Week 4 of the college football season is upon us as we are in store for another exciting weekend of Big 12 action. I thought it would be fun to rank the games based on my interest each week. Between big time matchups, total dudes and everything in-between here are my best to worst games for the weekend.
1. #17 Texas Tech at #16 Utah
This was the obvious choice for the top spot on the list. Two Big 12 title contenders meeting up in September? Sign me up. This will be a physical game as both defenses are arguably the best in the conference. I could see both offenses struggling to score points but that is fine with me. It’s not often we get these types of matchups in college football due to the conferences being so big and with the schedules being unbalanced. Big Noon Kickoff will be there, and this is the game you have to watch this weekend no matter who you root for.
2. Arizona State at Baylor
If not for both teams already have a loss, this could have taken the number one place on the list but second isn’t bad at all. This is still a massive game for the Big 12 title picture. Arizona State is still considered as a top contender while Baylor is looking to be in the mix as well. A win here for the Bears would certainly shake things up within the conference. But no matter who wins, this is another game you can’t miss this weekend.
3. SMU at TCU
The battle for the iron skillet is one of my favorite rivalry trophies and when you add the fact that Sonny Dykes left SMU to coach at TCU only adds fuel to the fire. Both of these teams have high powered offenses so this will look like a classic Big 12 shootout. Plus, with Baylor already having a win over SMU, it gives the conference another chance at taking down one of the ACC’s best teams.
4. West Virginia at Kansas
Out of the three conference games this weekend, this is my least favorite but that doesn’t mean I won’t be watching every second. Actually, this game should tell me a lot about both teams. West Virginia is coming off an emotional win over Pitt last week and the week prior, Kansas had its heart ripped out against Missouri. I know the Jayhawks can score points but how will their questionable defense hold up against West Virginia? We are going to learn a lot about both teams in Lawrence.
5. BYU at East Carolina
I don’t know about you, but BYU is an enigma to me. I just can’t quite figure them out and they seem to be the toughest team to gauge. Some people have them in their top 25 and some don’t even seem to think they will be a Big 12 title contender. As of now I am somewhere in the middle, but this game will tell me a lot more about the Cougars.
6. North Carolina at UCF
Is this the most exciting non-conference matchup of the weekend? No and it’s highly likely that both of these teams will end up being bottom feeders in the Big 12 and ACC. However, watching Bill Belichick lose makes me happy and I really hope Scott Frost hands him a bright shiny loss just like TCU did on Labor Day weekend.
7. Wyoming at Colorado
There are only two non-conference games this weekend with a double-digit point spread and this is one of them. Nobody really cares about Wyoming but what I care about is Colorado’s quarterback situation. Ryan Staub started last week, and it didn’t go well so will Deion and now it appears that Kaidon Salter may be back in the mix. Will we see one, two, or maybe even three quarterbacks on Saturday? Only time will tell.
8. Tulsa at Oklahoma State
This is the second non-conference game with a double digit spread. The only thing I want to see is Oklahoma State show some life in this one. Two weeks ago, Oregon kicked Oklahoma State’s teeth in, and I am not sure if the Cowboys will ever pick up their teeth and regroup. If they play 75% of what they are capable of then Oklahoma State will be fine. However if they don’t, Mike Gundy may want to start packing his bags.
