There will be plenty of comparisons between the Pac-12 and the Big 12 this season, with the Big 12 set to welcome four Pac-12 teams into its ranks next year and the future of the Pac-12 on life support.
Through the first full week of college football in the 2023 season, though, the Pac-12 has the bragging rights.
The Pac-12, in what could be its final year of existence, was already expected to have several teams in the spotlight on the national level — the conference had five teams ranked in the top 25 heading into the year — and those expectations were met in the first week.
The Big 12, meanwhile, had a few results put a damper on an otherwise as-expected weekend.
What stood out from the Pac-12’s Week 1 action
Pac-12 teams went a perfect 12-0 during Week 1, including double-digit wins for each of its five ranked schools — No. 6 USC (66-14 over Nevada), No. 10 Washington (56-19 over Boise State), No. 14 Utah (24-11 over Florida), No. 15 Oregon (81-7 over Portland State) and No. 18 Oregon State (42-17).
The five ranked schools won by an average score of 53.8 to 13.6.
Utah’s victory over Florida avenged a loss to the Gators last season, and the two-time defending Pac-12 champion Utes beat Florida soundly despite having several starters — like quarterback Cameron Rising, tight end Brant Kuithe and defensive tackle Junior Tafuna — sidelined due to injury.
The biggest surprise of the weekend, though, was Colorado beating No. 17 TCU 45-42.
The Buffaloes won just one game a year ago, but in the first contest under new head coach Deion Sanders, Colorado went on the road and knocked off the Horned Frogs in a back-and-forth game where the two teams combined for more than 1,100 yards of total offense.
Shedeur Sanders threw for a school-record 510 yards and four touchdowns, putting him in the same conversation with a group of quarterbacks that includes USC’s Caleb Williams (the reigning Heisman Trophy winner), Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., Oregon’s Bo Nix, Utah’s Rising and Oregon State’s DJ Uiagalelei.
The closest to an upset for a Pac-12 team came when Arizona State beat FCS opponent Southern Utah 24-21 in a game delayed nearly three hours by weather. UCLA also had a close game before scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from Coastal Carolina 27-13.
What stood out from the Big 12’s Week 1 action
Big 12 teams went a combined 10-4 during Week 1, and that included three of the conference’s four ranked teams — No. 11 Texas, No. 16 Kansas State and No. 20 Oklahoma — winning with ease.
The fourth ranked team, though, was the story here, as No. 17 TCU fell to Colorado in a thriller. The Horned Frogs, who reached the national championship game last season, were replacing a heavy portion of their roster.
Still, a loss to Colorado sidetracks what TCU hopes to accomplish as an encore after last season’s No. 2 finish and should knock them out of the top 25.
There were two other stunning losses for Big 12 teams as well.
Baylor, who won the Big 12 title just two years ago, fell flat in a 42-31 loss to Texas State in what was the first win over a Power Five program for the Bobcats of the Sun Belt Conference. Bears quarterback Blake Shapen suffered an MCL injury in the game, a troubling storyline for Baylor with Utah heading to Waco next weekend.
Texas Tech, seen by many as a dark horse conference contender, also suffered a demoralizing loss, losing 35-33 to Wyoming in double overtime. The Red Raiders led 17-0 after one quarter in Laramie, but the Cowboys rallied and won in the second extra session. Now Texas Tech has Oregon coming to Lubbock and is in dire need of a bounce back effort.
Each of the Big 12’s new teams won, with UCF and Cincinnati both scoring 50-plus points, while BYU beat Sam Houston and Houston edged UTSA in low-scoring games.
The two Week 2 games between the Big 12 and Pac-12 — Utah-Baylor and Texas Tech-Oregon — will give the Big 12 a chance to bounce back as a conference, though both Pac-12 schools will enter the contests as the favorite.