👋 GOOD MORNING 🎃 - Happy Wednesday, and happy October!! We’re halfway home, and I hope you’re having a great week!

Sooooo … did you hear about the new Cardinals practice facility that’s going to be built? It’s much-needed for the team, will be a phenomenal upgrade, and it’s going to be built on a parcel of land that the now-deactivated Coyotes franchise had previously targeted in their final, last-gasp effort to keep the NHL in Arizona. Welp, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, I suppose.

Speaking of trash, how’s that landfill doing down in Tempe?

Sorry, couldn’t help myself. I miss that team so much. On to the show!

— Patrick Brown, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

The Sun Devils are so back.

Arizona State dispelled any concerns over an early-season demise with a 27-24 win over No. 24 TCU last Friday. That means they’ll automatically leapfrog the Horned Frogs (that was too easy, I’m so sorry) in this week’s breakdown.

The road remains arduous for the No. 25 Sun Devils, who still have to face Utah on the road, No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 14 Iowa State (also on the road). Don’t forget a much-improved Arizona team, as well, though the Wildcats did come crashing back down to earth ever-so-slightly last Saturday.

Let’s get right to it — here’s how Week 6 stacks up across the conference:

Friday, Oct. 3:

Saturday, Oct. 4:

1 - No. 11 Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0 Big 12): No change at the top, and Tech looks like the team to beat in the Big 12. Saturday’s game will be an interesting test, as they face undefeated-yet-heavy-underdog Houston.
Last Week’s Result: Idle
Last Week’s Ranking: 1

2 - No. 14 Iowa State (5-0, 2-0): The Cyclones continue their excellence under coach Matt Campbell, starting 5-0 for the second straight year. When I was in Ames, the Independence Bowl was an accomplishment. Now, it’s playoffs-or-bust.
Last Week’s Result: Idle
Last Week’s Ranking: 2

3 - No. 25 Arizona State (4-1, 2-0 Big 12): The Sun Devils have hit their bye week at the perfect time, fresh off a 27-24 win over then-No. 24 TCU. The rest will do them good, too, as they head to Salt Lake City next week to face the 4-1 Utes.
Last Week’s Result: W, 27-24 vs. No. 24 TCU
Last Week’s Ranking: 4

4 — No. 23 BYU (4-0, 1-0): BYU is ranked higher by the AP, but frankly, Arizona State’s body of work is more impressive to this point. The best win so far for the Cougs is a three-point victory at Colorado, and with West Virginia on deck, it’s going to be a few more weeks before we know if this team is for real.
Last Week’s Result: W, 24-21 at Colorado
Last Week’s Ranking: 5

5 — Utah (4-1, 1-1 Big 12): The Utes bounced back nicely with a dominating win in Morgantown, and they also have a bye before hosting the Sun Devils on Oct. 11. Utah has ASU and BYU in back-to-back weeks, so buckle up.
Last Week’s Result: W, 48-14 at West Virginia
Last Week’s Ranking: 6

6 - TCU (3-1, 0-1): The Horned Frogs dropped a tough one on the road, but it’s tough to hold too much against them for a 3-point defeat, even if they blew a 17-point lead. If we learned anything last year, though, the Big 12 is wide open, so there’s ample opportunity to still reach the promised land … just no more room for error.
Last Week’s Result: L, 27-24 at Arizona State
Last Week’s Ranking: 3

7 — Baylor (3-2, 1-1 Big 12): The Bears enjoyed a nice bounce-back game against lowly Oklahoma State, and they also have one of the easiest schedules moving forward. As of now, there’s not one ranked opponent on the schedule for the rest of the season.
Last Week’s Result: W, 45-27 at Oklahoma State
Last Week’s Ranking: 9

8 — Houston (4-0, 1-0 Big 12): Listen, do I love the fact that Houston is eighth after needing 14 points in the fourth quarter against Oregon State to simply force overtime? No, I do not. BUT, the Cougars are still unbeaten, and we’re about to find out if they’re a true contender, or a pretender.
Last Week’s Result: W, 27-24 at Oregon State
Last Week’s Ranking: 8

9 — Cincinnati (3-1, 1-0): The Bearcats have a solid team. They recovered nicely from a 20-17 loss to Nebraska in Week 1, and won their Big 12 opener over Kansas on Saturday. Just how good do oddsmakers think this team is? They’re FAVORED by 1.5 over No. 14 Iowa State this weekend.
Last Week’s Result: W, 37-24 at Kansas
Last Week’s Ranking: 12

Best of the Rest:

10 — UCF (3-1, 0-1)
Last Week’s Result: L, 34-20 at Kansas State
Last Week’s Ranking: 10

11 — Arizona (3-1, 0-1)
Last Week’s Result: L, 39-14 at No. 14 Iowa State
Last Week’s Ranking: 7

12 — Kansas (3-2, 1-1 Big 12)
Last Week’s Result: L, 37-34 vs. Cincinnati
Last Week’s Ranking: 11

13 — Kansas State (2-3, 1-1 Big 12)
Last Week’s Result: W, 34-20 vs. UCF
Last Week’s Ranking: 14

14 — Colorado (2-3, 0-2 Big 12)
Last Week’s Result: L, 24-21 vs. No. 25 BYU
Last Week’s Ranking: 13

15 — West Virginia (2-3 0-2 Big 12)
Last Week’s Result: L, 48-14 vs. Utah
Last Week’s Ranking: 15

16 — Oklahoma State (1-3, 0-1)
Last Week’s Result: L, 45-27 vs. Baylor
Last Week’s Ranking: 16

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

On Deck: Jam-packed issue coming up tomorrow! I’ll take a deep dive into the Mercury’s upcoming Game 1 in the WNBA Finals, and also take a peek at how the Wildcats can bounce back with a win in Stillwater, which is essentially a must-win game.

Feeling Lucky: The Mercury will face the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals, beginning on Friday at 5 pm from Vegas. The Aces are aiming to win their third championship in four seasons, and have 2025 MVP A’ja Davis to lead the charge. We’ll have plenty more later this week, but make sure to check out of PHNX Mercury pod to stay in the loop!

Dropping the Ball: How concerned should you be about the recent miscommunication between Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr? Well, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said he’s not worried about it, but should you be? Johnny and Bo sound off in the latest PHNX Cardinals pod!

If I wasn’t laughing, I’d be crying.

Watching the Cardinals build