NCAAF Big 12 headlines from Week 1 of the 2023 season
The first week of the Big 12 season surprised on Saturday. Several teams performed below standard including the Texas Longhorns. That said, the majority of those below standard showings performed worse than Texas on the day.
TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor all entered the season with Big 12 title aspirations. The left the weekend with a losing record.
Baylor’s loss was easily the most embarrassing as the Bears fell to the Texas State Bobcats at home. The Bears were nearly four-touchdown favorites before LSU and Auburn transfer quarterback TJ Finley lit up the scoreboard.
Elsewhere, the Texas Tech Red Raiders continued their road woes under Joey McGuire. The team fell to Wyoming in double overtime, 35-33. Given its remaining schedule, the loss does not bode well for McGuire’s team. Tech will take on Oregon next in Lubbock.
Let’s examine a few headlines from the day.
Oklahoma is back
The Oklahoma Sooners could not have had a better day than they did Saturday. The Sooners passing attack was particularly strong thanks to the offensive line’s performance and quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s arm. Gabriel looked like a Heisman contender on the day.
New sheriff in town
The Big 12 is Deion Sanders’ league now. Starting quarterback Shadeur Sanders and dynamic playmaker Travis Hunter made sure of that on Saturday. The Buffaloes looked like a team that could run the Big 12 over the next several years. Let’s see if they can keep it up.
Iowa State breaks 30 points
One of the biggest headlines of the day: Iowa State scored 30 points. The Cyclones have struggled for several years to score, particularly early in the season. Then you look at the stat sheet and realize the team was outgained by Northern Iowa and only had 250 yards of offense. I wouldn’t get used to this scoring output.
1-5 road record under McGuire
The Texas Tech Red Raiders fell to 1-5 on the road under head coach Joey McGuire on Saturday. For all that has been said of the team’s upward trajectory, the Wyoming game does not reflect much reason to get ahead of our skis with Texas Tech projections. The schedule gets more difficult.
Baylor hangover continues
The Baylor Bears finished the 2022 season with a lopsided bowl loss to Air Force. It does not seem as if the team has recovered. Some have projected the Baylor defense would be much improved in 2023. It certainly wasn’t on Saturday night. The Bears have the most improvement to make.
Texas starts slow
I continue to be amazed that all criticism centers around Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. His offensive line, who struggled with a far inferior defensive front, deserves far more culpability for Saturday’s slow start. Many fail to understand that quarterbacks often take sacks and make errant throws. It seems they are far more understanding of dropped touchdowns and missed pass blocking assignments. For the most part, Ewers played well. The Longhorns will need much better pass protection to compete with Alabama next week.
Houston, BYU win with defense
The Houston Cougars and BYU Cougars both won with low scoring outputs. That each team can win with 17 points or less might be a confidence builder, though their offenses will need to perform at a higher level.
