One week into the season, the Big 12 board already has a different look. A few teams backed up the hype with runaway wins, a couple survived tighter tests against bigger-league opponents, and one program opened with a loss that leaves plenty of questions hanging over the start of the year.
At the top, BYU made the strongest early statement. The Cougars hammered Utah Tech 63-7 and did enough to slip past Texas Tech for No. 1 in these rankings. It wasn’t a brutal assignment, but the result came with very little to nitpick.
Texas Tech still sits right there after handling Abilene Christian 33-10. The Red Raiders didn’t turn it into a track meet, but the preseason league favorite stayed comfortably in the upper tier.
Utah also made an early impression, rolling past Idaho 66-14. The offense looked sharp right away, and the Utes will have a bigger chance to prove where they belong when Arkansas comes to town this Saturday.
Houston had to earn its spot near the top more than most. The Cougars beat Oregon State 33-20 in a game slowed by weather delays, and that tougher-than-expected fight still keeps them in the top five.
Arizona State’s opener was one of the cleanest in the league. The Sun Devils blasted Morgan State 70-7, and Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley may have announced himself at quarterback with 387 passing yards and six touchdowns.
Colorado’s first result was a little different - and a lot tighter. The Buffaloes escaped Georgia Tech 14-13 on the road, which is hard to ignore even if it came by the slimmest possible margin.
Kansas State gave first-year head coach Collin Klein a dream debut, ripping Nicholls 71-3. Avery Johnson looked as settled as he has at quarterback, and the Wildcats came out of Week 1 looking sharp.
UCF also put up video-game numbers in a lopsided win, crushing Bethune-Cookman 73-6. Alonza Barnett III drew the spotlight in that one, and the Knights’ point total was the highest any Big 12 team posted in Week 1, though the opponent keeps them just outside the top half.
Arizona’s 35-7 win over Northern Arizona was solid and straightforward, if not especially flashy. That leaves the Wildcats in the middle of the pack heading into a tougher test at BYU.
Baylor came painfully close to making one of the week’s biggest statements. The Bears fell 17-16 at Auburn after a potential game-winning two-point try was stopped just short of the goal line, and that near-upset of an SEC opponent carries real weight.
Cincinnati also picked up a useful win, beating Boston College 34-25. The scoreboard made it look closer than it really was, but any win over an ACC team matters.
Kansas opened with the kind of mismatch result that doesn’t move the needle much. The Jayhawks handled Long Island 51-6 and land in the back half of the rankings.
West Virginia survived a much tighter fight than expected, edging Coastal Carolina 31-24 after second-half issues made things interesting. Cam Cook stood out in the backfield and looks poised for another big season after leading the country in rushing yards at Jacksonville State last year.
Iowa State was steady in a 38-10 win over Southeast Missouri State. The Cyclones did what they were supposed to do, but they didn’t separate themselves much from West Virginia here.
TCU didn’t play in Week 1, but its season already has a result on the books. The Horned Frogs opened in Week 0 with a 15-10 loss to Bill Belichick and North Carolina in Dublin, a game that was competitive but messy.
Oklahoma State closes the list after a rough 24-10 loss at Tulsa. That result hangs over the preseason optimism around Eric Morris’s debut season, and the Cowboys have work to do before Big 12 play begins.
In Other News...
TCU Has A New Identity Story Fans Can Rally Around
Hudson Hoopers path to becoming a key part of TCUs defense did not start with the easy route. The senior linebacker turned down an Ivy League opportunity to walk on with the Horned Frogs, and four seasons later he has worked his way into a starting job and a captaincy, all while carrying the demands of an engineering major. It is the kind of backstory that resonates in a locker room, especially for a program that values players who earn their place the hard way.
Sonny Dykes has praised Hooper for the work ethic and leadership that helped him move from walk-on to respected voice on the team. For TCU, his rise offers more than a feel-good subplot. It is the sort of identity story that gives fans something to latch onto, a reminder that the program still has room for players whose commitment shows up long before the spotlight does. [Read more 🡒]
TCUs Biggest Week 2 Question Starts With Jaden Craig
TCU spent the week trying to put the opening loss to North Carolina behind it, and much of that reset has centered on Jaden Craig. The quarterbacks play in Week 1 left plenty for the Horned Frogs to clean up, while the defense also has its share of proving to do, with Max Carroll and Hudson Hooper among the names being watched as the staff sorts out who can help steady things against Grambling.
The practices since then have reportedly been physical, a sign the Horned Frogs are treating this as more than a tune-up. There is also a deeper layer to the week, with the staff weighing how much runway to give backups like Schobel as it tries to widen the rotation and keep building confidence around a team still searching for its first real response to the disappointment in Chapel Hill. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Home Opener Brings A Rare Kind Of Pageantry To Fort Worth
TCUs first home game of the 2026 season is shaping up as more than just another date on the calendar. Grambling State is coming to Amon G. Carter Stadium for a matchup that carries real historical weight for both programs, giving Fort Worth a rare intersection of football tradition and pageantry that should make the opener feel bigger than the usual early-season game.
The setting only adds to the buzz, with the stadiums new programmable LED lights set to make their debut and Grambling bringing the kind of musical spectacle that has long made the Tiger Marching Band a draw in its own right. For TCU, it is the sort of home date that can turn a September night into an event, with the football serving as the anchor and the atmosphere doing plenty of the rest. [Read more 🡒]