The college football season is in full swing and the Big 12 Conference had six games on the schedule in Week 12, with multiple games on the schedule having Big 12 Championship implications.
The action got underway in Boulder at 10:00 am local time, where the Buffaloes hosted the Utah Utes, and ended around midnight in Provo, Utah, where BYU was hosting Kansas. But there were huge games with Big 12 implications in Ames and Manhattan, while a Big 12 coach officially saved his job on Saturday as well.
Here are the Top 5 takeaways from Week 12 of the Big 12 football season.
BYU is Perfect No More
The Cougars were admittedly due, and they had to welcome in a Kansas team that was playing some of the best football in the Big 12 the last few weeks. And it was KU going into Provo for a late Saturday night kick off and beating the Cougars 17-13.
The game-winning touchdown was set up by a Evan Johnson fumble on a KU punt inside the five-yard line. That then led to Devin Neal’s three-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, and then it’s defense continued to go to work and keep BYU scoreless the rest of the way.
BYU had some notable struggles in recent weeks that suggested this might be possible, and I gave you KU +3 as my Lock of the Week on the YouTube show last week (Subscribe here so you’re a part of the show!).
But now, BYU is in a battle to just reach a Big 12 Championship, which starts next week in a must-win vs. Arizona State. And at this point, it seems unlikely, or nearly impossible, the Big 12 Conference can get two teams in the College Football Playoff this season.
Related: Three Biggest Takeaways From Kansas’ 17-13 Win Over BYU
Dave Aranda, You’re NOT Fired
Dave Aranda will be staying as the Baylor football coach for at least the 2025 season. A Baylor spokesperson confirmed the news to SicEm365 on Saturday.
The news comes after Baylor won its fourth-straight game in impressive fashion, beating the West Virginia Mountaineers 49-35. Dave Aranda and the Bears are 6-4 overall on the season and now 4-3 in Big 12 play. It’s been quite a turnaround after a 2-4 start, along with beginning Big 12 play 0-3. Aranda is 29-29 for his career, but it’s been a rollercoaster since he took over in 2020. The Bears went 2-7 in his first season, but then he led the team to a Big 12 Championship in 2021. However, 2022 saw the Bears underachieve at 6-7, and then the bottom fell out with a 3-9 record in 2023. Overall, Aranda is 29-29 as the Baylor head football coach.
I said two weeks ago after the Bears beat TCU that I felt that Aranda had saved his job for 2025, barring a collapse. And after following up the bye week with another victory, Baylor felt no need to wait any longer to confirm the news.
Based on Baylor’s bounce-back season, and the success they’re having on the recruiting trail, this is the right move for the program.
Arizona State is in the Big 12 Race
The Sun Devils are 5-2 in Big 12 play after beating Kansas State in Manhattan. Arizona State now gets BYU at home next week, which will have massive conference title implications.
Oh, and raise your hand if you predicted back in August for BYU at Arizona State in Week 13 to be one of the biggest games in the Big 12 this season? If you did, go buy a lottery ticket, like right now.
Kenny Dillingham would be the automatic Big 12 Coach of the Year, given that they were picked to finish last in the Big 12 in the Preseason Poll. But Colorado’s Deion Sanders and BYU’s Kalani Sitake are in the way, and likely to finish ahead of Dillingham.
But this team needs to beat beat BYU next week and then Arizona in the final week of the season, and the Sun Devils will complete one of the great turnarounds in recent college football history with a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game.
Related: Top Three Takeaways From Arizona State’s 24-14 Win Over Kansas State
Travis Hunter’s Heisman Chances Skyrocket
Travis Hunter entered the weekend as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, but those chances only got better after an epic performance on Saturday in a 49-24 win over Utah. He played every snap of the game up until the final two minutes, including 66 snaps on offense and 66 snaps on defense. He had 55 receiving yards, his first rushing touchdown of his career that unofficially put the game away with under three minutes left, along with an interception in the first half.
Also, according to Colorado, Hunter is the first player in either the NFL or FBS to have 50 receiving yards, a rushing touchdown and interception in the same game since Champ Bailey in the NFL on December 24, 2000.
Hunter is doing things we haven’t seen in decades, if ever, in college football, and it’s hard to see anyone beating him out for the Heisman Trophy at this point.
Are We Forgetting About Iowa State?
The Cyclones snapped a two-game losing streak on Saturday with their 31-17 win over Cincinnati to improve to 5-2 in the conference. They’re still in the mix for a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game, but it feels like they’re being overlooked at this point for BYU, Colorado and Arizona State.
The Cyclones found a way to score on three of their five second-half possessions, which helped end their two-game skid and kept their slim playoff hopes alive.
However, unlike BYU, Colorado and Arizona State, who control their own destiny to the Big 12 Championship Game, the Cyclones do not. But what they have to do is take care of business against Utah and K-State, and then get some help elsewhere around the Big 12.
We will be evaluating those tiebreaker scenarios throughout the week here at Heartland College Sports. In the meantime, it’s time to catch our breath after another wild Saturday in the Big 12!
I hope you’ll join our Big 12 Week 12 Reaction Show on the YouTube channel on Sunday afternoon!
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