Missed Opportunity in Morgantown

The Big 12 avoided major upsets in week one, which is a huge win. Losses to South Alabama, Rice, Miami (OH), Wyoming, Texas State, and Ohio were major black marks on the Big 12’s non-conference resume last year, and everybody playing lesser competition took care of business to kick off the 2024 season. 

That doesn’t mean there weren’t some tense moments (looking at you, Texas Tech), but nobody slipped up, even with a schedule that included FCS powers in South Dakota State and North Dakota State. 

However, the opportunity cost of West Virginia getting outclassed at home by #8 Penn State is significant in the fight for Big 12 respect. In one of the league's precious few opportunities against a big boy from the Big Ten or SEC, the Nittany Lions controlled the game from start to finish. 

Big 12 coaches were unified in their message at Big 12 Media Days: The only way the league can gain more national recognition is by beating SEC and Big Ten teams on a big stage, and the stage was set on Saturday. 

ESPN brought the Pat McAfee show to Morgantown on Friday, and Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff was there on Saturday. But the game didn’t deliver.

The outcome never really felt in doubt for Penn State, which got an outstanding performance from much-maligned quarterback Drew Allar in his first game with former Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. 

The Mountaineers, meanwhile, were sloppy and inefficient. 

Garrett Greene struggled to showcase his big-play ability, and West Virginia’s talented backfield managed just 2.3 yards per carry. It felt like the lights were too bright for the Mountaineers, which was surprising and disappointing. 

By no means is the season over for WVU. A Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff berth are still entirely possible, even if that felt miles away on Saturday.

But the Big 12 can’t get that opportunity against a major Power Two brand back. Oklahoma State will host Arkansas this week, and Iowa State will go to Iowa, but neither program commands the level of respect that Penn State does. 

The next best chance for the league to earn respect on paper going into the year was UCF’s trip to The Swamp to play Florida in early October. Unfortunately, Billy Napier and the Gators aren’t cooperating. Nobody will think much of a win over Florida after their dreadful home loss to Miami that made Napier a dead man walking.

It makes the road to getting two teams into the playoff more challenging, and it does nothing to combat the national narrative that the Big 12 (and ACC, for that matter) isn’t ready to compete with the Big Ten and SEC. 

I’m not saying it’s fair, but it is the harsh reality. 

The next opportunity the league will have to make a real dent in the narrative will come in the College Football Playoff, and it might once again put all of the pressure squarely on the shoulders of one Big 12 team. 

Hopefully, that will go better than it did on Saturday.

Week One: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

Oklahoma State and Utah

When combining preseason expectations with week one performance, Oklahoma State and Utah look like the class of the league so far. 

The Cowboys got a stiff test from back-to-back FCS champion South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits entered Stillwater having won 29 straight games, but Mike Gundy’s squad put together a businesslike performance from start to finish. 

Alan Bowman threw for 267 yards and three scores, and Ollie Gordon did Ollie Gordon things with 144 total yards and three TDs. 

While the defense did give up six 20-plus-yard plays, it was a very solid effort overall. It is certainly a far cry from the Cowboys’ non-conference struggles last year. 

Utah QB Cam Rising showed zero rust after a 600+ day gap between games, leading Utah to touchdowns on the first five drives of their win over Southern Utah. 

Rising’s five touchdown passes were a career-high, and star tight end Brant Kuithe, who also missed the 2023 season, was on the receiving end of three of them. 

Say what you will about the level of competition, but seeing Rising and Kuithe pick up right where they left off is a great sign for the Utes Big 12 title hopes. 

Big 12 Wide Receivers

For all of the talk about great running back play in the Big 12, there might be more top-end talent at wide receiver. 

On Thursday, Travis Hunter kicked off the weekend by putting on an absolute show against North Dakota State. He hauled in seven catches for 132 yards and three scores, including an absurd grab that showcased some of the best hands you’ll ever see. 

Not to be outdone, All-American Tetairoa McMillan set the Arizona single-game receiving record with 304 yards and four touchdowns on ten catches in a 61-39 win over New Mexico. He was only 11 yards away from breaking the Big 12 single-game record in Arizona’s first game as a member of the conference. 

Iowa State’s Jaylin Noel deserves a shoutout here, too. He registered eight catches for 135 yards and a touchdown, none more impressive than this one that rivals Hunter’s end zone heroics. 

The Bottom of the League

Arizona State, BYU, Baylor, and Cincinnati made a strong statement on Saturday that they won’t finish in the basement of the Big 12 in 2024. 

Message received. 

Arizona State demolished Wyoming 48-7 Saturday night in the desert, which may seem mundane on the surface. But the Sun Devils didn’t win a game by more than 11 points in year one under Kenny Dillingham. 

Drilling a Wyoming team coming off of three straight bowl appearances is a legitimate step forward for the Sun Devils’ program right now.

Early returns suggest that BYU and Cincinnati have made significant upgrades at quarterback. 

The Cougars went with returner Jake Retzlaff over transfer Gerry Bohanon, and Retzlaff delivered with 348 yards and three TDs. BYU as a team eclipsed the 500-yard mark for the first time since 2022, making Saturday the best game for their offense since joining the Big 12. 

