The Big 12 spent Saturday taking hits from two sides at once.
Texas Tech and BYU both entered the day with conference-title and College Football Playoff hopes attached to them, and both walked off with losses to unranked opponents. For a league trying to strengthen its CFP case, it was the kind of afternoon that can linger.
Texas Tech was first to stumble, falling on the road to Cincinnati 37-24. The Red Raiders were 10.5-point favorites against a 4-2 Bearcats team, but their offense never found enough rhythm to take control. Texas Tech had to settle for four field goals, and Cincinnati took a 24-6 lead into halftime.
The Red Raiders did show some life after the break. They opened the third quarter with 10 points, getting a field goal and a pick-six.
Texas Tech also picked off Bearcats quarterback JC French IV a second time, but Stone Harrington missed a 38-yard field goal, and Cincinnati answered with a touchdown on the next drive to push the lead to 31-15. Texas Tech added 10 more points in the fourth quarter, but the Bearcats finished the job with an insurance touchdown and closed out the 37-24 win.
Then came the bigger shock.
BYU, coming off a huge home win over then-No. 2 Notre Dame, went to UCF and lost 39-31 in double overtime.
The game stayed tight from start to finish, with UCF leading 17-14 at halftime and 24-21 after three quarters. BYU’s Matthias Dunn tied it at 24 with a 47-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, and that score held until regulation ended.
Both teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime to force a second.
That’s where the game turned on a controversial sequence. UCF was ready to settle for a field goal on its first possession of the second overtime, but a roughing the kicker call gave the Knights new life.
From there, UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins found Grayson Brousseau in the end zone, and the Knights converted the two-point try to go up 39-31. On BYU’s next possession, Bear Bachmeir could not connect with Walker Lyons in the end zone, and the upset was sealed.
For the conference picture, the damage was immediate.
According to DraftKings, BYU still sits at +110 to make the CFP, which is the 11-best mark in the nation. Texas Tech is at +340. Utah, which plays Houston later Saturday at home, has the best odds in the conference at -115.
ESPN’s FPI had Texas Tech at a 67.9% chance to make the CFP entering Saturday, while BYU was at 71.3%. BYU may still have some breathing room thanks to the Notre Dame win, but the road ahead is no joke.
The Cougars still have Arizona State, Utah on the road, Baylor, Kansas in Manhattan and Cincinnati at home. Another loss would make the path to the CFP much harder.
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Texas Techs trip to Cincinnati only deepened the uncertainty around its quarterback situation, and the Bearcats took full advantage. Will Hammond moved the ball for stretches but never found enough rhythm when it mattered, and the 37-18 loss showed how quickly a shaky passing night can tilt a Big 12 game when the other side is ready to capitalize.
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Cincinnati Just Turned A Statement Win Into More Texas Tech Drama
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The fallout was immediate and noisy, too, with Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell drawing attention for what he said in the aftermath. His long-running irritation with Cincinnati has been tied to the offseason Brendan Sorsby transfer saga and the public back-and-forth that followed, which has turned this matchup into something more personal than a typical Big 12 game. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Has A Stake In The Big 12's Next Decision
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What matters next is whether Cincinnati is judged to have met the leagues field-storming requirements, with officials looking at whether Texas Tech and the officiating crew had a safe path off the field. The answer could arrive soon, and Texas Tech has a direct stake in it because the Big 12s decision will determine whether this moment stays just a wild Saturday finish or turns into another league fine hanging over the result. [Read more 🡒]