The Big 12 Conference went 13-2 last week. But the league is moving into Week 2 with some big games on the calendar.
The Border War is back between Missouri and Kansas. Arizona State heads to College Station to take on No. 10 Texas A&M. Arizona is in Provo to face No. 15 BYU in the Big 12 opener for both teams and for the conference. We have the Cy-Hawk between Iowa State and No. 21 Iowa. Oklahoma State is hosting No. 6 Oregon.
It’s a stacked slate. Now, here are the three Big 12 football teams that I believe have the most to prove in Week 2.
(Before we begin, TCU would clearly be at the top of this list after their loss in Ireland to North Carolina. But since the Horned Frogs are hosting Grambling on Saturday, we’ll wait a bit before we put them on the list).
Arizona
The Arizona Wildcats want to be seen as a Big 12 contender. Quarterback Noah Fifita has the tools and the talent to be considered a Heisman Trophy contender. Their trip to BYU is an opportunity to prove both to the country.
The Cougars are seen as a potential Big 12 champion. The game gets a great 2:30 p.m. Central window on Fox, which means everyone will be watching. Arizona did what it was supposed to do last week in beating Northern Arizona at home.
This isn’t just a measuring stick game for Arizona. It’s a potential springboard to the kind of season that could land them in Arlington in the first weekend of December. They need to prove that they can compete with a nationally ranked team on a nationally ranked broadcast.
The Wildcats would also love some revenge. Arizona lost to BYU, 33-27, in double overtime in Tucson last year.
Oklahoma State
I doubt anyone in the country believes that Oklahoma State can beat Oregon. The Cowboys would have to be near-perfect to win. Head coach Eric Morris is talking openly about his team’s lack of conditioning after one week, which isn’t a great sign. He’s lost his top two left tackles, one to a season-ending injury.
What do the Cowboys have to prove? That they can make this game more competitive than a season ago. Last year, they went to Eugene and lost 69-3. It was one of the worst losses in Oklahoma State history. Even though most of last year’s team isn’t back, Morris understands the Cowboys need to show their fans and the Big 12 they can make big strides in one week.
Plus, the Cowboys have won their home opener 30 straight years. That streak is absolutely in jeopardy.
Kansas State
The Wildcats are home for the second straight week, and this time they host Washington State. Kansas State is coming off a blowout win over Nicholls, 71-3, last weekend (my fellow SFA alums and students and I thank you for your service). That game showed Kansas State can score a lot of points and nearly shut out a lesser opponent. Now things get interesting.
Washington State is coming in with some confidence. The Cougars went to Houston and pushed the Big 12 contender well into the fourth quarter before losing, 33-20 (the game did end with Houston winning, in case you were watching and ESPN inexplicably moved the one-touchdown game at the time to ESPN News).
Kansas State is one of those teams many see as a dark horse contender in the Big 12. If things go right, the Wildcats could be dangerous. They need to prove that they can’t be undone by a Pac-12 team brimming with confidence after a Week 1 loss under a new head coach (yes, Wazzu is breaking in its own new head coach. You may have heard the former one landed at Iowa State). It’s exactly the sort of trap game that can trip up a team like Kansas State for the rest of the season.
