BIG 12 NOTEBOOK: Utah and BYU face sneaky matchups, Texas Tech rises in CFP rankings

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The Big 12 slate cools down slightly this weekend after a heavy-hitting matchup last week that had all eyes on Lubbock, but there are still some sneaky matchups.

With ESPN’s College GameDay in town, Texas Tech pulled away from BYU, 29-7, in a top-10 showdown that featured the conference’s top two teams. This week doesn’t feature quite that level of firepower, with no ranked conference matchups in the lineup.

The Red Raiders’ win propelled them to No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings, knocking on the door of a first-round bye. They are in the driver’s seat of making the Big 12 Championship game. The Cougars dropped from No. 7 to No. 12, just on the edge of the playoff picture, and are in a race for the second title game spot.

Two other Big 12 teams appeared in the rankings Tuesday, with Utah one spot behind BYU at No. 13, and Cincinnati rejoining the rankings at No. 25.

Here’s a look at the Big 12 heading into Week 12.

Game of the WeekNo. 13 Utah (7-2 overall, 4-2 Big 12) at Baylor (5-4, 3-3), Saturday, 6 p.m. CT, ESPN2

The Utes are coming off a bye week after demolishing No. 17 Cincinnati, 45-14, the week before. The week before that, Utah crushed Colorado by 46 points.

During that time, the Utes have climbed from outside the top 25 back into the top 15 and College Football Playoff race. Their only losses came to BYU and Tech, the two teams ranked above them. The Utes are rolling on offense and have only allowed more than 14 points twice all season.

Don’t count out the Baylor Bears, though. They are 19th nationally in total offense, led by Sawyer Roberston the nation’s third-leading passer. Robertson has thrown for 2,780 yards and a nation-leading 26 touchdown passes.

Baylor is coming off a 30-3 win against UCF and has two conference losses to Arizona State and TCU by less than a touchdown each. The Bears are dangerous because of the passing threat and could pose a challenge to the Utes, who walk into a night game in Waco with refreshed playoff and Big 12 title game hopes.

The UndercardTCU (6-3, 3-3) at No. 12 BYU (8-1, 5-1), Saturday, 9:15 p.m. CT, ESPN

This game is interesting for many of the same reasons as the game above.

TCU has another classing Big 12 offense, with quarterback Josh Hoover sitting seventh in the country in passing yards. The Horned Frogs were a field goal away from beating Iowa State last week and finding themselves in a logjam of two-loss conference teams with a chance to reach Arlington.

Instead, TCU is back in the middle of the pack and looking to knock off a frontrunner on the road.

BYU’s perfect record was spoiled at Texas Tech, and the playoff committee wasn’t kind to the Cougars. They must string some more wins together after an emotional loss to get back in the hunt for the playoffs and remain at the top of the Big 12 standings.

The Cougars didn’t look particularly bad last week but struggled to run the ball and turned it over three times, including two fumbles. They have the opportunity to return to their home field to get back on track, but TCU wants to play spoiler, and it’s more than capable.

BYU is the smallest Big 12 favorite this week, favored by 4.5 points at home.

Big 12 extras– All nine of Texas Tech’s wins have been by at least 22 points, the first Big 12 team with that distinction since 2009, according to a Big 12 press release.

– While Texas Tech is the clearcut favorite to make the Big 12 title game, Cincinnati controls its own destiny for the second spot. If they win their final three games, the Bearcats are in.

– Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez has produced eight takeaways this season. He leads the country with seven forced fumbles, which is already tied for seventh nationally since 2000. He also has three interceptions.

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