Welcome to Tuesday Takes, where I give you five takes from the Big 12. It was a jam-packed week full of action, but here were several things that caught my attention from this past weekend.
Texas Tech Will Be Number One
I know BYU is the only undefeated team in the Big 12, but after seeing Texas Tech beat down Kansas State this past weekend in Manhattan, it reminded me that the Red Raiders still are the most talented team in the conference. Defensively, there is no one better in the Big 12, and with Behren Morton fully healthy, the offense is good enough to win games. Morton’s health will be the biggest thing for Tech moving forward, and they have a chance to reclaim the top spot in the conference this weekend against BYU, and they will.
Utah Will Win Ten Games
Even though they have two losses in Big 12 action, I feel like way too many people are forgetting just how good Utah is. The Utes have a top-notch defense that is second in scoring (14.2), and their offense has the number one rushing attack in the conference (267.1 ypg) led by quarterback Devon Dampier.
Their only two losses this season are against Texas Tech and BYU, who are the two best teams in the Big 12. While their chances of making it to Jerry World are slim, it doesn’t take away from the fact that they are a really good team, and when I look at their remaining schedule, they will win out and finish with a 10-2 record, which is a drastic improvement from last season.
West Virginia Has Turned a Corner
Year one for the Rich Rodriguez homecoming hasn’t been great, but last weekend against Houston, this program felt like it made a big stride forward. Scotty Fox Jr. has come out of nowhere to become the clear starter for the Mountaineers. Despite all the injuries this year, this team has not quit. In fact, they are playing their best football right now, and we saw flashes of it against TCU the week before and now against Houston. With three games left against Colorado, Arizona State, and Texas Tech, I don’t think it’s crazy to think they can win two out of those three and finish with five wins.
UCF Will Not Go Bowling
Last weekend against Baylor, UCF completely blew its chances of getting to a bowl game. The Knights are currently sitting at 4-4 with four games left against Houston, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and BYU. And after seeing their offense against a bad Baylor defense, I don’t feel confident that they can even win one of their next four games. There is still plenty of work to do for Scott Frost and his staff to help UCF get back on the map and be competitive in the Big 12.
Colorado Has Quit
For the second week in a row, Colorado has been blown out. In their last two games, the Buffaloes have been outscored 105 to 24, which is something Oklahoma State can’t even do in two weeks. Against Arizona, Colorado turned the ball over times and had 14 penalties for well over 100 yards. They continue to have an open tryout at quarterback, and their defense isn’t even trying. The most interesting thing for this team right now is their press conferences because it feels like a circus at this point. This team has completely given up, and Deion needs to find a way to get it fixed.
