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...
Jerrod Calhouns First Bearcats Season Just Got Complicated By MJ Collins
Jerrod Calhouns first season guiding Cincinnati has already run into a messy eligibility fight, with MJ Collins at the center of it. The guards path to the Bearcats has been tangled for months by disputes over the NCAAs 5-for-5 rule, and the issue has now spilled beyond the basketball court and into the legal system in a way that could affect more than just one roster spot.
Charlie Bakers announcement only deepened the uncertainty surrounding Collins and Cincinnati, as the NCAA is pushing back against an Ohio executive order that granted eligibility to all university athletes in the Class of 2022. For the Bearcats, the practical question is whether Collins will be available this season, but the larger fight now has the feel of a broader test of how far the NCAA can enforce its eligibility rules when state policy and court rulings are pulling in the other direction. [Read more 🡒]
Cincinnati Faces An Early Big 12 Test It Can't Afford To Flunk
Cincinnati heads into its Oct. 17 Big 12 matchup at West Virginia with a chance to steady itself after a loss to Arizona slowed an otherwise solid start. The Bearcats are 4-1 and still have early conference ambitions intact, but this trip comes with the kind of pressure that can linger in a new league. West Virginia is also trying to regroup after falling to Arizona, and the Mountaineers will have the added edge of homecoming as they try to find some footing in conference play.
For Cincinnati, the bigger concern is getting its offense back on track after managing just 7 points in the setback to Arizona. West Virginia, meanwhile, is desperate to avoid digging itself deeper after an 0-3 start in league play, and that makes this a tricky spot for a UC team that cannot afford to let a winnable game slip away. The Bearcats do not need perfection in Morgantown, but they do need a cleaner, more confident showing if they want to leave with momentum still intact. [Read more 🡒]