👋 GOOD MORNING - Happy Wednesday! We’re halfway home, and I hope your week is going well.

What an exciting time to be a fan in Arizona — the Diamondbacks are doing everything they can do beat the odds and make it into the postseason, and it has been fun to watch. The D-backs beat the Giants last night to secure the season series and playoff tiebreaker — a huge milestone in their thrilling march toward an NL Wild Card spot.

Rookie Jordan Lawlar notched his first career walk-off hit, reaching first on an infield single that allowed Corbin Carroll to score from third. Arizona remains 1.5 games behind the Mets for the final playoff spot, and is now 1.5 games ahead of both San Francisco and Cincinnati.

10 games left. Holy moly.

On to the show!

— Patrick Brown, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

Welcome to a wide open Big 12.

The Wildcats earned a slight bump in the rankings with a win over Kansas State; Interesting tidbit here, that game was technically a non-conference game since it was scheduled before Arizona joined the Big 12. The Sun Devils also bounced back with a win over Texas State, righting the proverbial ship before heading into conference play.

Arizona is idle this week before heading to Ames for a clash with the Cyclones, while the Sun Devils are gearing up for their second road game of the season, and it’s going to be a good one.

Let’s get right to it — here’s how Week 4 stacks up across the conference:

Friday, Sept. 19:

Saturday, Sept. 20:

1 - No. 12 Iowa State (4-0, 1-0 Big 12): Iowa State’s 24-16 win over Arkansas State wasn’t terribly impressive, but the Cyclones remained unbeaten with two wins over Power 5 opponents. The Cyclones are idle this week before hosting U of A next Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium.
Last Week’s Result: W, 24-16 at Arkansas State
Last Week’s Ranking: 1

2 — No. 16 Utah (3-0): The Utes have allowed just 25 points all season, and their smallest margin of victory was last week’s 25-point win over Wyoming. Is Utah back after a down year one season ago? We’ll have a much better idea following Saturday’s clash against the Red Raiders.
Last Week’s Result: W, 31-6 at Wyoming
Last Week’s Ranking: 2

3 - No. 17 Texas Tech (3-0): Much like their counterparts directly above them, the Red Raiders have dominated opposition on both offense and defense this season. Tech is a 3.5 point underdog on Saturday, so expect a tight, entertaining game.
Last Week’s Result: W, 45-14 vs. Oregon State
Last Week’s Ranking: 3

4 — BYU (2-0): Not sure anyone has looked as impressive as the Cougars early this season, but to be fair, they have only played two games to this point. One more non-conference game this weekend at East Carolina before heading into the conference slate. Credit where credit is due: Through two games this season BYU has allowed just 1.5 points per game.
Last Week’s Result: Idle
Last Week’s Ranking: 7

5 — Arizona (3-0): U of A has been consistent on offense all season, and also stellar defensively. Through three weeks the Wildcats have allowed the second-fewest yards per game (222.3) and fourth-fewest points per game (8.7), and they have a week to rest up before a big test in Ames.
Last Week’s Result: W, 23-17 vs. Kansas State
Last Week’s Ranking: 6

6 - Arizona State (2-1): Much-needed win to get back on track, and there’s little room for error moving forward in a jam-packed Big 12. The Sun Devils are a 2.5 point underdog against the Bears on Saturday, but with the Leavitt-Tyson combination heating up, there’s an opportunity against a Baylor team that has allowed 30 points per game.
Last Week’s Result: W, 34-15 vs. Texas State
Last Week’s Ranking: 5

7 — Baylor (2-1): The Bears’ defense hasn’t been stellar against quality opponents, though they had zero issue with Samford last week. Baylor allowed 69 points in its first two games — a loss to Auburn and win over then-No. 17 SMU — and will rocket up these standings if they topple ASU on Saturday.
Last Week’s Result: W, 42-7 vs. Samford
Last Week’s Ranking: 10

8 - TCU (2-0): The Horned Frogs allowed 12 fourth-quarter points to visiting Abilene Christian in a game they otherwise looked pretty darn good in despite having a rare bye week in Week 2. TCU is a 6.5 favorite over SMU at home this week.
Last Week’s Result: W, 41-21 vs. Abilene Christian
Last Week’s Ranking: 4

9 — Houston (3-0, 1-0 Big 12): Houston piled on to Colorado’s early season woes with a 36-20 win last week, outscoring the Buffs 20-6 in the second half. The Cougars’ defense has played well early on, limiting opponents to just 224 yards per game.
Last Week’s Result: W, 36-20 vs. Colorado
Last Week’s Ranking: 8

Best of the Rest:

10 — UCF (2-0)
Last Week’s Result: Idle
Last Week’s Ranking: 9

11 — West Virginia (2-1)
Last Week’s Result: W, 31-24 vs. Pitt (OT)
Last Week’s Ranking: 16

12 — Kansas (2-1)
Last Week’s Result: Idle
Last Week’s Ranking: 11

13 — Cincinnati (2-1)
Last Week’s Result: W, 70-0 vs. Northwestern State
Last Week’s Ranking: 12

14 — Colorado (1-2, 0-1 Big 12)
Last Week’s Result: L, 36-20 at Houston
Last Week’s Ranking: 13

15 — Kansas State (1-3, 0-1 Big 12)
Last Week’s Result: L, 23-17 at Arizona
Last Week’s Ranking: 14

16 — Oklahoma State (1-1)
Last Week’s Result: Idle
Last Week’s Ranking: 15

Agree? Disagree? Email me at [email protected] OR by simply responding to this email and sound off!

Rule of Law: Rookie Jordan Lawlar came through with his first career walk-off hit, and the Diamondbacks rallied from an early 4-0 deficit against the Giants to walk it off 6-5 in the ninth. Watching manager Torey Lovullo following the win, he provided a pretty cool sound bite when speaking to the beat reporters: “It’s getting real. We can’t deny that we’re in this race.”

The D-backs wrap up their series against San Fran, with a chance to sweep, this afternoon at 12:40 pm.

Gotta Have It: The Mercury are in a must-win situation to keep their season alive, facing the Liberty in New York at 5 pm (ESPN). A win would bring the series back to Phoenix for a decisive Game 3, so here’s hoping another Alyssa Thomas triple-double helps extend the season! Liberty forward Breanna Stewart is listed as questionable for the game due to a left knee injury.

I respectfully disagree with the PHNX Wildcats crew’s placement of my alma mater 🤣

Trajectory of Arizona’s season: