Week 11 of the college football season is upon us, as we are in store for another exciting weekend of Big 12 action. I thought it would be fun to rank the games based on my interest each week. Between big-time matchups, total duds, and everything in between, here are my best-to-worst games for the weekend.
1. No. 7 BYU at No. 8 Texas Tech
Biggest game of the weekend? More like the biggest game of the year as undefeated BYU travels to Lubbock to take on a talented Texas Tech team. Both Bear Bachmeier and Behren Morton are healthy, both defenses are really good, and I can’t think of a game in recent memory that has as much anticipation as this one. This one will certainly shake things up in the Big 12, and it feels like a championship game despite it being early November. Is this the biggest game in Lubbock since 2008? I say yes.
2. Iowa State at TCU
It’s hard to follow the game above, but someone has to try and do it. TCU is a team that doesn’t get talked about much, even though they technically aren’t out of the conference title picture. Josh Hoover and that offense is fun to watch, and I am interested to see how they come off a bye week going into the final month of the season. Meanwhile, Iowa State is on a four-game losing streak for the first time in three years, and between the injuries and the poor play on the field, I wonder if they still have enough fight to make this one intriguing.
3. Houston at UCF
After a disappointing loss to West Virginia last week, Houston hits the road to Orlando to face a struggling UCF team. The Cougars are looking to not only bounce back but to remain in the hunt for a Big 12 title game berth. As for UCF, this is a must-win game if they plan on making a bowl game this year in year one under the Scott Frost comeback. I also find it interesting that Houston is just a 1.5-point favorite, and with the game being on a Friday night, I am sure plenty of people will be watching.
4. Kansas at Arizona
In a battle of two five-win teams, someone has a chance to punch their ticket to a bowl game out in Tucson this weekend. While neither team is going to be playing for a Big 12 title, I do like the quarterback matchup between Noah Fifita and Jalon Daniels. I expect a lot of points that will remind me of a classic Big 12 shoutout because neither defense is that great.
5. Colorado at West Virginia
As crazy as this may sound, I am actually interested in this game even though I ranked it dead last. West Virginia has found life offensively with Scotty Fox Jr. at quarterback, and Colorado is going to start highly touted freshman Julian Lewis on the road in Morgantown. Both teams have a 3-6 record which means the loser of this one keeps their bowl hopes alive for another week, while the loser will pack it up at the end of the month.
