No more non-conference games. Starting with Week 6, everyone in the Big 12 Conference is in league action until the Big 12 Championship game in December.
The league already has a pair of 2-0 teams in league action — Arizona State and Iowa State. BYU, Houston, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati are all undefeated, too. At least one will fall, as Texas Tech heads to Houston.
Two teams are off this week — Arizona State and Utah.
Here are five things to watch in the sixth week of Big 12 football action.
Most Important Game
Texas Tech at Houston, 6 p.m. CT Saturday, ESPN
I think if you polled most writers in the preseason, they would have given you good odds of the Red Raiders being undefeated. Not so much the Cougars. But here we are with an early October matchup in Houston in which neither team has fallen. While I have no doubt Houston is in this to win it, the Cougars’ expectations entering this season were improvement and a bowl game. Coach Willie Fritz’s teams improved by three wins from year one to year two, and Houston is tracking that way.
For Texas Tech, the expectations are Big 12 title game or bust. That’s the cold truth when you spend it in NIL and through the transfer portal. So far, the Red Raiders have met every challenge. Their defense looks elite and absolutely stifled Utah’s run game two weeks ago. Running the football is what Houston does best. The Cougars will have to solve for that and get pressure on the quarterback. Houston will be highly motivated, and I expect them to give Texas Tech real trouble.
Under-The-Radar Game
Kansas State at Baylor, 11 a.m. CT Saturday, ESPN+
Good to know ESPN isn’t making it hard for folks to find this game, eh? This is a make-or-break game for these two teams. The Wildcats and Bears have lost a league game already and really aren’t that far away from a 2-0 league start. K-State’s and Baylor’s conference losses are by a combined six points and to Iowa State and Arizona State, respectively. No shame in that. But the loser will have two league losses and no margin for error to get to Arlington. The winner gets a little wiggle room. Those two teams get the stakes, and they will play accordingly.
Upset to Watch
Kansas at UCF, 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday, ESPN2
Kansas is favored even though it’s on the road, and UCF is undefeated at home so far this season. The Knights’ defense has only allowed 36 points in three home games. It gave up 34 points at Kansas State last week. Both teams are coming back to reality just a bit. But both teams have enough talent to make this a fun evening to watch for Big 12 fans.
Player to Watch
Houston LB Sione Fotu
Texas Tech at Houston, 6 p.m. CT Saturday, ESPN
I’ve already highlighted this game once, but it’s worth underscoring how much Fotu could mean to the Houston defense. He had a career-high 15 tackles in Friday’s victory at Oregon State, the most tackles in a Houston game since Austin Robinson in 2018. Fotu was also one of four Power Four players to tally 15 or more tackles last week. In his previous two games, he had a combined 10 tackles. He played at Utah for three seasons (with a break from 2021-22 for a mission trip) and landed at Houston in the transfer portal. If the reigning Big 12 co-defensive player of the week has a big game, then Texas Tech may be on the ropes.
Big 12 After Dark
West Virginia at BYU, Friday, 9:30 p.m. CT, ESPN
Is Nicco Marchiol going to be healthy for West Virginia? That’s really all that matters here for the Mountaineers. They were smashed by Utah at home without their starting quarterback, and neither Khalil Wilkins nor Jaylen Henderson was effective against Utah’s stout defense. Coach Rich Rodriguez doesn’t want to blame injuries, and that’s laudable. But WVU is the most banged-up team in the conference, and BYU could turn this into a rout. BYU’s win over Colorado was a gut-check kind of win. The Cougars can’t allow the Mountaineers to get a foothold early in this one.
