Utah still No. 1, while Colorado drops

A humbling loss at Nebraska last week led to Colorado taking a dip in the latest Big 12 Power Rankings.

Meanwhile, uncertainty about the health of Utah star quarterback Cam Rising wasn’t enough to sway voters in the Week 2 rankings.

CU fell four spots to No. 13 after a 28-10 loss at Nebraska, while Utah tightened its grip on the top spot, receiving 12 of a possible 16 first-place votes from a panel of media that regularly covers the Big 12. The first-place total was an increase from the seven Utah received after the opening week of the season.

Oklahoma State received two first-place votes, while Kansas State and Iowa State each received one.

Iowa State and Arizona State tied for the biggest jumps in this week’s rankings, with the Cyclones climbing from seventh to fourth and the Sun Devils moving up from 11th to eighth.

Kansas tumbled from fourth to ninth after a loss to Illinois.

1. Utah

Previous ranking: 1

Points: 250 (12 first-place votes)

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Baylor, 23-12

This week: at Utah State

Comment: Utah’s worst fear came true on Saturday. Cam Rising suffered an injury to his right hand after being shoved into the water coolers on Baylor’s sideline by an ensuing defender. It’s unclear how bad his injury is or how long he’ll be out, but the Utes offense looked sluggish without him.

Did you know? Without Cam Rising, Utah’s offense ranked second to last in the Pac-12 in total offense a season ago, just ahead of a 3-9 Arizona State. — Jason Batacao, The Salt Lake Tribune

2. Oklahoma State

Previous ranking: 2

Points: 230 (two first-place votes)

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Arkansas, 39-31 in double overtime

This week: at Tulsa

Comment: Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is considering making schematic changes to his defense following what appears to be a season-ending injury to edge Collin Oliver. D-II transfer Obi Ezeigbo should start in his place unless OSU eliminates the position since that move was made primarily to capitalize on Oliver’s talents.

Did you know? Oklahoma State safety Trey Rucker leads the nation in total tackles (32), and he’s not getting them cheaply since he also leads in solo tackles (20). — Tyler Waldrep, Tulsa World

3. Kansas State

Previous ranking: 3

Points: 226 (one first-place vote)

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Tulane, 34-27

This week: vs. No. 20 Arizona (Friday)

Comment: The Wildcats lost two starting offensive linemen to injury during their win over Tulane and their status as of Monday is unclear. While the two backups performed well in their stead, the Wildcats already have had trouble finding consistency on offense through two games, and losing two of their most experienced linemen won’t help matters, especially versus a talented and disruptive Arizona defensive line.

Did you know? For the first time since 2014, Bill Snyder Family Stadium will play host to a top-20 matchup as No. 14 K-State and No. 20 Arizona square off on Friday. — Tim Everson, The Manhattan Mercury

4. Iowa State

Previous ranking: 7

Points: 207 (one first-place vote)

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Iowa, 20-19

This week: Open date

Iowa State place kicker Kyle Konrardy (97) celebrates with teammate Tyler Miller (66) after kicking a 54-yard field goal during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa State won 20-19. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Comment: The Cyclones supplanted their intrastate foe, Iowa, at No. 21 in the AP rankings. Iowa State hadn’t been ranked since the 2021 season — and outscored the then-No. 21 Hawkeyes, 20-6, in the second half last week in a 20-19 win at Kinnick Stadium.

Did you know? Cyclone receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel have each caught two touchdown passes this season — one each in two games. — Rob Gray, The Cedar Rapids Gazette

5. Arizona

Previous ranking: 5

Points: 185

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Northern Arizona 22-10

This week: vs. No. 14 Kansas State (Friday)

Comment: A week after one of the best offensive performances in school history and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan setting a program-record 304 receiving yards and four touchdowns, the Wildcats only had 371 yards of total offense against FCS Northern Arizona. But, they allowed just 10 points after giving up 39 to New Mexico. The Wildcats haven’t had a complete game yet — and it doesn’t get any easier with a battle against No. 14 Kansas State coming up on Friday in Manhattan, which is a nonconference game because the home-and-home series with KSU, the other Wildcats in the Big 12, was scheduled in 2016.

Did you know? Last week, Arizona didn’t have a third-down conversion in a game for the first time since 2003. Arizona’s matchup with Kansas State will be the first battle between both schools since 1978. Arizona is 7-1-1 all-time against teams that have Wildcats as its mascot. — Justin Spears, Arizona Daily Star

6. UCF

Previous ranking: 6

Points: 171

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Sam Houston, 45-14

This week: at TCU

Comment: Running back RJ Harvey continued his strong start to the season by rushing for 126 yards and scoring a career-high 4 touchdowns. The Knights jumped out to an early 17-0 lead before cruising to a 31-point victory. UCF’s defense registered two more takeaways in limiting the Bearkats to 286 yards.

Did you know? UCF has had 11 rushing touchdowns through the first two games, with Harvey having six scores. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

7. TCU

Previous ranking: 8

Points: 143

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Long Island, 45-0

This week: vs. UCF

Comment: TCU’s win was never in doubt, but it walked away from the FCS win with questions about the offensive line. That line will face a big test as the Horned Frogs enter Big 12 conference play this week.

Did you know? TCU’s win over LIU was the first shutout of an opponent since the Horned Frogs beat Kansas 43-0 in 2017. — Jamie Plunkett, Horned Frog Blitz

8. Arizona State

Previous ranking: 11

Points: 142

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Mississippi State, 30-23

This week: at Texas State (Thursday)

Comment: The Sun Devils led 30-3 and then had to hang on for the win. Cam Skattebo rushed for 262 yards on 33 carries and caught three passes for 35 yards. That rushing total was the second-highest single game total in school history behind only the 312 of Eno Benjamin against Oregon State in 2018.

