Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:
Game of the week
Baylor at No. 11 Utah, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EDT (Fox). The Bears and Utes are now members of the same conference with Utah’s decision to bolt the Pac-12 for the Big 12. This won’t be a conference game. Baylor and Utah signed on to meet Saturday before the latest conference shuffle, so this will count as a nonconference game. The teams are coming off blowout wins. The Bears opened with a 45-3 victory over FCS Tarleton State behind dual threat quarterback Dequan Finn. The Toledo transfer scored on a 39-yard run on Baylor’s first drive and accounted for three TDs. Utah QB Cam Rising had a stellar return from a severe knee injury in the 2023 Rose Bowl, throwing for five TDs in a 49-0 victory over FCS Southern Utah.
The undercard
Iowa State at No. 21 Iowa, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EDT (CBS). The Hawkeyes have dominated the rivalry, winning seven of eight, but six straight games have decided by 10 points or less. Iowa moved up four spots in this week’s AP Top 25 after beating Illinois State 40-0 without suspended coach Kirk Ferentz due to a recruiting contact violation. QB Cade McNamara returned after missing the final nine games of last season with a knee injury to throw three second-half TD passes. Iowa State opened the season with a 21-3 win over North Dakota behind Rocco Becht’s 267 yards passing and three total TDs.
Impact player
Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona. The Wildcats’ first preseason AP All-American had quite a first game in the Big 12. Facing New Mexico, McMillan had 10 catches for a school-record 304 yards and four TDs, matching another school record to earn the first AP player of the week award. He passed the previous record of 283 receiving yards, set by Jeremy McDaniel in 1996, and was 10 short of the Big 12 record. McMillan could have another big game this week, though may not play the entire game in what’s expected to be a blowout against FCS Northern Arizona.
Inside the numbers
The new-look Big 12 went 14-2 in Week 1. … Nebraska’s 1994 national championship team is holding a reunion this weekend to coincide with the Cornhuskers’ game against Colorado. The Buffaloes have won the first three of four games in the home-and-home series between the former conference rivals, including 36-14 in Boulder last year. … Big 12 QBs averaged 290.4 yards passing per game leading all FBS leagues. It also had an FBS-high 11 players with at least 100 yards receiving, led by McMillan.
Honoring Leach
Washington State will posthumously induct former coach Mike Leach into the school’s Hall of Fame on Saturday against Texas Tech, where he coached from 2000-09. Leach, who coached at Washington State from 2012-19, had just finished his third season at Mississippi State in 2022 when he died following complications from a heart issue at age 61. The Bulldogs also are taking on a Big 12 team this week, playing at league newcomer Arizona State.
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