We update the Big 12 Football Power Rankings every week. This week kicked off an exciting week one in college football and was introduced to a brand new Big 12 conference.
Welcome back to college football! And boy did we have a fun week. A few Big 12 football teams planted their flags as contenders in the league while some others should be deregulated already. Let’s get into our first round of weekly Big 12 football power rankings!
Big 12 Football Power Rankings
16. Houston (0-1, 0-0 conference)
UNLV 27-Houston 7
The Cougars were one of two Big 12 teams to lose this week. Yet the difference is Houston lost to a fellow unranked team in a game where they were favored to win by 3.5 points. Because of that, Houston finds themselves on the bottom of these Big 12 power rankings.
Houston was held to just 247 total yards on the day and racked up ten penalties for 74 yards, putting them at big a disadvantage in the game. UNLV just outplayed the Cougars, who couldn’t even score until the end of the fourth quarter with a backup quarterback.
Next game: Saturday at Oklahoma
15. Cincinnati (1-0, 0-0 conference)
Cincinnati 38-Towson 20
The Bearcats are off to a good start. They put on a clinic against a good Towson team this week at home. The offense put up three touchdowns in the first quarter alone. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for 383 yards and two touchdowns, as well as two rushing touchdowns. While the offense was on point, they did have three turnovers that would have hurt them in a more competitive game in the Big 12.
Next game: Saturday vs. Pittsburgh
14. Arizona State (1-0, 0-0 conference)
Arizona State 48-Wyoming 7
The Arizona State Sun Devils had a nice first game in the Big 12. They dominated the time of position and put up 499 total yards with no turnovers. They held Wyoming to just 118 yards and forced three turnovers. Quarterback Sam Leavitt spread the ball around, throwing for 258 yards and touchdowns to receivers Kyson Brown and Chamon Metayer. The defense forced two interceptions and a fumble to disrupt Wyoming’s offense.
Next Game: Saturday vs Mississippi State
13. Texas Tech (1-0, 0-0 conference)
Texas Tech 52-Abilene Christian 51 (OT)
The Red Raiders found themselves in a shoot out after going into halftime up 11 points. Texas Tech accumulated a total of 539 yards on the game, but Abilene Christian dominated the time of possession and total yardage, with 615. The Raiders went into the game as 34.5 favorites, but ACU quarterback Maverick McIvor was there to spoil those odds.
Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton had a great game, throwing for 30 passes, 378 yards and five touchdowns. Running back Tahj Brooks broke off some big runs, and ran for 153 and a touchdown. Defense needs to step up in the coming games and prevent those passing plays. Otherwise, Texas Tech could be in for a long, disappointing year.
Next Game: Saturday at Washington State
12. Baylor (1-0, 0-0 conference)
Baylor 45-Tarleton State 3
After finishing 12th in the Big 12 a year ago, the Baylor Bears are looking to have a bounce back season – and in the power rankings. Baylor decided they needed an upgrade at quarterback this offseason and brought in Toledo transfer Dequan Finn. Finn’s debut started with a bang, running for 39 yards for a touchdown on the first drive. He completed 14 passes for 192 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The defense was also disruptive, accumulating two sacks and an interception.
Next Game: Saturday at Utah
11. BYU (1-0, 0-0 conference)
BYU 41-Southern Illinois 13
The BYU Cougars looked like a brand new team after going 5-7 a year ago. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns, even hitting wide receiver JoJo Phillips for a 57-yard touchdown on the second drive of the game. The rushing attack from the Cougars was even split between LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati, both having 13 carries and a touchdown each. The team dominated the time of possession for almost 40 minutes. As long as they keep up the momentum, BYU could be a good opponent once Big 12 play starts.
Next Game: Friday at SMU
10. Colorado (1-0, 0-0 conference)
Colorado 31-North Dakota State 26
The Buffaloes played a prime time game on Thursday night and found themselves in a close one. The game was highlighted by quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, who connected for three touchdowns on the night. Hunter came up with some highlight worthy catches for the Buffaloes. With such a scrutiny on the team this year, expect Colorado to continue the highlight worthy offense next week against a Big Ten opponent.
Next Game: Saturday at Nebraska
9. TCU (1-0, 0-0 conference)
TCU 34-Stanford 27
The Horned Frogs played a late Friday night game and came out with a win at Stanford. Stanford took the lead in the fourth, but the Frogs overcame and ran down a 74-yard drive to take the win.
Quarterback Josh Hoover mastered a clinic on the win, completing 28 of his passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns. The team struggled in a few facets of the game. They racked up 100 yards in penalties, had two turnovers and missed a field goal. If the team looks to improve on the 5-7 record from a year ago, they will need to clean up the mistakes.
