The preseason series predicting every single Big 12 game of the 2024 season continues today with week No. 8
Previous Weeks: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7
Friday, October 18
Oklahoma State 20 at BYU 23
The Cougars are simply a different team in Provo, and they put together a very strong effort in this one. The strength of the defense should be stopping the run this season, and they do just that against Heisman-hopeful Ollie Gordon, holding him to under 100 yards rushing for the first time this season. Alan Bowman is forced to throw the ball 45 times to try to lead a comeback, but he ends up turning it over three times, including one pick-six by Ben Bywater. Huge win for the Cougars in front of its home fans.
Saturday, October 19
TCU 17 at Utah 27
This is going to be one of the best defensive efforts the Utes put together all season. The secondary stifles the Frogs' strong passing attack, and the front seven creates eight tackles for loss and four sacks. This type of performance completely overwhelms Josh Hoover and company. The Horned Frogs' defense does all it can to keep them in it, but Cam Rising makes enough plays to get points on the board and create some separation.
Kansas State 35 at West Virginia 38
As you can tell, the Mountaineers are not going to be playing a ton of great defense this season, but the offense can really go. They do it again in this one as Garrett Greene picks apart the Wildcats secondary with his scrambling ability and his arm outside the pocket. They create six 20+ yard plays as the explosiveness really wears on the Kansas State defense. Avery Johnson moves the ball as well, but with this one being on the road, they make a few too many mistakes, which the Mountaineers capitalize on.
Colorado 44 at Arizona 41
A shootout is incoming between these two former PAC 12 foes. This may feature a matchup between the two best passers in the league, and I expect both of them to perform well. Shadeur Sanders throws for 415 yards and six touchdowns as he completely goes off in Tuscon. But Noah Fifita matches him with 370 yards passing and four touchdowns. Ultimately, this game comes down to who has the ball last, which happens to be Sanders. Now, this Colorado team has struggled again in close games this year, but this is the Sanders moment and the one we will all be watching leading into the NFL Draft. He throws three absolute dimes to LaJohntay Wester and Travis Hunter as he gets the Buffs into field goal range, and the kick is good. Massive win for the program.
Houston 24 at Kansas 48
Too much Jayhawks in this one. Jalon Daniels leads the offense to a massive day as they post over 300 yards rushing and over 200 yards passing. Lawrence Arnold catches two touchdowns and goes for over 100 yards receiving. Combine that with the three turnovers the defense forces, and you can see why this will turn into a blowout. Houston moves the ball at times but it is inconsistent and a couple scores late lead this to looking closer than it will be.
Arizona State 21 at Cincinnati 24
The Bearcats are in a little bit of a slump after starting the season strong, and it continues against the Sun Devils as they do not show up for the first half. ASU builds a 14-6 lead at the half. In the second half, Scott Satterfield gets his team to turn things around behind a powerful rushing attack and a dominant defensive line performance. Cincy totals 150 yards rushing in the second half, and the defense posts four sacks in the half, which carries them to a narrow win.
UCF 20 at Iowa State 30
The Knights offense has not been held down very often this season, but going on the road to Ames feels like a time when the wheels may fall off a little. UCF has run over just about everyone this season, but that doesn’t happen in this one, as they are held to under three yards per carry. This leads them to get down early and have to rely on KJ Jefferson to air it out against a really strong Cyclone secondary. That is a recipe for disaster. Jefferson turns it over twice and completes less than 50% of his passes. The Cyclones feast on that while wearing down the Knight's defensive front with Abu Sama and a massive time of possession advantage.
Baylor 24 at Texas Tech 27
An all-out war in Lubbock is coming, as both of these teams are hungry for a huge win to keep momentum going this season. The Bears struggle to run the football as they become one-dimensional early on this one and have to rely on Dequan Finn to be the primary ball carrier. He performs well but wears down as he creeps up to 20 carries in this one. The Red Raiders struggle to pass the ball as the Bears’ secondary plays a great game, and the defensive line creates all kinds of pressure on Behren Morton. This game will come down to who wins more consistently: Baylor’s wide receivers versus Texas Tech’s secondary or Texas Tech’s run game versus Baylor’s front seven. I give the edge to Tahj Brooks and the Red Raiders' rushing attack to allow them to move consistently and keep a lead, but the Bears keep this one very close.
Big 12 Standings
1. Kansas State — 6-1 (3-1)
1. UCF — 5-2 (3-1)
1. Iowa State — 5-2 (3-1)
1. Texas Tech — 6-1 (3-1)
1. Kansas — 6-1 (3-1)
1. Utah — 6-1 (3-1)
1. West Virginia — 5-2 (3-1)
8. Oklahoma State — 5-2 (2-2)
8. Baylor — 4-3 (2-2)
8. Arizona — 4-3 (2-2)
8. Cincinnati — 5-2 (2-2)
12. TCU — 4-3 (1-3)
12. Colorado — 4-3 (1-3)
12. BYU — 3-4 (1-3)
15. Houston — 2-5 (0-4)
15. Arizona State — 1-6 (0-4)
