Another weekend of chaos has us one week closer to the end of the regular season and the 2024 Big 12 Championship.
One team appears destined to make it to Arlington, while another now controls its own destiny despite all odds.
The second edition of the College Football Playoff rankings are set to be released on Tuesday, and after the way things played out in Week 11, there’s bound to be quite a bit of shake-up.
Let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers after Saturday’s action.
Winner: BYU’s National Title Hopes
It wasn’t pretty, and it probably wasn’t how they drew it up, but BYU (9-0, 6-0) escaped Salt Lake City with a 22-21 victory and remained undefeated on the season. The Cougars gave up three touchdowns in the second quarter of this game and trailed 21-10 at half, but turned it on when they needed to and found a way to win late.
The remaining slate is a bit tricky with Kansas, Arizona State, and Houston all playing good football in recent weeks, but if they can run the table and win a Big 12 title, which they’re favored to do as of right now, they’ll be in terrific shape to not only make the College Football Playoff but make some noise while they’re there.
No. 4 Miami dropped its first game of the season with a 28-23 loss at Georgia Tech, and that opens the door for BYU to move from the No. 4 seed in the 12-team bracket up to at least the No. 3 seed. Why is that significant? The would face the winner of the No. 6 vs No. 11 game rather than the winner of the No. 5 vs. No. 12. That could mean playing a team like Notre Dame or Ole Miss rather than a team like Ohio State or Tennessee. That could be the difference in making a run to the semifinals or deeper.
Loser: Iowa State’s ‘Dream Season’
Two weeks ago, it looked like Iowa State (7-2, 4-2) was set for its best season in school history. Coming out of the bye, the Cyclones were 7-0, ranked inside the Top 10, and looked like the most well-rounded team in the Big 12 now.
Now, two weeks later, Matt Campbell’s team is going to need some help to get to the Big 12 title game — and would have to win in Arlington to get into the College Football Playoff.
The Cyclones’ run defense wasn’t exactly a glaring weakness to begin the year, but after giving up an average of 240 yards on the ground over the last three games, and a 100-yard rusher in each of those contests, it appears Iowa State has a defensive problem.
The entire defense was torched in their latest loss, though, as Kansas scored 45 points and racked up 532 yards of offense in a 45-36 win. Jalon Daniels completed just 12 passes but had 295 yards and two touchdowns, while Devin Neal turned in 18 carries for 116 yards and two scores.
Iowa State has fallen all the way out of the AP Poll Top 25 after back-to-back losses, and suddenly, their remaining schedule of Cincinnati, Utah, and Kansas State doesn’t look so clear.
Winner: Colorado’s Stock Price
After their loss to Kansas State a few weeks ago, it appeared that Colorado (7-2, 5-1) might need some help to get to the Big 12 Championship. Now, the Buffaloes — winners of three straight — control their own destiny with just three games left.
The Buffs are scoring 32 points per game in Big 12 play and have shown an incredible level of improvement along the lines of scrimmage. Don’t get me wrong, Shedeur Sanders is still throwing the ball all over the yard, and that’s a big reason why they’re winning games.
However, the Buffs had seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss against Texas Tech and have suddenly become one of the most disruptive defensive units in the conference.
With Utah, Kansas, and Oklahoma State left on the docket, there’s a very good chance that Deion Sanders will have taken a 1-11 team to 10-2 in two seasons. Talk about a turnaround story for the ages.
Loser: Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Gundy
Last week was a tough one for Mike Gundy, but it didn’t just start on Saturday. After a loss to Arizona State in Week 11, Gundy made a comment about the Oklahoma State fan base, which has been frustrated with the program’s worst team in two decades.
After essentially calling the fans poor and incapable of taking care of themselves, Gundy had to apologize and also saw OSU president Kayce Shrum have to distance her university from his comments.
Then, Saturday rolled around, and for the seventh consecutive weekend, Oklahoma State found itself on the losing side of a 38-13 game against TCU. The Pokes have been non-competitive in five of those seven losses and are now out of bowl contention for 2024.
With the 18-year bowl streak now over in Stillwater, it’s time for folks to start asking questions of their head coach, and that’s a situation that Gundy’s never reasonably found himself in.
The coming weeks and months will be difficult for Gundy, and if he doesn’t handle them with care, his time at Oklahoma State might start to turn sour.
Winner: Arizona State Head Coach Kenny Dillingham
The most underappreciated program, coach, and storyline of the 2024 college football is in its first season with the Big 12 — and it’s not the Colorado Buffaloes.
Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils (7-2, 4-2) were picked to finish second-to-last in the Preseason Big 12 Media Poll, but find themselves still in the Big 12 hunt with some huge games on the horizon.
This past weekend, Arizona State welcomed UCF to Tempe (AZ), and without the help of its best player, came out with a 35-31 win.
Now, ASU will gear up for a trip to Kansas State (7-2, 4-2) and could play a major role in how the Big 12’s final standings look. After their trip to Manhattan, the Sun Devils will host BYU and close out the season at Arizona. While they’re currently unranked, wins in each of those games could propel Dillingham’s squad to Arlington with a little help along the way. Don’t count this team out just yet, especially if Cam Skattebo is able to get back on the field this week.