Next Game: Saturday vs Long Island University
8. West Virginia (0-1, 0-0 conference)
Penn State 34-West Virginia 12
West Virginia fell to a solid Penn State on team, but hopefully the team can bounce back. Quarterback Garrett Greene threw for just 15 completions and 161 yards. The team played a sloppy game, with the defense giving up 235 yards in the air and 222 on the ground. Penn State was a better team and expected to win, but West Virginia needs to be better in the red zone. The Mountaineers had five chances in the red zone and came away with just a touchdown and two field goals.
Next Game: Saturday vs Albany
7. UCF (1-0, 0-0 conference)
UCF 57-University of New Hampshire 3
The Golden Knights had a dominant win over New Hampshire, racking up 639 yards to New Hampshire’s 162. Quarterback KJ Jefferson had just seven completions on the day, but each pass averaged 11.7 yards.
Running back RJ Harvey dominated the game with 142 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 total carries. The team dominated a lesser opponent, but will need to keep the momentum going into conference play in order to do better than their 3-7 record from a year ago.
Next Game: Saturday vs Sam Houston
6. Iowa State (1-0, 0-0 conference)
Iowa State 21-North Dakota 3
The Cyclones put on a clinic against North Dakota. They held the team to just 295 total yards on the night, while their offense went for 353 yards and three touchdowns. While quarterback Rocco Becht had a fantastic stat line, completing 20 asses for 267 yards and two touchdowns, the running back room left a lot to be desired. The team only ran for 86 yards, and averaged 3.9 yards per carry. The Cyclones will need to balance the team better to compete in the Big 12 the rest of the year.
Next Game: Saturday at Iowa
5. Kansas (1-0, 0-0 conference)
Kansas 48-Lindenwood 3
The Jayhawks were never in danger in their game against Lindenwood. By halftime, the team was up 34-0 and Lindenwood had no way to come back from that. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels threw for 148 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Running back Devin Neal dominated on the ground, as expected. He ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns, cementing himself as one of the better back in the Big 12.
Next Game: Saturday at Illinois
4. Arizona (1-0, 0-0 conference)
Arizona 61-University of New Mexico 39
The Wildcats had a record breaking game against New Mexico. All-American wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was the talk of the game, catching 10 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. His quarterback Noah Fifita also had a record game, completing 19 passes for 422 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
New Mexico couldn’t stop the high explosive offense, but still put up 39 points on the Wildcats, passing for 260 and rushing for another 211. The Wildcats gave up a few big plays, and the defense will need to step up for future Big 12 games.
Next Game: Saturday vs Northern Arizona
z3. Kansas State (1-0, 0-0 conference)
Kansas State 41-UT Martin 6
The Kansas State Wildcats barely missed the over for the 36.5 line on the game, but their offense still put up video game numbers. Despite the time of possession in UT Martin’s favor for the game, the Wildcats had 449 total yards and 20 total first downs in the game.
Quarterback Avery Johnson had a lot riding on his shoulders after former quarterback Will Howard transferred to Ohio State. Johnson had a serviceable game, completing 14 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Yet the big story was running DJ Giddens, who bulldozed with way to 124 yards, averaging 9.5 yards a carry.
Next Game: Saturday at Tulane
2. Oklahoma State (1-0, 0-0 conference)
Oklahoma State 44-South Dakota State 20
The Cowboys proved they are one of the teams that could take the Big 12 championship by the end of the year. Sure, they were favored by 12.5 points for the game, but South Dakota was a formidable opponent. The Cowboys took control early on, up 17 points at halftime. Ollie Gordon, the reigning Doak Walker running back, had 146 yards on the day, 31 total touches, and three touchdowns. The defense was disruptive, but gave up a few big plays on the day.
Next Game: Saturday vs Arkansas
1. Utah (1-0, 0-0 conference)
Utah 49-Southern Utah 0
The Utah Utes came running into the Big 12 with a big target on their backs. But quarterback Cam Rising definitely delivered. He threw just ten passes, but they accumulated for 254 yards and five touchdowns. His favorite targets were Dijon Stanley and Brant Kuithe, who had a total of 219 yards and five touchdowns. The team had two turnovers, but they came at the hand of the backup quarterback after Rising sat in the second quarter. That dominant performance puts them atop the Big 12 power rankings after Week 1.
Next Game: Saturday vs Baylor
Erika Brown
Erika Brown is a fantasy football writer for The League Winners. A journalism graduate from Oklahoma State University, she enjoys watching OkState football games and writing about college football.