Three undefeated teams in conference play. Two undefeated teams overall. And four other teams with one league loss at the halfway point of Big 12 Conference football action.
Week 8 brings some of the more competitive games fans will see all season. Texas Tech heads to Arizona State. Baylor is at TCU. Utah goes to BYU, a year after their incredible renewal of the Holy War in Salt Lake City.
There are six Big 12 games across the league. The Utah-BYU game is a Top 25 game and Fox Noon Kickoff will be in Provo.
Four teams are off this week — Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State.
Here are five things to watch in the eighth week of Big 12 football action.
Most Important Game
No. 23 Utah at No. 15 BYU, 7 pm CT Saturday, Fox
Plenty of good choices this week. Baylor at TCU is a do-or-die battle to stay in the race. Texas Tech at Arizona State is a litmus test game for the Red Raiders, not to mention basically a must-win game for the Sun Devils. I was at the Holy War last year and, let me tell you, this one is gonna be incredible.
Utah (5-1, 2-1 in Big 12) has things turned around after getting pounded by Texas Tech a few weeks ago. But a loss for the Utes means they’ll need help getting to the Big 12 title game. BYU (6-0, 3-0) has some wiggle room as an undefeated team. Being undefeated keeps the Cougars on course to 10 wins and, potentially, consideration for not only the Big 12 title game but a potential College Football Playoff at-large berth.
Under-The-Radar Game
Arizona at Houston, 11 a.m. CT Saturday, FS1
The Wildcats lost a heartbreaker to BYU on Saturday, a double-overtime thriller they had every chance to win. Arizona (4-1, 1-2) has no wiggle room when it comes to getting a shot at the Big 12 Championship game. The Wildcats need to win out. Houston (5-1, 2-1) took care of Oklahoma State on the road and if they want to remain in the hunt for Arlington, the Cougars need to take care of this one, too. It’s a winnable home game, if Houston plays well.
Watch Houston’s run game. If the Cougars win, it will be because that unit had a big night. If Arizona wins, it will be because it stuffed the run.
Upset to Watch
No. 24 Cincinnati at Oklahoma State, 7 p.m. CT Saturday, ESPN2
Cincinnati (5-1, 3-0) has big things on its mind as it remains undefeated in the Big 12. A win on Saturday keeps them undefeated and gets them in a bowl game for the first time under coach Scott Satterfield. The Bearcats’ win over UCF exposed some issues. The Knights held the ball for 40 minutes and still lost, but only 20-11. UCF ran 90 plays to Cincy’s 48. The Bearcats were outgained by more than 100 yards.
Oklahoma State (1-5, 0-3) is in an absolute state in the post-Mike Gundy era and has no business winning this game. That’s why it’s exactly the kind of game Cincinnati could lose, especially with it being in Stillwater.
Player to Watch
Texas Tech RB Cameron Dickey
No. 7 Texas Tech at Arizona State, 3 p.m. CT Saturday, FOX
Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton is day-to-day with an ankle injury. His backup, Will Hammond, threw for 42 yards after Morton left Texas Tech’s 42-17 win over Kansas. Fortunately, Dickey had a day — 263 yards rushing and two touchdowns. For context, that was nearly half of his 593 yards this season.
Whether Morton or Hammond, or both, play, Dickey is going to get the football, and the Sun Devils are going to load up to stop him. It’s an early afternoon start in Tempe, where it still hot this time of year. Dickey’s production will be critical in determining who wins.
Big 12 After Dark
None
What? No Big 12 After Dark game this week? I create an entire category for each week’s games, and we can’t get one? I mean, I’m happy to finally get some sleep on a Saturday night, but still.
Instead, ESPN gave the slot to Florida State at Stanford at 9:30 p.m. CT, if you’re into the flailing Seminoles against the two-win Cardinal.
The Big 12 will return to regular programming next week when Colorado heads to Utah.
