The Big 12 Conference is entering November and celebrating 30 years of conference football by rebroadcasting the Kansas State-Texas Tech game, which was the first Big 12 football game ever. Good timing — the Wildcats and Red Raiders play each other this weekend. That doesn’t feel coincidental.
The race for the Big 12 Championship game has coalesced around four teams — BYU and Cincinnati, which are undefeated in Big 12 play, along with Texas Tech and Houston, each of which have one loss. A cadre of two-loss teams are in pursuit.
Here are five notes going into Week 10, and what they mean.
Note 1: The Rankings
BYU (10th), Texas Tech (13th), Cincinnati (17th), Houston (22nd) and Utah (24th) give the Big 12 five teams ranked in this week’s AP Top 25. It marks the first time the Conference has had five ranked programs in the month of October since 2022.
What it Means: The Big 12 is better at the top than expected. I didn’t have Cincinnati and Houston as a ranked team going into the season. I thought BYU might until the quarterback chaos and then I set that aside. I wasn’t even sure Utah would be as good as it has been. This is all good news for the Big 12 as the first College Football Playoff rankings come out next Tuesday. It enhances the league’s chances of two teams making the CFP.
Note 2: Welcome, ESPN
ESPN’s College GameDay will make a Big 12 visit this week for the Top-25 showdown between Cincinnati and Utah in Salt Lake City.
What it Means: What was the Sally Field line? “You like me?! You really LIKE me?!” Or maybe ESPN just got bored with a steady diet of SEC gamedays. The Big 12 had to fight for this spotlight. It’s just a shame it’s not in Cincinnati. I was there in 2023 when Big Noon Kickoff came for the Cincinnati-Oklahoma game, and it was a blast. Nothing against Salt Lake City, but Gameday has been there before and the Bearcats are the undefeated team in this scenario.
The rumor is ESPN could be in Lubbock next weekend for BYU at Texas Tech. We’ll see.
Note 3: Red Raider Margins
Texas Tech’s average margin of victory of 36.2 points per game ranks second nationally and is the most by a Big 12 team through seven games since 2013.
What it Means: It really puts into perspective the Red Raiders’ loss to Arizona State what they’ve done to everyone else they’ve played this season. It’s why I think there is a chance of an upset brewing in Manhattan this weekend as Texas Tech faces Kansas State. Manhattan is a hard place to play and that huge win over Kansas leads me to believe the Wildcats have figured some things out.
Based on the 2013 standings, that team the note references must be Baylor, which won the Big 12 that season. In the Bears’ first seven games they outscored opponents by an average of 48 points per game. The one close game? Against Kansas State, a 35-25 win in Waco.
Note 4: Utah By Ground
Utah amassed 422 yards on the ground in its win over Colorado on Saturday, which were the most by an FBS team in conference play this season.
What it Means: Man, Army, Air Force and Navy got their feelings hurt. That’s their jam.
Note 5: Houston is SO Back
After picking up its first AP top-25 win on the road since 2017, Houston’s seven wins this season nearly match its win total of eight from the previous two seasons combined.
What it Means: It’s the Willie Fritz effect. The Houston coach averages three more wins from Year 1 to Year 2 over his career, which started at Blinn College in the 1990s. Entering this weekend’s action he’s done that on the number. Houston was 4-8 last year and is 7-1 now.
All Willie Fritz does is win. That’s why Houston wanted him.
