The Big 12 Conference kicked off the 2025 season in grand fashion, with its two of its highest ranked teams, Iowa State and Kansas State, taking Farmageddon to Ireland. The game and its outcome suggested a season of tightly contested matchups, but since then, preseason expectations for several conference teams have been upended, including the one team we all care about around here.
Oklahoma State vs. Baylor
Let’s start with the orange-and-black tinted elephant in the room. Last week, after a long off-season of speculation and a terrible start to the season that including an unprecedented 69-3 beatdown by Oregon and an embarrassing 19-12 home loss to Tulsa, Oklahoma State fired head coach Mike Gundy.
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This was more or less expected after the 2024 season and a tenuous one-year extension deal the school made with Gundy. He’s been at Oklahoma State for 21 years. That’s a long time, and in college football terms, practically an eternity. Think about it. When Gundy first took the job in Stillwater, Bill Snyder was still in his first tenure at K-State. There’s an entire generation of Oklahoma State players and fans who have literally never known another coach.
Gundy’s tenure at Oklahoma State began just as the power balance in the Big 12 shifted southward. Thanks to a healthy influx of attention, and more importantly, cash from well-heeled alum T. Boone Pickens, Oklahoma State could afford to experiment with everything from novel offenses to novel uniform combos. For a time, the program even seemed immune to the vagaries of realignment.
Over his 21-year stint, Gundy oversaw a team that achieved near-impossible highs (reaching #2 in 2011) but also some inexplicable lows (getting blown out by South Alabama, what?). Through it all, the memes and the mullet, Gundy, the Cowboys’ winningest coach, was the one constant, at times sympathetic, often annoying, always entertaining.
He’s 60. He’s a man. And now, he’s fired.
Doug Meacham, whose name you may recognize as the offensive coordinator at various other Big 12 stops, is now the interim head coach and unfortunately for him, the Pokes didn’t fare any better in their Big 12 opener against Baylor. But even in a 45-27 loss, the team did show some signs of life, and even got a bit tricky, with five passes from non-quarterbacks, including a touchdown strike from WR Sam Jackson V to TE Josh Ford in the first quarter. The offense had a season-high 448 yards and things are looking up in Stillwater.
And speaking of Baylor, a terrible 2023 season put head coach Dave Aranda squarely on the hot seat. An unexpected vote of confidence and an extension helped the Bears improve in 2024, and with a retooled defense, Baylor looked to contend for a Big 12 title in 2025. But the Bears stumbled right out of the gate, losing at home to Auburn, in a game where Aranda’s defensive innovations did not pay off.
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But thanks to a 2OT win over a ranked SMU squad, the Bears’ first over a ranked team in three seasons, hope was renewed in Waco. This was further bolstered by an avalanche of points the Bears scored against a hapless Sanford team, but it all came crashing down with the last minute loss to Arizona State. The Bears are now in an 0-1 whole in the Big 12, thanks largely to an underwhelming ground game and a late game defensive collapse.
Aranda may not be on the hot seat just yet, but things are getting warmer. Against the Cowboys, the team got a boost from the excellent play of QB Sawyer Robertson who amassed almost 400 yards through the air, scoring four touchdowns and handing Oklahoma State a 45-27 loss. But the Bears’ defensive woes continued, with poor execution, missed tackles, and a general inability to put pressure on the other team.
Arizona vs Iowa State
With one forgettable season of Big 12 football under its belt, Arizona could be forgiven for having low expectations in 2025. But just three weeks into the season, the Wildcats are already at least a little better than last year, thanks in part to the steady play of QB Noah Fifita and the emergence of RB Ismail Mahdi. Playing under the Friday night lights as a home underdog, Arizona took a lead against Kansas State, promptly lost it through some egregious mistakes on special teams, and then—maybe even to their own surprise—took the lead for good. That effort meant the desert Wildcats were 3-0 heading into the conference opener with Iowa State.
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Against the Cyclones though, Arizona was an underdog in the first matchup between these teams since 1968. After opening the season with a big win in Ireland, the Clones (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) have gone from strength to strength, and against these Wildcats, QB Rocco Becht was practically unstoppable in a 39-14 win. He scored three touchdowns on the ground and RB Carson Hansen added two more for a dominating win.
With games against rivals Iowa and Kansas State already behind them, everything is still on the table for Iowa State this season, though the team isn’t getting the respect it deserves just yet. Plus, the injuries are starting to pile up, particularly in the defensive secondary.
