Iowa State, BYU are 6-0 midseason surprises in Big 12; QB Shedeur Sanders the top player in AP vote
AP Sports Writer
The Big 12 hit the halfway point of this season with a pair of 6-0 teams, though neither ninth-ranked Iowa State or No. 13 BYU were considered preseason favorites in the expanded 16-team conference.
Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, in his ninth season, was picked as the Big 12’s top coach for the first half of the season in a vote by 10 Associated Press writers who cover the league released Tuesday. The Cyclones are 6-0 for the first time since 1938, with a defense that allows only 11 points and 285.3 total yards a game.
BYU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) was selected as the most surprising team. The Cougars have already surpassed their overall and conference win totals from their Big 12 debut last season, which ended with a five-game losing streak.
Oklahoma State and Kansas, two of the teams picked above them, have both lost their first three conference games. League newcomer Utah (4-2, 1-2) just fell out of the Top 25 for the first time this season,
The Cyclones and Cougars, tied with Texas Tech (5-1, 3-0) atop the Big 12 standings, don’t play each other in the regular season. Iowa State does host Texas Tech on Nov. 2.
Top offensive player
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado. The quarterback and son of coach Deion Sanders leads the Big 12 with 336.3 yards passing per game and 17 touchdowns. He has completed 172 of 237 passes (72.6%) for 2,371 yards with four interceptions for the Buffaloes in their first season back in the league.
In Colorado’s 31-28 home loss to No. 17 Kansas State, Sanders set a school record by completing 16 passes in a row. He finished 34 of 40 for 388 yards and three touchdowns, even after two-way standout Travis Hunter and three other receivers got hurt.
Top defensive player
Nick Martin, Oklahoma State. After his 140 total tackles and 83 solo stops in 2023 were the most for any Big 12 player since 2018, the Cowboys linebacker was having another outstanding season before a knee injury in the fourth quarter against Kansas State on Sept. 28. He had 47 tackles (28 solo) and 7 1/2 tackles for loss in the first five games. Martin is second in the Big 12 with his 9.4 tackles per game, trailing teammate Trey Rucker (11.5).
Top first-year freshman
Josiah Trotter, West Virginia. The linebacker didn’t play as a true freshman a year ago after a season-ending leg injury in spring practice. The son of former NFL All-Pro LB Jeremiah Trotter Sr. and brother of Philadephia Eagles LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is tied for sixth in the Big 12 with 46 total tackles. He has three 10-tackle games this season.
Top first-year transfer
Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati. The quarterback transfer from Indiana is third in the Big 12 and 13th nationally with 287 yards passing per game. Sorsby has completed 133 of 201 passes (66.2%) for 1,722 yards with 13 TDs and three interceptions for the Bearcats (4-2, 2-1). He had multiple TD passes five times as a redshirt freshman with the Hoosiers last year.
Most surprising player
Cam Skattebo, Arizona State. The bulldozing and versatile running back is third in the Big 12 with 128.8 yards rushing per game, second with his eight TDs, and first with his 7.3 yards per carry. Skattebo last season also took snaps at quarterback, lined up as a receiver and even punted. He has back-to-back 150-yard rushing games since a 100-yard receiving game.
Most disappointing teams
There was a tie between Kansas (1-5) and Oklahoma State (3-3).
The Jayhawks were coming off a 9-4 season when quarterback Jalon Daniels played only three games because of a back injury. With Daniels healthy, they went into this season in the Top 25, won their opener against an FCS team and have since lost five straight games, four by a touchdown or less.
Oklahoma State, the Big 12 runner-up twice in the past three seasons, has lost two league games at home. That includes a 24-point loss to West Virginia in their last game two weeks ago. Ollie Gordon II was the nation’s leading rusher last season, but has 158 yards combined in the Cowboys’ five games against FBS opponents.
Hottest seat
Baylor coach Dave Aranda survived a 3-9 record last year, but might not be as fortunate this season. The Bears (2-4) are 11-20 since Aranda’s second season in 2021, when they set a school record with 12 wins after a Sugar Bowl victory. Aranda, LSU’s defensive coordinator for a national title before going to Baylor, took over defensive play-calling this year. The Bears are 0-3 in the Big 12, allowing more than 38 points a game in those games.
Biggest injury
QB Cam Rising missed Utah’s final Pac-12 season after a major knee injury during the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, 2023. The 25-year-old and seventh-year senior quarterback injured his hand in Week 2 this season, missed three games and now is out indefinitely with a lower leg injury. He is 34-of-66 passing (51.5%) for 555 yards and seven TDs along with three interceptions.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
