Week 2 is here, and Oklahoma State fans do not get the luxury of easing into it. The Cowboys already took the punch in the mouth, but the schedule around them is loaded enough to keep the weekend interesting anyway. Big 12 teams are spread across a hefty slate, with one conference game already on deck and six more league schools stepping out against Power Conference opposition.
Friday night starts with an old Big Eight flavor. No.
23 Missouri heads to Kansas for a 7 p.m. kickoff on FOX, and both teams arrive at 1-0. The Jayhawks opened by handling Long Island 51-6, with first-year starter Isaiah Marshall throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns while adding 49 rushing yards.
Nik McMillan was the top target in that one, catching six passes for 130 yards and a score. Missouri answered with a 54-14 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, as Austin Simmons threw for 252 yards and four touchdowns with just two incompletions.
Saturday’s Big 12 spotlight is crowded, and one of the most intriguing matchups lands early. No.
6 Oregon visits Oklahoma State at 11 a.m. on ESPN, while Arizona State takes on No. 10 Texas A&M at the same time on ABC.
The Aggies come in as two-touchdown favorites after blanking Missouri State 50-0. Arizona State, meanwhile, put 70 on Morgan State.
Cutter Boley was electric in that game, throwing for 387 yards and six touchdowns. Reed Harris had six catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns, Grayson Rigdon posted two catches for 110 yards and two scores, and Omarion Miller added eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.
A Sun Devils win at Kyle Field would mean plenty for the league.
Arizona and BYU also open conference play for the Big 12 in a 2:30 p.m. FOX matchup.
BYU is favored by a touchdown after crushing Utah Tech 63-7 behind Bear Bachmeier, who completed 80% of his throws for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Arizona rolled past Northern Arizona 35-7, with Noah Fifita throwing for 279 yards and two touchdowns.
The Wildcats bring one of the league’s more experienced quarterbacks into a game that could tell us something right away about where both teams stand.
Another game that may not dominate the conversation but still matters in the broader conference picture is UCF at Pitt at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The Knights overwhelmed Bethune-Cookman 73-6, running for 360 yards at 9.5 yards a carry.
Alonza Barnett III went 11-for-18 for 158 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Pitt opened with a 59-14 win against Miami (OH), and Mason Heintschel threw for 453 yards and seven touchdowns.
Iowa State and Iowa renew the Cy-Hawk rivalry at 6:30 p.m. on NBC. Iowa State has won the last two meetings, and this one is the first in the series with Jimmy Rogers leading the Cyclones.
Iowa beat Northern Illinois 40-0 in Week 1, with Tony Diaz catching seven passes for 84 yards. Iowa State beat SEMO 38-10 in Rogers’ debut, and the Cyclones’ defense piled up a dozen tackles for loss and six sacks.
Later Saturday, Arkansas goes to Utah at 9:15 p.m. on ESPN in another game the Big 12 will be watching closely. Utah crushed Idaho 66-14, racking up 633 total yards while throwing for five touchdowns and running for four more. Arkansas, in Ryan Silverfield’s debut, beat North Alabama 31-14.
Elsewhere on the Big 12 board, Washington State visits Kansas State at 11 a.m. on TNT. UT-Martin is at West Virginia at noon on ESPN+.
Weber State visits Colorado at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Southern plays at No.
22 Houston at 6 p.m. on ESPN+. Western Carolina is at Cincinnati at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
No. 13 Texas Tech visits Oregon State at 6:30 p.m. on CBS.
Prairie View A&M is at Baylor at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. Grambling goes to TCU at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Outside the league, a few more games deserve attention. No.
11 Oklahoma visits Michigan, and the game has already shifted from preseason hype to a more skeptical conversation after Michigan’s controversial win against Western Michigan last week. No.
12 Alabama opens SEC play at Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. on ABC, with the Crimson Tide a 10.5-point favorite after a 48-10 win over East Carolina. Sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell threw for 256 yards and ran for 86 yards in that game.
Kentucky beat Youngstown State 45-13, and Kenny Minchey threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns.
Memphis at Boise State may be the weekend’s most important game for the College Football Playoff race. With only one Group of 6 team likely to get in, both programs are sitting near the front of that line.
Memphis already beat UNLV before taking down Arkansas State 42-24. Boise State went to Eugene and pushed Oregon hard before falling 34-27.
And then there’s No. 1 Ohio State against No.
4 Texas. That one brings all the headlines with it: the top ranking, Arch Manning vs.
Julian Sayin, and two coaches whose seats always seem a little warm.
In Other News...
Oregon State Is Clearly Hiding Something For Texas Tech
With Texas Tech on deck, Oregon State is giving off the kind of week that usually makes opposing staffs a little uneasy. Eric Olsen, Tyler Voltin, Daniel Matagi and AJ Winsor all spoke with reporters and kept the focus on respect for the opponent, but they were careful not to hand over much beyond the basics. The message from the Beavers was simple enough: attack, play fast on defense and keep the conversation pointed more toward effort than specifics.
JaMarcus Shephard has only added to the mystery by signaling that Oregon State intends to change things up in a way that keeps Texas Tech guessing. And while Tyler Voltin and AJ Winsor acknowledged the work going into the matchup, neither was willing to get into the details of what that preparation looks like. For a team trying to create an edge before kickoff, the quiet part may be just as telling as anything the Beavers have said out loud. [Read more 🡒]
Beavers Face A Brutal Test Against Oregons Rising Star QB
Dante Moore has quickly become one of the biggest reasons the No. 6 Ducks are drawing so much attention, and Oklahoma State is getting a first-hand look at why. The Oregon quarterback is already being talked about as a top NFL draft prospect, and coaches and players on both sides have pointed to the same traits: a live arm, sharp accuracy and the ability to make decisions before a defense can settle in.
For Oklahoma State, the challenge is less about slowing down Oregons offense in a vacuum and more about keeping Moore from getting comfortable within it. The Cowboys know his ability to attack the field at multiple levels can tilt a game fast, so their defense will have to find ways to disrupt his timing and make those throws harder to come by. For a Beavers team watching this matchup closely, it is another reminder of how steep the road can look when a rising quarterback is in the crosshairs. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Still Has Jaheim Patterson And Van Wells For Now
A Benton County Circuit Court judge has given Oregon State a little more breathing room in its fight over the NCAAs new age-based eligibility rule, extending a temporary restraining order that keeps the governing body from enforcing the policy against Jaheim Patterson and Van Wells. The two Beavers filed a lawsuit challenging the rule, and for now the extension means they remain eligible while the case works its way toward another hearing later this month.
The ruling does not settle the larger legal question, and the judge signaled the NCAA could still end up on the winning side eventually. For the moment, though, Oregon State can keep Patterson and Wells available as the calendar turns toward the next round of games, with the next court date set for Sept. 22. [Read more 🡒]