Did you know? This marked the first win for ASU against an SEC school. Not that there have been many tries as ASU went into the game 0-5. ASU has defeated some schools currently in the SEC such as Missouri but those were not in the conference when the teams played. — Michelle Gardner, Arizona Republic

9. Kansas

Previous ranking: 4

Points: 134

Record: 1-1

Last week: lost to Illinois, 23-17

This week: vs. UNLV (Friday)

Comment: As head coach Lance Leipold pointed out after the Jayhawks fell flat at Illinois, it’s a long season and all of KU’s goals are still well within reach despite the early defeat. Jalon Daniels and the offense, though, will need to look dramatically better to get the Jayhawks into the Big 12 title conversation.

Did you know? This week’s game against UNLV marks the first time the KU program has ever met a bowl opponent for a rematch the very next year. — Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World

T10. BYU

Previous ranking: 13

Points: 111

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat SMU, 18-15

This week: at Wyoming

Comment: It wasn’t a work of art, but BYU did enough to steal a win in Dallas. As an 11-point underdog, the Cougars held SMU to five field goals in its best defensive performance in a year. The offense looked dreadful most of the night, but a late Miles Davis run set up the game-winning field goal.

Did you know? BYU hadn’t won a road game since Sept. 16, 2023, against Arkansas. This win snapped a five-game road skid. — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune

T10. West Virginia

Previous ranking: 10

Points: 111

Record: 1-1

Last week: beat Albany, 49-14

This week: at Pitt

Comment: WVU looked as dominant as it should have against an FCS opponent, although the pass defense was shaky at times. Now all attention turns to the 107th Backyard Brawl. Winning the Brawl would be the perfect momentum builder for the Mountaineers to head into conference play.

Did you know? The 1921 Backyard Brawl was the first college football game broadcast on the radio, called by Harold W. Arlin on KDKA. — Cody Nespor, The Dominion Post

12. Baylor

Previous ranking: 12

Points: 74

Record: 1-1

Last week: lost at No. 11 Utah, 23-12

This week: vs. Air Force

Comment: Baylor’s offense struggled in the non-conference game at Utah, finishing with 223 yards, fewer than any game last season when the Bears won just three games. One positive? Punter Palmer Williams had the best game in school history with six punts for an average of 62.7 yards, including a career long 79-yard kick. Williams leads the country with an average of 57.9 yards per punt.

Did you know? The only other time Baylor and Air Force met was in the 2022 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, when the temperature at kickoff was a balmy 13 degrees. — Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald

13. Colorado

Previous ranking: 9

Points: 73

Record: 1-1

Last week: lost at Nebraska, 28-10

This week: at Colorado State

Comment: CU folded under the bright lights and electric atmosphere in Lincoln last week, particularly on offense. The Buffs’ defense has shown significant improvement over last year, however, and shut out the Cornhuskers in the second half. If they can continue to play that way on defense and get the offense going again, they can get back on track this week.

Did you know? Dating back to the 2023 finale, Travis Hunter has had three consecutive 100-yard receiving games. He’s the first CU receiver to do that since Charles Johnson in 1993. — Brian Howell, Boulder Daily Camera

14. Texas Tech

Previous ranking: 14

Points: 50

Last week: lost at Washington State, 37-16

This week: vs. North Texas

Comment: Little the Red Raiders have shown in the first two weeks sparks confidence. If it’s not an awful defensive performance against an FCS team, it’s an offense that can’t generate plays further than two yards beyond the line of scrimmage until garbage time. Time for Joey McGuire to rethink plenty, especially what the team does to prepare for a season.

Did you know? Texas Tech last won its first true road game of the season in 2018, a streak that continues now with the loss to Washington State. — Nathan Giese, Avalanche-Journal

15. Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 15

Points: 44

Record: 1-1

Last week: lost to Pitt, 28-27

This week: at Miami (Ohio)

Comment: Much like their first week, the Bearcats held a commanding lead then let it squander. They led 21-3 vs. Towson and eventually won 38-20 pulling off the gas. Against Pitt, Cincinnati’s lead was 27-6 with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter. Suddenly their offense under Brendan Sorsby sputtered and Alabama transfer Eli Holstein got hot for Pitt leading them on four consecutive scoring drives. Sorsby threw for three touchdowns tying a career-high and Corey Kiner ran for 149 yards, but the Bearcats couldn’t finish and Ben Sauls was able to kick a third field goal to silence the stunned crowd at Nippert Stadium.

Did you know? Cincinnati’s trip to Oxford on Saturday for the Miami RedHawks could be their last. Miami snapped a 16-game skid in the Victory Bell series last season in overtime at Nippert winning 31-24. They then opted out of returning to Nippert in 2025 and the next scheduled meeting will be at Paycor Stadium in 2026 the home of the Cincinnati Bengals. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer

16. Houston

Previous ranking: 16

Points: 25

Record: 0-2

Last week: lost at No. 15 Oklahoma, 16-12

This week: vs. Rice

Comment: Coach Willie Fritz said the Cougars took a “big step forward” after a near road upset against No. 15 Oklahoma. Quarterback Donovan Smith completed 86% of his passes (24-of-28) and Houston’s defense held the Sooners scoreless in the second half. That Houston — not the one that struggled in a 27-7 loss to UNLV in the season opener — could make some noise in the Big 12. For now, the Cougars seek to avoid just the program’s third 0-3 start since the turn of the century.

Did you know? This weekend’s Bayou Bucket rivalry game against Rice features schools separated by 4.6 miles, the shortest distance between FBS programs in the country. The rivalry could become a casualty of conference realignment with no scheduled meetings after 2025. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

Utah still No. 1, while Colorado drops – Boulder Daily Camera

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