KANSAS

Week 7 Big 12 Football Takeaways: Kansas Watched Some Great Games

Kansas was off last week, giving the staff and players a rare chance to watch the parity and excitement that is Big 12 football.

Rich Cirminiello

Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold talks with referees during the third quarter of the game against TCU Horned Frogs Saturday, September 28, 2024, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold talks with referees during the third quarter of the game against TCU Horned Frogs Saturday, September 28, 2024, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Kansas' first of two bye weeks this season afford the team a chance to rest, recharge... and watch all five Big 12 football games played in Week 7.

The Jayhawks already know this league is very deep with title contenders, but seeing it without the rigors of a game week provided an entirely different perspective.

As Kansas prepares for Houston on Saturday and a chance to flip the first half script, it'll do so with the added intel of seeing the 10 league members who weee in action last weekend.

Week 7 in the Big 12: What We Learned

5. What Happened to UCF?

In the blink of an eye, the Knights went from Big 12 favorite to Big 12 afterthought. UCF has lost three straight games, falling to Cincinnati on Saturday, and with unbeaten BYU and Iowa State in the on-deck circle bowl-eligibility is no longer a lock.

4. Utah's Shrinking Margin For Error

The Utes are 0-for-Arizona after losing to the Wildcats and the Sun Devils in consecutive games. The latter was with Cam Rising finally back under center, so this season has reached a pivotal point for the one-time Big 12 favorites. Utah might need to win out to make the league title game, including visits from unbeaten BYU and Iowa State.

3. K-State Remains In the Hunt

Can you get to the Big 12 title game with two losses? Possibly. However, Kansas State didn't want to take any chances, rallying late to beat Colorado in Boulder, 31-28. The Cats have rebounded from their lone loss to BYU and should be favored in the next five games leading up to Iowa State in Ames.

2. BYU Building a Tailwind

BYU isn't just winning to stay undefeated. The Cougars are gaining momentum with blowout wins, like Saturday's over Arizona, 41-19. While BYU isn't great at any one thing, the team is good at everything, and it's among the nation's leaders with 14 takeaways.

1. Arizona State Is For Real

Just one season after going 3-9, Kenny Dillingham has the Sun Devils 5-1 and surging after ruining Cam Rising's return to the Utah lineup. ASU is undefeated in Tempe, but will spend the next two games on trips to Cincinnati and Stillwater.

Kansas on Sports Illustrated

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Rich Cirminiello
RICH CIRMINIELLO

I've been the VP of College Awards for the Maxwell Football Club since 2008. I oversee and manage all aspects of the Maxwell Award (CFB Player of the Year), Bednarik Award (Defensive POY) and Munger Award (CFB Coach of the Year), including creating watch lists, steering the selection committee and choosing players of the week. I appear weekly on SportsGrid TV to discuss college football, both as a guest and a co-host of various live shows. I oversee and manage two additional college awards, outside the purview of the Maxwell Football Club - former Seattle Seahawk RB Shaun Alexander's Freshman of the Year Award & the Buddy Teevens Award, which was created by Peyton Manning, Archie Manning and Omaha Productions in honor of the late Dartmouth coach. I'm contracted out each May by Phil Steele to help edit the magazine and write select articles leading up to the publication of his annual College Football Preview in June.

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