Big 12 Power Rankings: BYU, Arizona State Climb

the following is a presentation of KSL Sports first and 12 a total Roundup of BYU and Utah football and the expanded Big 12 Conference brought to you by Macy's grocery stores your hosts are Mitch Harper and Alex Kiri on KSL News radio and the KSL Sports Zone welcome back everyone first and 12 rolls on our number two if you missed any part of hour number one check out the podcast feed and this show always brought to you by Macy's grocery store get the freshest fruits and vegetables from local farms and your favorite local Brands Macy's happy shopping Alex it's our favorite segment of the program the most challenging segment of them all it's the power rankings the Big 12 Power Rankings a weekly rank of all 16 programs from the elite to the bottom dwellers Mitch we've been uh we've known each other quite some time we tend to get along don't you agree definitely this is when we don't this is when you and I this is like uh this is this is this is where you and I start to do the knockdown drag out kind of stuff but we ended up coming together on this first week it was a little bit uh of a back and forth but no problem we'll uh we'll get through it our power rankings uh for the most part like we have to be you and I have to we have to be unanimous like we can't we can't split things we uh we fight off the air about some of these rankings but this week pretty straightforward and and some some surprises because you know what it's not uh it's not our power rankings without a couple of surprises here so let's just go off uh of going from 16 down to 11 first off Houston bad showing against UNLV I mean look UNLV is a little bit more of a a talented Mountain West team that we've seen I mean who are we kidding here Mitch uh UNLV scored 27 points before uh you know you even saw a score at all out of Houston this is going to be a bad cougars team and uh we kind of assumed it was going to be but you know sometimes we get shocked but man bad showing against unv 27 to7 I loss one of the only two losses in the conference this week and you know if you're West Virginia and lose to Penn State you don't feel as bad because it's a a good Penn State team but man they looked bad against youl it's going to be a long year for Willie Fritz in year one Donovan Smith qbr of 3.5 yeah that's that was qbr not good for Houston number 15 the Cincinnati Bearcats and it's year two under Scott sanderfield I thought last year Cincinnati was was bad they were the worst team in the Big 12 and hey they get a win today they take down talson I don't think there's much to take from it it was a ball game at half but um you know since he gets the win and avoids embarrassment I think that's the spot you're looking for when you're a team like Cincinnati yeah and look uh again between I think between like uh you know 16 down to about 12 this is going to be a tossup you're going to see some teams go up and down if you're familiar with the power pole uh but Baylor uh look this is probably the biggest uh hot seat in the entire conference would you agree uh because you're you're looking at you're looking at at at the Baylor Bears you have Charlton State come in this is an instate one for them uh they fired off 28 points in that first half and they were able to uh to blow it up um and 45 to3 over o over Charlton State that's fine Baylor's got a lot to prove though that's a really really bad uh FCS team with Charlton uh so there you go if you're going to be if you're going to be wondering about whether or not uh this team is going to be good this year we don't really know but man next week will be a huge test for them because of course they go to Utah Tech Tech Ally not a conference uh uh standings game but obviously they're going to be able to see if they're if they're made of anything when they come to Salt Lake City and see what's going on with this Utah team number 13 the biggest tumble in this week's rankings was West Virginia Who's Who falls after a disappointing performance against Penn State and look I love that West Virginia challenges themselves in the non-conference I admire that because it felt like there were way more FBS versus FCS games in week one than I can remember Alex uh there was a lot of those matchups and for the teams like West Virginia that stepped out of their comfort zone and and played someone I I commend them for that but they did not look good and uh that's something that's concerning and the the thing is is that West Virginia you know Neil Brown felt like they got disrespected but their nine wins last year they benefited from playing the four newcomers a season ago and I just always had this fear that they just played a weak schedule last year whereas this year it's not weak they got a tough non-conference with pit and Penn State and a loaded Big 12 schedule I just feel like West Virginia takes a little bit of a step back they know who they are identity wise with their ground attack but feel like they take a little bit of a dip number 12 Texas Tech uh they get that close call against abalene Christian in overtime yeah Joey Maguire's got a lot to uh to prove and and frankly you know look anybody can move up