This Week in the Big 12
Saturday, September 17
Texas State at No. 17/19 Baylor (FS1) 11:00 a.m.
Series: BU 8-0
Last Meeting: BU won 29-20 at Texas State on September 4, 2011.
No. 6/6 Oklahoma at Nebraska (FOX) 11:00 a.m.
Series: OU 46-38-3
Last Meeting: OU won 23-16 at home on September 18, 2021.
Towson at West Virginia (Big 12 Now) Noon CT/1:00 p.m. ET
Series: WVU 1-0
Last Meeting: WVU won 54-0 at home on September 6, 2014.
Ohio at Iowa State (Big 12 Now) 1:00 p.m.
Series: ISU 7-0
Last Meeting: ISU won 48-20 at home on September 6, 2003.
Tulane at Kansas State (Big 12 Now) 2:00 p.m.
Series: Tulane 1-0
Last Meeting: Tulane won 20-16 at home on September 17, 1988.
Kansas at Houston (ESPNU) 3:00 p.m.
Series: KU 3-0
Last Meeting: KU won 42-13 in Fort Worth, Texas
(Fort Worth Bowl) on December 23, 2005.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at No. 8/7 Oklahoma State (Big 12 Now) 6:00 p.m.
Series: First Meeting
Texas Tech at No. 16/12 NC State (ESPN2) 6:00 p.m.
Series: NCSU 4-1
Last Meeting: NCSU won 49-21 at home on September 20, 2003.
UTSA at No. 21/20 Texas (LHN) 7:00 p.m.
Series: First Meeting
All times are listed as Central. Rankings are listed as AP/USA Today.
Conference News and Notes
Another matchup between future Big 12 opponents is on the Week 3 schedule with Kansas traveling to Houston. Additionally, two games against autonomy conferences are on tap with Oklahoma playing at long-time rival Nebraska and Texas Tech visiting No. 16/12 NC State.
The Big 12’s .833 (15-3) non-conference win percentage is tied for second-highest in the FBS while the three losses are the fewest. The Big 12’s .667 (4-2) win percentage against autonomy conferences is the best among the A5.
The Big 12 is the only league that is undefeated (14-0) against unranked non-conference opponents as all three of its losses have come to ranked teams and came down to the final drive or play of the game. The three losses were by an average of 4.7 points.
No. 6/6 Oklahoma and No. 8/7 Oklahoma State remain ranked in the top 10 of both national polls joined by No. 17/19 Baylor and No. 21/20 Texas. UT entered the AP Poll for the first time this season. Teams receiving votes include Kansas State, Texas Tech, TCU and Iowa State.
In non-conference outings, the Big 12 leads the nation with an average of 40.9 points, a 68.3 pass completion percentage and a 155.5 passer rating. The Big 12 has the toughest schedule in the FBS, based on combined win percentage of FBS opponents. Baylor and West Virginia are tied for fourth among FBS teams while Texas’s schedule is tied for eighth.
Fifty percent of Big 12 teams are in the top 18 nationally in scoring offense with over 44 points a game: 4. Kansas (52.5), 10. TCU (48.5), 12. Texas Tech (48.0), 15. Oklahoma State (46.0) and 18. Baylor (44.5).
Three Big 12 teams are in the top 11 of scoring defense, allowing less than nine points per game: 5. K-State (6.0), 10. Oklahoma (8.0) and 11. Iowa State (8.5).
The Big 12’s five punt return touchdowns are three more than the second-place leagues. Last Saturday’s Big Noon Kickoff game between Alabama and Texas was the most-streamed regular season college football or NFL game in FOX Sports history. It also drew a DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium record crowd of 105,213.
Texas Tech’s Donovan Smith (offense), Kansas’ Cobee Bryant (defense), K-State’s Phillip Brooks (special teams), Iowa State’s Colby Reeder (conewcomer) and Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel (co-newcomer) picked up Big 12 football weekly awards for games played on September 10.
Kansas coach Lance Leipold picked up his 150th career win, a week after OSU coach Mike Gundy recorded his.
Baylor junior RB Qualan Jones rushed for a pair of scores at BYU. He has a season-high three rushing TDs in 2022 and five in his career.
Iowa State’s fourth quarter touchdown drive of 99 yards was the first such drive since Nov. 30, 2013 against West Virginia.
Kansas’ rushing attack reached the end zone four times on Saturday, equaling 10 rushing touchdowns through the first two games. It is the most in the first two games to start the season since at least 2000.
With Phillip Brooks’ 76-yard punt-return touchdown, it was the first time K-State had punt return scores in consecutive games since 2008. It was the first time in the first two games of a season since 1998.
The Sooners’ defense has registered nine sacks and 23 tackles for loss through its first two games. Dating back to last season, the defense has an interception in seven-straight games.
OSU has won 80 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest active streak in the FBS and longest since at least 1980.
Derius Davis’ 19-yard scoring reception for TCU was his team-best third touchdown of the season. It was his 12th career touchdown via four different ways (five receiving, four punt returns, two rushing and one kickoff return). Davis later added a 2-point rush.
Texas’ defense limited the Crimson Tide offense to 20 points, just the seventh time in the last eight seasons that Alabama has been held to 20
points or fewer.
Texas Tech earned its first win versus a ranked non-conference team in the regular season since defeating No. 20 Arizona on Sept. 9, 1989. It snapped a 13-game losing streak in such games.
West Virginia finished with 501 total yards of offense vs. KU, the most since Sept. 11, 2021, vs. Long Island (542). WVU has now registered at least 500 yards of offense five times under Neal Brown.
The Big 12 Football Weekly Show presented by Old Trapper Beef Jerky is available at 7 p.m. CT each Wednesday through November 30 on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Chuckie Kempf and Harold Kuntz host the program, which features highlights from previous games, analysis and previews. A media panel will also make predictions for each week’s games.
