Weekend Watch Guide: An Oklahoma State Fan’s Guide to Week 9 of the College Football Season

There have been a handful of fun football Saturday’s this season, but this weekend has a chance to be the best yet.

There are tons of fun games all over the country. Here’s a look first at the Big 12 schedule for the weekend before a preview of national games to keep tabs on.

Big 12 Schedule

Oklahoma State (3-4) at Baylor (3-4) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
No. 11 BYU (7-0) at UCF (3-4) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
Texas Tech (5-2) at TCU (4-3) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on FOX
West Virginia (3-4) at Arizona (3-4) — 6 p.m. Saturday on FS1
Utah (4-3) at Houston (2-5) — 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
Kansas (2-5) at No. 16 Kansas State (6-1) — 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2
Cincinnati (5-2) at Colorado (5-2) — 9:15 p.m. Saturday on ESPN

Crazy world we live in. Back in 2021, Oklahoma State and Baylor were playing for a Big 12 title while BYU and UCF were Group of Five schools. Now all part of the same conference, OSU is playing Baylor this weekend and BYU is playing UCF. Both kick off at the same time, but the BYU-UCF game is on ESPN while OSU-Baylor is on ESPN+. That’s parity, baby.

The Cougars will look to continue their magical run against a UCF team that has lost its past four.

Texas Tech and TCU are also in the afternoon slot. The Red Raiders are looking to bounce back after suffering a 59-35 home loss to Baylor last weekend. TCU most recently beat Utah but lost to hapless Houston before that.

After thrashing the Cowboys, West Virginia has lost back-to-back games to Iowa State and Kansas State. The Mountaineers head west to play an Arizona team that has lost three in a row.

The Utes are not running the Big 12 despite preseason belief. Utah’s last win was in Stillwater. The Utes will want to get this win in Houston. If not, they might not win again this season.

The Sunflower Showdown was supposed to be a hyped game this season, but the Jayhawks have had a poor year. KU did pick up its first win against an FBS team when it beat Houston 42-14, but if anything this weekend, the Jayhawks will look to play spoiler.

The league slate ends with a late-night game between Cincy and Colorado in Boulder. The Bearcats have had a sneaky good season at 5-2. They’ve also lost only one Big 12 game, but their season does get significantly harder from here on with games against West Virginia, Iowa State and Kansas State upcoming. The end of Colorado’s schedule was supposed to be tough, but games against Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State are looking much more manageable now than they did in August.

Other Games to Watch

Syracuse (5-1) at Pitt (6-0) — 6:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPN
No. 17 Boise State (5-1) at UNLV (6-1) — 9:30 p.m. Friday on CBSSN
Nebraska (5-2) at No. 4 Ohio State (5-1) — 11 a.m. Saturday on FOX
No. 12 Notre Dame (6-1) at No. 24 Navy (6-0) — 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC
Oklahoma (4-3) at No. 18 Ole Miss (5-2) — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN
No. 20 Illinois (6-1) at No. 1 Oregon (7-0) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS
No. 21 Missouri (6-1) at No. 15 Alabama (5-2) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC
UTSA (3-4) at Tulsa (2-5) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
No. 5 Texas (6-1) at No. 25 Vanderbilt (5-2) — 3:15 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network
Florida State (1-6) at No. 6 Miami (7-0) — 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
No. 3 Penn State (6-0) at Wisconsin (5-2) — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC
No. 8 LSU (6-1) at No. 14 Texas A&M (6-1) — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC
Michigan State (4-3) at Michigan (4-3) — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on Big Ten Network
No. 22 SMU (6-1) at Duke (6-1) — 7 p.m. Saturday on ACC Network

Holy smokes, what a weekend.

Just about all of those games could have some impact on the College Football Playoff.

This could be Ashton Jeanty and the Boise State Bronco’s toughest game left on the schedule. This game could act as a potential Heisman moment for Jeanty, and it could put the Broncos in firm standing to be the Group of Five’s representative in the playoff.

But not so fast — Navy might have a say in the Group of Five’s playoff representation. The midshipmen host Notre Dame. Without a conference, the Fighting Irish need an at-large bid to get into the CFP. But Navy will be looking to remain unbeaten and boost its own playoff resume.

Since beating Georgia in an instant classic, the Crimson Tide has been rolling the wrong direction. Alabama is 1-2 in its past three games with its win being a 27-25 home win against South Carolina. Alabama will look to get going in the right direction again, but Missouri, despite not looking as good as some would’ve thought, is 6-1.

Vandy hasn’t lost at home, which includes a win against Alabama. Texas is coming off its first loss of the year and is headed into a hornet’s nest.

LSU is confusing. The Tigers started the season with a loss to a USC team that is now 3-4. But LSU hasn’t lost since. Texas A&M started the year with a loss to Notre Dame. The Aggies haven’t lost since. Someone will have to lose Saturday. The winner stays in playoff contention.