In his debut for Scott Satterfield and Cincinnati, Indiana transfer Brendan Soresby racked up nearly 400 yards passing and four total touchdowns in a 38-20 win over Townson. 

If he continues to play like that, the Bearcats have a real chance to start the season 4-0. 

Baylor showcased a new-look offense and a bevy of transfers while cruising to a 45-3 win over Tarleton State. It was a mixed bag for high-profile transfer QB Dequan Finn in his Bears debut, but he and the offense delivered plenty of highlights.

The Bad

The Texas Tech and Arizona Defenses 

Texas Tech survived a massive scare from Abilene Christian, winning 52-51 in overtime. A huge day from QB Behren Morton was overshadowed by 506 passing yards from former Red Raider QB Maverick McIvor. 

Tech was out-gained 615-539 and let an 18-point lead slip away before rallying to pull the game out of the fire. 

It’s fair to point out that seven Abilene Christian starters were former Red Raiders who were highly motivated to play this game, and Tech was dealing with injuries on defense. 

And at the end of the day, the Red Raiders did win the game, unlike last year’s opener when they blew a 17-point lead at Wyoming before losing in double overtime. 

However, things get tougher next week when Texas Tech travels to Washington State, and head coach Joey McGuire delivered more bad injury news on Monday. 

It’s already gut-check time for the Red Raiders in week two.

Arizona stars Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan dazzled in week one, and it’s a good thing they did because the Wildcats needed it on a night when their defense allowed nearly 500 yards of offense and 39 points to New Mexico. 

The run defense was particularly suspect, allowing 211 yards and 5.6 yards per carry. The Wildcats struggled to corral Lobos QB Devon Dampier, who rushed for 130 yards and two scores. 

The Wildcats shouldn’t have a problem with Northern Arizona this week, but they’re less than two weeks away from seeing one of the best running quarterbacks in the country in K-State’s Avery Johnson. 

Houston in General

I’m still a big believer in Houston head coach Willie Fritz, but it’s clear that he has a long way to go to turn around the Cougars’ program after their 27-7 loss to UNLV.

“I didn’t see much good out there,” Fritz said.

Perhaps the most startling aspect of the loss was the Rebels' dominance in the trenches. They rushed for 195 yards and racked up six sacks and ten tackles for loss on defense. 

On a day when the other teams at the bottom of the Big 12 preseason poll turned heads with encouraging performances, this one stings even more for the Cougars.

Officiating in the West Virginia-Penn State Game

In no way am I suggesting that bad officiating cost West Virginia the game on Saturday. Penn State was dominant and would have won comfortably either way. 

But I can definitely understand some frustration from Mountaineer fans with how the game was officiated. 

The most back-breaking sequence of the game came right before halftime when the Nittany Lions drove 73 yards in 26 seconds to double their lead. 

Not only did Penn State wide receiver Omari Evans get away with offensive pass interference on a 55-yard reception, but there was no review on the ensuing touchdown pass to Harrison Wallace III. WVU head coach Neal Brown thought the ball was moving after reviewing the tape at halftime. 

“The touchdown at the end of the first half, the ball looked like it was moving, and it never went to replay,” Brown said. “So why do we have it? I don’t understand how we have it if it never goes [to replay.”

It also appeared that Penn State QB Beau Pribula fumbled at one point in the first half, but after a review, the call went the way of the Nittany Lions.

It was par for the course on a day when very little went right for the Mountaineers. 

The Ugly

West Virginia Fan Experience 

Speaking of that, I really feel for West Virginia fans. 

The way the game played out gave the Mountaineers precious few moments to remember. It was not a particularly exciting or aesthetically pleasing game, and Penn State took control early and never let go. 

A two-hour weather delay added insult to injury. Those always kill the buzz of the moment and send some of the crowd heading home early. 

Instead of the night game we deserved, we got an 11:00 a.m. kickoff with a two-hour weather delay. That’s a brutal way to neuter a special atmosphere. 

North Dakota’s Punt

Iowa State’s 21-3 win over North Dakota was pretty ho-hum, but the game did produce two of the wildest highlights you’ll ever see. 

The first was Jaylin Noel’s insane catch you saw earlier, but how about this wild punt from the Fighting Hawks?

It’s hard to get luckier than North Dakota punter Luke Silvernale got here, and it turned into the highlight of the day for the Fighting Hawks.

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Peeking Ahead to Week Two

Here are the early betting lines for week two in college football. It’s a fascinating week in the Big 12 with a plethora of Power Four tests across the conference, including a handful of rivalry games. 

Colorado is a seven-point road underdog at Nebraska, who appears to have found a star quarterback in freshman Dylan Raiola. 

You always know you’ll get a rock fight out of Iowa State and Iowa, and the Cyclones will try to beat their rival for just the second time in the Matt Campbell era. 

Texas Tech, Kansas, and K-State all face interesting road tests, and Oklahoma State can deliver a win over an SEC foe for the league. 

More on that later in the week.

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