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Big 12 Notes – Iowa State Week
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October 8th
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Stanford football receives $50 million gift from a former player
… This on the heels of Virginia Tech athletics getting a $229 million influx from the school; and Kansas getting a $300 million donation. Coach Prime often says it’s not about the money. But, whether we like it or not – it’s about the money …
From ESPN … The Stanford football program received a $50 million gift from a former player, the school announced Wednesday, marking a significant donation as it attempts to revive the fortunes of the program under general manager Andrew Luck.
It’s the biggest individual gift in Stanford football history outside of facilities, and an unusually large one for an individual program. Donations of that value are typically tied to buildings or facilities.
The donation comes from former Stanford football player Bradford M. Freeman, who graduated from the school in 1964 and has been a major Stanford donor for decades.
The Cardinal are currently playing catchup in the modern college football landscape, finishing 3-9 in each of their past four seasons. Stanford is 2-3 this season under interim coach Frank Reich.
“With Brad’s incredible gift, we are positioned to win on the field and build a bridge to a sustainable future for Stanford football,” Luck said in a statement. “The ability to support our players through new scholarships and institutional NIL will reinforce Stanford as the preeminent place in the country to be a football scholar-athlete.”
The gift is also an adrenaline shot to the tenure of Luck, who has been general manager since November 2024 (with fundraising a key part of his task), and for new athletic director John Donahoe, who was hired in July.
Stanford is seeking a full-term coach, as both the program and Reich have made clear that he will not be the coach after this interim season. This gift is a marketing boost for the job, as it shows the availability of immediate resources and the power of untapping Stanford’s network.
… Continue reading story here …
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October 7th
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Single Transfer Portal window (January 2nd-16th) officially adopted
From ESPN … The NCAA is officially moving transfer portal season in college football from December to January.
The Division I Administrative Committee voted Tuesday to adopt the proposed dates of Jan. 2-16 as the new transfer portal window for all FBS and FCS players in 2026.
College football players, including graduate transfers, now must wait until Jan. 2 to officially enter their names in the NCAA transfer portal and initiate contact with other schools. The reform is expected to be finalized at the conclusion of the Administrative Committee’s meetings on Wednesday.
The new 15-day transfer portal windows opens one day after College Football Playoff quarterfinals conclude. Players on the two teams competing in the CFP national championship game on Jan. 19 will get an additional five-day period from Jan. 20 to 24 to enter the portal after their season ends.
The Division I Administrative Committee also approved a reform around the transfer window exception granted to football players after a head coaching change. Effective immediately, starting five days after a new head coach is hired or announced, players will have a 15-day window to enter their names in the portal.
Until now, players were given a 30-day window to enter the portal immediately after a coaching change, which can lead to large numbers of players departing a program before the arrival of the next head coach.
Players at Arkansas, Oklahoma State, UCLA and Virginia Tech will be grandfathered in under the previous rule and are currently permitted to enter the transfer portal after head coaches at those programs were fired in September.
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October 5th
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Big 12 Lines: CU opens as a 4.5-point underdog to Iowa State
From Draft Kings …
Big 12 lines …
Saturday, October 11th
- UCF at Cincinnati … 10:00 a.m., MT, FS1 … Cincinnati is a 10.5-point home favorite …
- Houston at Oklahoma State … 10:00 a.m., MT, TNT … Oklahoma State is a 14.0-point home underdog …
- No. 22 Iowa State at Colorado … 1:30 p.m., MT, ESPN … Colorado is a 4.5-point home underdog …
- TCU at Kansas State … 1:30 p.m., MT, Fox … Kansas State is a 2.5-point home underdog …
- Kansas at No. 9 Texas Tech … 5:30 p.m., Fox … Texas Tech is a 14.0-point home favorite …
- No. 18 BYU at Arizona … 6:00 p.m. MT, ESPN2 … Arizona is a 2.5-point home underdog …
- No. 21 Arizona State at Utah … 8:15 p.m., MT, ESPN … Utah is a 5.5-point home favorite …
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Associated Press poll: Texas Tech enters Top Ten; Iowa State drops to No. 22
… Preseason No. 1 Texas and preseason No. 2 Penn State fall out of poll …
From CBS Sports … Week 6 in college football was headlined by a historic upset, as the previously winless UCLA Bruins defeated James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions, 42-37. According to CBS Sports Research, it was just the fifth time an 0-4 or worse team defeated an AP top-10 team, and the first since 1985. UCLA entered this matchup having not held a lead in any game this season, but the Bruins scored the first 10 points of the game on Saturday.
Penn State fell from No. 7 to out of the top 25 completely, but the Nittany Lions were hardly the only team to be embarrassed this past Saturday. Arch Manning struggled in his first SEC road action, as his No. 9 Texas Longhorns were upset by the unranked Florida Gators, 29-21. The Longhorns are no longer ranked. Consider that preseason No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Penn State and No. 4 Clemson are a combined 8-7 this season with one win vs. Power 4 competition.
We also saw No. 14 Iowa State struggle out of the gates vs. Cincinnati, going down 17-0 in the first quarter. It was too big of a hole for the Cyclones to dig out of, as they fell, 38-30. Iowa State fell eight spots to No. 22.
| 1. Ohio State (40) | 5-0 | 1 |
| 2. Miami (21) | 5-0 | 3 |
| 3. Oregon (5) | 5-0 | 2 |
| 4. Ole Miss | 5-0 | 4 |
| 5. Texas A&M | 5-0 | 6 |
| 6. Oklahoma | 5-0 | 5 |
| 7. Indiana | 5-0 | 8 |
| 8. Alabama | 4-1 | 10 |
| 9. Texas Tech | 5-0 | 11 |
| 10. Georgia | 4-1 | 12 |
| 11. LSU | 4-1 | 13 |
| 12. Tennessee | 4-1 | 15 |
| 13. Georgia Tech | 5-0 | 17 |
| 14. Missouri | 5-0 | 19 |
| 15. Michigan | 4-1 | 20 |
| 16. Notre Dame | 3-2 | 21 |
| 17. Illinois | 5-1 | 22 |
| 18. BYU | 5-0 | 23 |
| 19. Virginia | 5-1 | 24 |
| 20. Vanderbilt | 5-1 | 16 |
| 21. Arizona State | 4-1 | 25 |
| 22. Iowa State | 5-1 | 14 |
| 23. Memphis | 6-0 | NR |
| 24. South Florida | 4-1 | NR |
| 25. Florida State | 3-2 | 18 |
Others receiving votes: Cincinnati 129, Texas 111, Penn St. 97, Utah 84, Nebraska 60, Southern Cal 46, UNLV 19, North Texas 16, TCU 14, Washington 10, Mississippi St. 10, Navy 4, Louisville 3, Auburn 1.
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