The Big 12 Conference gets set for Week 4 of the season this weekend with eight games on the schedule. Six are conference games, with two non-conference games. If last week is any indication, we are in for a wild ride in the Big 12, after UCF and TCU kicked off conference play in thrilling fashion with the Knights coming back from 21 points down to beat the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth.
But no matter what, we’re in for a great Saturday. Here are the top storylines to watch.
The Old Quarterback Dual
This is literally an “old” quarterback dual. In this game, the combined age of the starting quarterbacks, Alan Bowman and Cam Rising, is 49. How old is that? Well, in case you are wondering, there is an NFL game this weekend, with two quarterbacks who are combined, and individually, younger than Rising and Bowman, and that’s the Colts vs. Bears game which features Anthony Richardson (22) against Caleb Williams (22).
But beyond that, this game will go a long way to deciding who will play in the Big 12 Championship Game in December. The winner will be a frontrunner to make it to Arlington in December, while the loser will have ground to make up as the Big 12 Conference schedule continues along. And the loser might need some help along the way. Start brushing up on the bizarre tie-breaker scenarios coming to this conference.
Kansas vs. West Virginia: Who Falls to 1-3?
Both these teams started the season with expectations that they could compete atop the Big 12. But now, after Saturday’s Kansas vs. West Virginia game, one of these two teams will be 1-3 and will have fans fuming over what could have been. Kansas has lost its last two games against Illinois and UNLV, while West Virginia has dropped games to Penn State and Pitt.
Granted, only one of these two coaches will be moving towards a hot seat with a loss, and that’s West Virginia football coach Neal Brown. But even for Lance Leipold, a 1-3 start would be a big-time disappointment for a team who had ESPN experts like Rece Davis picking them to win the Big 12 Conference this season, and as a result, reaching the College Football Playoff.
There’s a lot on the line in this one.
Two 3-0 Teams Meet
There are five Big 12 teams who have 3-0 records, and two of them meet late in the night in Provo, Utah. Kansas State vs. BYU has become one of the sneaky-good games on the college football schedule this week.
This is BYU’s chance to prove its team, and defense, which has looked outstanding, is for real. Meantime, Kansas State is right where it expected to be, but this will be the toughest road environment for first-year starter Avery Johnson.
The Kansas State dynamic offense against the BYU defense is the match up to watch and will decide this game. If Kansas State wins, it will come as expected for a team that many thought would be competing for a trip to Arlington before the season began. If BYU pulls off the upset and moves to 4-0, the Cougars can officially call themselves one of the surprises of the early college football season.
