👋 GOOD MORNING — Happy Wednesday! We’re halfway home, and I hope your week is going well.
The D-backs announced their 2026 schedule yesterday, which includes a home series against Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees. Arizona kicks its season off in Los Angeles against the Dodgers before opening Chase Field with a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers.
Other inter-league games at Chase include the Twins and Blue Jays, while the Cubs come to town in late August. Maybe, just maybe, the Diamondbacks will be in a playoff chase at that time.
Finally, make sure to check out our PHNX Sun Devils show tomorrow, as ASU athletic director Graham Rossini joins to crew in our brand new studio!
On to the show!
— Patrick Brown, PHNX Sports Daily Editor
Join the Club!
Take advantage of our best Diehard deal of the year and join for just $36 per year! Get premium PHNX coverage and our brand-new football club shirt (or any shirt, for that matter) while enjoying 55 percent off our normal price. Act fast - this limited time offer ends soon!
Big 12 Football Power Rankings: Week 1
Graphic credit: Noah Wulbrecht
Last weekend was a nice little appetizer, but it’s time for the Big 12 to get down to business.
All 16 conference teams are in action this weekend, including No. 11 Arizona State, which hosts Northern Arizona (7 pm, ESPN+) and Arizona, which hosts Hawai’i (7:30 pm, TNT/HBO Max). The games are meaningful to both schools for very different reasons, but we’ll dive into that in Friday’s PHNX Sports Daily.
Today we take a look at my updated power rankings, which surprisingly saw a few teams move after Iowa State’s win over Kansas State, as well as Kansas’ win over Fresno State.
PHNX Sports Daily is brought to you by …
Here’s how things are looking heading into the official first week of the season:
Week 1 Games:
Jacksonville State at UCF (Thursday, 4 pm, ESPN+)
UT Martin at Oklahoma State (Thursday, 4:30 pm, ESPN+)
Stephen F. Austin at Houston (Thursday, 5 pm, ESPN+)
Nebraska at Cincinnati (Thursday, 6 pm, ESPN)
Wagner at Kansas (Friday, 4:30 pm, ESPN+)
Auburn at Baylor (Friday, 5 pm, FOX)
Georgia Tech at Colorado (Friday, 5 pm, ESPN)
Robert Morris at West Virginia (Saturday, 11 am, ESPN+)
South Dakota at No. 22 Iowa State (Saturday, 12:30 pm, FOX)
North Dakota at No. 17 Kansas State (Saturday, 4 pm, ESPN+)
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at No. 23 Texas Tech (Saturday, 4:30 pm, ESPN+)
Portland State at BYU (Saturday, 5 pm, ESPN+)
Northern Arizona at No. 11 Arizona State (Saturday, 7 pm, ESPN+)
Hawai’i at Arizona (Saturday, 7:30 pm, TNT / HBO Max)
Utah at UCLA (Saturday, 8 pm, FOX)
TCU at North Carolina (Monday, 5 pm, ESPN/ESPNU)
Big 12 Power Rankings, Week 1: Few Changes as Most Teams Remain Idle
1 - Arizona State (0-0): Defending champs, and it’s their title to lose. On principle they won’t drop any lower in these standings until they drop a game this season. Excited to get this season under way, and the Sun Devils should take care of business on Saturday in this warm-up week.
Last Week: 1
2 - Texas Tech (0-0): The Red Raiders won’t drop until I see reason to move them, but Tech shouldn’t have any problem with Arkansas-Pine Bluff this week.
Last Week: 2
3 - Iowa State (1-0, 1-0 Big 12): Strange that the Cyclones have a conference game out of the way after just one week, but Saturday’s win over Kansas State in Ireland was a big way for Matt Campbell and Co. to start the season. Iowa State won despite a very sloppy start, and beat a quality opponent at that. No room to sit back, though, as the Cyclones are just a 14.5 favorite over South Dakota this weekend.
Last Week: 4
4 — Kansas State (0-1, 0-1 Big 12): On the flip side of that, the Wildcats already took a damaging loss — though not insurmountable — which is always the risk/reward factor in playing such a high-profile game so early in the season. They should bounce back against North Dakota as a 25.5 point favorite.
