Week one showed Big 12 fans a lot of teams’ hands regarding how the rest of the season might unfold. Based on the results, it is essential to look at how these squads matched up against their opponents on opening weekend and if their stock has risen or fallen. Let’s break it down:
Week One Losers:
TCU – For a team that went on the road and took it to a severely struggling Colorado team last year, TCU became one of the projected many victims for Deion Sanders’ impressive new squad. TCU kept it very tight, so expect the Horned Frogs to bounce back.
Texas Tech – Tech was favored by nearly two touchdowns in this contest and got caught looking ahead to Oregon and sleeping on a strong Wyoming team.
Baylor – Favored by 27.5 points, Dave Aranda’s team was stunned by the Texas State Bobcats at home in Waco this weekend. The final score in this one was 42-31.
West Virginia – You probably caught this live if you read the Voice of Motown. WVU were serious underdogs on the road and fell to stout defense and well-orchestrated offensive drives.
Week One Winners by Margin:
Oklahoma (+73) – The Sooners were up immediately in this game and never checked their rear-view mirror. They ended up 73-0 when the final whistle blew.
Cincinnati (+53) – For many questions about how Cincinnati might perform this year joining the new conference, they had a dominant showing against an FCS opponent in Eastern Kentucky.
UCF (+50) – Another newcomer to the Big 12, UCF showed up earlier in the week for a night game, absolutely blinding Kent State with offensive success.
Kansas State (+45) – Undoubtedly, the defending Big 12 Champions would show up strong in Week 1. Southeast Missouri State could never get on the board, and the Wildcats won 45-0.
Kansas (+31) – Everyone was waiting with eager anticipation to see Lance Leipold’s squad get off to a start this year as they did in 2022. While Missouri State might not be quite Big 12 caliber competition, 48-17 is decisive.
Texas (+27) – I don’t think Texas felt the need to get too bent out of shape to coast past Rice. While the score might not be as grabbing as Oklahoma’s, Rice was handily and visibly outgunned for the entire game.
Iowa State (+21) – Our former competition for the bottom of the Big 12 had a decent showing in Week 1 against in-state competition Northern Iowa. Iowa State looked competent to move the football and might be a team to watch if their successes continue.
Oklahoma State (+14) – Central Arkansas went on the road and gave Oklahoma State a bit more of a hassle than they expected. While the result was a two-touchdown victory, it was much harder fought than it likely should have been.
BYU (+14) – There are still plenty of question marks about BYU for when they get into conference play. Sam Houston State of the Western Athletic Conference is a mid-pack team that BYU should have been able to dominate at home.
Houston (+3) – This game was underwhelming, mainly due to poor play on both sides, leading to a flat 17-14 contest for Holgorsen’s squad. A win’s a win, though.
Potential End-of-Year Big 12 Standings
My all-too-soon and rash opinions about the quality of football in these Week 1 games, with Week 2 looming full of all new surprises, leads me to this new projected Big 12 Standings at the end of the season:
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas State
- UCF
- TCU
- West Virginia
- Kansas
- Texas Tech
- Oklahoma State
- Baylor
- Houston
- Iowa State
- Cincinnati
- BYU
(photo by The Intelligencer)