Arizona State vs TCU
The Sun Devils’ 2024 rise from Big 12 bottom feeder to champion is well documented. Riding that high, and even with Cam Skattebo now plying his trade on Sundays, Arizona State looked good in its season opener, a 38-19 win over Northern Arizona. But a letdown was probably inevitable, and disaster struck in the very next game against Mississippi State, when the Bulldogs managed to score with just 30 seconds left in the game to win 24-20.
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Still, Arizona State bounced back with a blowout win over Texas State and then stunned Baylor 27-24 in the Big 12 opener for both teams, with the fortuitously named Jesus Gomez kicking a game-winning 43-yarder to clinch the victory.
And then he did it again. In a 27-24 win over a ranked TCU squad that was riding high after big wins in primetime over UNC and in the Frogs’ annual (but last scheduled) grudge match against metroplex rival SMU, a 23-yard kick from Gomez put the Sun Devils ahead with just 1:14 to go and DB Martell Hughes hauled in an interception to end it. That was on top of QB Sam Leavitt bringing his team back from 17 points down and leading them to unexpected victory.
The Horned Frogs just couldn’t get out of their own way in this game. While QB Josh Hoover had 259 yards passing, he also threw two picks, and the running game never got untracked. Seriously, the Frogs only managed 10 yards total! More than that, TCU was doomed by a lack of discipline from its defense, a problem that has plagued the team in every game so far this season.
BYU vs Colorado
The Cougars were unranked to start the season. The off-field drama involving former QB Jake Retzlaff created plenty of uncertainty and even Las Vegas put the over/under for BYU wins this season at just 6.5. Would the Cougars be able to duplicate their 2024 performance with someone else under center? At camp, the Cougars tried out different combinations at quarterback, ultimately settling on Bear Bachmeier. He has thrived in the role, and BYU’s quick 3-0 start had the media paying attention. The team is now ranked and improved to 4-0 with a hard-fought 24-21 road win over Colorado to open Big 12 play. Bachmeier was the leading passer and rusher in the game, and a game-ending interception by LB Isaiah Glasker sealed the win for BYU.
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For Colorado, the season has been a roller coaster so far. Losing both Heisman winner Travis Hunter and QB Shedeur Sanders to the NFL didn’t help, but the Buffaloes were expected to be “pretty good” this season. Then Ralphie got stung by Georgia Tech in a 27-20 loss that saw CU give up over 300 yards on the ground. There were two expected non-con wins sandwiched around a stunning 36-20 loss to Houston that left the Buffs with nothing but questions. To his credit, Coach Prime didn’t mince words or make excuses:
We’re not struggling. We’re getting our butt’s kicked. You don’t have to sugarcoat it… We are not as successful on either side of the ball as we would wish to be.
He was similarly candid after the BYU loss, noting that his team wasted the opportunities they had against the Cougars.
Oh, and if all that wasn’t enough, Colorado was fined $50,000 by the Big 12 as a public reprimand for inappropriate anti-Mormon chants from fans during the game.
Cincinnati vs Kansas
The Bearcats began the season with a tough 20-17 road loss to Nebraska in a game at Arrowhead where Cincinnati was allegedly the home team, but were more or less engulfed by the Huskers’ sea of red. The offense struggled mightily in the first half, but came back strong in the second before a final rally fell short. Nevertheless, the loss provided some momentum for their next two games, which included a 70-0 pasting of poor Northwestern State. The Bearcats followed that up with a 37-34 win over Kansas, a result that could help define the program’s success in the Big 12 going forward.
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The game itself was insane, with the two teams combining for 1200 yards of offense (603 for Cincinnati, 597 for Kansas). There were multiple lead changes and at least four Bearcats’ scores were called back for penalties.
For KU, a well-coached team with a potent offense that was a legitimate dark horse contender in the Big 12 (yes, we’re saying nice things about KU; no, we’re not drunk), this loss was a huge setback. The Jayhawks had opened the season 2-0 with huge wins over Fresno State and Wagner before getting upended by Missouri in a renewal of the Border War rivalry. That felt like just a speed bump though, as KU trucked West Virginia to open conference play. Against Cincinnati, as great as the offense looked, the defense was just terrible.
It’s not clear where Kansas goes from here. One conference loss isn’t a big deal, of course. But Lance Leipold is 1-6 in close games and that’s much harder to digest.
Houston vs Oregon State
Just two seasons ago, Houston struggled to a 4-8 record and fired Dana Holgorsen. Willie Fritz’s first season in H-town didn’t go much better, with the Cougars finishing with the same record. But the team looked better, and to underline that, Houston is now 4-0 and trailing only Iowa State in the Big 12 standings.
