Top Weekly Big 12 Conference College Football Games
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
The Big 12 delivers exciting football to its fan base every year from its pass-happy offenses to exciting atmospheres, this conference has something for every fan and this year is no different. Oklahoma is the four-time defending Big 12 champion with several programs looking to unseat the champs including top contenders Texas and Iowa State. Each week of the college football season there are numerous highlighted games that college fans all over the country have circled on their calendars.
Week 1
Sunday, September 1: Houston Cougars at Oklahoma Sooners
Houston is now led by former West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen who takes over a team that finished 8-5 in 2018 out of the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars return eight players on offense off a unit that scored over 43 points a game in 2018. The defense was statistically one of the worst in the nation a year ago allowing 497 yards per game, ranked 127th out of 129 Division-I football teams, but Coach Holgorsen has five returns back on defense.
Oklahoma is now led by former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Sooners finished 2018 with a 12-2 record falling 45-34 to Alabama in the College Football Playoff Semifinals. Oklahoma returns four starters on offense and nine starters on defense. The Sooners led the Big 12 in scoring (48) and total offense (570) in 2018.
Week 2
Saturday, September 7: LSU Tigers at Texas Longhorns
This will be the first time these two storied programs have met in the regular season since 1954 with their last matchup coming in the 2003 Cotton Bowl. LSU finished 2018 ranked No. 6 in the nation with a 10-3 overall and 5-3 record in the SEC. The Tigers return seven starts on the offensive side of the ball and eight starters on defense.
Texas finished 9-4 overall and 7-2 in Big 12 play. The Longhorns defeated Oklahoma in the regular season (48-45) but was unable to get past the Sooners in the Big 12 Championship Game (37-29). The season ended for Texas with a victory in the Sugar Bowl over Georgia (28-21). The Longhorns return five offensive starters including star quarterback Sam Ehlinger but just two defensive starters.
Week 3
Saturday, September 14: Kansas State Wildcats at Mississippi State Bulldogs
In 2018, Mississippi State destroyed the Wildcats 31-10 in Manhattan and look to do the same in Starkville this season. However, Kansas State has a new head coach in Chris Klieman, who led North Dakota State to four FCS championships in five seasons, and look to get some revenge on the road in an SEC environment.
The Bulldogs return six starters on offense and three on defense from a team who finished 7-5 in 2018. Kansas State returns seven starters on offense and eight starters on defense from a team that looks to improve from their 5-7 season last year.
Week 4
Saturday, September 21: West Virginia Mountaineers at Kansas Jayhawks
Les Miles gets his first taste of Big 12 Conference play as Kansas’ head coach when his Jayhawks host West Virginia. In 2018, Kansas fell in Morgantown, 38-22.
West Virginia is now led by former Troy head coach, Neal Brown and former Oklahoma quarterback Austin Kendall. Only nine total starters return from a team that finished 6-6 last season. Kansas will have three very winnable games to open the season before this matchup, Coach Miles will definitely have his players hyped for a win seeking revenge on West Virginia.
Week 5
Saturday, September 28: Iowa State Cyclones at Baylor Bears
In 2018, both Iowa State and Baylor proved to be up-and-coming programs finishing 8-4. Their lone match-up came in Ames as the Cyclones beat the Bears 28-14. Iowa State returns seven starters on both sides of the ball including quarterback Brock Prudy, who helped the Cyclones win seven of their last eight games last year.
Baylor won just one game in 2017 but is already back in conference contention. Head Coach Matt Rhule and quarterback Charlie Brewer are ready to take this team to the same level as Oklahoma and Texas. Whoever wins this game could end up being a dark horse in the conference race.
Week 6
Saturday, October 5: Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas Jayhawks
This will be a huge test for the Coach Miles and his Jayhawks. In 2018, Oklahoma out-slugged Kansas 55-40 in Norman. This season both offenses have the firepower to put up big numbers again. However, if Kansas wants to shock the nation their defense will need to step up and stop the Sooners. Kansas running back Pooka Williams will look to repeat his 252-yard and two-touchdown performance against Oklahoma.
