The Big 12 Conference is getting closer to a full-blown week of conference action, as Colorado and Houston lift the lid on their league slates on Friday night.
There are nine games on the docket for Week 3, which includes the Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia and a couple of potentially tough road trips for Utah (at Wyoming) and Iowa State (at Arkansas State).
Here are five notes for the third week of Big 12 football action.
Note 1: Defense and Special Teams
The Big 12 Conference is tied for the FBS lead in total defensive and special teams touchdowns with 11.
What it Means: Maybe nothing. Most Big 12 teams have played at least one FCS or non-power conference team, and those teams can sometimes be easy pickings. But a look at the Top 50 in turnover margin — which is figured as turnovers per game — is a bit instructive. Arizona (No. 1). Colorado (No. 4), Houston and TCU (tied for No. 7), BYU, UCF and Utah (tied for No. 17), Texas Tech (tied for No. 27) and Iowa State (tied for No. 44) are listed.
That’s nine of the league’s 16 teams. Arizona is also tied for the national lead in turnovers gained. It’s a trend worth watching as Big 12 play approaches in earnest. Turnovers will likely be harder to come by.
Note 2: Against the ACC
The Big 12 is 3-1 versus the ACC with three non-conference games remaining against Power Four opponents, all of which are ACC programs.
What it Means: Maybe schedule more ACC teams? So far, TCU beat North Carolina, Baylor beat SMU (still weird to write in context), BYU beat Stanford and Colorado lost to Georgia Tech. Coach Prime not holding up his end of the bargain.
What’s left? The Backyard Brawl (Pitt at West Virginia), The Iron Skillet Game (SMU at TCU) and North Carolina at UCF. By Sept. 20, the series will be over. But we’ll have the memories.
Note 3: Scoring Defense
The Big 12 [hast] three teams in the top five nationally in scoring defense: BYU (1st – 1.5 ppg), Arizona (T-4th – 4.5 ppg) and Houston (T-4th – 4.5 ppg).
What it Means: Given the opponents, not much. Arizona and Houston haven’t allowed a touchdown The Wildcats beat Hawai’i and Weber State. Houston played Stephen F. Austin and Rice. Holding any opponent without a TD is impressive on a certain level. But Arizona hosts Kansas State and Houston hosts Colorado on Friday so that’s going to end.
As for BYU, the Cougars have beaten Portland State and Stanford, the latter of which is only mildly impressive. Ask the defensive coordinators in question and they’re likely to tell you on that they really haven’t been tested yet.
Note 4: Pick Happy
The Big 12 had 15 defensive interceptions this week, most among all FBS conferences. They also had four interception return touchdowns in Week 2, most in the FBS.
What it Means: That’s impressive. Interceptions can be hard to come by, depending upon the opponent and what defense teams choose to use. The pick-sixes are somewhat telling, too. Early Big 12 defense are flipping the field, and their defenses are turning them into points nearly a quarter of the time. It’s a small sample, but it’s worth tracking. If that carries into Big 12 play, get ready for some huge momentum swings on gameday.
Note 5: The Non-Conference Conference Game
For a second consecutive season, the Arizona and Kansas State matchup will not count in the Conference standings due to the game being scheduled prior to Arizona joining the Big 12.
What it Means: Just a reminder to Big 12 fans that Friday’s game in the desert has nothing to do with the Big 12 standings. Oh, and be specific about which Wildcat you’re supporting.
