It’s a Big 12 non-conference week like no other

This might be a good time to check the batteries in your remote control.

You will want to have a fully-operational clicker on Saturday for a terrific slate of football games, courtesy of the Big 12. The conference has lined up seven matchups against teams from power conferences.

The fun begins at 11 a.m. with West Virginia taking on Maryland. Then Kansas at Duke, Arkansas at Texas Tech, Iowa State at Iowa and Minnesota at TCU will all overlap in the afternoon. The evening will come to a close with Oklahoma hosting Tennessee and Texas facing UCLA in primetime.

It may be the best day of nonconference games the Big 12 has seen.

“The nation’s eyes will be on those games,” Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said. “... Good teams will be playing against good teams, and those will all be good games.”

To put the must-see lineup in perspective, Texas-San Antonio at Oklahoma State may be the worst game of the day. Any other week in September, that matchup would be near the top of the list. UTSA opened the season by smashing Houston and challenging Arizona. Oklahoma State pushed Florida State and then then demolished Missouri State. It should be an entertaining game. But it could also get lost during a weekend of marquee matchups.

The jam-packed day occurred mostly by coincidence. Oklahoma and Texas routinely schedule difficult nonconference games, while other teams happen to be playing their most difficult nonconference opponent this weekend. Kansas was supposed to play at Duke years ago, but the game was pushed back at Duke’s request. Arkansas is reuniting with an old Southwest Conference rival at Texas Tech. And Iowa State is playing its annual rivalry game against Iowa. The scheduling stars happened to align.

Days like this might become more common.

“We think that is the future of college football,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said of difficult nonconference games. “We have scheduled games in the near future against Tennessee, Penn State and North Carolina State. We want those type of games.”

Compelling nonconference games could be on the rise thanks to the new playoff. If its selection committee puts stock in schedule strength, teams will benefit from challenging nonconference games.

One team that doesn’t seemed worried about that is Baylor. The Bears have feasted on cupcake nonconference opponents under coach Art Briles. Baylor kicks off the weekend on Friday with a trip to Buffalo.

Players of the week

Kansas State quarterback Jake Waters was named Big 12 offensive player of the week on Monday. He shared the honor with Baylor quarterback Seth Russell.

Waters won the accolade after amassing 377 total yards during a 32-28 victory against Iowa State. The Wildcats trailed 28-13 in the second quarter, and Waters led the comeback by throwing for 239 yards and running for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns. Waters is the first K-State player to win the honor since Collin Klein in 2012. K-State coach Bill Snyder thinks Waters deserved the recognition.

“He did a lot of fine things,” Snyder said. “The thing that was most significant to me was the elevation of his vocal and demanding leadership. I thought he was so heavily invested in the ballgame. He was emotional about it. A lot of people say you don’t want your quarterback to be emotional. I want a leader that is willing to step up and say what needs to be said and show enthusiasm for the game. I thought he did that to the greatest degree I can remember during his tenure here. I was awful proud of that.”

Kansas defensive back Dexter McDonald won defensive player of the week honors, while Iowa State’s Jarvis West earned special teams recognition.

Quarterback depth

Oklahoma State and Baylor proved the value of quarterback depth over the weekend. The Cowboys turned to Daxx Garman after starter J.W. Walsh suffered an injury, and Garman torched Missouri State for 244 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears used Russell in place of an ailing Bryce Petty, and he put up 438 yards and five touchdowns agaisnt Northwestern State.

Power Rankings

1. Oklahoma (2-0, 0-0): The Sooners get their first true test of the season against Tennessee.

2. Baylor (2-0, 0-0): It may be time to upgrade the schedule. Northwestern State was too easy.

3. Kansas State (2-0, 1-0): Showed poise on both sides of the ball while coming back to beat Iowa State.

4. West Virginia (1-1, 0-0): Mountaineers looked good against Alabama, then shutout Towson.

5. Oklahoma State (1-1, 0-0): All of Oklahoma State’s quarterbacks can sling it.

6. TCU (1-0, 0-0): Early week off could help the Frogs.

7. Texas Tech (2-0, 0-0): No team has looked worse winning its first two games.

8. Texas (1-1, 0-0): Charlie Strong could be facing a long rebuilding effort in Austin.

9. Kansas (1-0, 0-0): Beating a directional school by single digits isn’t a good sign.

10. Iowa State (0-2, 0-1): Pushing K-State until the end might help build confidence against Iowa.

This story was originally published September 8, 2014 at 1:37 PM with the headline "It’s a Big 12 non-conference week like no other."