Sunday brought the kind of Big 12 results that can leave you squinting at the box scores. On paper, the league went 11-1 against non-conference opponents this week. In practice, it didn’t always feel like a win for the conference’s reputation.
West Virginia gave the Big 12 its clearest statement, knocking off a Top 25 UVA team. But elsewhere, the optics were rough.
Colorado got embarrassed by a B1G cellar dweller. UCF had trouble with Georgia State.
Kansas State had to grind through Tulane. Cincinnati found itself down three touchdowns to Miami of Ohio.
An 11-1 week still somehow landed with a thud.
The in-house matchups didn’t do much to clean things up, either. Arizona State and Kansas turned into what can only be called a mess, with neither side offering much beyond mistakes.
Arizona State couldn’t do much on its own, while Kansas kept tripping over itself. In the end, the team that was merely incompetent won out over the team that was self-destructive.
Then came Texas Tech, the day’s “marquee” attraction, and the Red Raiders did little to brighten the league’s mood. They might be the worst-looking 3-0 team in the country.
Houston also had a game it should have closed out after being handed a 10-0 lead and the ball, but instead it let the opportunity slip away. Winning the turnover battle, time of possession, first downs, yardage, and going 9-of-15 on third down still wasn’t enough.
One quarterback keeps making this whole league look easy. Michael Hawkins is the current Big 12 First Team QB frontrunner.
He leads the Big 12 in touchdowns scored with six, has thrown for five more, and is only six yards off the conference lead in rushing even though sacks count against him and no one else in the top five. He also averages two more yards per attempt than anyone else in the Big 12, and his QB rating is thirty points higher than the next closest player.
The highlights are there, too.
Among the teams that actually came away with something meaningful, West Virginia stands out. There are six 3-0 teams in the Big 12, but only West Virginia and Texas Tech have beaten a Top 25 opponent.
Only West Virginia did it on the road or at a neutral site. More than that, it’s the only one of those teams that has shown real control over a game so far this season.
Still, there’s a warning label attached. West Virginia was already one of the teams people thought could start 5-2 or 6-1 before the schedule turns brutal, and that possibility is still very much alive.
Colorado lands in the bad column after wasting possession after possession. The Buffaloes coughed it up twice, threw two interceptions, and turned it over on downs three more times.
The game was scoreless when Colorado went fumble, fumble, interception, turnover on downs on four straight possessions. After that, it was 21-0, and Deion’s team was suddenly playing from desperation against a team that would be lucky to finish middle of the pack in the B1G.
Kansas earns the ugly label. The Jayhawks should have won.
They nearly doubled Arizona State in yardage and first downs, even added a punt return touchdown, and still watched the game slip away. Arizona State was held to 95 passing yards, 3.1 yards per rush, and 4-of-17 on third downs.
Kansas still lost by going 0-for-3 on fourth owns, missing a field goal, fumbling in the red zone, throwing an interception int he red zone, and generally putting together a complete disaster.
Here’s how the Actually Accomplished Rankings shake out right now, based strictly on what teams have done on the field this season:
West Virginia (7)
Texas Tech (8)
BYU (1)
Utah (3)
Oklahoma State (5)
Kansas State (9)
Cincinnati (4)
Arizona State (11)
Houston (6)
Arizona (10)
Iowa State (12)
Baylor (14)
Colorado (2)
TCU (15)
UCF (16)
Kansas (13)
In Other News...
WVU's Biggest Home Night In Years Comes With Real Stakes
West Virginia is getting one of those home nights that can define a season, and there is more riding on it than atmosphere alone. Milan Puskar Stadium is set for a major prime-time setting, and the Mountaineers are trying to turn a strong start into something bigger by staying perfect through the opening stretch and putting themselves back into the AP Top 25 conversation.
Rich Rodriguez has pointed to the energy around the program and the value of protecting home field, which makes this one feel less like just another September game and more like a measuring stick. For a team still trying to prove its early momentum is real, a night game in front of that crowd offers a chance to keep building and a reminder that the next step has to happen where West Virginia is supposed to be toughest to beat. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Injury Outlook Suddenly Looks Better Heading Into Oklahoma State
West Virginias injury picture is starting to clear up just in time for a trip to Oklahoma State, and that matters for a team that took a few hits in the recent game against Virginia. Rich Rodriguez said Nick Krahe will be limited in practice but is expected to play, while Jaden Bray is dealing with a hip bruise and should be back soon. The outlook is also encouraging for Ball, who is expected to play after being knocked out, giving the Mountaineers a little more stability as they try to manage the week.
There is even more room for optimism at running back, where Martavious Boswell and Talley are expected to be available. On the perimeter, Prince Strachan should see his role grow after being used sparingly last week, which could give West Virginia another option as it heads into a matchup that can use every healthy body it can get. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Knows Exactly What Awaits West Virginia Under The Lights
Oklahoma State is heading into one of the more charged environments in the Big 12, with Eric Morris already framing the trip to Morgantown as the kind of test that can turn a game on its head after dark. Morris had plenty of respect for what Rich Rodriguez is building at West Virginia, and he singled out quarterback Mike Hawkins as a dynamic presence in an offense that has grown noticeably since last season. For the Mountaineers, that is the sort of public praise that usually comes with a warning label.
The challenge for the Cowboys, Morris said, is not just the crowd or the setting, but staying clean with communication and tackling against a run game that can punish any lapse. West Virginia has shown enough improvement to make opponents prepare differently, and under the lights at home the margin for error gets even thinner. It is the kind of matchup where the details matter from the first snap, and Oklahoma State clearly knows it is walking into a place that rewards precision more than bravado. [Read more 🡒]