Heading into week 10 of the college football season, the Big 12 accounts for three of the top 10 matchups in Kelly Ford’s Watchability Ratings.
No. 13 Texas Tech vs. Kansas State came in at No. 4 with a rating of 9.5, while No. 17 Cincinnati vs. No. 24 Utah ranks seventh with a rating of 8.8.
Arizona State’s showdown with Iowa State ranked No. 10, rated at 8.6.
Star quarterback Behren Morton is set to return for Texas Tech after missing the last two games. The Red Raiders will face a 4–4 Kansas State team that’s looked strong in recent weeks.
Quarterback Avery Johnson has recorded at least two touchdowns in each of the Wildcats’ last three games. With explosive playmakers on both sides, this matchup has the makings of one of the most entertaining games of the week.
Cincinnati has been one of the surprises of the college football season, sitting at 7–1 with statement wins over Iowa State, Baylor, and Kansas.
In last week’s dominant 41–20 victory over Baylor, the Bearcats racked up over 260 rushing yards. With veteran quarterback Brendan Sorsby at the helm, Cincinnati is firmly in the Big 12 title hunt.
This week’s matchup with Utah is intriguing, especially given the Utes’ dynamic ground game. They exploded for 422 rushing yards last weekend, setting up a clash of physical, run-heavy offenses.
The final matchup between Arizona State and Iowa State features two teams that have fallen short of preseason expectations. Both programs finished near the top of the Big 12 in 2024, but now sit at 5–3. With the conference title race tightening, the loser of this game will all but fall out of contention.
With quarterback Sam Leavitt out for the remainder of the season, Arizona State will turn to Jeff Sims to lead the offense. On the other side, Iowa State enters the matchup on a three-game skid and will look to Rocco Becht to spark a much-needed turnaround.
Vanderbilt vs. Texas, Oklahoma vs. Tennessee, USC vs Nebraska, and Miami vs. SMU round out the list’s top five.
