Big ‘12 Ball: Records, Shocks, & Multiple Playoff Locks?

By Simon Carroll

After an epic weekend of action, College Football’s most competitive conference gears up for another exciting slate of games in Week 11. Simon Carroll looks at some of the Big 12 talking points ahead of kickoff:

No Leavitt? No Problem

Let ‘s begin with the surprises of last weekend. Houston, riding high and undefeated in the conference, were humbled at home by West Virginia, the Mountaineers’ first Big 12 win of the season. A back and forth affair saw 80 points, but it was ultimately turnovers that cost the Cougars in this one. Quarterback Conner Weigman, hero the week prior against Arizona State, turned to villain with two interceptions and six total fumbles. WVU wrestled control in this one in the third quarter, Jordan Scruggs jumping a throw and housing an 80-yard pick-six to give his team a two-score lead Houston could not overturn. Special mention needs to go to freshman Mountaineer QB Scotty Fox Jr who came up big in key moments – including a 34 yard TD run in the fourth quarter on a fourth and four.

The conference shakeup did not end there. Before the year began, Utah would have been heavily favoured over Cincinnati. But heading into Saturday it was the Bearcats in the box seat for title game push, with the Utes already dropping conference games to BYU and Texas Tech. But both sides of the ball showed up for Utah, with 480 total yards on offense (and 40+ minutes of time in possession) and 3 turnovers on defense. Cincy QB Brendan Sorsby, impeccable this season to date, completed just eleven passes as the Bearcats struggled to keep up. Utah’s big win propelled them up the AP rankings, and they’re sitting pretty in the CFP rankings too (more on that later)…

Maybe not as big of a shock in Ames considering both schools’ inconsistent campaigns. But Arizona State’s road win at Iowa State was impressive considering the absence of starting quarterback Sam Leavitt, who will undergo season-ending surgery for a foot injury. Experienced backup Jeff Sims, who had stepped in twice previous for Leavitt, put the Sun Devils on his back as they outlasted the ‘Clones. The speed of Sims was on full show as he ran 29 times for 228 yards and 2 TD’s, including an 88 yard scamper that gave ASU a lead that Iowa State could never come back from. Sims became the first Big 12 QB this season to throw for at least 175 yards and rush for over 200 yards in a game.

I’m out of breath. The conference of chaos strikes again!

Big Scorelines Define Week 10

We’ve already discussed the 45 points West Virginia and Utah casually racked up against Houston and Cincinnati respectively. But they weren’t the only programs to run up huge scores in Week 10. Kansas got back to winning ways against hapless Oklahoma State, hanging 38 on their opponents with a strong second half flurry. Baylor stomped UCF 30-3, the Bears allowing just one third or fourth down completion by the Knights all afternoon. And Texas Tech were kept close by Kansas State until their defense dialled it up, taking a fumble back to the house and giving the ball to their offense four more times through turnovers. This one got a little ugly late, the 43-20 scoreboard perhaps not a true reflection of a fairly competitive contest.

But the biggest can of whoop ass was opened in Boulder. Arizona HAMMERED Colorado 52-17 behind huge plays and a relentless defense that preyed upon a dysfunctional Buffaloes passing attack. Noah Fifita is having a great season in year two of the Brent Brennan era, throwing four touchdowns and 213 yards from just 11 passes. Fifita was mercifully pulled halfway through the third quarter, but still the Wildcats kept coming, with three touchdowns on the ground padding the numbers.

Deion Sanders, far from pleased with his offense’s performance, pulled the ineffective Kaidon Salter at half time. His replacement, Ryan Staub, proceeded to throw two interceptions on his only two throws of the night. Sanders used four QB’s in all desperately trying to find a solution; it might be time to unleash freshman phenom Julian Lewis, who was clearly the best option and gave Colorado a bit of respectability. But this was Arizona’s day as the Big 12 transformed from usually tight contests to big blowouts. Perhaps it was a halloween thing.

Big 12 Sitting Pretty In The CFP

Excuse me for being suspicious of the illustrious College Football Playoff Committee, but I am usually unimpressed with their rankings when they come out each year. Too much posturing to the Big Ten and SEC for my liking, and I’d argue there’s a big whiff of that this week too with Texas, Oklahoma and Notre Dame all sitting in the Top 12 despite two losses. Best still include Tennessee and Miami in the Top 25 to make those wins and losses look better! I see you CFP, I see you…

Anyway, I was mildly surprised to see them give the Big 12 the respect it deserves. BYU and Texas Tech have rightly earned their places at #8 and #9. And if they were the only representatives in with a shout I would be worried, especially with one about to knock off the other this weekend. But Utah’s inclusion at #13 means that the conference is almost certainly guaranteed two spots in the postseason bracket – and if things break their way, maybe three.

Even if BYU loses to Tech, they could win out after that and would almost certainly warrant inclusion – especially if the loss to a top ten team is close. And Utah, who have only lost to the other two schools, have a schedule they should be able to navigate from here on out. Do that, and some slip ups from the SEC cluster ahead of them will help the Utes’ cause.

Now picture THIS scenario: What if Cincinnati wins out from here? They likely earn a place in the Big 12 title game, and imagine if they upset BYU/TTU and lift the trophy! Call me a dreamer, but do I see a pathway to four? I’m not sure the CFP cronies in their smoke-filled room would allow it. But what a way to put the Big 12 on the map before they further grow their international brand next year…

College Gameday Heads To Lubbock

Now more on the HUGE top of the conference battle this coming weekend. BYU heads to Lubbock to face the Red Raiders with a lot at stake. The conference is so tight that the loser of this one could conceivably be jumped by Cincinnati, who don’t have to play either of them before the end of the regular season. In an era where there are so many teams in each conference and schedules are skewed, this could become a fairly frequent occurrence. And with a playoff spot guaranteed for a conference winner, it’s much simpler for either of these two programs if they get the job done on Saturday and all but secure a trip to Arlington on December 6th.

That’s easier said than done. Most would have expected Texas Tech to be in the mix for a conference title in 2025 considering the oil money propping up the program. But I don’t think anyone foresaw just how mean this defense is; Jacob Rodriguez and Cole Wisniewski leading a unit the envy of the FBS, not just the Big 12. BYU meanwhile, have overcome a last-minute change of quarterback to find a way past everyone they’ve played, coming back to win in overtime on multiple occasions. The Cougars are never done, and it all leads to a fascinating matchup.

ESPN seems to agree, with the Gameday crew heading to Lubbock to host College Football’s biggest pre-game show outside of Jones AT&T Stadium. Speaking with Kansas coach Lance Leipold, I’m aware of the impact having this show on your campus can make, including spiking enrollment figures. The town is going to be in a frenzy as Joey McGuire tries to meet aspirations that have never been as high in this part of  Northwest Texas; buckle up folks, it’s going to be one hell of a Saturday in the Big 12!

Big 12: Week 11 Schedule

Friday:

Houston (7-2, 4-2) @ UCF (4-4, 1-4)

Saturday:

#7 BYU (8-0, 5-0) @ #8 Texas Tech (8-1, 5-1)

Colorado (3-6, 1-5) @ West Virginia (3-6, 1-5)

Iowa State (5-4, 2-4) @ TCU (6-2, 3-2)

Kansas (5-4, 3-3) @ Arizona (5-3, 2-3)

Bye Week:

Cincinnati (7-2, 5-1), Utah (7-2, 4-2), Arizona State (6-3, 4-2), Baylor (5-4, 3-3), Kansas State (4-5, 3-3), Oklahoma State (1-8, 0-6)

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SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST AND COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION.

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