The Big 12 cannot match the Big Ten or SEC for star power (players or programs), but it should lead all conferences this season in frayed nerves and shredded fingernails.
The difference between best and worst is the Big 12 is smaller than anywhere else, making the potential for chaos on a weekly basis greater than everywhere else.
Results from the opening weeks have caused the Hotline to reconsider many of our preseason assumptions. So with conference play underway in full force this weekend, we have re-ranked the 16 teams based on their performances to date.
1. Utah: As long as Cam Rising stays healthy through conference play — and that’s basically a coin flip at this point — the Utes have the best combination of personnel, coaching and schedule. And if they win in Stillwater on Saturday, go ahead and reserve a spot for them in the conference championship. (Preseason projection: No. 1)
2. Kansas State: It’s always risky to overweight a single performance, but goodness, the Wildcats went to another level on both sides of the ball against Arizona. (No. 3)
3. Oklahoma State: You could make a strong case for the Cowboys as the team to beat. But after watching the defense’s turnstile performance against Arkansas, we are not ready to make that case. (No. 2)
4. Iowa State: The sample size is awfully small with only one game thus far against FBS competition, but ISU’s come-from-behind win at Iowa was a meaningful result. The more time the Cyclones spend in the shadows, the better off they are. (No. 6)
5. UCF: The Gus Bus picked up a few passengers after the last-minute victory at TCU. Notably, the Knights don’t play Kansas State or Oklahoma State. (No. 9)
6. Arizona: We aren’t sure how many teams form the Big 12’s first tier at this point, but we know the Wildcats aren’t part of the group after two fair-to-middlin’ performances and the face plant in Manhattan. On the bright side, they have plenty of room for improvement. (No. 4)
7. Kansas: It all depends on quarterback Jalon Daniels, which is a far more worrisome state of affairs for KU after three games — he has three touchdowns passes and six interceptions — than it figured to be back in August. (No. 5)
8. West Virginia: We could regret this pick by the middle of October. Too low? Nah. It might be too high. (No. 8)
9. Arizona State: The Sun Devils could finish as high as sixth or as low as 14th. All we know is they are better than expected and tailback Cam Scattebo is one of the most entertaining players to watch in the country. (No. 14)
10. TCU: The Hotline has no idea how to decipher the middle of the conference, which could turn out to be the bottom of the conference or even the top of the conference. But this much is true: The Horned Frogs are playing from behind after the home loss to UCF. (No. 10)
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11. Colorado: The Buffaloes would win a 7-on-7 tournament — heck, they might win a 2-on-7 tournament with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter — but are they materially better than last year across 22 positions? Skepticism is warranted. (No. 13)
12. Texas Tech: The conference opener Saturday against Arizona State will tell us plenty about both teams but more about the Red Raiders. If they lose, look out, below. (No. 7)
13. Baylor: No indication the Bears have made significant strides year-over-year. And if that’s the case, a coaching change could come sooner than later. (No. 11)
14. Brigham Young: The defense is good enough for a top-10 finish in the conference race, but quarterback Jake Retzlaff’s inconsistency will doom the Cougars to a third-tier existence. (No. 15)
15: Cincinnati: Some losses are easily forgotten. The loss to Pittsburgh, in which the Bearcats blew a 27-6 lead late in the third quarter, is not one of those losses. (No. 12)
16. Houston: So the same team that loses at home to UNLV by 20 points then loses at Oklahoma the following week by four points. If that isn’t the most Big 12 development, we don’t know what is. (No. 16)
Enjoy the mayhem.
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