Big 12 football power rankings: Who stands atop the league after Week 1 went (mostly) as expected?

During the first week of the 2024 college football season, the Big 12 went 14-2.
That’s impressive, yes, but not a huge surprise, considering the majority of league teams played FCS opponents.
There were a few intriguing results that helped shake up the bottom half of the Big 12 power rankings, though the teams at the top largely stood pad after lopsided victories.
Here’s our look at how the new-look Big 12 stacks up on the field through the first week of the 2024 season:
What can we say? Utah took care of business in its season opener and looked good doing it. Cam Rising (career-high five touchdown passes in just one half of play) and Brant Kuithe (who scored three of those touchdowns) led the effort as Utah breezed past its in-state FCS opponent.
Up next is a game against fellow Big 12 school Baylor, though it won’t count as a conference game since it was a previously scheduled matchup before Utah accepted its invitation to join the league.
Utah rallied to beat the Bears in Waco last year, and with Rising and several others back from injury, the Utes will be heavily favored in Salt Lake City, even if Baylor is improved.
While the score may seem not as impressive as some of the Big 12′s other blowouts of FCS teams, keep in mind South Dakota State is ranked No. 1 in the FCS, and the Cowboys led by double-digits for much of the day and were never seriously threatened.
It was a solid afternoon for Oklahoma State, and now it sets up one of the league’s best Week 2 contests. Arkansas struggled last year but looked good offensively in its season-opening win, including a solid effort from former Utah running back Ja’Quinden Jackson.
Kansas State went ahead early in its win over UT Martin before sealing the contest by scoring the game’s final 24 points. Like so many of the other games against lower-division opponents, there isn’t a ton to take away, other than quarterback Avery Johnson looked OK after putting up 190 total offensive yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
A road trip to Tulane will give us more answers about this Kansas State program, which is coming off an uneven 2023 season.
Offensively, Arizona showed in its opener that it will be difficult to slow down, especially star receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who had a school-record 304 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 10 catches. That kind of performance should thrust him into the Heisman conversation.
Defensively, the Wildcats gave up a lot of yardage and points — including at least one touchdown per quarter — though it will be interesting to see if that is a one-week blip or more a yearlong issue.
Kansas’ rushing ability was on full display in the season opener, as the Jayhawks used nine different runners to put up 331 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Not surprisingly, lead rusher Devin Neal had a team-high 112 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries, for a 14.0 per-carry average.
Illinois, which is coming off of its own blowout victory over an FCS foe, will be a much more significant challenge, but a road win there would be big for the Jayhawks’ resume.
It wasn’t exactly an offensive showcase, but the Cyclones took care of business while shutting down North Dakota in Week 1. A 12-play, 96-yard drive that ended with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter closed the door on any potential upset.
Iowa State will be challenged this week in a rivalry matchup against Iowa. The Cyclones have only beaten the Hawkeyes twice in their past 10 meetings, though one came in 2022 when they last played at Iowa City.
TCU did something rare in a week full of FBS vs. FCS matchups: the Horned Frogs went on the road and won at a Power Four school.
TCU went back and forth with Stanford before going ahead for good with 3:13 to play, then held off the Cardinal down the stretch. It’s an encouraging start to the season one year after the Horned Frogs disappointed and didn’t make the postseason.
The Knights did as they were expected, overwhelming an overmatched FCS opponent in a game wherein UCF’s rushing attack put up 454 yards. Arkansas transfer quarterback KJ Jefferson had modest numbers, throwing for 164 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while also running for 39 yards and a score.
Bigger challenges come in upcoming weeks — like a Week 3 Big 12 opener at TCU — but the Knights should be favored to stay unbeaten this week against Sam Houston.
That’s a much better effort and result for the Sun Devils to kick off Year 2 under coach Kenny Dillingham, as Arizona State absolutely blitzed the Cowboys. The Sun Devils dominated on both sides of the ball — scoring on defense just 41 seconds in — and got 258 passing yards and two touchdowns from freshman QB Sam Leavitt.
A home matchup with Mississippi State should provide a good barometer for how much ASU has improved.
The Bears took care of business, easily dispatching Tarleton while also getting a good look at transfer quarterback Dequan Finn. He accounted for 211 yards of total offense and three touchdowns while the Bears defense held the visitors under 200 yards.
Dave Aranda’s coaching staff — which went through multiple offseason adjustments — will now get one of its biggest challenges: a matchup with Big 12 newcomer Utah that won’t count in the league standings.
The Mountaineers faced the toughest Week 1 opponent league-wide, and it didn’t end well. Penn State looked like a legitimate College Football Playoff contender, while the Mountaineers fell behind by 21 early in the second half and were blown out at home.
A matchup against an FCS opponent should help turn things around before a Week 3 game at Pittsburgh.
That was a much better season-opening effort for BYU compared to the year before. While the Cougars struggled offensively in a 14-0 win over Sam Houston in 2023, Jake Retzlaff settled in against Southern Illinois and delivered a strong game — throwing for 348 yards and three touchdowns — while BYU’s defense rarely gave Southern Illinois a chance to get on track offensively.
It’s only Week 2, but BYU is facing a critical matchup this week. Can the Cougars buck the odds — they are an 11-point underdog against SMU — and pick up a much-needed win in a year wherein outside expectations trend toward BYU battling just to become bowl eligible?
You’ve got to give it to Colorado: Deion Sanders’ team provides an entertaining product. Nearly 5 million viewers tuned in as the Buffaloes held off FCS power North Dakota State, and two-way star Travis Hunter — who scored three touchdowns — made a compelling case to lead the early Heisman race.
Can Colorado beat Nebraska and its freshman QB sensation, Dylan Raiola, for a second straight season, this time on the road?
The Red Raiders were a 34.5-point favorite in their matchup against Abilene Christian, and yet this game went into overtime and was decided by a two-point attempt. That’s not the most encouraging way to start a season, and the Red Raiders gave up over 500 yards passing.
How will Texas Tech respond when it goes on the road for the first time this season and faces Washington State?
There are some positives to take away from the Week 1 win over an FCS opponent. The Bearcats used some long scores to build an early lead, and transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for 383 yards and two touchdowns while also scoring twice on the ground.
A bigger challenge awaits this week, as Cincinnati hits the road to face Pitt.
The Willie Fritz era got off to an inauspicious start, as the Cougars were blown out at home by a Rebels team expected to contend for the Mountain West crown.
Now former Big 12 blue blood program turned new SEC member Oklahoma awaits in Houston’s first road game of the season. There are rough times ahead for the Cougars.