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By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports
Conference play continues this week in the Big 12 with several key matchups across the league.
Arizona State hosts No. 24 TCU, Utah goes to West Virginia needing a win, and Arizona plays No. 14 Iowa State in Ames.
The night is capped off with a game between No. 25 BYU and Colorado, a matchup that has rivalry potential moving forward.
I preview those four games here and give a “look in” at the rest of the critical matchups in the Conference.
No. 24 TCU at Arizona State
Friday, September 26
6:00 pm PT, FOX
It’s time to make a statement.
The rest of the country seems to have forgotten about Arizona State. The Sun Devils were ranked at the start of the season for a reason. This is a quality football team.
TCU comes into Tempe with several respectable wins and impressive margins of victory. Josh Hoover is playing great, and the team looks like a threat. The Horned Frogs are undoubtedly deserving of their Top 25 ranking.
But they are walking into the fire. The atmosphere at Mountain America Stadium is going to be elite. And the Sun Devils are going to come out with something to prove.
It’s not a good setup if you’re a TCU fan.
The crowd should make a difference, and ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt could be a game-changer. Look for Leavitt to extend plays with his legs, get first downs on the ground, and find his receivers in open space.
Mix in a Sun Devil run game that has potency and a defense that makes plays, and you get a team primed to defend home field.
This isn’t Texas. The Horned Frogs are about to get a baptism in the desert.
Utah at West Virginia
Saturday, September 27
12:30 pm PT, FOX
Look me directly in the eye when I say this: Utah’s season is on the line against West Virginia.
If the Utes can’t beat the Mountaineers, it’s going to be a long year. Forget that it’s a road game. That doesn’t matter. WVU is a bottom-feeder in the Big 12 this year. Only other bottom-feeder programs will lose to them.
That can’t be Utah.
Morgan Scalley should find a way to shut down Rich Rodriguez’s system. Rich Rod doesn’t have the athletes yet, and they haven’t had enough time to truly learn his system. The Ute defense should thrive.
Kansas just clobbered the Mountaineers, and the eye test was jarring. If Utah is a serious program, they beat West Virginia convincingly.
Arizona at No. 14 Iowa State
Saturday, September 27
4:00 pm PT, ESPN
Vegas might be on to something.
The spread is less than a touchdown, and it could be for good reason. Arizona is a much-improved team this year, and a lot of the credit goes to the new coordinators.
Danny Gonzales is coaching the hell out of the defense, and Seth Doege runs a competent offensive system that puts up points.
At the same time, Head Coach Brent Brennan is preaching violence. He calls it “redline,” which essentially boils down to a highly physical style of football.
From the practices to the expectations on game day, it’s all about hitting hard and playing with toughness. It’s paid off so far this year, and it’s one of the reasons Vegas is predicting a one-score game.
If Arizona can force turnovers and score touchdowns in the red zone, the Wildcats have a chance. The UA run game is strong, Noah Fifita is playing freely with confidence, and the offensive scheme gets players into open space.
This matchup is one to keep an eye on.
No. 25 BYU at Colorado
Saturday, September 27
7:15 pm PT, ESPN
There are going to be a lot of eyes on this game.
Just looking at the nationwide schedule, there is essentially no other contest that BYU and Colorado are competing with. The key matchups of the day start at 4:30 pm PT and will be over near the end of the first quarter in Boulder.
That means plenty of people will flip to this game to watch the majority of the matchup. Don’t believe me? Go look at the schedule for the weekend and tell me what other game will get more attention during this timeslot.
That’s without even mentioning the Deion factor.
But, enough.
BYU is going to send a message. The 6.5 spread is laughable.
Colorado is not a very good team this year, and the Cougars are legit. Sure, BYU might be moderately untested, and they start a true freshman quarterback.
But this team is good, and they are about to show the country why. The defense should stifle CU’s run game and create interceptions through the air.
The only X-Factors are Kaidon Salter’s threat to run and Bear Bachmeier’s lack of experience.
Call me out if I’m wrong: BYU wins moderately convincingly.
The Rest of the Big 12
Houston is undefeated and heads to Corvallis for a Friday night matchup with Oregon State.
It’s easy to feel bad for the Beavers, especially since the preseason expectations were elevated. The program was crushed in realignment, and their fans deserve better. But this is real life, not some fantasy fairytale.
The Cougars are a much-improved team and should leave with a win.
Kansas hosts Cincinnati in a very interesting matchup.
The Bearcats have fallen out of the national discussion after their big game against Nebraska in Week One. There’s no buzz around the team, even though there should be.
Brendan Sorsby is one of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12 and UC has talent on the roster.
It’s a critical test for Kansas, and the result will shine fascinating insight into the power balance of the Big 12.
UCF is 3-0 and heads to Manhattan, Kansas, for a contest against Kansas State.
It’s an early kickoff (9:00 am PT), which apparently is not what the K-State fans like. That’s just what happens when you’re 1-3 and coming off a loss to Arizona.
At least this way, the fans will get to stay the whole game instead of leaving early for the two-hour drive back to where they actually live.
Regardless, Central is probably a little over-rated and KSU should get back on track.
Miller covers College Basketball and College Football as well as Formula 1 racing as a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor for SuperWest Sports.