It was a wild day yesterday in college football, with multiple reports indicating Bill Belichick might already be on his way out at North Carolina. I’m going to show you two ways that ties directly to the Big 12.

Plus, it’s a monster week of games across the conference. Let’s get to it.

Here are the five most intriguing storylines:

Week Seven Primer

I’ll be previewing every week of the Big 12 season by giving you the top five things to watch for. Here’s what you need to know about week seven.

All times listed are Central Time (CST)

The Big 12 Broke Bill Belichick 

I’m breaking format a bit here to talk about how the Big 12 ruined the greatest coach in NFL history.

Multiple reports this week suggest Bill Belichick could be done at North Carolina sooner rather than later. The stories describe a chaotic scene in Chapel Hill, with assistant coaches already contacting playoff contenders about postseason jobs and potential recruiting and practice violations looming.

He’s only coached five games. Three were losses. And two of those came to Big 12 teams by a combined 59 points. So, yes, things have fallen apart largely because a six-time Super Bowl champion head coach got his brains beaten in by TCU and UCF.

The TCU game was particularly damning. Nearly every ESPN football personality was involved in the coverage, Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, Roy Williams, and Mia Hamm were all in attendance, and 6.6 million people tuned in.

And TCU obliterated them.

Basically, I’m saying it all means Sonny Dykes would have won at least eight Super Bowls with Tom Brady.

Yes, North Carolina and Belichick released a joint statement late Wednesday after the reports, but no one’s buying that as evidence of a long-term partnership.

In all seriousness, this should make you appreciate Colorado head coach Deion Sanders even more. The Belichick era (can you call it that?) at UNC is what many expected the Coach Prime era in Boulder to look like.

Instead, Deion has delivered a nine-win season, a bowl berth, and a Heisman Trophy winner. And before you tell me Travis Hunter would’ve won it anyway, he doesn’t win the Heisman on a two-win North Carolina team. Deion built enough infrastructure to make it possible.

I hope the Deion haters are keeping that same energy for Belichick’s Jordon Hudson-fronted circus.

Who’s Number Two?

#21 Arizona State (4-1, 2-0) at Utah (4-1, 1-1) – 9:15 ESPN
Line: Utah -5.5

Texas Tech remains the heavy favorite to win the Big 12. DraftKings lists the Red Raiders at -120 odds to win the league. Only Miami has shorter odds to win its conference.

Behind them are Arizona State and Utah, who face off this week in a game that should determine the top challenger to Tech.

The storylines are similar. Both teams fell out of the title conversation early—ASU after a loss to Mississippi State, Utah after losing to Tech—but they have combined to go 3-0 since.

The matchups are fascinating. Utah needs to run the ball, but ASU owns the Big 12’s second-best rush defense (78 yards per game). The Utes’ offensive line features two projected top-20 draft picks and usually controls the trenches.

ASU relies heavily on future first-round WR Jordyn Tyson, and Utah has a stingy pass defense that is aggressive above all else. The Utes play more man coverage than anybody in the country per Pro Football Focus, which could leave them susceptible to big plays from Tyson and scrambles from Leavitt. Tyson has the best PFF grade against man coverage of any receiver in the country. 

Rain is expected, and Sun Devils’ head coach Kenny Dillingham is pulling out all the stops to prepare.

Believe it or not, Utah has yet to win a Big 12 home game since joining the conference. It’s an embarrassing stat for a proud program with a rich recent history. Will the streak continue?

Arizona State has Texas Tech, Houston, and Iowa State after the trip to Salt Lake City, so the Sun Devils could slide out of the title picture quickly if they don’t win this one. 

The Rubber Meets the Road for BYU

#18 BYU (5-0, 2-0) at Arizona (4-1, 1-1) – 7:00 ESPN2
Line: BYU -2.5

Arizona missed its first big chance to prove itself two weeks ago with a 39–14 loss at Iowa State.

After rebounding with a four-touchdown win over Oklahoma State, the Wildcats get another shot with 18th-ranked BYU coming to town.

The Cougars are 5–0 but mostly untested. Only one win is over a team with a winning record (East Carolina), and BYU looked sloppy against a banged-up West Virginia squad last week. Injuries are also piling up, particularly among the linebackers. Backup RB Enoch Nawahine got dinged up last week, too.

This is where the rubber meets the road for BYU. This is the first game of a stretch of games that some say may be the toughest stretch in program history. Utah, Texas Tech, Iowa State, TCU, and Cincinnati are all on deck. 

