It's happening. The most chaotic conference in all of college football has finally let loose here in week 6 after Matt Campbell's 14th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones fell to the upset-minded Cincinatti Bearcats on Saturday in a 38-30 final.
Cincinnati took their Rocco Becht-led visitors out of the equation early in this one, taking a 31-7 lead before the halftime whistle to create a deficit that would never be fully remedied as the Cyclone's comeback efforts couldn't exceed 30.
Iowa State's unbeaten record dissipated in this, their first defeat of the season. They've been apparent contenders for the Big 12 championship this season, but their stumble in Cincy has finally opened Pandora's Box: the Big 12 Conference is wide open once again.
Last season's Big 12 was pure, unfiltered chaos on grass. Two teams (BYU and Arizona State) who were picked to be bottom-feeders in preseason polls tied for a share of the regular season title with Iowa State and Deion Sanders' surging Colorado Buffaloes. That's right: a four-way tie for first place. Two teams took a launch pad to the top of the league, Iowa State had their first double-digit win season ever, and the Heisman-winning Travis Hunter elevated his team from a bowl whiff the season before to an actual power in the league.
But with so many teams defying the odds, some of the expected juggernauts had to fall to even the scales. Those teams were Kansas State, whose early loss to BYU (while ranked in the top 15) sent the Wildcats to a mediocre 5-4 in-conference finish. Oklahoma State wouldn't win a single conference game all season. The incoming Utah Utes only wins came against Oklahoma State and UCF.
It was pure chaos, and everything that makes college football so exciting -- a league where it seems any team could win any game at any time. With a giant falling so early in the year, the Big 12 Conference may be a house of mayhem once again in 2025.
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