Predicting the 2024 Big 12 Season: Week 6

The preseason series predicting every single Big 12 game of the 2024 season continues today with week No. 6 as upsets run rampant.

Previous Weeks: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5

Friday October 4

Houston 20 at TCU 45

The Cougars have continued to fight this season, but they are still very inconsistent, and they get crushed on the road against the Horned Frogs. Josh Hoover leads TCU to 500 yards of total offense type of day. Cam Cook goes for 150 yards and three scores while Savion Williams and Drake Dabney each have massive days in the receiving game. The Cougars turn the ball over four times with two fumbles lost and two Donovan Smith interceptions. Great all-around performance by the Frogs as they rout the Cougars.

Saturday October 5

Baylor 16 at Iowa State 32

This is a really tough matchup for Baylor in Ames. The Cyclones are very consistent and reliable defensively so expect them to make life miserable for the Bears offense. The Cyclones rack up four sacks and two turnovers. Baylor can’t consistently move the football in this one and points are tough to come by. The secondary gives Dequan Finn fits, and the Cyclones do a great job keeping him in the pocket while stifling the Bears’ rushing attack. Rocco Becht throws for 200 yards and two touchdowns while Abu Sama runs for 100 yards and a score. The Cyclones roll.

West Virginia 34 at Oklahoma State 38

There are some fireworks in Stillwater as these two teams combined for 82 points in last year's matchup. It won’t be to that level, but it will be a fun one. Garrett Greene totals 350 yards of total offense while Jahiem White and CJ Donaldson combine for 150 yards on the ground. It is matched by a 220-yard rushing performance by Ollie Gordon and Alan Bowman throwing for 300 yards. Both sides move the ball really efficiently, but ultimately, this one comes down to who takes care of the ball. The Mountaineers turn it over twice compared to just one for the Pokes. That ends up being the deciding factor in a fun back-and-forth game.

Texas Tech 21 at Arizona 45

There is going to be lots of build-up to this game as you have two teams in very different places at the start of this one. Texas Tech is undefeated and ranked inside the top 20 whereas Arizona has dropped out of the top 25 polls. But the Wildcats are far from bad, and this feels like the moment they make a statement. Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan go nuclear as Fifita throws for 400 yards and McMillan goes for 200 of those yards and three scores. That combination gives Texas Tech a ton of trouble. The Red Raider offense struggles through the air and can’t create explosive plays, as the only thing that works is Tahj Brooks, who goes for 150 yards and two scores. In the second half, they are forced to throw the ball a lot since they are down, and Behren Morton throws two interceptions in the second half. The undefeated streak is over.

Kansas 27 at Arizona State 23

It was an ugly game for the Jayhawks on the road against a struggling Sun Devil team, but Arizona State has not quit on the season. Kansas turns it over four times, and they don’t convert on any of its first five 3rd downs in the game. Arizona State has a 16-7 lead at the half. Unfortunately, the ASU offense just can’t consistently move the football in the second half as they watch the Jayhawks run game bring them back. Devin Neal scores a touchdown to give Kansas its first lead of the game with just five minutes left. The Sun Devils lose a heartbreaker.

UCF 21 at Florida 34

This is a really fun game in the middle of the conference schedule and a very important one for both teams, as UCF is undefeated, and Florida is doing everything it can to keep the season on track. The Gators are coming off a bye week, and the Knights have gone to war the past two weeks, which does not bode well heading into this environment. KJ Jefferson has his first bad game of the season as he turns it over twice and struggles with his accuracy. The Knights' run game keeps them in it as they go for over 175 yards. But outside of that, the yards just don’t lead to enough points as the Gators play a really strong game, scoring on each of their five red zone trips, avoiding turnovers and converting on 70% of their 3rd down chances. It’s the perfect storm as UCF drops its first game of the season.

Big 12 Standings

1. Kansas State — 5-0 (2-0)

1. UCF — 4-1 (2-0)

1. Iowa State — 4-1 (2-0)

4. Texas Tech — 5-1 (2-1)

4. Oklahoma State — 5-1 (2-1)

4. Kansas — 5-1 (2-1)

4. Baylor — 4-2 (2-1)

8. Cincinnati — 4-1 (1-1)

8. Utah — 4-1 (1-1)

8. West Virginia — 3-2 (1-1)

8. Arizona — 3-2 (1-1)

12. TCU — 4-2 (1-2)

13. Arizona State — 1-4 (0-2)

13. Colorado — 3-2 (0-2)

13. BYU — 2-3 (0-2)

16. Houston — 2-4 (0-3)