Last Week: 3
5 — Utah (0-0): The Utes really have an opportunity to get off on the right foot, and come out of the gate with a tough opponent in UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Still, Utah is a 5.5 favorite over their Big Ten opponent, and can quickly erase memories of a disappointing season with a win on Saturday.
Last Week: 5
6 — Baylor (0-0): The Bears treat us to a little Friday night football, and hold a narrow 2.5-point edge over Auburn in their opening game of the season.
Last Week: 6
7 — Kansas (1-0): A nice dominating win over Fresno State kicked off the season, and there should be absolutely no trouble with Wagner visiting Lawrence on Friday.
Last Week: 8
8 — TCU (0-0): No disrespect to the Horned Frogs, who dropped a spot despite being idle, but TCU is really going to have its hands full in Chapel Hill on Monday night in coach Bill Belichick’s debut. TCU is a three-point favorite over the Tarheels.
Last Week: 7
9 — Colorado (0-0): The post-Shadeur Sanders and Travis Hunter era officially begins with the Buffs as a 4.5 point underdog at home to Georgia Tech, which ought to light a fire under Deion’s team from the outset. This team is still loaded with talent.
Last Week: 9
PHNX Sports Daily is brought to you by …
Best of the Rest:
10 — Houston (0-0)
Last Week: 10
11 — BYU (0-0)
Last Week: 11
12 — Arizona (0-0)
Last Week: 12
13 — Cincinnati (0-0)
Last Week: 13
14 — Oklahoma State (0-0)
Last Week: 14
15 — West Virginia (0-0)
Last Week: 15
16 — UCF (0-0)
Last Week: 16
Agree? Disagree? Email me at [email protected] OR by simply responding to this email and sound off!
Not Buying It: This was not a development anyone expected, but ISH Suns, LLC, the controlling stakeholder of Suns Legacy Holdings LLC, has “rebuked demands from Kisco WC Sports II, LLC and Kent Circle Investments, LLC for ISH Suns to purchase their limited (non-controlling) interest in the team for $825 million, based on the enterprise being valued in excess of $6 billion — a 60 percent increase from the franchise’s value when Ishbia’s LLC first acquired a controlling interest,” according to our very own Gerald Bourguet.
Check out the whole story in the link above — it’s a wild ride.
What a Letdown: The D-backs rallied from down five in the seventh to tie the game, but Milwaukee walked it off in the bottom of the ninth to claim a 9-8 victory. Arizona has dropped three straight and still has two more games against the Brew Crew before heading to L.A to face the Dodgers in a three-game set.
Not Cutting It: The Cardinals finalized their 53-man roster today, and though there were few surprises, a few names did command attention, including receiver Simi Fehoko. Running back Bam Knight, meanwhile, remains with the team, as the Cardinals released both Michael Carter and DeeJay Dallas instead.
The entire list of released players can be viewed right here. We’re almost to Week 1!
No Spark Needed: The Mercury rolled to their second straight win, and fourth in five games, with a 92-84 win over Los Angeles last night. Alyssa Thomas made history in the process, recording her seventh triple-double of the season with 12 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists.
The record she broke, by the way, was her own.
Phoenix is back in action on Thursday, opening a three-game home stand against Chicago (7 pm, Prime Video).
It’s Never Too Early: The Sun Devils released their 2025-26 non-conference schedule yesterday, and there are some pretty exciting games on there. Highlights include a home date against Gonzaga on Nov. 14, a matchup against Oklahoma at PHX Arena on Dec. 6, and a road game against UCLA on Dec. 17.
PHNX Sports Daily is brought to you by …
No surprises this weekend!
Arizona State center Ben Coleman isn’t overlooking NAU’s strength up front.
“They're experienced, a lot similar to us they've played a lot of ball and they know what they're doing.”
— #PHNX Sun Devils (#@PHNX_SunDevils)
10:02 PM • Aug 26, 2025
Watching the D-backs rally only to lose on a walk-off sac fly:
