Patrick Kinahan: BYU's loss creates more intrigue atop Big 12

PROVO — Three shockers and a mild surprise comprise the four teams still competing for the Big 12 football championship.

Welcome to the most unpredictable conference in college football, a sport that often is easier to prognosticate at the highest level than the handful of NBA teams that contend for basketball's championship. Entering the penultimate week, the Big 12 is virtually upside down.

Crazy times, indeed.

All hail to BYU, Arizona State and Colorado — three teams presumed to dwell in the bottom third of the conference. Thank goodness Iowa State, picked sixth, has done enough to avoid making a total joke out of the preseason poll.

The Cougars were among the national darlings until suffering their first loss of the season last week against Kansas, which created a logjam near the top. At 6-1 (9-1 overall), they likely need to beat Arizona State on Saturday to make the Big 12 championship game in two weeks.

Using the preseason poll as the barometer, the Sun Devils are the conference's biggest surprise and one of the nation's best comeback stories. Coming off consecutive 3-9 seasons, the worst two-year period in program history, ASU was picked last in the newly formed 16-team conference.

At 34, the youngest FBS head coach, Phoenix native Kenny Dillingham has revitalized a program that hasn't won consistently in the last 40 years. A conference championship that seemed years away inconceivably remains a possibility.

For obvious reasons, namely the head coach, Colorado consumes most of the national attention the conference draws. Mega-celebrity Deion Sanders adroitly plays the nobody-believes-in-us card in transforming a laughingstock into a legitimate contender, spearheaded by two future high NFL draft picks (his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter).

Devoid of an unbeaten team, which would immensely help a conference fighting for attention behind the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, the Big 12 likely will remain a mystery going into Thanksgiving week. Any two of the four teams could advance to the championship game.

With his team facing Iowa State this week, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has identified a clear favorite for one of the two berths. The Utes have played Arizona State, BYU and Colorado, losing to all three.

In his postgame press conference after losing 49-24 last week to Colorado, Whittingham labeled the Buffaloes the best team Utah has played this season. He doubled down on it two days later.

"I said it after the game a couple of times," Whittingham said. "I'll say it again, best team we played this year without question. Coach Sanders has done a great job getting that thing turned around in a short period of time. Hats off to those guys."

Shots fired at BYU, many of their fans have claimed, but consider his point of view. The Cougars needed a last-second field goal, aided by a holding penalty that provided a new set of downs, to beat Utah by 1 point.

Either way, Whittingham would prefer to forget what he's seen this season. In order of the three favorites, Utah, Kansas State and Oklahoma State were expected to be the Big 12 heavyweights, but all three have belied their recent success and impressive history.

Instead of (Cam) Rising to the top, Utah literally has bottomed out. Needing to win their final two games just to become bowl eligible, the Utes are mired in the first six-game losing streak in Whittingham's 20 years as a head coach.

Oklahoma State is even worse, stunningly having lost all seven conference games. Utah's only Big 12 win to date came in Stillwater two months ago in a game thought to have significant conference implications. Who knew Sept. 21 was a day to remember as a game to avoid last place?

Kansas State has had a shred of respectability, staying in the race until losing to Arizona State last week. At least the Wildcats already have secured a bowl berth.

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