Big 12 and other Week 11 college football game expert picks and predictions
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The 2025 college football season is now ten weeks in, and the Big 12 seems to be establishing a four-team upper tier, with BYU and Texas Tech emerging as the teams to beat. Joining those two programs are Cincinnati and Utah, which have only one loss. Houston and Arizona State are just below that upper echelon.
The Week 11 Big 12 slate features the best conference matchup to date, with the conference’s two top teams going at it. No. 7 BYU travels to Lubbock to take on No. 8 Texas Tech in a battle that could preview the Big 12 Championship. “College GameDay” will be on hand as BYU puts its undefeated record up to the test.
Every week, our staff gathers to pick every Big 12 football game, along with some of the biggest college football matchups. It is a challenging task, especially considering the conference’s crowded nature. BYU remains undefeated, but has eked out some narrow wins. Can they finish off a perfect season, including a massive win against the Red Raiders? Or does Texas Tech, Utah or a surprise team overtake them at the top?
So, how will Week 11 play out in the Big 12? We have a light five-game schedule, and our Buffaloes Wire staff picked all five conference games straight up, plus three top matchups from around college football.
Here are our expert picks for Week 11. But first, here are the standings so far from our writers through ten weeks.
All games are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8, unless otherwise noted, and all times are Mountain Time.
Standings so far
Big 12 games only
Charlie Strella: 73-19
Jack Freeman: 67-25
Griffin Dreifaldt: 69-23
UCF vs. Houston
6:00 p.m., FS1 (Friday)
Griffin: Houston
Jack: Houston
Charlie: Houston
The Cougars are coming off a terrible home loss to West Virginia, but are still in the Big 12 title race. A slip-up against UCF likely means the end of those hopes, so I expect a locked-in Houston team in Orlando. It will be tight, but give me the Cougars to take down the Knights.
No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 7 BYU
10:00 a.m., ABC (College GameDay)
Griffin: Texas Tech
I’m officially out on BYU. They’re 8-0, but their only true quality win came against Utah. They barely edged a bad Colorado team, needed double overtime to beat Arizona, squeaked past Utah at home, and had to rally to top Iowa State. Luck has carried them this far, but a trip to Lubbock is a different challenge. Texas Tech has been dominant against the spread (8-1) and opened as 10-point favorites. The Red Raiders control the trenches and have the firepower to hand BYU its first loss.
Jack: BYU
One of the best matchups of the weekend is this potential Big 12 Conference title game preview between the Red Raiders and Cougars. Texas Tech has continuously dominated Big 12 teams, but the lows of their season have been low. Meanwhile, the Cougars have remained a steady force, never impressing, but always winning. I believe in BYU to go on the road and steal this one, as they’ve done all season.
Charlie: Texas Tech
The double-digit spread in favor of Texas Tech is way too high. I will be shocked if this game does not come down to the wire. I do think the Red Raiders are far and away the most talented team BYU has faced this season, and that makes a difference. True freshman Bear Backmeier has done so many things well, but I think the vaunted Tech defense, combined with the intense atmosphere, will cause some mistakes. Texas Tech pulls away late and ends BYU’s perfect season.
West Virginia vs. Colorado
10:00 a.m., TNT/HBO Max
We will share our Colorado-West Virginia predictions in a separate post, where each staff member will provide a final score prediction and offer some thoughts. Colorado is aiming to right the ship after back-to-back blowout losses and a change regarding its starting quarterback and offensive playcaller.
Arizona vs. Kansas
1:30 p.m., ESPN2
Griffin: Arizona
The Wildcats do just enough to slow down Jalon Daniels and the explosive Jayhawk offense at home.
Jack: Arizona
Charlie: Arizona
I was impressed by what I saw from Brent Brennan’s team last week, and I think the Wildcats are even better than their 5-3 record suggests. Bowl eligibility is on the line for both teams in this one, so give me the home team to really take advantage.
TCU vs. Iowa State
1:30 p.m., Fox
Griffin: TCU
Jack: TCU
Charlie: TCU
I really don’t trust Iowa State anymore, and TCU’s offense is still very explosive. The Horned Frogs are still clinging to a Big 12 title run possibility, and that gives them plenty of motivation to take care of business at home.
No. 22 Missouri vs. No. 3 Texas A&M
1:30 p.m., ABC
Griffin: Texas A&M
Missouri keeps it close, but I’m not ready to trust freshman quarterback Matt Zollers just yet.
Jack: Texas A&M
Charlie: Texas A&M
This won’t be easy for the Aggies, but a decisive win likely puts them at the top of the following College Football Playoff rankings. They will need to play a full four quarters, and Mizzou’s freshman quarterback will play tough but eventually crack, leaving the door open for a Texas A&M win.
Iowa vs. Oregon
1:30 p.m., CBS
Griffin: Oregon
A lot of people are fading the Ducks here, and while Iowa is no easy matchup, I think Dan Lanning’s group learned a valuable lesson from last season. Going 12-0 only to fall in the first round of the playoffs showed them the danger of peaking too early. With their loss to Indiana already behind them, I expect a focused and motivated Oregon team that won’t overlook anyone the rest of the way.
Jack: Iowa
Iowa has an offense. I know it sounds crazy, but the first time in my lifetime, the Hawkeyes look like a scary good team on both sides of the ball. Oregon has had its fair share of struggles this season against Big 10 teams, who dominated up front like Indiana. It’ll be a close game, but I’ll take Iowa to win ugly as they’ve done so well in the past.
Charlie: Oregon
You better believe that this game will be played at Iowa’s pace. The Hawkeyes might even lead for a majority of the contest, but Oregon generates a couple of explosive plays that Iowa cannot. That is all that you need in what should be a low-scoring affair.
No. 4 Alabama vs. LSU
5:30 p.m., ABC
Griffin: Alabama
Reports indicate many players and staff weren’t fond of former LSU head coach Brian Kelly. With a talented roster and new leadership, LSU should start strong. Josh Pate compared this LSU team against Alabama to a sugar rush, and it’s an apt description. They’ll come out swinging against DeBoer’s Crimson Tide, though maintaining that intensity for four quarters will be tough. Alabama, much like DeBoer’s 2023 Washington squad, finds ways to win. Still, I like LSU to cover the spread in Tuscaloosa; they may not upset the Tide, but they’ll keep it close.
Jack: LSU
Charlie: Alabama
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Big 12 and top college football game predictions for Week 11
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