A Big 12 matchup of undefeated teams is coming up this week when No. 3 Texas hosts No. 24 Kansas
Kansas head coach Lance Leipold waits to run onto the field with his team before an NCAA college football game against BYU Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Lawrence, Kan. Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel
Things to watch in the Big 12 in Week 5:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 24 Kansas (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) at No. 3 Texas (4-0, 1-0). A matchup of two of the Big 12's three remaining undefeated teams, and the first meeting between these schools with both teams ranked. The only time they previously met with neither team having a loss was in the 1938 season opener, the second of their 21 meetings in a series that began in 1901.
The Longhorns are unbeaten through their first four games for the first time since 2012. Kansas last started 4-0 in consecutive seasons more than a century ago, in the 1914 and 1915 seasons.
Kansas RB Devin Neal, tied for the Big 12 lead with five rushing touchdowns and fourth averaging 98.5 yards per game, ran for 143 yards with three TDs and caught a touchdown when the Jayhawks last visited Austin two years ago, and got a 57-56 overtime win in coach Lance Leipold's first season. Texas won 55-14 at Kansas last year when Jonathon Brooks had 108 yards rushing and two TDs. Brooks is fifth in the Big 12 with 94.8 yards rushing per game, including 270 yards the last two weeks.
BEST MATCHUP
Oklahoma's offense led by QB Dillon Gabriel against Iowa State's defense. The 14th-ranked Sooners (4-0, 1-0) average nearly 507 total yards per game while scoring 46.8 points, which leads the league and is fourth nationally. Iowa State (2-2, 1-0) tops the Big 12 allowing only 292.5 total yards. The Cyclones have held 19 consecutive opponents to under 300 yards passing. Gabriel has thrown for 300 yards in three games this season, while leading the league with his 12 passing touchdowns and nearly 307 yards per game.
Texas running back Jonathon Brooks (24) carries against Wyoming during the first half of an NCAA football game Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Credit: AP/Michael Thomas
IMPACT PLAYER
UCF senior WR Kobe Hudson has had three consecutive games with at least 130 yards receiving. He is the first Knights player since 1999 with three 100-yard receiving games in a row, and leads the Big 12 with 115.8 yards per game. He had a 69-yard TD last week against Kansas State, the longest reception in his career that began with two seasons at Auburn. The Knights (3-1, 0-1) play their inaugural Big 12 home game Saturday against Baylor (1-3, 0-1).
THE PREVIOUS NEWCOMERS
Before the four newcomers this season, TCU (3-1, 1-0) and West Virginia (3-1, 1-0) were the last new additions to the Big 12 when they joined the league in 2012. Both the Horned Frogs and Mountaineers, who play Saturday night in Fort Worth, have three-game winning streaks since losing their season openers.
Kansas running back Devin Neal (4) runs the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against BYU Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Lawrence, Kan. Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Houston quarterback Donovan Smith accounted for 29 touchdowns (19 passing and 10 rushing) in 23 games the past two seasons at Texas Tech. Smith returns to Lubbock to face his former team when the Cougars (2-2, 0-1) play their first Big 12 road game. Smith has thrown for 1,012 yards with five TDs this season, and run for three more scores. ... Cincinnati and BYU, the Big 12 newcomers who play Friday night in Provo, have almost identical scoring numbers. The Bearcats (2-2, 0-1) have scored 30.8 points a game, while BYU (3-1, 0-1) averages 30.0 points — right in the middle of the conference stats. They have both allowed 85 total points — 21.3 per game, tied for eighth ... Oklahoma has a 79-7-2 series lead over Iowa State. That .909 winning percentage is the best by one Power Five program against another in any series with at least 50 games. ... Iowa State sophomore senior Jeremiah Cooper and Texas Tech senior cornerback Malik Dunlap are tied for the national lead with their three interceptions.
