Big 12 Power Rankings: Quiet first week yields little movement
College Football has finally begun in earnest, with a slew of Week 1 games giving us our first glimpse at who the contenders and the pretenders might be in 2022 and allowing us to adjust our Big 12 power rankings accordingly.
Now that we have some real football games to go off of it’s time to dig in.
The Big 12 didn’t have many quality matchups this week outside of West Virginia‘s half of the Backyard Brawl, so there wasn’t any real movement in the post-Week 1 edition. Still, it’s worth taking a look at what we learned.
CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel
Today we update the Big 12 Power Rankings following Week 1 games.
Big 12 Power Rankings 2022 – Week 1
Chalk up a comfortable first win for Brent Venables with the Sooners. Oklahoma opened up a big early lead on UTEP and never really looked back, notching a turnover-free performance as UCF quarterback transfer Dillon Gabriel settled in and former Tennessee running back transfer Eric Gray took the mantle as the starter.
Texas cruised in a 52-10 win over UL-Monroe in its opener. Quarterback Quinn Ewers wasn’t perfect but had some highlights in the big win, while running back Bijan Robinson turned in 111 yards of total offense and a pair of scores. It was a solid start for Steve Sarkisian entering Year 2.
In another game that was unlikely to tell us much, Baylor beat Albany 69-10. The Bears spread the rock around on offense, with seven players receiving multiple carries out of the backfield and five players racking up multiple receptions. Albany totaled just 237 yards of offense.
The Cowboys were firing on all cylinders offensively in the passing game behind 406 yards passing and six total touchdowns from quarterback Spencer Sanders. But Oklahoma State didn’t close well thanks to issues running the ball in the second half and adjustment to the loss of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, and Central Michigan fought back from a 51-15 deficit to make the final score 58-44.
Running back Deuce Vaughn paved the way for an easy 34-0 win over South Dakota with a 126-yard rushing performance that included one score. Three other players added rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Adrian Martinez wasn’t asked to do much, finishing with just 53 yards passing on 15 attempts. While the Wildcats need to finish better, a shutout in the opener is always a positive.
The Mountaineers played by far the most interesting game in the conference this week, narrowly falling to Pittsburgh despite a strong showing. It may have been one of the most impressive performances, too. If not for an untimely dropped pass by Bryce Ford-Wheaton in the fourth quarter that led to a pick-six, West Virginia may have won. Georgia quarterback transfer JT Daniels was fairly good in his debut, and the Mountaineers certainly have some weapons in Ford-Wheaton and huge freshman running back CJ Donaldson.
Another ho-hum performance against an overmatched opponent, Iowa State knocked off Southeast Missouri State 42-10. Quarterback Hunter Dekkers threw four touchdown passes, three to receiver Xavier Hutchinson as the Cyclones rolled. Next week’s road matchup against Iowa should give us a better idea whether to expect a real bounce-back year for the Cyclones after 2021’s disappointing 7-6 finish.
Starting quarterback Tyler Shough was injured and could miss time for the Red Raiders, but backup Donovan Smith came in and didn’t miss a beat, going 14-of-16 passing for 221 yards and four touchdowns. Loic Fouonji and Jerand Bradley each topped 100 yards receiving as Texas Tech downed Murray State 63-10.
The only team in the conference other than West Virginia to face an FBS opponent, TCU turned things on after halftime following a sluggish start in a 38-13 win over Colorado. Electric return man Derius Davis broke things open after a tight first quarter, scoring on a 60-yard punt return in the second quarter. From there, Davis (who also scored on a 27-yard touchdown run) and the Horned Frogs outscored the Buffaloes 31-7 in the second half. The Horned Frogs could move up the Big 12 Power Rankings later in the month when games at SMU and against Oklahoma come up on the schedule.
The Jayhawks got off to a great start with a big win over Tennessee Tech, topping the Golden Eagles 56-10 and cruising from start to finish. Quarterback Jalon Daniels threw for 189 yards and a touchdown, while running back Devin Neal rushed for 108 yards and two scores on just four carries. Kansas will travel to West Virginia in Week 2 and to Houston in Week 3, so the road gets tougher quickly.
Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Preseason Big 12 Power Rankings here!