Welcome to Week 8 of the Big 12 football season, and the league’s schedule has a little bit of everything this weekend.
BYU-Notre Dame is the biggest name on the board, but the Big 12 still has plenty to sell, with Kansas-Kansas State and Baylor-TCU giving the slate some extra edge. If you’re hunting for value instead of splurging, there are a few tickets that stand out.
TCU at Baylor is the cheapest of the bunch at $48, and it comes with both momentum and intrigue. Baylor returns to Waco after a big win at Arizona State, carrying a perfect 2-0 start in Big 12 play into a rivalry game on its home field.
DJ Lagway is also trending in the right direction after an early-season injury in the Auburn loss. The Florida transfer threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns last week in Tempe, and he’ll be challenged by a TCU defense that has been better than its 2-3 record suggests.
The Frogs held BYU to 17 points last week, limited Bear Bachmeier to just 62 total passing yards, and were steady enough against the run in a one-score loss, allowing 154 rushing yards and two Bachmeier rushing touchdowns. TCU is still trying to sort out its scoring issues, but it did get a decent line from Jaden Craig last week - 18 completions on 25 attempts for 187 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
No. 18 Oklahoma State at No.
20 Houston is the priciest budget option at $47, and it may be the most compelling matchup of the three. Houston, which is a 4.5-point favorite at home, is coming off an impressive 35-16 win at Kansas State, where Conner Weigman threw for four touchdowns.
The Cougars don’t always get much of a home-field edge in terms of crowd size, but this is still a top-25 conference game with real weight to it. Oklahoma State enters with its own story line, as Drew Mestemaker and the Cowboy offense take a perfect 2-0 Big 12 start on the road after conference wins at West Virginia and against UCF at home.
Mestemaker already has 1,575 yards this season and is in line for midseason honors attention.
Then there’s Cincinnati at West Virginia, the tightest line of the weekend and the cheapest seat on the list at $42. West Virginia is a 1.5-point favorite in Morgantown, even though the Mountaineers are 0-3 to open Big 12 play under Michael Hawkins Jr.
Cincinnati comes in after a rough 34-7 loss at Arizona, its first dip from the production level it had been carrying earlier in the year. JC French IV has shown he can handle pressure, including in close games against Kansas State and Miami (Ohio), but this trip sets up as a difficult road ask.
The Bearcats still want to lean on the run game, with Gi’Bran Payne leading the way, and that approach should be in play again against a West Virginia defense ranked 98th against the run. The Mountaineers are giving up 163.8 rushing yards per game and have already allowed nine rushing touchdowns.
In Other News...
Baylor Cross Country Heads To Big 12 With One Clear Concern
Baylors cross country teams left the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station with more questions than momentum, and the timing could not be more delicate with the Big 12 Championship up next. The men were paced by junior Jack Sterrett, while the women were led by transfer Khadija Ennasri, giving David Barnett a few individual bright spots to lean on even as the overall results showed there is still work to do before the conference race.
Barnett said the performances will factor into how the Bears handle the next stretch, with recovery and preparation now taking center stage. For Baylor, the trip to Big 12 is less about celebrating one meet and more about sorting out where both squads stand, especially with the women still waiting to run at full strength. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Gets A Huge Revivalry Test With Home Momentum On The Line
Baylors strong start has made this week feel bigger than a normal Big 12 checkpoint, with TCU coming into Waco for another edition of a rivalry that has carried plenty of weight in recent years. The Bears have built early momentum behind a defense that has held up well and an offense that has given the home crowd plenty to watch, while TCU arrives trying to steady itself after a rougher stretch of its own. Add the usual familiar faces on the coaching side and the history between the programs, and this one already has the feel of a game that can shape how the rest of the season is viewed.
For Baylor, the margin for error gets even tighter if injuries affect either side of the ball, especially in a matchup where small adjustments often decide what kind of night it becomes. The Bears will be looking to protect their home field and keep their rise on track, while TCU still has enough talent and rivalry familiarity to make this more complicated than the records might suggest. The setting is there for a real test, and Baylors response should tell plenty about how far this team has come. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Has A Chance To Make A Real Statement At TCU
Baylor volleyball heads into Fort Worth on Sunday with some momentum, riding a three-match winning streak and carrying the kind of recent Big 12 individual recognition that tends to travel well late in the season. It is also walking into a matchup that should tell a lot about where this group stands, because No. 10 TCU offers the Bears a chance to measure themselves against one of the leagues top teams on the road.
Head coach Ryan McGuyre and setter Isabela Haggard both framed the trip as an important test, and for Baylor the broader appeal goes beyond one Sunday result. The Bears have already shown they can string together wins, but this is the kind of meet-up that can sharpen the conversation around what they are becoming and whether that progress is ready to hold up against a ranked opponent in a hostile gym. [Read more 🡒]