Week 10 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 duds, and everything in between, here are my best-to-worst games for the weekend.
1. No. 17 Cincinnati at No. 24 Utah
This is clearly the best game in the conference this weekend. Two ranked teams going at it with Big 12 title implications on the line, College GameDay is there, what else could you ask for? It’s been three years since GameDay has been to a Big 12 venue, which just goes to show you that bullying can work if done by enough people. But whether they went or not, this game is still just as important. Rest up Friday night because you will need to stay up late on Saturday.
2. No. 13 Texas Tech at Kansas State
A month ago, this game wouldn’t have even been in my top three for this weekend, but with Kansas State finding some life, this matchup all of a sudden becomes a lot more intriguing. Texas Tech has already lost a game in Big 12 play, and they will have to win out to guarantee their spot at Jerry World. Meanwhile, the Wildcats aren’t out of the title picture just yet despite their 4-4 record. Keep in mind that the Red Raiders are just a 7.5-point favorite, which is the least amount of points they have been favored by this season. Even Vegas knows that Kansas State is a dangerous team right now.
3. UCF at Baylor
This game has zero to do with the Big 12 title race, but we are officially on the Fire Dave Aranda watch. Baylor is 4-4 right now, their defense has been horrible, and if they lose this game, then this is no way Aranda has a job in Waco next week. Also, for UCF, this is a must-win game if they want to go bowling this season because if not, they will have to beat either Houston, Texas Tech, or BYU to get to six wins, and that’s not going to happen.
4. Arizona State at Iowa State
Before the season started, I had this game circled on my factionary calendar because it was a Big 12 title game rematch. Now it seems like both teams are in a dark place as they are both out of the current Big 12 title picture. Arizona State will be without Sam Leavitt this weekend, and now we have learned for the season, which we have already seen what that looks like (Utah), and Jordyn Tyson is still questionable. If those two don’t play, then the Sun Devils have no shot in this one despite Iowa State’s recent struggles. However, a win for Arizona State could make things interesting down the stretch.
5. Arizona at Colorado
This game isn’t going to draw many eyeballs outside of people wanting to see Deion Sanders fail, which will likely happen after watching Colorado get destroyed last weekend. The focus should be on Arizona which has a legitimate chance to win seven or maybe eight games if it can take care of business in Boulder.
6. West Virginia at No. 22 Houston
Have the Mountaineers found their future quarterback in Scotty Fox Jr.? We are going to find out as West Virginia travels down to Houston to take on the Cougars, who are arguably the best story in college football right now. This game is a chance for Houston to further cement their place in the Big 12 title race and allow themselves to make history. One can make an argument that this game deserves to be higher on the pecking order, and I would have a hard time disagreeing.
7. Oklahoma State at Kansas
It’s not often a 4-4 team is favored by over 24 points, but when you play Oklahoma State, anything is possible, I guess. Unless you are a fan of either team or just really bored, there’s probably no reason for even the casual Big 12 fan to watch this game.
