We’re heading into the crazy crossover period of the college sports calendar. Big 12 basketball gets rolling soon, and the league showed off its marquee talent this week in Kansas City at media days. 

Most of the focus today will stay with football, but I do want to start with one thing we discovered in Kansas City on Tuesday. 

Here are my five biggest storylines of the week.

Brett Yormark Changes His Tune

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s stance on the future College Football Playoff format has drawn plenty of criticism. 

Along with the ACC and SEC, Yormark pushed back against the Big Ten’s proposal to expand the playoff to 16 teams and give the Big Ten and SEC four automatic bids each—twice as many as the Big 12 and ACC.

Instead, he supported the “5+11” model, which would give one automatic bid to each Power Four conference and the top Group of Six team, with the remaining 11 spots going to at-large selections. That format would likely mean fewer Big 12 teams in the playoff long-term, but it was a necessary stance.

Giving in to the “4/4/2/2” plan would have been an admission that the Big 12 is worth half as much as the Big Ten and SEC. That’s a position the league simply can’t accept.

The good news is that Yormark’s firm stance has already paid off.

Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger reported last month that the Big Ten is now considering a 20- or even 24-team playoff with an equal number of autobids for all Power Four leagues. That would mean the Big 12 getting three or four bids—the same as everyone else. That’s massive progress.

Until this week, no one had publicly asked Yormark about that format. At Big 12 basketball media days in Kansas City on Tuesday, I asked him if he’d now support a Big Ten proposal with equal autobids instead of sticking with his favorite “5+11” plan. 

Here’s what he said:

Yormark’s response makes sense. A format with equal autobids would bring two or three more Big 12 teams into the playoff every year and still avoid publicly accepting “half value” status.

I still don’t love autobids in general, and expanding all the way to 24 teams feels excessive, but I understand what’s best for business for the Big 12.

We’ll see how fast this idea gains traction. It ultimately depends on whether the SEC signs off.

Yormark also mentioned Tuesday that commissioners haven’t discussed formats recently, so it may not become a real focus until after the season.

BYU Trying to Avoid the Post-Utah Letdown

#11 BYU (7-0, 4-0) at Iowa State (5-2, 2-2) – 2:30 Fox
Line: ISU -2.5

Last week’s 24-21 win over Utah was massive, but BYU coach Kalani Sitake and his players made it clear they can’t bask in it for long. It still stings that last year’s team followed a Utah win with two straight losses that kept them out of the playoff.

“We beat Utah and then lost the next two, right?” WR Chase Roberts said. “I think we learned from last year. So this year, I think that’s not going to happen. We have the mindset now, like, ‘OK, we’ve learned from last year. Let’s not do the same thing.

The Cougars head into one of the toughest atmospheres in the Big 12 against an Iowa State team coming off a bye. Situationally, almost everything favors the Cyclones.

ISU still has to prove it’s cleaned up its issues after back-to-back road losses to Cincinnati and Colorado. Health will help, and that appears to be improving based on this week’s injury report:

Getting RB Carson Hansen back can give the offense a shot in the arm, and Cyclones fans desperately want to see K Kyle Konrardy, one of the Big 12’s best, back on the field. It is a bummer to see star DT Dominique Orange listed as doubtful. 

Iowa State lost two straight around this same time last season, then rallied to reach the Big 12 title game. Doing that again will take help, but winning this one is absolutely non-negotiable.

Are We Sleeping on Cincinnati?

#21 Cincinnati (6-1, 4-0) at Baylor (4-3, 2-2) – 3:00 ESPN2
Line: Cincy -3.5

A reader emailed me this week, frustrated that Cincinnati didn’t get enough love in the last newsletter. 

The lack of coverage wasn’t intentional. It was just that the Bearcats played Oklahoma State, and, frankly, anyone playing OSU or West Virginia right now isn’t going to dominate headlines.

Still, it raised a valid point: nationally, people aren’t paying enough attention to the Bearcats. Their last two games (UCF and Oklahoma State) haven’t been marquee matchups, but that doesn’t change what they’ve accomplished.

The Bearcats' handling of Iowa State is one of the most impressive wins in the league this year, and the only Cincy loss was by three in a de facto road game against Nebraska at Arrowhead Stadium. Only BYU can match Cincinnati’s 4-0 Big 12 record.

QB Brendan Sorsby is putting up a first-team All-Big 12-caliber season. He leads the conference in total QBR and PFF grade, and his 24 total touchdowns are the most in the country.

The offensive line is on the Joe Moore Award midseason watch list for best line in the country, paving the way for backs Tawee Walker and Evan Pryor, the latter averaging a ridiculous 7.8 yards per carry.

Cincinnati doesn’t play Texas Tech or Arizona State, but there are no freebies ahead: Utah, Arizona, BYU, and TCU still await after Baylor this Saturday.

The Bearcats will have to earn it, but right now, they belong firmly among the Big 12’s top contenders.

Can Arizona State Survive Without Jordyn Tyson?

Houston (6-1, 3-1) at #24 Arizona State (5-2, 3-1) – 7:00 ESPN2
Line: ASU -7.5 

The injury bug won’t leave Tempe alone.

Arizona State played Utah without QB Sam Leavitt and managed just 10 points with backup Jeff Sims. Now, the Sun Devils face Houston without star WR Jordyn Tyson, who was already ruled out this week:

Tyson was crucial in the upset of Texas Tech, with 10 catches, 105 yards, and a TD, while gutting through a hamstring injury. They probably don’t win that game without him.

So can ASU beat a 6-1 Houston team without its top weapon? 

Houston’s run game is rolling after 232 yards against Arizona. QB Conner Weigman is a big part of that ground attack, and ASU already struggled to contain Utah QB Devon Dampier’s legs.

Another injury worth noting: ASU pass rusher Prince Dorbah is doubtful. He’s been a game-changer at times this season.

ASU needs this one to stay alive in both the playoff and Big 12 title race. Houston does too—and a road upset here would command everyone’s respect.

Can Kansas Finally Snap “The Streak” at Sixteen?

K-State (3-4, 2-2) at Kansas (4-3, 2-2) – 11:00 TNT
Line: KU -2.5

The last time Kansas beat K-State in football, George W. Bush was still in office, Steve Jobs had just introduced the iPhone, and Netflix was still mailing DVDs. 

November 1, 2008, was a simpler time. 

“The Streak” has hung over KU football for 16 years. Head coach Lance Leipold resurrected a program that endured the worst decade of Power Four football ever played, but he hasn’t yet beaten the in-state rival.

The last two losses were gut punches. In 2023, KU LB Rich Miller dropped a would-be pick-six that could’ve sealed it. A muffed punt later sealed K-State’s 31-27 comeback win. Last year in Manhattan, the Wildcats needed a 51-yard field goal with 1:42 left to survive 29-27.

Now, KU gets another shot—at home, with a new stadium, and as a slight favorite for the first time since 2009. If not now, when?

Neither fan base is confident, and both teams have struggled in tight games.

K-State is 1-4 in one-score contests, with the lone win coming over FCS North Dakota. KU is 1-2 in such games, including close losses to Missouri and Cincinnati.

Kansas has one of the nation’s worst run defenses, particularly against explosive plays. That’s good news for K-State—except RB Dylan Edwards remains out.

Without Edwards, K-State’s backfield lacks big-play punch, leaving QB Avery Johnson to shoulder that role.

Rain is in the forecast, which could dampen the energy, but it also brings back bad memories for Wildcat fans of sloppy weather losses to Iowa State and Houston over the last few seasons.

Week Nine Power Rankings

1. BYU (LW: 4)
2. Texas Tech (LW: 1)
3. Cincinnati (LW: 3)
4. Arizona State (LW: 7)
5. Houston (LW: 9)
6. Utah (LW: 2)
7. TCU (LW: 9)
8. Iowa State (LW: 6)
9. Baylor  (LW: 5)
10. Kansas (LW: 11)
11. Arizona (LW: 10)
12. K-State (LW: 12)
13. Colorado (LW: 13)
14. UCF (LW: 14)
15. Oklahoma State (LW: 16)
16. West Virginia (LW: 15)

• BYU’s win over Utah legitimizes its résumé enough to claim the top spot, even if the Cougars’ ceiling might not match Texas Tech’s.

• I know Arizona State just beat Tech, but the Red Raiders have the stronger overall résumé. ASU’s blowout loss at Utah still weighs heavily, regardless of who played quarterback.

• The middle of the pack continues to be incredibly hard to sort through. Right now, I have more trust in the floor of Utah, so I’ll keep the Utes above TCU, Iowa State, and Baylor.

• And congratulations to Oklahoma State for climbing out of 16th place. The Cowboys showed real fight against Cincinnati.

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