program that already has one of the leagues most lopsided rivalries in hand, the timing only adds to the momentum, especially with Iowa State, Cincinnati and other opponents waiting on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Faces A New Offensive Test At Arizona State
A Big 12 trip to Arizona State brings an unusual wrinkle for Kansas State this week, because Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham once tried to recruit Avery Johnson before the quarterback settled in Manhattan. Now Johnson returns to a familiar face in a conference game with much more at stake, and he comes in with the kind of season that has made Kansas States offense harder to scheme against as the Wildcats keep pushing through lineup changes.
Collin Klein is already having to manage another layer of uncertainty on offense, with Garrett Oakley potentially sidelined by illness and the staff adjusting around other injuries. One of the bigger fixes has been moving Oliver Miller to tight end, a reminder that Kansas State has had to stay flexible while trying to keep the passing game and run game on schedule. Against an Arizona State team that knows Johnson well, those tweaks could matter as much as any pregame storyline. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Still Has A Key Preseason Question To Sort Out
Kansas State is getting close to the point where the talking stops and the lineups start to matter. At Big 12 Media Days, coach Casey Alexander said the Wildcats are getting ready for their upcoming exhibitions against Missouri and Nebraska, while Brandon Rechsteiner and Isaiah Abraham helped frame a team still trying to sort out where everybody fits before the games begin to count.
The biggest wrinkle is Timo Malovec, whose preseason injury makes him unlikely to be available for the opener and adds another variable to a roster still under evaluation. Alexander said the starting five has not been finalized, which leaves Kansas State with a little more to learn in the next stretch, especially with health and performance both weighing on how the rotation comes together. [Read more 🡒]