College Football Big 12 power rankings entering Week 1
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I don’t think there’s a college football conference in America that will be as fun to watch this season as the Big 12. I look up and down this conference, and I just see a lot of bad defenses.
Bad defenses make for high-scoring football games. The lone exceptions will be Texas Tech and BYU, and I would be thoroughly shocked if they aren’t meeting in Arlington come December.
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10. Baylor
We actually do get to find out a lot about Baylor this week, as they have a marquee non-conference matchup against Auburn. Honestly, it’s probably the best game in its time slot on Saturday. The DJ Lagway redemption tour starts now.
9. Oklahoma State
The ‘Pokes get to kick off the Eric Morris era with an in-state non-conference rivalry matchup against Tulsa. If they want to get started on the right foot, they better not lose this one. I’ll be keeping my eyes on the defense – I trust Morris to find a way to manufacture points.
8. TCU
The Dublin Curse could rear its ugly head on TCU. History has not been kind to the losers of the annual Aer Lingus Classic in Ireland. And right now, Sonny Dykes has a lot going on. He’s gotta deal with locker room fights and reporting leaks, in addition to trying to get Jaden Craig to look like a competent FBS quarterback. Woof.
7. Arizona
Noah Fifita is a rare breed in college football – the guy who feels like he’s been around forever. This is normally reserved for college basketball – think Aaron Craft, Perry Ellis, Alex Karaban levels of “this guy’s been here forever.” 2026 is his last ride, and the Wildcats are a dark horse to reach Arlington in December.
6. Arizona State
In a move that was not surprising, Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley was named the starting quarterback for the Sun Devils. Kenny Dillingham was able to win games last season with Jeff Sims, and if you can do that, you can win with anybody. I expect another solid season out of the Sun Devils.
5. Utah
I have a lot of blind faith in Utah, but I’m beginning to wonder if I should. This year will be a litmus test of how good a coach Kyle Whittingham was. If this team, which is about on par in terms of talent with most of Whittingham’s squads, wins 9 or 10 games, then it wasn’t all Whittingham’s responsibility for the last two decades.
4. Kansas State
I have seen what Collin Klein has done for Marcel Reed. If he can do the same for Avery Johnson, this team could win a Big 12 Championship. That is NOT hyperbole. Collin Klein turned Marcel Reed into an above-average, dual-threat quarterback. Avery Johnson is starting off with more physical tools. Work your magic, Collin.
3. Houston
We’ll find out a little bit about Houston this weekend, as they take on Oregon State. The biggest questions are: who will replace Dean Conners in the backfield? Will Keisean Henderson get utilized? Who will soak up Tanner Koziol’s targets in the offense? We’ll get answers, hopefully as the Cougs are rolling by 20+ points.
2. BYU
It’s Bear season in Provo. Bachmeier, that is. If Bear Bachmeier can continue to develop as a passer, this team has the chops to make a College Football Playoff. If you’re unconvinced, remember that he was a true freshman last season and was only forced into the starting lineup after the suspension of Jake Retzlaff due to the honor code. It was never supposed to be his time. Now, it is.
1. Texas Tech
After all the Sorsby drama and nonsense that accompanied it, no program should be happier to finally get to roll the balls out and play than Texas Tech. Then, they recently added Thomas Castellanos, and now his eligibility is under question. Can we just be done with all of the court cases out of college football, please? I am not a lawyer!
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