The Big 12 entered Week 2 with three opportunities to make a statement against the SEC. Two games in, things haven’t gone according to plan.
Arizona State fell to Texas A&M 48-20 on Saturday, dropping the Big 12 to 0-2 against the SEC this weekend and leaving Utah as the conference’s final opportunity to avoid a sweep.
The struggles started Friday night in Lawrence, where Kansas and No. 23 Missouri were tied 14-14 at halftime before the Tigers took control in the second half. Missouri scored 14 quick points coming out of the locker room and eventually pulled away for a 38-21 victory.
Then came Saturday’s trip to College Station for Arizona State, which represented another significant opportunity for the Big 12 to pick up a marquee non-conference victory. Instead, the Sun Devils suffered a 28-point loss to the Aggies. The game was closer than the final score would indicate. Arizona State and Texas A&M were tied at 7 after the first quarter, and at halftime the Aggies were up 17-10. It was a 4-point game entering the fourth quarter, before the Aggies took over, scoring 3 plays into the quarter to take a 31-20 lead, and from there, it was 17-more unanswered points for A&M to solidify the 48-20 victory.
Now the pressure shifts to Salt Lake City.
Utah Gets the Big 12’s Final Shot Against the SEC
No. 20 Utah hosts Arkansas on Saturday night in the final Big 12-SEC matchup of Week 2.
A Utah victory wouldn’t erase what happened to Kansas and Arizona State, but it would prevent an 0-3 weekend against a conference the Big 12 will inevitably be compared with throughout the College Football Playoff race.
For a league looking to strengthen its national perception and postseason résumé, these are the non-conference opportunities that matter. In fairness, the Big 12 teams, Arizona State and Kansas, were underdogs in both of their games, while Utah is a solid 12.5-point favorite. So there’ seven more pressure on Utah here.
Now it’s up to Utah to salvage the weekend.
→ Read our Utah vs. Arkansas prediction, pick and preview
