What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.
This week, the Big 12 has a serious Heisman candidate, the Big 12 had its “cupcake week” and Kansas State put on a show for a … basketball recruit.
TRAVIS HUNTER IS THAT MAN
If I had any single take away from any Big 12 football game this week it said Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter could be in for one incredible season.
Granted, it’s one game. But he made quite the impression in front of a national TV audience against one of the best teams in FCS.
It didn’t take him long to get going, either. After North Dakota State started the game by taking the lead, quarterback Shedeur Sanders went right to Hunter to get Colorado’s first touchdown of the game and season.
Hunter’s third touchdown catch was an absolute work of art. With a defender practically draped on him, he had to use his right elbow to create enough space to allow his left arm to catch the football. It was one of the best catches I saw the entire weekend.
While we talk about what he did as a wide receiver, we shouldn’t leave out what he did as a defensive back. Sure, he caught seven passes for more than 100 yards and three touchdowns. But Hunter only allowed three catches for 18 yards. Plus, he only took 2 plays off the entire contest. And, as a bonus, he can tackle.
You’ll see a lot of Heisman Trophy straw polls this week with Hunter at the top. I think it’s well deserved. I’m not sure a single player had a better first week of the season. But, it’s a long season and we know that Hunter missed more than three games last year with an injury.
It’s been quite some time since we’ve had this much excitement around a two-way player who can play both positions at the level Hunter can. One could argue he’s exactly the type of player envisioned when they created the Heisman Trophy decades ago — a player that can impact every facet of the game. It’s just that we don’t see unicorns like him often period.
I’m truly interested to see if he’ll be able to maintain this level all season.
The FCS Conundrum
Power conference teams need the “easy” win. FCS teams need the payday. Thus, you see a lot of these games early in the season. The Big 12 was no exception.
In all, the Big 12 played 11 FCS teams the first week. Colorado and North Dakota State was the marquee matchup, and that game was close, as many expected.
But most of the conference was playing those games too. One in particular that I feel is a good comparison was Oklahoma State’s 44-20 win over South Dakota state.
Why? Because like Colorado, Oklahoma State was playing a team that had won national championships at the FCS level. The Jackrabbits have won the last two. The fact that Oklahoma State won its game by 24 and Colorado only won its game by five shows me the talent gap that exists between the Buffs and the Cowboys.
I’m not sure anyone needs to worry that much about Iowa State’s 21-3 win over North Dakota. The Cyclones always seem to struggle with FCS teams.
The result that might concern me the most was Texas Tech going to overtime with Abilene Christian before winning, 52-51. A few years ago my alma mater, Stephen F. Austin, pushed Texas Tech to the limit. The Red Raiders ended up having another average season. Is this a sign that the Red Raiders are not the dark horse contender I thought they were? We’ll see.
But, for the most part, the Big 12 teams got their “easy” win for the year.
KANSAS STATE SHOWS OFF FOR BASKETBALL RECRUIT
This time of year basketball programs are in the throes of trying to recruit players for their next recruiting class.
We’ve got a couple of months before the early signing period begins in November, and Kansas State spent its home opener on Saturday courting one of the best basketball recruits in the country.
While Kansas State was beating up on UT Martin, the country’s No. 1 recruit, AJ Dybansta, was taking in the sights and sounds of game day at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
He’s a five-star player and Kansas State signing him would be a huge pickup for the 2025 class. He wasn’t the only recruit there, but the other has already committed to Kansas State — five-star tight end Linkon Cure. The Goodland, Kan., high school product was there for the game, too, and posed for a photo with Dybantsa.
Was Cure helping sell Dybansta on the virtues of the Wabash Cannonball? One can only hope if you’re a Wildcat.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
