After a rather low-octane third week of Big 12 football, the fourth week is set to give fans a solid dose of conference action for the first time this year.
With only two league games to this point, the Big 12 will play three this weekend — Texas Tech at Utah, West Virginia at Kansas and Arizona State at Baylor. TCU will host SMU in the Iron Skillet game, the last one for a while. UCF gets North Carolina at home, while BYU makes a cross-country trek for a risky game with East Carolina. Colorado returns home looking for a win against Wyoming.
Here are five things to watch in the second week of Big 12 football action.
Most Important Game
Texas Tech at Utah, Satudray, 11 a.m. CT, FOX
I went back and forth on this one, but the early game is probably the most significant game of the slate.
The Red Raiders (3-0) have played a low-risk schedule and outscored their opponents 174-35. Now, Texas Tech takes its remade roster into league action and into a rather hostile environment in Salt Lake City, where the Utes can’t be happy about a 10 a.m. local start time (seriously? What’s up with that?).
Utah (3-0) is in a similar boat. The Utes have outscored their three opponents 136-25 and got out of Laramie with a 31-6 win over Wyoming on Saturday (ask Texas Tech how hard that is).
If you have lingering questions about these two teams, we should get some answers. The winner gets a leg up on the Big 12 race. The loser sees its margin for error to get to the Big 12 title game drop significantly.
Least Important Game
Tulsa at Oklahoma State, Friday, 6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN
Oklahoma State was off last weekend after getting absolutely trucked by Oregon on the road. Tulsa is 1-2 already and fell to Navy, 42-23, last weekend. The Golden Hurricanes’ only win was against Abilene Christian, 35-7. This game SHOULD go OSU’s way. Given how the Cowboys have played to this point they’re likely going to make me eat my words.
Upset to Watch
BYU at East Carolina, Saturday, 6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN2
I have a rule when it comes to picking NFL games — if the road team must change at least two time zones I usually pick the home team. Well, BYU is changing two time zones to go play the Pirates in Greenville, N.C., and this could be a dangerous game for the Cougars. ECU is 2-1, but it’s one loss was a 24-17 defeat against NC State. That tells me the Pirates can hang in there. Don’t be surprised if you look at the score ticker in the second half and you do a double take.
Player to Watch
Arizona State RB Raleek Brown
Arizona State at Baylor, Saturday, 6:30 p.m. CT, Fox
Can Baylor’s defense stop this guy? The Bears better figure it out. He picked up the slack against Mississippi State two weeks ago and rushed for 110 yards on 18 carries. Last week he torched Texas State for 144 yards and a score on 12 carries.
With the injury to Kyson Brown, there is more room for Brown to get more carries. He’s just 5-foot-9, but he’s quick and a great counterpoint to fellow back Kanye Udoh, who is more or a bruiser. Baylor’s defense hasn’t look great and the run game plays well on the road.
Big 12 After Dark
Wyoming at Colorado, Saturday, 9:15 p.m. CT, ESPN
The Buffs got their hides handed to them in the Big 12 opener against the Houston Cougars. A win over Wyoming gives coach Deion Sanders and his staff a chance to reset against a Cowboys team that will be facing a Big 12 team for the second straight week. That could work in Wyoming’s favor. It won’t be scared off by the talent level. The Buffaloes better be ready to play.
