The college football season is in full swing and the Big 12 Conference had six games on the schedule in Week 11. There were several games with Big 12 teams looking to stay in contention in the Big 12 Title Race. and the implications were all across the conference.
The action got underway in Cincinnati at 11:00am CT where the Bearcats hosted the West Virginia Mountaineers, and it wrapped up after midnight CT in Salt Lake City where the Holy War was center stage between BYU and Utah.
Here are the Top 5 takeaways from Week 11 of the Big 12 football season.
Holy War, Welcome Aboard
The Holy War between BYU and Utah came down to the wire and came with plenty of controversy. There was the holding call late in the game against Utah that sent its AD off the deep end after the game, including these comments, “This game was absolutely stolen from us. We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not.”
BYU then kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to win 22-21 to remain undefeated. This is the best rivalry in the Big 12 right now, hands down, and it’s why the Big 12 needs to keep working on growing new and old rivalries. Texas Tech and Colorado, two former Big 12 teams, had lots of juice on Saturday. KU vs. Iowa State is a longstanding Big 12 match up. Farmageddon comes up later this month and must become a protected rivalry. These kinds of traditions need to continue to be a huge focus for the Big 12 as they navigate this new 16-team league.
Related: Utah AD Crushes Big 12, But Needs to Look in the Mirror After Embarrassing Post-Game Remarks
Don’t Look Now, But Kansas…
The Jayhawks are a late fumble by Jalon Daniels (vs. K-State) away from winning three in a row after they beat Iowa State 45-36 on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium. KU had 532 yards of total offense, while rushing for over five yards per carry. Daniels finished 12 of 24 for 295 yards and two touchdowns, with zero turnovers.
The Jayhawks are 3-6 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 play. They aren’t going to be playing for a Big 12 title, although had this team come on stronger, sooner, they would have been in the mix come Week 12. But regardless, this team is going to play a role in who makes it to Arlington.
Next week, Kansas travels to BYU, which is followed by a home match up at Kansas in an old Big 12 North showdown. How KU performs in both those games will help determine the outcome in the conference this season.
Texas Tech Squanders One at Home
This was the biggest November home game in Lubbock in over a decade and the Red Raiders found themselves with a 13-0 lead after the first quarter. Everything was going perfectly, until it wasn’t. Colorado got on the board halfway through the second quarter when Shedeur Sanders found LaJohntay Wester for a 35-yard touchdown. On the next CU drive, they marched 74 yards down the field for a field goal. And then before halftime, TTU missed a 53-yarder.
Colorado got the ball to start the second half and scored touchdowns on its first three drives to find itself up 31-20. There was another classic Texas Tech offensive decision, going for it on 4th and 5 from their own 31-yard line. While the analytics may suggest going for it here, the Red Raiders were down 24-20, and the defense had just given up two-straight touchdowns. Tech did not complete the first down and four plays later, Sanders found Travis Hunter for a 24-yard score to take a 31-20 lead late in the third quarter.
Texas Tech did score a touchdown with just over two minutes left to make it a 34-27 game, forced a three-and-out, but then with the ball pinned back deep in their own territory, Behren Morton got stripped, which was picked up for a scoop and score by the Buffaloes to seal the 41-27 win.
Related: Shedeur Sanders Rips Texas Tech-American Flag Controversy
The Big 12 Race
With Iowa State losing to Kansas and Colorado beating Texas Tech, while BYU remains undefeated, the Big 12 race is down to this: If BYU and Colorado win out, they will play for a Big 12 Championship in Arlington next month.
But there are a slew of 4-2 teams who are on the outside, looking in, and saying, “Why not us?” Those teams include Kansas State, West Virginia, Arizona State and Iowa State. And the teams rooting for chaos at 4-3 are TCU and Texas Tech.
The race is honestly simpler than I thought it would be at this point in the season, where two teams control their own destiny, but if you think it will be that simple, you haven’t been around the Big 12 long enough. We’re in for a ride these next three weeks.
The Game-Winning Drive for Sam Leavitt
With Arizona State trailing UCF 31-28 in the four quarter and taking over at their own 29-yard line after UCF missed a field goal, Sam Leavitt had a season-defining drive for Arizona State to keep the Sun Devils in the Big 12 race.
The drive was nine plays, with Leavitt passing or running on eight of them, and then eventually finding Jordyn Tyson in the end zone for a 13-yard score, which put the Sun Devils on top for good. Leavitt finished 16/25 for 161 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
The stats don’t jump off the page, but his poise and leadership were on clear display in this game. The redshirt freshman who transferred from Michigan State now has this program at 7-2 following a 3-9 season and this is the kind of game that every young quarterback needs. He put his team on his back and led them to a victory. And for those who don’t know, Leavitt is only a redshirt freshman.
