We’ve made it. Big 12 football is back.

Two games kick off Saturday with the nation watching. That also means the return of the Yormark Rating scale for previews and my Big 12 power rankings.

Let’s dive in.

Week Zero Primer

I’ll be previewing games every week based on a scale of one to five Yormarks. Five Yormarks is the most entertaining and enticing game possible, while one Yormark is a snooze-fest. 

Here’s your week six primer! All times listed are Central Time (CST)

Pick positions—not single players—in this fresh twist on COLLEGE fantasy football. Draft a team of entire positions groups, including Quarterbacks, Rushing, Receiving, Defense/ST, and Kicking at PositionPicks.com.

5 Yormarks

#22 Iowa State vs. #17 K-State – 11:00 a.m. ESPN
K-State -3 (O/U 51)

The season starts with a heavyweight clash that could end up being the Big 12 game of the year. Coaches in Brett McMurphy’s unofficial preseason poll tabbed these two for a Big 12 championship matchup.

Last year, five million tuned in for Florida State–Georgia Tech in Ireland, the most-watched cable game of the season. Saturday is that kind of springboard opportunity for both teams.

Win, and you’re in the playoff discussion for weeks. Lose, and you’re off the national radar before September even starts.

For K-State, the stakes are personal. After dominating Farmageddon with 11 wins in 12 games, the Wildcats have dropped four of the last five to Matt Campbell’s Cyclones. Chris Klieman badly needs to flip that script.

The Wildcats are explosive with Avery Johnson, Dylan Edwards, and Jayce Brown, who torched Iowa State last year, but can they move the chains consistently without DJ Giddens and new pieces on the offensive line? That was an issue last year already. 

Iowa State QB Rocco Becht is one of the Big 12’s best, but without NFL wideouts Jaylin Noel and Jaden Higgins, he has to prove he can be efficient. He completed just 59% of his passes last season and was prone to turnover-worthy plays, even with elite targets.

The good news for Becht? K-State’s secondary is almost entirely unproven outside All-Big 12 safety VJ Payne. Two new corners, a true freshman safety in Logan Bartley, and an injured Arizona transfer, Gunner Maldonado (status still shaky), leave plenty of question marks.

4 Yormarks

None

3 Yormarks

Fresno State at Kansas – 5:30 p.m. Fox
Kansas -13 (O/U 50.5)

Smart move by Kansas scheduling this for Week Zero. It puts their stadium renovations on display to a national Fox audience.

Jalon Daniels returns, but the Jayhawks must replace star RB Devin Neal and a whole stable of receivers. On defense, both All-Big 12 corners Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson are gone.

Kansas hit the portal hard with over 40 newcomers. Alabama transfer WR Emmanuel Henderson has drawn buzz, but how quickly will it all mesh?

Fresno State arrives with first-year head coach Matt Entz, fresh off becoming the latest coach to win big at North Dakota State. This could be a tricky game if things take time to gel for the Jayhawks.

2 Yormarks

1 Yormark

None

Week Zero Power Rankings

1. Arizona State

2. Baylor

3. Iowa State

4. K-State

5. Texas Tech

6. TCU

7. Utah

8. Kansas

9. BYU

10. Colorado

11. Cincinnati

12. Houston

13. Oklahoma State

14. West Virginia

15. UCF

16. Arizona

• Arizona State stays on top after last year’s title and with 79% of production returning (per ESPN FPI). That number feels inflated considering Cam Skattebo was nearly 40% of the offense, but the Sun Devils still have fewer questions than anyone else.

• The 2–6 tier is razor thin. Baylor was a deflected Hail Mary from making the title game, and now pairs an elite offense with an improving defense. Tech has portal firepower, but a decade-plus of mediocrity means I need to see it before I buy in.

• BYU is the league’s biggest swing team. Early hype surrounds true freshman QB Bear Bachmeier, but the defense might be good enough to keep them in the top half regardless.

• Colorado and Houston are wildcards. Replacing Shedeur Sanders is a tall order, but JuJu Lewis and Kaidon Salter give the Buffs options. Houston’s season hinges on QB Conner Weigman staying healthy.

• As for West Virginia, Rich Rod 2.0 is intriguing long-term, but with nearly two-thirds of the roster turned over, expecting contention right away is unrealistic. A bowl trip would be a big win.

What You Need to Know

• UCF named FAU transfer Cam Fancher its starting QB for Week 1 against Jacksonville State.

• Three Big 12 coaches rank among BetOnline’s top 10 hot-seat candidates, and one name will shock you.

• A national analyst has the Big 12 sending a team to host a playoff game as a 7-seed.

• Memphis AD Ed Scotthad emotional words for the Big 12 after the league rejected the Tigers’ expansion pitch this summer.

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