5 Things: What We Learned From Week Two in the Big 12

5. Oklahoma State Survives

Oklahoma State beat the Arkansas Razorbacks in Stillwater, but let’s be clear: the Cowboys were incredibly fortunate to win, and they are now a very unconvincing 2-0. Arkansas carved up the Oklahoma State defense, gaining 648 yards, including 416 yards through the air and 232 on the ground. The Razorbacks had 33 first downs and outgained Oklahoma State by more than 250 yards! Just looking at the stats, Arkansas should have won this contest going away. A critical muffed punt by the Hogs gave Oklahoma State new life, and the Cowboys found a way to get the game to overtime before prevailing 39-31. They deserve credit for finding a way to win, but the defense is a concern, and the lack of running success for Ollie Gordon is a major red flag moving forward. Gordon ran the ball 17 times for only 49 yards (2.882 yards per carry) and had a long rush of just 12 yards. The same thing occurred in Week 1, and it is the beginning of a trend that would likely prevent Oklahoma State from contending for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. They don’t have much time to figure it out, as Tulsa is next before critical games with Utah and Kansas State.

Week 3: Oklahoma State (-20.5) vs. Tulsa

2. Sun Devils Starting Hot

The Arizona State Sun Devils have a formula, and head coach Kenny Dillingham has them at 2-0 in his second season. ASU wants to run the ball, control the time of possession, and dominate the ground game on both sides of the line of scrimmage. They dominated their season opener and then impressed for three quarters against Mississippi State before holding on for a 30-23 win. Arizona State led 30-10 before giving up 13 points in the final quarter. The Sun Devils had the ball for over 40 minutes of this game and ran for 346 yards to Mississippi State’s 24. Cam Skattebo had 33 carries for 262 yards, and quarterback Sam Leavitt added 68 yards with two touchdowns. That followed the same plan they did in Week 1 against Wyoming (48-7) and have something early in the season that most teams are still searching for - an identity. Arizona State does not have the passing game or roster depth to compete for the Big 12 title. Still, they look much better than anticipated, and now they have an interesting Thursday night game against Group of Five offensive darling Texas State.

Week 3: Arizona State (-1.5) vs. Texas State

3. Colorado's Long Night

Colorado still has a good quarterback, an athletic group of wide receivers, and a head coach that garners a lot of attention. After a 28-10 hammering at the hands of Nebraska on Saturday night, it is clear that Colorado also still has an allergy to running the ball, a mediocre defense, and an offensive line that can’t hold up against a pass rush. In short, not much has changed from 2023 for the Buffaloes, and they look unlikely to make a bowl game again. Colorado barely beat North Dakota State, and Nebraska dominated the Buffaloes in a game that felt much worse than 28-10. Nebraska was balanced, running the ball for 149 yards and passing for 185. The Buffaloes only managed 16 yards on the ground, and the Huskers dominated the time of possession as Colorado could not get them off the field. Travis Hunter is amazing, but it takes more than a couple of great individual talents to win, and Deion Sanders appears no closer to building a successful program than he was a season ago.

Week 3: Colorado (-7.5) vs. Colorado State

4. Iowa State Wins CyHawk Trophy

The annual rivalry game between the Iowa State Cyclones and Iowa Hawkeyes rarely disappoints. The game is typically not pretty to watch, but it is almost always highly competitive and dramatic, and the 2024 edition lived up to expectations. Iowa jumped out to the 13-0 halftime lead as the Cyclones struggled to do much of anything against the Hawkeyes defense. Things changed in the second half as Iowa State sold out against the run and bet that Cade McNamara and Iowa’s passing game could not hurt them. That bet was correct, and Iowa State stormed back and then kicked a 54-yard field goal with six seconds remaining to steal the 20-19 win. This was a gigantic victory for Matt Campbell and Iowa State as they improved to 2-0. With the struggles of other Big 12 teams and the unknown injury status of Cam Rising, the Cyclones have to be thinking that this could be a breakthrough season for them.

5. Oklahoma State Survives

Oklahoma State beat the Arkansas Razorbacks in Stillwater, but let’s be clear: the Cowboys were incredibly fortunate to win, and they are now a very unconvincing 2-0. Arkansas carved up the Oklahoma State defense, gaining 648 yards, including 416 yards through the air and 232 on the ground. The Razorbacks had 33 first downs and outgained Oklahoma State by more than 250 yards! Just looking at the stats, Arkansas should have won this contest going away. A critical muffed punt by the Hogs gave Oklahoma State new life, and the Cowboys found a way to get the game to overtime before prevailing 39-31. They deserve credit for finding a way to win, but the defense is a concern, and the lack of running success for Ollie Gordon is a major red flag moving forward. Gordon ran the ball 17 times for only 49 yards (2.882 yards per carry) and had a long rush of just 12 yards. The same thing occurred in Week 1, and it is the beginning of a trend that would likely prevent Oklahoma State from contending for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. They don’t have much time to figure it out, as Tulsa is next before critical games with Utah and Kansas State.

Week 3: Oklahoma State (-20.5) vs. Tulsa