Another fun weekend of Big 12 football has come and gone, and with it come some big overreactions after seeing the action. We’ll take a look at the three biggest overreactions from this past weekend, plus three things to look forward to coming up in Week 4.
West Virginia Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. is the Heisman Front Runner
What a performance from West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. in their 38-27 upset win over Virginia! Hawkins threw for 190 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while also running the ball 18 times for 123 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. For those enjoying the new fantasy football feature over at Yahoo Sports this season, Hawkins led all FBS quarterbacks in fantasy points this past weekend and is the second-highest-scoring player overall behind Duke running back Nate Sheppard.
While Hawkins may be getting overlooked nationally, we here at Heartland College Sports and as a Big 12 community need to start lifting up one of the biggest surprises early in the season. If Hawkins continues at this pace, and West Virginia keeps winning games, the national media will have to take notice at some point. Just remember where the hype train started.
Colorado is an Embarrassment to the Big 12
After Colorado uplifted the conference in Week 1 with a big road win over Georgia Tech, the Buffaloes quickly reverted into the 2025 version of themselves. We thought Colorado could be much improved this season, especially after beating the Yellow Jackets, but things don’t look good for them right now. Northwestern just smashed the Buffaloes 41-7 in Chicago this past weekend in what was truly an embarrassment for the Big 12 conference.
Now the tough Big 12 schedule is upon the Buffs, and things aren’t going to get any easier for Colorado going forward. Maybe one or two conference wins seem reasonable, but for now, the Buffs are an embarrassment to the Big 12 after getting blown out at Northwestern.
Texas Tech Still Runs the Conference
Texas Tech squeaked out a 28-26 win at home over Houston on Saturday. The overreaction would be to think Texas Tech beat a ranked opponent and now seems to be the class of the Big 12. Maybe it isn’t an overreaction to think that the Red Raiders will run the table in the conference because of that, but coming down to the final seconds in a game where they couldn’t cover the spread might make others pause on Texas Tech as a juggernaut in the Big 12.
Texas Tech goes back to a non-conference matchup against Sam Houston State this upcoming weekend before jumping back into Big 12 play at the beginning of October.
This week the Big 12 has plenty of conference matchups to get excited about, but here are three things to look forward to as the weekend approaches.
Oklahoma State at West Virginia Has Some Juice
All of the sudden, Oklahoma State at West Virginia has some juice. Before the season began, this looked like a late-September ho-hum game. However, after West Virginia pulled off the big upset last weekend vs. Virginia and Oklahoma State had a big win over Oregon a few weeks ago before smashing Murray State 59-0 last weekend, things have changed. These two offenses are scoring at an elite level, and this could be one of the best games on the Big 12 slate.
Kansas State at Cincinnati Will Set the Tone For Both Teams
Kansas State is on the road for the first time this season and will get a shot at their first win in the Big 12 at Cincinnati. Both teams are 3-0 in non-conference play, and getting a win out of the gate in the Big 12 would set the team on a trajectory, up or down, for the rest of the season. Neither team looked great last weekend, but Kansas State is a slight road favorite heading into this one.
No. 15 Utah at Iowa State Will Be a Defensive Battle
This may be a defensive battle in Ames, Iowa on Saturday. Utah has allowed 24 points through three games, and Iowa State has only allowed 30 points through three games. Despite losing a close game against in-state rival Iowa, the Cyclones have looked a lot better than many people anticipated heading into this season. Utah was expected to be a Big 12 title contender and look the part early in the season. The Utes will need to win in Ames to stay on that path toward a Big 12 title game appearance. An upset win by Iowa State would flip the Big 12 on its head.
Another great weekend of Big 12 football is on the horizon.
