Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:
Game of the week
No. 12 Utah (3-0) at No. 14 Oklahoma State (3-0), Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (FOX)
The Utes expect to have back quarterback Cameron Rising (finger on throwing hand) for their first conference game in the Big 12. This is a matchup of preseason favorites and head coaches in their 20th season at their schools: Kyle Whittingham at Utah and Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State. Rising hasn’t played since getting hurt in the first half of a win at Baylor two weeks ago. That game, scheduled before Utah joined the league, didn’t count in the Big 12 standings. Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II, the nation’s leading rusher last season, is ninth in the Big 12 with 216 yards (72 yards per game, and 3.5 yards per carry). He had only 109 yards through the first three games last season, then went on to run for 1,732 yards.
The undercard
Another conference opener matching 3-0 teams when No. 13 Kansas State is at BYU late Saturday night. BYU two weeks ago held ACC newcomer SMU without a touchdown in an 18-15 win on the road, ending the Mustangs’ nine-game home winning streak in which they averaged 53.9 points a game. Kansas State and Utah last met in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day 1997, when Steve Sarkisian threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns in a 19-15 victory. Their last regular-season meeting was in 1977. Kansas State overwhelmed Big 12 newcomer and then-No. 20 Arizona 31-7 last week, but that game wasn’t considered a league game. K-State is second in the Big 12 with 244.3 yards rushing per game.
Impact players
TCU quarterback Josh Hoover has thrown for 1,022 yards, the third-best in FBS. His 119 pass attempts without an interception are the most in the country. He threw for 402 yards and four TDs last week in a loss to UCF, his seventh 300-yard passing game in his first nine starts. Horned Frogs receiver Jack Bech’s nine catches for 200 yards against UCF, including a 50-yard touchdown, and is third in the Big 12 at 116.7 yards receiving per game. TCU (2-1, 0-1 Big 12) plays Saturday at SMU.
Inside the numbers
Houston held No. 15 Oklahoma and Rice to exactly 75 yards rushing. The Cougars hadn’t allowed 75 yards or fewer in back-to-back games against FBS teams since four in a row to open the 2016 season, including a game against Cincinnati, where they play Saturday. … Texas Tech had nine players score touchdowns in its 66-21 win over North Texas last week. That was the most by a Big 12 team against an FBS opponent since 2013, and the Red Raiders’ highest total since at least 1955.
Debuts and open dates
Newcomers Arizona State and Colorado join Utah in playing their first league games Saturday. The Sun Devils are at Texas Tech. The Buffaloes host Baylor in their first Big 12 game since 2010, which came they before they spent the past 13 seasons in the Pac-12.
That will leave newcomer Arizona (2-1) and No. 20 Iowa State (2-0) as the only teams that won’t play a Big 12 game until the final weekend of September. The Wildcats have an open date this week, along with UCF (3-0, 1-0). The Cyclones are home against Arkansas State.
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