The Big 12 Conference is a week away from its first stateside conference game when the Houston Cougars host the Colorado Buffaloes.
In the meantime, there is a full slate of games on Saturday, with all 16 teams in action and all of them non-conference games. That includes games in all four time zones and games on six different television networks. That includes Oklahoma State’s road trip to Oregon, which will be played on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
Here are five things to watch in the second week of Big 12 football action.
Most Important Game
Arizona State at Mississippi State, Saturday, 6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN2
There will be plenty of attention on this game since Arizona State won the Big 12 last year and its victory over the Bulldogs last year in Tempe was a launching-off point for both the Sun Devils and their back, Cam Skateboo, who is now in the NFL. It’s a much different animal going across the country and playing in “Starkvegas.”
Mississippi State went to Southern Miss and handled the Eagles, 34-17, a game many saw as a potential upset game. The Sun Devils took care of Northern Arizona, 38-19, at home. Few really want to put stock in national polls. But, for those voters, they’ll look at an Arizona State loss as proof that the Sun Devils aren’t going to be all that this season, especially as MSU projects as a middle-of-the-pack SEC team this season.
Least Important Game
Kent State at Texas Tech, Saturday, 11 a.m. CT, TNT, truTV, HBO Max
I hate to do this to the Red Raiders two weekends in a row, but this opening schedule isn’t going to impress anyone. Texas Tech drilled Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 67-6, even with the weather delay. Now, Kent State comes to Lubbock for TNT’s second Big 12 broadcast.
Now, Kent State is 1-0. The bad news? That one win was against Merrimack, 21-17. The reason that is bad news is because Merrimack is an FCS independent that is in just its sixth year in Division I. It’s an underwhelming win for the Golden Flashes, and another chance for the Red Raiders to feast before they finally get a worthy opponent in Oregon State.
Upset to Watch
West Virginia at Ohio, Saturday, 3 p.m. CT, ESPNU
Everyone is feeling good in Morgantown this week. The Mountaineers blasted Robert Morris, 45-3, on opening weekend to give head coach Rich Rodriguez a win in his return to WVU. Well now things get a little harder against the Bobcats. First, it’s a road game for the Mountaineers and Iowa State can tell them all about losing there a couple of years ago. Worse for WVU, Ohio nearly beat Rutgers last weekend, 34-31, in Piscataway, N.J. So, yes, this has all the makings of an upset special.
Player to Watch
Utah’s Smith Snowden
Cal Poly at Utah, Saturday, 5 p.m. CT, ESPN+
Snowden just became one of the most intriguing players in the conference after his performance against UCLA. A cornerback by trade for most of his career, he rushed for a touchdown, caught six passes for 51 yards to lead the Utes, had a tackle on defense and returned three kickoffs. Last season he was a defensive back and a special teamer, so moving him on offense represents new offensive coordinator Jason Beck hunting for a new role for the junior. He wasn’t the only defender that played on offense. But he was the one that made the biggest impact. As the Utes prepare for Big 12 play, how the Utes use him bears watching. His impact on both sides of the ball could be undeniable.
Big 12 After Dark
Stanford at BYU, Saturday, 9:15 p.m. CT, ESPN
ESPN needs that late-night window filled, and the Cougars will face the Stanford Cardinal in an all-important Big 12 vs. ACC matchup (yep, that’s still weird). The Cougars handled Portland State, 69-0. BYU had 606 yards of total offense and held Portland State to 53 yards. There wasn’t much to get from that game, if one is trying to project forward on how good BYU can be. Stanford should be a much better barometer. By Saturday, the Cardinals will have had two weeks to stew about that 23-20 loss at Hawai’i. The Cardinal can’t feel much better about it after watching Arizona take care of Hawai’i last weekend.
