There are nine teams that are still in contention to play in the Big 12 championship going into Week 13 of the college football regular season.
While BYU and Colorado are tied atop the league standings and Arizona State and Iowa State are just one game behind them, five other programs still are mathematically in the chase to earn a spot in the Big 12 title game.
Here’s a look at the conference records of those nine teams heading into the weekend:
- BYU: 6-1
- Colorado: 6-1
- Arizona State: 5-2
- Iowa State: 5-2
- Baylor: 4-3
- Kansas State: 4-3
- TCU: 4-3
- Texas Tech: 4-3
- West Virginia: 4-3
How could each game impact the conference race, and what needs to happen for BYU — who was unbeaten before losing to Kansas last week — to move closer to a spot in the Big 12 championship game?
The biggest game
- No. 14 BYU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) at No. 21 Arizona State (8-2, 5-2 Big 12), 1:30 p.m. MST (ESPN)
What’s at stake: The winner of this game controls its own destiny heading into the final week of the regular season.
BYU could even clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship game this weekend with a victory and Utah beating Iowa State.
It’s encouraging for two programs who were predicted to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 standings to be in a position to win the league.
What a win would mean for BYU: The Cougars, at No. 14, are still the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the College Football Playoff rankings, even after losing to Kansas last week. A win Saturday would presumably boost BYU’s CFP resume, especially after the Sun Devils entered the CFP rankings this week at No. 21.
A victory would give BYU the head-to-head tiebreaker for Arizona State, an important detail in the race for a Big 12 championship game berth.
That would also set BYU up to earn a Big 12 championship game spot in its regular-season finale against Houston, if BYU doesn’t clinch it this weekend.
What a win would mean for Arizona State: Like BYU in this scenario, Arizona State would earn a critical head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cougars with a victory, and that could be a major determining factor in the Sun Devils’ bid to make the Big 12 championship game.
If Arizona State wins out — it plays at rival Arizona in the regular-season finale — it will be playing for the Big 12 championship in Dallas on Dec. 7.
A victory would also boost the Sun Devils’ CFP resume, another critical component for Arizona State and the Big 12 as the regular season wraps up.
Two other critical games
- No. 22 Iowa State (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) at Utah (4-6, 1-6 Big 12), 5:30 p.m. MST (Fox)
What’s at stake: Iowa State is one of the top four teams in the Big 12 standings and only a game back of BYU and Colorado going into the weekend.
While the Cyclones can’t clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship game this week, a victory would keep them in contention going into the final week of the regular season.
Utah, meanwhile, is trying to snap a six-game losing streak. The Utes last won on Sept. 21, beating Oklahoma State on the road.
What a win would mean for Utah: Utah still has bowl eligibility within its reach, if the Utes can win out. Utah plays at UCF to end the regular season.
The Utes are also trying to avoid their first losing season since 2013, when Utah went 5-7 for the second straight season. Not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the last time Utah won four or fewer games in a season was 2000, when the Utes went 4-7.
What a win would mean for Iowa State: The only way that BYU and Colorado could clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship game involves the Cyclones losing this weekend. If Iowa State wins, the Cyclones keep those hopes alive.
Iowa State jumped back into the CFP rankings this week, at No. 22. With the Cyclones currently 10 spots behind Mountain West leader Boise State at this point, it seems likely the Cyclones wouldn’t earn a first-round bye in the playoff if they won the Big 12 championship — not without the Broncos faltering.
Still, Iowa State remains in the hunt.
- No. 16 Colorado (8-2, 6-1 Big 12) at Kansas (4-6, 3-4 Big 12), 1:30 p.m. MST (Fox)
What’s at stake: The Buffaloes are arguably the hottest team in the Big 12, having won seven of their past eight games — with the lone blemish a three-point loss to Kansas State.
Over the season’s final two weeks, Colorado will play two teams — Kansas and Oklahoma State — who have a combined three Big 12 wins.
Kansas, despite its sub-500 record, is coming into the game riding back-to-back victories over ranked opponents. The Jayhawks upset Iowa State at home, then went on the road and handed BYU its first loss of the season.
What a win would mean for Colorado: The Buffaloes are in a solid position to make the Big 12 championship game. If Colorado wins, along with BYU beating Arizona State and Utah beating Iowa State this weekend, the Buffaloes will clinch a spot in the league’s title game.
Even if Colorado doesn’t clinch this week, a victory sets them up to wrap up a spot in the Big 12 championship next week, against a Cowboys team that has yet to win a conference game.
Plus, with Colorado currently sitting at No. 16 in the CFP rankings, it’s not unrealistic to believe that the Buffaloes could earn a top-four seed in the playoff if they win out, especially if their opponent in the Big 12 championship is highly ranked — like BYU is right now.
What a win would mean for Kansas: The Jayhawks, who have lost five games by single digits this season before starting to turn their luck around, are fighting for bowl eligibility.
Kansas can’t win the Big 12 — it is one of seven teams that have been eliminated from Big 12 championship game contention — but the Jayhawks can continue to play spoiler, with a home game against No. 16 Colorado the next big opportunity.
If Kansas manages to beat Colorado, it will have the chance to become bowl eligible in its regular-season finale at Baylor.
The rest of the Big 12 schedule
- Arizona (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) at TCU (6-4, 4-3 Big 12), 1 p.m. MST (ESPN+)
- Texas Tech (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (3-7, 0-7 Big 12), 1:30 p.m. MST (ESPN+)
- UCF (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) at West Virginia (5-5, 4-3 Big 12), 1:30 p.m. MST (ESPNU)
- Baylor (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) at Houston (4-6, 3-4 Big 12), 5 p.m. MST (FS1)
- Cincinnati (5-5, 3-4 Big 12) at Kansas State (7-3, 4-3 Big 12), 6 p.m. MST (ESPN2)
What’s at stake: Every single one of these games features a team that is still mathematically in the running for a Big 12 championship game berth — TCU, West Virginia and Kansas State would need to win at home to potentially stay in the race, while Texas Tech and Baylor would need to win on the road.
If one or more of the top four teams falters this weekend, any one of these five could be a factor in the Big 12 race going into the regular season’s final week — there will be a lot more clarity following Saturday’s action.
Bowl eligibility is still on the line for Arizona, UCF, Houston and Cincinnati. The Bearcats need just one win over the final two weeks to become bowl eligible, while the Wildcats, Knights and Cougars all need to win out.
Oklahoma State is the only Big 12 program who’s been eliminated from bowl eligibility thus far.