Week 1 didn’t hand the Big 12 a neat little script. It gave the league a little of everything instead: a statement win, a few flat spots, some quarterback buzz, and one meltdown that already has people reaching for the panic button.
The cleanest headline belongs to the conference as a whole. The Big 12 went 13-2 in the opening week, and that’s the kind of start most leagues would happily sign up for before a single snap.
Colorado’s upset of Georgia Tech stood out as especially impressive, and Cincinnati’s win over Boston College was dominant. Most of the rest of the league handled lesser competition without much drama, which is exactly what you want in Week 1.
That mattered because the Big 12 avoided the kind of messy opening weekend that haunted it last year. UCF had to sweat out Jacksonville State, Cincinnati lost to Nebraska, Baylor and Colorado took convincing losses to Auburn and Georgia Tech, and Kansas State had to scrape by North Dakota.
This time around, the league mostly took care of business. Not perfect, but a lot cleaner.
Baylor still left Week 1 with a loss, but it was the kind that can live in two different buckets depending on what happens next. The Bears fell 17-16 to Auburn after Dave Aranda chose to go for two following a late touchdown with under 10 seconds left.
The conversion came up just one foot short. Baylor had plenty to feel good about beyond the final score, though.
DJ Lagway was dealing with an ankle sprain and “basically playing on one leg,” but still delivered several strong throws. The defense, now led by new coordinator Joe Klanderman, also looked noticeably better.
If Baylor doesn’t let the ending linger, there’s a real chance this game ends up looking like the kind of performance that can carry into Big 12 play.
Oklahoma State, on the other hand, walked out of Week 1 with the wrong kind of noise surrounding it. The Cowboys were one of the trendy dark-horse picks in the league, but the Eric Morris era began with a rough 24-10 loss to Tulsa.
It was the second straight season the Pokes lost to the Golden Hurricane, and the better coach and better quarterback were both on Tulsa’s sideline. That’s a hard reality to swallow in Stillwater, especially with how much it’s been reported Drew Mestemaker is being paid by the Cowboys.
The defense was only mediocre, the line play on both sides was at best average, and there wasn’t much to cling to from the performance. Next up is No.
2 Oregon. That is not the kind of follow-up anyone wanted.
Woof.
West Virginia’s opener looked like two different games stitched together. The Mountaineers were rolling early, starting with Cam Cook’s 72-yard run on the first play from scrimmage.
Cook later punched in a 3-yard touchdown, Michael Hawkins hit Armoni Weaver for a 49-yard score, and before halftime Cook added a 1-yard touchdown to send WVU into the break up 24-0. Then came the second half, when Coastal Carolina outscored the Mountaineers 24-3 and piled up more than 300 yards.
West Virginia had to survive an onside kick attempt to close it out.
Rich Rodriguez called the second half an embarrassment, and that’s the kind of line that tells you all you need to know. WVU has one more tune-up against UT Martin before a meeting with Virginia, which looked sharp in a 34-8 win over NC State in Week 0. The Mountaineers have to clean that up fast if they want to play a full 60 minutes going forward.
There was also no shortage of quarterback debuts around the league, and a few of them jumped right into the spotlight. Jaylen Raynor got rolling for Jimmy Rogers at Iowa State, finishing 8 of 16 for 184 yards and two passing touchdowns while adding two more scores on the ground with 32 rushing yards.
Cincinnati’s JC French IV went 10 of 14 for 77 yards and a touchdown and also ran for three touchdowns on 52 yards. Michael Hawkins’ line for West Virginia was efficient and productive: 11 of 14 for 132 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 103 rushing yards, and another score on the ground.
Baylor’s DJ Lagway battled through the ankle issue and still put up 27 completions on 54 attempts for 333 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. And at Arizona State, Cutter Boley threw for five touchdowns and more than 300 yards in the first half.
That’s a lot to chew on for one opening weekend. Some of it was encouraging, some of it was ugly, and some of it was just a reminder that Week 1 can be a strange place to make sense of anything. But the Big 12 came out of it with more good than bad, and that’s a solid place to start.
In Other News...
WVU Passing Game Takes An Early Hit Before The Opener
West Virginias passing game will open the season without one of its key pieces, as wide receiver Prince Strachan is set to miss the opener against Coastal Carolina because of a shoulder injury. Rich Rodriguez said Strachan is expected to be sidelined for a couple of weeks, which forces the Mountaineers to make an early adjustment at a position group that was already worth watching heading into Week 1.
Jaden Bray has been moved into the X role, while John Neider will start at Z, giving the staff a different look right out of the gate. For a WVU offense trying to find rhythm early, the setback is a reminder that the first depth-chart decisions of the season can change fast, and the opener may offer a first glimpse at how the receivers respond to the shuffle. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Suddenly Has A Big Darius Wiley Concern
West Virginias season opener against Coastal Carolina brought an early defensive concern when Darius Wiley left the field injured and had to be carted off. The extent of the issue was not immediately clear afterward, and the Mountaineers still had not offered an official diagnosis by the end of the game.
Wiley entered the 2026 season as a notable addition to West Virginias defense, which makes the uncertainty around his status especially important for a unit that was counting on him to help set the tone up front. For now, the Mountaineers are left waiting for more clarity on a player who was supposed to be part of their defensive answer this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Pat White Is About To Get A West Virginia Honor Fans Love
West Virginia is set to add another name to its wall of honors before the 2026 season opener against Coastal Carolina, with Pat Whites jersey number being retired in a ceremony that figures to hit home for a fan base that still remembers his days as the face of the program. White will become the seventh Mountaineer football player to have his number retired, a fitting marker for a quarterback whose college career included plenty of the kind of big-game moments that made him one of the most beloved players in school history.
There is also a modern wrinkle attached to the tribute, with senior wide receiver Jaden Bray wearing No. 5 this season with Whites permission. It gives the number a current presence while the school prepares to formally honor one of its most iconic players, and it adds a little extra intrigue to a fall that already has a ceremonial feel around Morgantown. [Read more 🡒]