Only three weeks remain in the 2025 college football regular season, and there’s still plenty of uncertainty about who will be playing in the Big 12 title game next month.
Five of the top six teams in the league standings are in action this weekend, with idle Houston the only one of those teams on a bye.
There could be shakeups in the conference race, or all five of the top teams could solidify their positioning in the race with wins.
Here’s a look at five games critical to the league chase that take place in Week 12.
Arizona at No. 25 Cincinnati
Saturday, 10 a.m. MST (FS1)
The Bearcats are still smarting from a 45-14 beatdown two weeks ago at Utah that was their first Big 12 loss of the season.
Fortunately for Cincinnati (7-2, 5-1 Big 12), it remains in the league chase and still control its destiny.
If the Bearcats win their final three games — at home against Arizona, at home against No. 12 BYU and at TCU — they are guaranteed to be in the top two in the conference standings.
It begins Saturday, with a game where an improved Arizona (6-3, 3-3 Big 12) has a chance to play spoiler.
The Wildcats would need a lot of chaos to happen over the next three weeks to get a shot at a spot in the Big 12 championship game, but they have won two straight and took contenders BYU and Houston to the wire.
Can Brendan Sorsby and the Bearcats bounce back with an effort that reminds us more of their seven-game winning streak?
West Virginia at Arizona State
Saturday, 11 a.m. MST (TNT)
The Sun Devils (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) remain in the Big 12 hunt even though their star quarterback, Sam Leavitt, is out for the season, and star receiver Jordyn Tyson has been battling injuries.
If Arizona State is going to stay in the chase, backup QB Jeff Sims is going to be the guy leading that charge.
Sims already carried the Sun Devils to a win at Iowa State two weeks ago, and that’s ASU’s toughest game until its season finale against rival Arizona.
West Virginia (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) has been improved the past two weeks, but the Mountaineers are facing a tough test in Tempe.
UCF at No. 6 Texas Tech
Saturday, 1:30 p.m. MST (Fox)
The Red Raiders (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) passed a huge test last week when they hammered then-No. 7 BYU 29-7 in Lubbock, putting them back in the driver’s seat to finish tops in the league.
After already facing teams such as the Cougars, Utah, Arizona State, Houston and Kansas State, Texas Tech’s schedule lightens up in its final two games of the regular season, starting Saturday with UCF (4-5, 1-5 Big 12) coming to town.
The Knights and West Virginia, who hosts Texas Tech in the final week of the regular season, have won a combined three conference games thus far.
A Texas Tech win wouldn’t clinch a spot in the Big 12 conference championship game, but it would keep the Red Raiders on top of the standings and push them ever closer to a berth in Arlington.
No. 13 Utah at Baylor
Saturday, 5 p.m. MST (ESPN2)
The Utes (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) have been one of the hottest teams in the conference, having won four of their last five games, and are in prime position to re-enter the chat for a Big 12 title game spot if one-loss conference teams Texas Tech, BYU or Cincinnati slip up.
Utah is a heavy favorite in each of its remaining games, starting with a road trip to Baylor.
The Utes will be on the road for two of their final three games, though it’s a slate that includes winnable games against Baylor, Kansas State (in the home finale) and Kansas.
Can Utah shake off any rust from a bye week and put the Bears away early, like they’ve been able to do time and again this season?
Baylor (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) has had a roller coaster season behind a standout offense and struggling defense. The Bears have the horses on offense to compete in this one, led by starting quarterback Sawyer Robertson, but Baylor’s defense would need to up its game considerably.
TCU at No. 12 BYU
Saturday, 8:15 p.m. MST (ESPN)
Will last year’s two-game slide for BYU happen again?
The Cougars (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) are coming off a humbling loss at Texas Tech, and with TCU coming to town, there’s no wiggle room to let that loss linger.
The Horned Frogs (6-3, 3-3 Big 12) have won their last five matchups against the Cougars, including a 44-11 beatdown two years ago in Fort Worth.
Things have changed a lot for Kalani Sitake and BYU since then, but the Cougars will need to have one of their best games of the season to get a win and stay on track for a spot in the Big 12 championship game.
TCU comes in fresh off a loss at home against Iowa State. While the Horned Frogs have shown they can compete with anyone behind QB Josh Hoover, TCU has also had moments it would like back.
It sets the stage for an entertaining nightcap to Week 12.