Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:
Game of the week
Texas Tech (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) at Arizona (3-1, 1-0), Saturday, 11 p.m. ET (Fox)
Arizona’s first Big 12 home game starts under the lights with Texas Tech trying to get to 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2013. The Red Raiders are the league’s highest-scoring team at nearly 42 points a game. They also have Big 12 rushing leader Tahj Brooks (137.8 yards per game), who has run for at least 100 yards in his four games this season, and 12 of his last 15. Arizona is coming off a 23-10 win at then-No. 10 Utah, which hadn’t lost at home to an unranked team in six years. The Wildcats had two interceptions and eight pass breakups, their most in a game since 2018. Tech quarterback Behren Morton has thrown for 285 yards a game with 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
The undercard
No. 16 Iowa State (4-0, 1-0) vs. Baylor (2-3, 0-2). Iowa State is coming off its first undefeated September since 2011 and leads the Big 12 with a plus-7 turnover margin. The Cyclones’ 20-0 win at Houston was their first conference road shutout since 1971 and coach Matt Campbell’s school-record 57th career win. Baylor’s had some heartbreak: It lost to BYU, which had an interception with 59 seconds left, and Colorado’s Hail Mary touchdown at the end of regulation forced an overtime that saw the Bears fumble at the goal line in overtime.
Impact players
Oklahoma State safety Trey Rucker’s 63 tackles are the most for any Power Four player, as are his 35 solo stops. He has at least 10 tackles in four of five games. The Cowboys (3-2, 0-2), who host West Virginia, have the league’s top two tacklers, with linebacker Nick Martin at 47.
Inside the numbers
Kansas has a four-game losing streak since opening the season with a 48-0 win over FCS team Lindenwood. The Jayhawks will be the opponent Saturday for Arizona State’s first Big 12 home game. … UCF is the only FBS team to rush for at least 140 yards in the past 17 games, though the Knights’ 177 in a loss to Colorado last week were their season low. … West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene is coming off season highs with 295 yards passing and 87 rushing in a win at Kansas. … No. 17 BYU (5-0, 2-0), No. 18 Utah (4-1, 1-1) and No. 20 Kansas State (4-1, 1-1) are among five Big 12 teams that will begin October with an open date, joining Cincinnati (3-2, 1-1) and Colorado (4-1, 2-0).
Scoreless in the Big 12
Houston (1-4, 0-2) has been shut out in each of its first two Big 12 games with coach Willie Fritz. This is the first time since 1994 that the Cougars have been held scoreless in back-to-back games. The only time it happened three games in a row was at the end of the 1947 season. There was only one shutout in Big 12 league play last year, the Cougars’ 41-0 loss at Kansas State. They play Friday night at TCU (3-2, 1-1), whose nine-game winning streak in the series began with their final three meetings as Southwest Conference foes from 1993-95.
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