Week 3 featured two Big 12 conference games, and both carried considerable interest.
Texas Tech pulled out a conference-opening win over Houston in a showdown that left many wondering whether the two teams could see each other again. Arizona State and Kansas played in London in the conference’s first international game, showcasing for Londoners what college football is all about.
So, whose stock went up and whose stock went down? Let’s look at the biggest movers across the league.
Stock Up
West Virginia
Claiming a neutral-site victory over a Top 25 team was a great way for head coach Rich Rodriguez and his Mountaineers to wrap up non-conference play. It was even better to see quarterback Michael Hawkins fully take control of the offense, as he played a huge role in pulling off the upset.
So far, Rodriguez has pulled the right strings, both in the transfer portal and on the field. They’ll get an opportunity to put it all to the test at home against Oklahoma State this weekend.
Texas Tech
This was Texas Tech’s first conference game as defending champions, and as you might expect, it wasn’t easy. The Red Raiders didn’t really want to play a Friday game, and the Houston Cougars gave them everything they had. In fact, the Red Raiders were inches away from having the game go to overtime.
But their defense stepped up late, quarterback Will Hammond showed he has command of the offense, and running back Cameron Dickey proved that the road to a repeat starts with him.
Kansas State
Kansas State has played Tulane consistently over the past few years, and the Green Wave have consistently given the Wildcats trouble. The Wildcats won 31-20 in Manhattan and showed they can handle pressure when it comes their way. K-State was up 17-14 at halftime and had to fend off a Green Wave team that went to the College Football Playoff last year.
Quarterback Avery Johnson is putting up great numbers in head coach Collin Klein’s offense. He has nearly 850 combined rushing and passing yards through three games. The goal was to get the most out of Johnson. K-State appears to be doing exactly that heading into conference play.
Stock Down
Colorado
That was not ideal. Colorado went to Northwestern and lost 41-7, and the Buffaloes looked bad doing it. The defense couldn’t stop the Wildcats, the offense was anemic, and head coach Deion Sanders criticized his team for laughing after the loss. No one should be laughing after a loss like that.
The Buffs were gathering some momentum going into Big 12 play. Now, heading into a road trip to Baylor this weekend, I wonder if this might be the start of a nosedive for Colorado. After the Bears, the Buffaloes get Texas Tech, Utah and Oklahoma State.
This could get bad fast.
Cincinnati
I get that it was a rivalry game and that it hadn’t been played in a couple of years, but watching Cincinnati struggle with Miami (Ohio) last week left me wondering whether the Bearcats’ 3-0 record after a 35-31 win might be a little soft.
I remember when Cincinnati joined the league in 2023 and played this game at home. The Bearcats lost 31-24 in overtime and went on to finish 3-9.
I don’t think the Bearcats are that bad. But I’m also not sure they’re as good as they were a year ago. The Kansas State game this weekend will tell us a lot.
Kansas
I think we have a problem, Jayhawks fans.
That offense looked anemic in London, and if the games in Dublin have been any indication of how the season will go for the losing team, the Jayhawks could be in some real trouble as they get a week off before resuming Big 12 play.
The good news is Kansas gets the week off and then hosts Middle Tennessee, giving the Jayhawks an opportunity to tune things up.
The bad news? Kansas resumes Big 12 play against Utah.
Hold
UCF
I have concerns about the Knights’ defense. They gave up 485 yards to Georgia State, and at times, winning this game was touch and go.
You want to give UCF some time to work through things without quarterback Alonza Barnett III, but the Knights really don’t have much more time. They get TCU this weekend.
Big 12 play starts now. UCF has to figure it out.
Arizona State
The Sun Devils won the game, but I wasn’t impressed with that offense. They had their own problems moving the football up and down the field.
Thank goodness for Arizona State’s special teams and defense. Both played great.
Like Kansas, Arizona State gets the weekend off to fine-tune things. But ASU doesn’t get a soft landing when it returns.
Baylor is next.