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The defining win of the season so far was the unexpected 36-20 decision over Colorado. QB Conner Weigman, a transfer from Texas A&M had struggled in the Cougars’ two early wins, but against the Buffs, he ran for 83 yards and two scores, setting career highs in the process. The real story for Houston this season might be its defense though. Already in the top five nationally for efficiency, the Cougars this season have allowed the fewest points for the program since 1989.
How that defense holds up against the offensive juggernaut that is Texas Tech remains to be seen.
Texas Tech
The Red Raiders were off this past week, and that’s just as well, because their offense almost certainly needed the rest. Granted, the team’s non-conference slate was not that tough, but the Red Raiders are currently averaging 52 points while only giving up about 11. That run, which has Texas Tech at 4-0, includes a 34-10 win over Utah though, and that was more than enough to create some playoff buzz around the team.
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The game was actually low scoring at first, with Utah’s physical defense holding the Red Raiders to just 10 points in the first half. But then, Tech starter Behren Morton went down after a big hit, and backup QB and Utah native Will Hammond went to work, going 13/16 for 169 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. RB Cameron Dickey added two more scores on the ground.
Texas Tech’s defense might be the real deal too, a thing that has not been said about the Red Raiders since probably the Spike Dykes era. Right now, the team boasts the second best defense in the conference, and combined with the league’s best offense, Tech is maybe scary good?
UCF
The second Scott Frost era has begun at UCF in earnest, and it almost started with disaster against Jacksonville State in the season opener. Although the Knights held on for a 17-10 win, they lost starting QB Cam Fancher to injury in the process. Backup Tayven Jackson filled in and got Frost his 14th straight win with the program. That earned Jackson the starting role in UCF’s next two games, including an unexpected 34-9 romp over the Belichick-coached Tar Heels.
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Heading into the Kansas State game though, tragedy struck the program. Shawn Clark, the Knights’ OL coach and former Appalachian State head coach, passed away suddenly after a medical emergency, possibly a stroke. He was just 50 and his loss clearly affected the mental state of the team as it prepared for the Wildcats. Against Kansas State, the Knights managed to rip off a couple of big plays on the ground, but otherwise, the offense struggled and it didn’t matter if Jackson or backup QB Jacurri Brown lined up under center.
The defense didn’t stand out either, and after an early game interception on a pass thrown by TE Linkon Cure, Kansas State was able to exploit weaknesses on the Knights’ defensive line to the tune of nearly 300 yards rushing.
The loss ended a long UCF winning streak for Frost. Let’s see if KU can extend his losing streak next week.
Utah vs West Virginia
Where to start with West Virginia this season? After literally years of speculation, the ‘Eers gave Neal Brown his marching orders and replaced him with Rich Rodriguez. This is his second stint in Morgantown, and having ex-coaches come back to take the reins is now officially a thing in the Big 12. (Like many other things, we can probably credit this to Bill Snyder and Kansas State). The RichRod 2.0 era began well enough, with an easy 45-3 win over Robert Morris, but the ‘Eers didn’t really show up against Ohio in the next game and got MAC’tioned into a shocking 17-10 loss.
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But no mind. The next game was Very Backyard Much Brawl, as West Virginia managed to put away arch rival Pitt in a 31-24 overtime thriller that featured a breakout performance from RB Tye Edwards who ran for 141 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, that win seems to have topped out the ‘Eers motivation for the season, because the team barely showed up against KU, losing 41-10 and prompting unusual candor from the head coach:
Nothing was good. Coaching? Not good. Playing? Not good.
Unfortunately for the ‘Eers, things did not improve against Utah. With QB Nicco Marchiol out hurt, Jaylen Henderson took the reins for West Virginia, and despite a few sparks here and there, the team just didn’t have enough and lost 48-14 to the Utes.
As for Utah, a team that fell unexpectedly fast in the new Big 12 last season, a complete offensive overhaul in the offseason reset expectations. A season-opening blowout 43-10 win over UCLA was a big confidence boost, and that was before anyone knew just how bad the Bruins are in 2025. That was followed by an easy win over Cal Poly and a road victory over Wyoming. So the 34-10 loss to Texas Tech was especially painful, and prompted some handwringing over Kyle Whittingham and his coaching.
But there’s nothing that fixes a fan base like a big win and with the Utes beating the ‘Eers to get back in the winning column, sanity was restored in Salt Lake City.
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There’s still plenty of Big 12 ball left in the season, and anything could happen. But for now, it looks like we’re headed to an Iowa State-Texas Tech Big 12 CCG, words nobody would have said five years ago or even 20 years ago!
To paraphrase the old Chinese proverb (curse?), at least we live in interesting times.
