Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:
No. 22 Arizona (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) at No. 13 Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN)
The Wildcats have won five games in a row by an average margin of 24 points since a 33-27 double-overtime loss
to No. 8 BYU. Their 6-1 record matches the school's best start since 2014, a 10-win season with coach Rich Rodriguez in the Pac-12 Conference.Texas Tech is coming off a 37-24 loss at Cincinnati. Just
last last year, the first loss came in the seventh game, but the Red Raiders then had another six-game winning streak that included their first Big 12 championship to make the College Football Playoff.
The Red Raiders are back home, where their 11-game winning streak is one short of the school record set in 1942. They are 16-4 at home against Big 12 opponents in coach Joey McGuire's five seasons.
Fourth-year Wildcats starting quarterback Noah Fifita has thrown for 2,064 yards this season with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions. He faces a Tech defense that has returned five interceptions for touchdowns in the last four games.
No. 6 Utah (7-0, 4-0) at Cincinnati (5-2, 2-2), Saturday, 3:45 p.m. ET (ESPN)
A week after beating Texas Tech for their first home win over a top 10 team in 20 years, the Bearcats host another undefeated team at Nippert Stadium. No unranked Big 12 team has ever won back-to-back games against top-10 opponents.
The Utes are 7-0 for the first time since 2010 and have won 13 games in a row, the longest active FBS streak. They beat then-No. 14 Houston 21-13 last week for their ninth Big 12 victory in a row.
— UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins had a season-high 293 yards passing with three touchdowns, two in overtime, in the Knights' 39-31 upset of previously undefeated and then-No. 2 BYU. He also ran for a score. UCF (4-3, 2-2) is home again Friday night to host Baylor (4-3, 2-2), playing its first game since Dave Aranda was fired and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman took over as interim coach.
— Cincinnati's Cole Tabb ran for 173 yards and a 58-yard touchdown in the win over Texas Tech, which hadn't allowed a rushing TD this season or a 100-yard rusher since 2024. Utah is first in the Big 12 allowing only 88.3 yards rushing per game.
The Big 12 has six Top 25 teams for the first time since 2012. ... No. 8 BYU (6-1, 3-1) hasn’t lost consecutive games since late in the 2024 season. The Cougars are home against Arizona State (4-3, 2-2). ... TCU (3-4, 1-3) has the Big 12's top defense, allowing 13.9 points and 264 total yards per game. The Horned Frogs have four losses by a combined 24 points. They host Kansas (3-4, 1-3) ... Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker has thrown for at least 300 yards with multiple passing TDs in six consecutive games, one short of tying the Big 12's longest single-season streak. The No. 24 Cowboys (5-2, 3-1) play at Iowa State (3-4, 1-3). ... Colorado (2-5, 0-4) takes a nine-game Big 12 losing streak into its home game against Kansas State (4-3, 1-3). ... No. 18 Houston (6-2, 3-2) and West Virginia (5-3, 2-3) have the Big 12's final open dates.
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