1st Conference of Chaos
The Big 12 isn't just drunk, folks. It's a drooling, smelly, stammering old man stumbling along the sidewalk in broad daylight. And it is completely gorgeous.
We knew the conference would exude parity and unpredictability long before the 16-team first meet, but September was ridiculous.
Up is down, down is up, and logic has left the stage (similar to Oklahoma State's offense).
The most up-to-date example got here in the ultimate game of Week 5, when Arizona, most recently blown off the sector by Kansas State, went to Rice-Eccles Stadium and beat Utah, most recently dominated by Oklahoma State.
Picked to win the Big 12 within the preseason media poll, the Utes are looking up within the standings — at their bitter enemy.
Brigham Young, which was ranked thirteenth in the identical media poll, is currently in first place at 5-0 and shares first place with Colorado, which was ranked eleventh, and Texas Tech, which was ranked ninth. All three teams are 2-0 in conference play.
At the underside of the rankings we discover the Cowboys, who were picked third, and Kansas, who got here in fourth.
Try to grasp Kansas State, which faced Arizona, was knocked out by BYU, after which faced Oklahoma State in three straight weekends.
Try to elucidate how a team (Texas Tech) that needed time beyond regulation to beat Abilene Christian could possibly be at the highest of the league.
Or how a team (TCU) that lost by 24 points at SMU could turn things around and win by 11 points at Kansas.
Admittedly, not every aspect of the conference was unpredictable:
– Utah quarterback Cam Rising is injured again.
– Baylor coach Dave Aranda is in the recent seat.
– Colorado cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter is otherworldly.
– Iowa State is undefeated.
– Houston is terrible.
But that's where the logic ends.
Is two more months of this madness an excessive amount of to ask?
2. This is more prone to be true
We mentioned Arizona's win within the opening paragraph, but it surely deserves additional context.
Yes, the Utes were without Rising once more, and that may't be ignored.
But the identical team, with freshman Isaac Wilson at quarterback, coached Oklahoma State every week ago in sweltering Stillwater. While Rising's absence ought to be considered, it hardly explains every little thing about Arizona's 23-10 win.
This was the primary full game of the Wildcats' season – the type of performance we saw from them late last 12 months, and the type of performance we expected early and sometimes this 12 months.
The defense stood firm at the road of scrimmage and made plays within the secondary.
Quarterback Noah Fifita excelled under pressure, and receiver Tetairoa McMillan had loads of assist in the air game.
All in all, it was precisely the overall performance that first-year coach Brent Brennan expected from his team after the poor performance at Kansas State two weeks ago.
And because the trip to Manhattan was a non-conference game, the Wildcats are undefeated in Big 12 play and well-positioned to weather the chaos.
3. Brilliance on blue lawns
The matchup between Washington State and Boise State wasn't one among the highest matchups of Week 5, but it surely did have significant postseason stakes.
The Cougars needed a win to take care of their slim hopes of creating the College Football Playoff, while the Broncos are fighting for the automated bid, which matches to the top-ranked team within the Group of Five.
But the showdown quickly developed into the Ashton-Jeanty show.
The sensational Boise State tailback managed a 64-yard touchdown run within the opening minutes after which rushed for 259 yards (plus 4 touchdowns) to provide the Broncos a 45-24 victory.
He is now averaging 211.3 yards per game and 10.3 yards per carry.
Jeanty earns a spot in New York City on the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
4. Bowling in Boulder
The most complete performance of the Deion Sanders era brought Colorado inside two wins of a bowl berth.
In fact, we're calling it here and now: Combine an improvement within the lines of scrimmage with an unexpected weakness of their schedule, and the Buffaloes are a lock for the postseason.
With an overall record of 4-1, they’ve a major margin for error heading into October, and they’re going to proceed to face several error-prone opponents moving forward.
Kansas State is 4-1 but hasn't played well on the road, and the Oct. 12 matchup is in Boulder.
Cincinnati didn't get a great win, losing to the one strong opponent within the September tournament (Pittsburgh).
Colorado's final month begins with a visit to Texas Tech – one other winnable game – and its final two opponents, Kansas and Oklahoma State, are struggling.
In other words, CU only needs a 2-5 record to qualify for the postseason and still has a ton of winnable games ahead of it.
5. Abhorrent brutality
Let's observe a moment of silence for the 2024 UCLA football season. May it rest in peace.
In case you weren't being attentive, the Bruins began with a narrow win over a nasty team, Hawaii, after which were knocked out of the Rose Bowl by a great team, Indiana.
Fortunately, the schedule became easier at this point and the Bruins headed to Death Valley to face LSU, where they were overwhelmed within the second half in a 17-point loss.
The weak streak continued Saturday when Oregon visited and, with two weeks to arrange, built a 25-point lead in the primary half before sailing to victory.
And next week comes the best task of all for UCLA, which flies across the country to face Penn State in Fox's “Big Noon” window.
Yes, in spite of everything that, the Bruins (1-3) at the moment are tasked with playing in the course of Pennsylvania at 9 a.m. Pacific time.
Welcome to the Big Ten.
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