Weekend Watch Guide: An Oklahoma State Fan’s Guide to Week 12 of the College Football Season

With talks of conference tiebreakers and two teams controlling an entire conference, it doesn’t appear the college football season is losing any steam as the end draws near.

Here is an Oklahoma State fan’s watch guide to Week 12 of the college football season.

Big 12 Schedule

No. 14 Oklahoma at BYU — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN
Cincinnati at West Virginia — 1:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
Baylor at TCU — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
No. 23 Oklahoma State at Houston — 3 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2
UCF at Texas Tech — 4 p.m. Saturday on FS2
No. 21 Kansas State at No. 25 Kansas — 6 p.m. Saturday on FS1
No. 7 Texas at Iowa State — 7 p.m. Saturday on FOX

After all the hoopla about Big 12 tiebreakers this week, there is still a lot that can happen in the league’s final two weeks.

OU and BYU kick things off in the morning slot in Provo. The Sooners will be heavy favorites in this game, but the Cougars are 4-1 at home this season and still need a win to secure bowl eligibility in their first season in the Big 12.

West Virginia’s run from being voted last in the league to Big 12 title contender came to what appears to be an abrupt end last weekend when the Mountaineers were slaughtered 59-20 in Norman. West Virginia does, though, have two winnable games left this year with this game against Cincinnati before a trip to Waco. I think the Mountaineer faithful would’ve taken 8-4 at the beginning of the year.

Baylor and TCU is usually a little more exciting, but this season the rivals enter the game a combined 7-13. The Bears won’t be bowl eligible this year, but the Horned Frogs can be if they win out against Baylor and Oklahoma.

OSU needs a big bounce back after a rough weekend at the Bounce House. Houston, meanwhile, can still secure bowl eligibility if it wins out against Oklahoma State and UCF.

UCF and Texas Tech enter Saturday’s matchup each on two-game winning streaks. Both need just one more win to be bowl eligible.

The Sunflower Showdown has huge Big 12 title game implications. The Jayhawks would need a lot to break their way over the next two weeks to make it to Arlington, while the Wildcats need to stay alive in the four-team logjam with two conference losses.

Iowa State could cause more chaos in the Big 12 standings if it takes down Texas. If that happens, there could be a five-way tie for first at 6-2 at the end of the weekend. Oh, and Texas hasn’t won in Ames since 2017.

Friday Night College Lights

Colorado at Washington State — 9:30 p.m. Friday on FS1

The Pac-12 (or Pac-2) is like a soap opera right now. A judge ruled full control of the league to Washington State and Oregon State — the only teams that will remain after this season. But as the legal wars rage on, Colorado and Washington State enter the final two weeks of the regular season needing to win out to become bowl eligible. The Cougars started the season 4-0 before this run of six straight losses. Colorado started the year 3-0 but has lost four straight entering this game.

Saturday Selections

No. 10 Louisville at Miami — 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC
SMU at Memphis — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN2
No. 22 Utah at No. 17 Arizona — 1:30 p.m. Saturday on Pac-12 Network
North Texas at Tulsa — 2 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
No. 1 Georgia at No. 18 Tennessee — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS
No. 20 North Carolina at Clemson — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
UCLA at USC — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC
UNLV at Air Force — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS Sports Network
No. 5 Washington at No. 11 Oregon State — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC
Florida at No. 9 Missouri — 6:0 p.m. Saturday on ESPN

This is one of those weekends where SEC schools are playing FCS schools, so the number of good games gets trimmed quite a bit.

After a promising start, Miami has lost four of its past six, but the Hurricane did hang with No. 4 Florida State last seek on the road. It’ll be interesting to see what Miami’s mindset is like with a Top 10 team coming to town.

The American got many of its top teams poached by the Big 12, but the conference has an exciting end to its title race upcoming. SMU is part of a three-team tie for first at 6-0 in the conference, while at 5-1, Memphis is waiting for those teams to slip up.

The Pac-12 has been stacked this year, but all of a sudden Arizona is coming out of nowhere. The Wildcats are third in the league and have won four straight. Utah’s quest for a third-straight title looks to be over, but the Utes are still a solid squad. This will be the sixth ranked team Arizona has played in the past seven games.

Tulsa is not having a great year. The Golden Hurricane is 3-7 and has lost five straight, but Tulsa might’ve found its quarterback of the future last week. Metro Christian alum Kirk Francis, a true freshman, threw for 345 yards and a touchdown as Tulsa nearly upset a ranked Tulane team on the road before falling 24-22. North Texas is also 3-7, so maybe Tulsa can finish strong.

One of only a few SEC-SEC matchups of the weekend, Georgia’s trip to Knoxville ought to be interesting. The Volunteers are coming off an ugly performance in Missouri, but they are 6-0 at home. Georgia has won 27 straight games, so advantage Dawgs on the form chart.

After an up-and-down start to the year, Clemson might finally be starting to figure it out. The Tigers have won two straight as a ranked North Carolina squad comes to town.

UCLA and USC had good starts to the year, but it’s somewhat surprising they enter The Crosstown Showdown unranked.

The Mountain West has a fun title race heading toward the finish line. UNLV and Air Force are tied for first in the conference at 5-1 but the loser of Saturday’s game could fall into a four-way tie in second.

With as loaded as the Pac-12 is this season, it’s sort of crazy that Washington is 10-0 and still outside of the top four nationally. The Huskies get another chance to prove themselves with a trip to Corvallis. The Beavers have a crazy end to the season with this game against Washington before a trip to Eugene.

Lastly, the Missouri Tigers might be the Cinderella story of college football this season. They are 8-2. Florida has lost three straight and finishes the year with No. 9 Mizzou and No. 4 Florida State, but it’s hard to totally discount the talent the Gators have on a yearly basis.