and down especially in these lower numbers you know you got to kind of do a lot to uh you might follow a couple of spots but you could do you know if you have a good win you could pop right back up in these power rankings again so yeah 52 to 51 not a good showing against an FCS opponent to win in overtime to eek one out speaking of uh eeking one out Colorado this is probably the best FCS team that you saw facing off in the uh in the conference against the team Colorado gets the win they have to lean on their two first round uh NFL draft picks in Travis Hunter and shadur Sanders to be able to to get the win but coach Prime avoids uh the laughing stock situation for this weekend number 10 Arizona State how about Ken Kenny Dillingham and his guys absolutely blowing up Wyoming that's a nice showing first week it it was and they put a lot of resources in the transfer portal in along the trenches offensive and defensive line they lost BJ green which was a big blow to their defensive front to Colorado but they feel like they've got more depth than they have had in in a few years and um you know Dillingham I I think this could be a bold team and I thought that was a strong showing against an FBS team and that stands out in this crowd because again I think you got to give a little bit of a reward to thumping an FBS team it's one thing to beat someone 48 to7 it's an FCS it's another when you're talking about a Wilding team it was a nine- win Squad a year ago so yeah that earn your flowers Kenny dingham that that was a good performance in week one this season let's go to number nine team we haven't brought up yet that couple weeks ago you had thought no way they're going to ever reach nine that's BYU after a strong showing against SIU it's one of those I wonder I wonder what we're doing here Mitch if there's a little bit of bias because we obviously both at that game we watch this one closely and you give a couple of extra points for dealing with the the the adversity that they did a couple of uh you know a couple days before with their DC uh you know Jay Hill in the in the heart attack situation and all that so uh but man I thought they showed out and you know they had a quarterback battle you wondered if they were going to pick the right guy it at least right now it looks like they made the right decision with Jake red slap and that's a nice win for BYU how about TCU at number eight they get an FBS win against an ACC team in check's notes Stanford their first ACC uh home game in paloo California makes tons of sense it it sure does uh that's the new world we live in I mean honestly when we talk about making sense just reeling off this 16 team power rankings it's a long list it's like wow we're having to take some real time to piece this scene together but strong showing from TCU BYU fans know when Josh Hoover's good he can be really good and he threw for 353 against Stanford cam cook underrated running back I mean again this league is just loaded cam Cook's got 81 yards against Stanford you know I thought Stanford put up a better fight than I was expecting I thought TC was going to just blow the doors off him but uh you know t CU gets a win and get gets the season off on the right footing in 2024 number seven Iowa State sound solid Victory against a good FCS team North Dakota I think the rule of thumb in the FCS ranks is to not play any Dakota schools well they did Iowa state did and they won 21 to3 kind of a vintage Iowa State performance yeah and and uh Roco Beck uh picking up where he left off last year 20 for 26 267 and two touchdowns no picks uh yeah yeah that Matt Campbell's got his guys dialed up and yeah you play North Dakota I know it's not a state right North Dakota North Dakota State South Dakota State uh but yes it is a uh it was a good win for them over the weekend not a lot of points scored but that uh you know it doesn't really matter necessarily so you get the win and that shows out and uh for me that's one where I look and I say that's a team that's a team that that we look at and we go that could be an absolute dangerous team at some point this year even Utah who has to host the Cyclones up in Salt Lake at some point that's going to be a tough one for them how about UCF at number six uh we went back and forth about this one but you gave them a little boost week one it was a nice win for them they blew the absolute doors off of their FCS opponent so uh yeah scoring 57 that's that could be a very scary team that that one in both Utah and B you have to go to Orlando this year and what's frightening is they ran for 454 yards RJ Harvey Penny Boon one of the best onew tandems in college football in the back field this year RJ Harvey is probably the most underappreciated running back in college football he is so good 11 carries 142 yards you know I I wasn't that impressed though with KJ Jefferson I will say he had a pick uh but you don't have to look that impressive when your team's running for 454 heck of a performance by ucf's offense number five Arizona when you talk about offense we mentioned him earlier T-Mac going for 300 receiving yards I think Arizona just stands Pat you know I think there's high expectations for that