If the offense continues to stay explosive while cutting down on the turnovers, the Cougars can make noise over the next month and a half. BYU had completions of 47, 54, and 85 yards against West Virginia—all of which were longer than any pass completion they had in the first four games of the season.

Arizona, though, hasn’t allowed a passing touchdown all season. Something’s gotta give.

New Look Texas Tech

Kansas (4-2, 2-1) at #9 Texas Tech (5-0, 2-0) – 6:30 Fox
Line: TTU -14.5

No, not on the field. I’m talking about the logo.

For those not terminally online (I envy you), Big 12 fans spent the week debating the program’s new Double T logo.

This is how you know your football program is absolutely rolling. The conversation the week leading up to a primetime conference home game on Fox hasn’t been about slowing down Kansas QB Jalon Daniels. Instead, it’s all about bevels.  

Kansas isn’t far from being 6-0; they led both Missouri and Cincinnati late in the fourth quarter before falling. They have an offense capable of testing Tech’s elite defense.

The Jayhawks rank 8th nationally in dropback success rate. Tech ranks 8th in defensive dropback success rate, with PFF’s top-graded defensive backfield in the nation. 

Oddly enough, Daniels has never actually played Tech during the course of his six-year college career because of injuries and scheduling quirks. He’s currently 13th in the country in passing yards and leads the Jayhawks in carries. 

The Red Raiders did an excellent job against mobile Utah QB Devon Dampier, holding him to just 27 yards on 11 rushes, but Daniels is a far more accomplished passer than Dampier. 

We’ll see if the conversation in Lubbock Saturday night shifts from logos to football.

Will Colorado Finally Get Over the Hump?

#22 Iowa State (5-1, 2-1) at Colorado (2-4, 0-3) – 2:30 ESPN
Line: ISU -2.5

Colorado has played a near carbon copy of the same game against TCU, BYU, and Georgia Tech, all three of whom are either ranked or receiving votes. 

The Buffaloes jump out to an early lead, relinquish it, come back, and fall short at the end, typically in excruciating fashion. 

At 2-4 with adversity mounting, including more health issues for head coach Deion Sanders, you might think the Buffs would be heavy underdogs with #22 Iowa State coming to town this weekend. 

Think again. The Cylcones are only 2.5-point favorites. Aka Vegas expects another painful close call for Colorado. 

Speaking of painful, it’s been a brutal last week for Iowa State. Not only were the Cyclones handled at Cincinnati for their first loss of the season, but the injuries are piling up. 

CB Jontez Williams became the second starting corner lost for the season last week, starting RB Carson Hansen missed the second half of the Cincinnati game with a concussion, and even QB Rocco Becht was in the medical tent for a second straight game. 

The Cyclones need to respond after getting punched in the mouth last week. With a bye coming up, a win would go a long way toward healing and momentum.

If Colorado’s going to steal this one, QB Kaidon Salter has to play cleaner. Four interceptions and five sacks in the last two weeks won’t cut it.

Week Seven Power Rankings

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

• Arizona State moves into second with Cincinnati just behind them after the Bearcats thoroughly handled Iowa State.

• The hardest group to decipher this week was Iowa State, BYU, and TCU. I gave the nod to the Cyclones simply because I think they’re the most complete of those three teams. It’s not really based on resume; it’s based on my eye test. TCU probably has the best resume of the three, but I don’t trust the Frogs as much as I do the Cyclones. 

• Arizona has an argument to jump Kansas and Houston, but again, this is another eye test decision. The Wildcats get their chance to prove me wrong this week with BYU coming to town.

What You Need to Know

• On3’s Pete Nakos reports that K-State RB Dylan Edwards isn’t expected to take a redshirt season with the Wildcats struggling. He has played in four games this year, so playing Saturday would eliminate the possibility of using a redshirt season. He’s listed as questionable on the official injury report.

• Colorado head coach Deion Sanders was back at practice with the Buffaloes yesterday after having another surgery this week to help with blood flow in his foot. 

• Front Office Sports reports that Fox and ABC will now air ads from Texas Tech megabooster Cody Campbell criticizing conference commissioners after Campbell modified them. Last week, they refused to air the ads after Campbell had already paid for them. 

• The best soundbite of the week in the Big 12 is right here. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier will make you crack a smile with this one.

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