The Big 12 Conference has reached the midpoint of the season with a notable highlight of two unbeaten teams, Iowa State and BYU, both standing at 6-0, despite not being the anticipated frontrunners in the expanded 16-team league.
Iowa State, under the leadership of head coach Matt Campbell in his ninth year, has been named the top coach for the first half of the season following a survey of ten AP writers covering the conference. The Cyclones have achieved a 6-0 record for the first time since 1938, boasting a formidable defense that concedes an average of only 11 points and 285.3 total yards each game.
Meanwhile, BYU has made waves as the most surprising team, also holding a 6-0 record and performing remarkably in comparison to their inaugural season in the Big 12, where they ended with a five-game losing streak. Teams like Oklahoma State and Kansas, which were predicted to finish above them, have struggled, both missing winning streaks within their first three conference games. Newcomer Utah saw its ranking drop from the Top 25 for the first time this season with a current record of 4-2 and 1-2 in the league.
As the standings shape up, Iowa State and BYU are tied at the top with Texas Tech, which holds a record of 5-1 and 3-0 in the conference, and the two teams will not face each other until the season concludes. Iowa State is scheduled to play against Texas Tech at home on November 2.
In individual performances, quarterback Shedeur Sanders from Colorado stands out as the top offensive player. He leads the Big 12 with an impressive average of 336.3 passing yards per game and has thrown 17 touchdown passes. In a home game against No. 17 Kansas State, he set a school record by completing 16 consecutive passes, finishing with 388 yards and three touchdowns, despite facing injuries on his team.
On the defensive front, Nick Martin of Oklahoma State is recognized as the top defensive player after achieving 140 total tackles, the highest in the Big 12 since 2018, prior to suffering a knee injury in a match against Kansas State. He began the season strong with 47 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss over five games.
For first-year freshmen, Josiah Trotter from West Virginia has proven his worth. After missing last season due to a significant leg injury, he is now tied for sixth in the conference with 46 total tackles and has had multiple ten-tackle games.
Brendan Sorsby, a quarterback from Cincinnati who transferred from Indiana, claims the title for the best first-year transfer. He sits third in the Big 12 with an average of 287 passing yards per game and has thrown for 1,722 yards with 13 touchdowns this season.
Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo has become the most surprising player thus far, ranking third in the league with an average of 128.8 rushing yards per game. With his innate ability to make plays, he is second in touchdowns and leads in yards per carry, displaying versatility by playing multiple positions last season.
However, not all teams are meeting expectations this season. Both Kansas and Oklahoma State find themselves in a disappointing tie, with Kansas struggling after a promising previous season, and Oklahoma State failing to meet expectations after being runner-up in the conference for two of the last three seasons.
Coach Dave Aranda of Baylor is reportedly in a precarious position after a rough 3-9 season last year and an overall record of 11-20 since his second season. The Bears currently stand at 2-4, winless in the Big 12, and they are allowing more than 38 points per game.
Lastly, quarterback Cam Rising of Utah experienced a setback after missing the entire previous season due to a severe knee injury. This season, he suffered a hand injury in Week 2, leading to a three-game absence and is now out indefinitely due to a lower leg injury. His performance this year includes 555 passing yards, with seven touchdowns and three interceptions.