group this season they feel like they could maybe get to the playoff uh but I think those on the outside Phil year one with Brent Brandon there's going to be a little bit of a transition and you saw glimpses of that by giving up 30 points to a a pretty weak New Mexico team there's going to be a feeling out because last year at season's in Arizona was one of the best teams in college football I mean they were playing out out standing they've taken a step back from from that level of play on the defensive side but uh Arizona is going to be a tough out in this league week after week the Kansas Jayhawks Des on the list by the way this top this five we're going to see probably some movement there it's like who's going to push the top teams out of the top of those rankings but the uh Kansas j-hawks uh nice performance from them they dominate checks notes lynen wood everybody's favorite FCS team but yeah probably the week of the of the FCS teams that we saw facing off against teams here in the Big 12 this week one but number 22 Kansas with a win over lyen wood 48-3 uh Jaylen Daniels everybody's wanting to know what that guy is going to do and obviously when you take out an opponent like that you just want to get out of there with a big win and they do and then not get injured which he doesn't so that's uh that's good for the Kansas Jayhawks that it was first appearance for him since the BYU game last September for Jaylen Daniels number two or number three excuse me Oklahoma State the Cowboys we gave them a little bit of an edge over Kansas because uh the opponent that they played South Dakota State the defending two-time FCS national champions Oklahoma State took care of business against a good FCS program so the pokes they go to number three I I think you and I agreed that we're a little more down on Oklahoma State than maybe most in the Big 12 media footprint because uh I just I I I I get very Ed with that team because they have taken a dip in the recruiting uh as of late with Mike Gundy he was annually getting top 25 classes now they're in the 50s and I just always get a little bit worried when I see those Trends how realistic is it to be a big 12 champion because if you're a power four team you've got to be an annual top 35 recruiting program to contend for a conference title but you know Oklahoma State they got the best running back in college football and oy olly Gordon and he showed out well once again yeah and you know what's interesting is just think about last year at this time when we were talking about Mike Gundy and absolutely dropping the ball at the very front end of the season who did they lose to last year that we were uh who was it oh Southern Alabama right South Alabama South Alabama they Lo they lost to to South Alabama at home and so I think they looked at each other and went we can't have something like this happen again and to do it against South Dakota State I think that's a good at least a better showing than they had last year at the front end of their season Kansas state will with Oklahoma state that Oli Gordon I appreciate Mike Gundy just saying you know what he's going to play he had might have had a DUI but he's going to play so it wasn't this ongoing issue with is he gonna play is he not going to play sometimes as a coach you can just say hey this is what it is and then the story goes away something to think on going forward for coaches if a place is going to go away if a story is going to go away it's in Still Water Oklahoma that's a good point right that's exactly where those stories T tend to go away Kansas state number two I think people look at this team in Utah as being the class of the conference and a great start to uh to the season for the Wildcats it's a it's going to be a very very very it's going to be an interesting season because Kansas State doesn't really have that tough of a schedule they don't have to play Utah in the regular season Utah doesn't have to play them they fire off a game against Arizona that doesn't count as the conference uh game like like Utah has against Baylor but man a game against Arizona one of the top other five teams at the top of the conference and that that one doesn't count against your conference schedule so Kansas state number two on the list and of course number one Mitch the Utah Utes the Utah Utes holding it down and rightfully so I mean they're the preseason favorite and they did everything that you would expect from a number one team in the league against a far inferior Southern Utah team but they thumped him and you know cam Rising had a half of work and did a really nice job well had five touchdown passes and Utah rolled and did everything that would say yeah that's going to be one of the best teams in the Big 12 and they hold down that number one spot and that's our big 12 power rankings this week for week one so that's a jam-packed loaded segment here every single week we'll roll out our rankings here on First and 12 we're taking the time out on the other side we'll we'll dive in more into that Utah football game as the youths jump out to a one start after taking down Southern Utah it's mid sharper Alex Ki here on KSL News radio and the KSL Sports Zone