Big 12 Update: Early Game of the Year Candidate, Baylor Upset

The new era of the Big 12 is underway, even if this exact group will be around for only a year.

Some of the biggest storylines in all of college football came out of the Big 12 this weekend, from the most entertaining football game I’ve watched in a long time, to Texas State notching its first-ever win over a Power Five opponent. With that, here’s an update on the Big 12 after Week 1.

And obviously you can get all the coverage you need of Oklahoma State’s 27-13 win over Central Arkansas at PFB, including our recap here.

UCF 56, Kent State 6

UCF started its first season in the conference, as well as the 2023 season for the Big 12, on Thursday night.

The Knights had no issue taking care of Kent State, 56-6. Yes, it’s Kent State, but UCF still put up impressive numbers with 723 yards of total offense. The attack was well-balanced, with 334 yards through the air and 389 on the ground.

UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee tallied 371 total yards with three passing touchdowns and a rushing score.

Kansas 48, Missouri State 17

I don’t care who they played, this win from the Jayhawks raised some eyebrows.

KU seemed to finally be headed in a right direction last season, and a convincing season-opening win is a good sign the Jayhawks are still trending upward.

With Jalon Daniels nursing an injury, quarterback Jason Bean was back to being KU’s best player, accounting for 276 passing yards and two TDs with 41 rushing yards on five carries.

KU’s defense also held Missouri State to 74 rushing yards, whether that’s more credit to the Jayhawk defense or lack of running game from the Bears.

Colorado 45, No. 17 TCU 42

Holy moly. We could have gotten the most entertaining game of the year already in the 11 a.m. Saturday slot in Week 1. I don’t have enough words to give this game justice, so if you missed it, find a recording.

Future Big 12 addition Colorado is f’real with Coach Prime leading the way and possibly two Heisman candidates in QB Shedeur Sanders and WR/CB Travis Hunter. Sanders became the first Colorado quarterback to ever (!!) throw for 500 yards in a game in his FBS debut, going 38-of-47 for 510 yards and four TDs. Hunter played over 120 snaps as a two-way star. As a receiver, Hunter caught 11 passes for 119 yards. He also had an interception on defense.

TCU could still be dangerous in the Big 12 this season. Chandler Morris threw two interceptions in the red zone, but looked solid overall, throwing for 279 yards and a pair of TDs, as well as 30 rushing yards and a score. Emani Bailey ran for 164 yards on 14 carries. Trey Sanders ran for three TDs but for only 46 yards on 15 carries.

No. 7 Penn State 38, West Virginia 15

This was a game the Mountaineers were expected to lose, starting a season with low expectations against a top-10 team on the road.

WVU wasn’t handled as badly as the score suggests, but still had too many offensive woes to overcome. The Mountaineers had 308 yards of total offense with 17 first downs, compared to Penn State’s 27. WVU was also 4-for-14 on third down.

Houston 17, UTSA 14

Houston was honestly outperformed but still managed to beat UTSA in its season opener.

Neither team was impressive offensively, however UTSA did manage to outrush Houston 208-101. The Roadrunners outdid Houston in nearly every phase, but couldn’t overcome three turnovers.

Texas State 42, Baylor 31

A lot of firsts for Texas State — all at Baylor’s expense.

Texas State upset Baylor in Waco for its first win over a Power Five opponent in school history. The upset win was also GJ Kinne’s FBS coaching debut.

Baylor was never in control, trailing 28-13 at the half and only having a lead after scoring a field goal early.

No. 16 Kansas State 45, SE Missouri 0

K-State started its Big 12 title defense with a shutout victory.

With the task of replacing Deuce Vaughn, DJ Giddens ran for 128 yards on 15 carries. Will Howard was 18-of-26 for 297 yards, two TDs and an INT. RJ Garcia II was Howard’s top target with five catches for 119 yards and a TD.

Cincinnati 66, Eastern Kentucky 13

Not much to say here, as Big 12 newbie Cincinnati dominated in its season opener.

The Bearcats put up 667 total yards of offense, compared to EKU’s 302. Cincinnati quarterback Emory Jones (formerly of Arizona State) threw for 345 yards and five TDs on 19-of-23 passing.

No. 11 Texas 37, Rice 10

Rice kept this one close probably longer than most expected.

Texas led 16-3 at halftime before pulling away in the second half. The Longhorns scored 37 unanswered points after Rice started the game up 3-0.

Quinn Ewers was 19-for-30 for 260 yards and three TDs, plus a rushing TD. But when Ewers came out, it was Maalik Murphy who went in, not highly touted freshman Arch Manning.

Defense was the highlight of Texas’ win, though, holding Rice to 176 total yards and forcing three turnovers.

Iowa State 30, Northern Iowa 9

Iowa State came in hot, scoring the first 30 points of the game to cruise to a season-opening win. UNI didn’t score until making a field goal with 8:03 left in the third quarter.

The Cyclones’ first points of the season came thanks to a 58-yard interception return from Jeremiah Cooper. The most odd stat of the game is that, despite the beat down, UNI actually had more offensive yards than ISU, 279-250. UNI did have two turnovers, though, including the pick-six.

No. 20 Oklahoma 73, Arkansas State 0

The score speaks for itself here.

The Sooners outdid Arkansas State 642-208 in offensive yardage. Dillon Gabriel was 19-of-22 for 308 yards and two TDs with a rushing TD. Backup QB Jackson Arnold was a perfect 11-for-11 for 114 yards and a TD, plus a rushing score.

Wyoming 35, Texas Tech 33 (2OT)

Neither team would give (and neither would the weather), and Saturday’s game nearly became a Sunday game.

Wyoming finally won in walk-off fashion after converting a two-point conversion on the second possession of the second overtime. Texas Tech scored a touchdown first in that second overtime but failed to convert its two-point conversion.

Tech started the game up 17-0 before Wyoming scored 20 unanswered to take the lead. The two then went back and forth, sending the game to overtime and beyond.

Tech quarterback Tyler Shough was 31-for-47 with 338 passing yards, three TDs, an interception and 36 rushing yards on 15 carries. The Red Raiders have little to no run game, contributing to losing its 17-0 early lead.

BYU 14, Sam Houston 0

Welcome the Mountain Time Zone to the Big 12. This was the last game that featured a Big 12 team, with time running out long after I went to bed for the night.

A two-score outing against Sam Houston was not a strong offensive showing for BYU, which is brand new to a conference known for offensive shootouts. The Cougars scored a touchdown in the first quarter, and the game didn’t include points again until another BYU touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Kedon Slovis scored both of BYU’s touchdowns with his legs. He had only five carries for 2 yards, though. Slovis was 20-of-33 for 145 yards through the air.