Week 7
Saturday, October 12: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns (Cotton Bowl – Dallas, Texas)
The annual Red River Showdown will be watched by not only Big 12 fans but by college football fans all over the country. Texas won last year 48-45, but fell in the rematch in the Big 12 championship. The last five times these rivals have hooked up the result has been decided by less than seven points. Whichever team wins this one should have a stronghold on the conference race.
Week 8
Saturday, October 19: Iowa State Cyclones at Texas Tech Red Raiders
Last season, Iowa State escaped past Texas Tech winning 40-31 in Ames. This season could be a trap game for the Cyclones down in Lubbock. Texas Tech is now led by former Utah State head coach Matt Wells, who finished as the second-winningest coach in the Aggies’ school history. The Red Raiders will once showcase their air-raid offense, which led the conference in passing yards per game and was fourth in total offense per game. Sophomore quarterback Alan Bowman, who threw for over 2,600 yards and 17 touchdowns as a freshman is shooting for an even better season in 2019.
Iowa State had the second-best defense in the Big 12 in 2018 holding teams to 349 yards per game. The Cyclones will need to lock down the air raid offense again to win this game.
Week 9
Saturday, October 26: Texas Longhorns at TCU Horned Frogs
Last year, Texas doubled up TCU 31-16 in Austin. This season, TCU will look to play spoiler and ruin a potential conference winning season for Texas. TCU is looking to rebound after an 8-4, 5-4 in Big 12 play season. The Horned Frogs have seven starters returning on offense and five returning on the defensive side of the ball. TCU led the Big 12 by only giving up 338 yards of total offense per game last season. That same mindset will be needed against the Longhorns’ offense if they want to upset their in-state rival.
Week 10
Saturday, November 2: Kansas State Wildcats at Kansas Jayhawks
This will be the first time since 1986 that both programs have a first-year head coach in the Sunflower Showdown. Both teams are projected to finish at the bottom of the Big 12 so pride, a leg-up in recruiting, and bragging rights will be on the line in Lawrence. In 2018, Kansas State squeaked by the Jayhawks 21-17 for a 10th straight win in this series. Look for Kansas to take down their in-state rival in 2019.
Week 11
Saturday, November 9: Iowa State Cyclones at Oklahoma Sooners
For Iowa State to continue their ascension in the Big 12, a big step for the Cyclones is knocking off Oklahoma. The Cyclones picked up Top 25 wins over then- No. 25 Oklahoma State (48-42) and No. 6 West Virginia (30-14) a year ago but fell to the top dogs in the Sooners (37-27) and Longhorns (24-10).
As daunting as the task may seem beating the Sooners in Norman, Iowa State accomplished the feat two years ago winning 38-31. Iowa State must be firing on all cylinders in order to win a second straight in Oklahoma.
Week 12
Saturday, November 16: Texas Longhorns at Iowa State Cyclones
One week after traveling to Oklahoma, Iowa State plays the other team contending for conference supremacy, the Texas Longhorns. Last year, Iowa State fell 31-16 in Austin and will be seeking revenge in 2019. Last season, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was knocked out of this game with a shoulder injury, but still picked up the win. With only a few weeks left in the regular season, the winner of this game will most certainly face Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game. If both teams are at full strength, this will be a knock-down drag-out type of game.
Week 13
Saturday, November 23: Texas Longhorns at Baylor Bears
Baylor wants to get back to the top half of the Big 12 and in order to do that the Bears must hold down home field advantage against teams like the Longhorns. Last year in Austin, Texas squeaked by Baylor winning 23-17. Longhorn quarterback Sam Ehlinger was again knocked out of a game but will need to stay healthy in order for Texas to win in this hostile Waco environment. Going the other way, Texas must win in order to stay at the top of the conference standings.
Week 14
Saturday, November 30: Oklahoma Sooners at Oklahoma State Cowboys
This rivalry game, known as Bedlam, is always a high-scoring affair. Living up to the rivalry name, the loser of this game has scored over 47 points in each of the last two contests. Last year the Sooners barely got by their arch-rival winning 48-47 in Norman. Oklahoma State gets a chance to play spoiler against the Sooners seeking to snap their four-game losing streak against Oklahoma in the series. Oklahoma will want to end their regular season on a high note potentially facing a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game and maybe a shot at the College Football Playoff.
Which game on the Big 12 are you most looking forward to in 2019?
Photo credit: Sports Illustrated; Oklahoma WR Ceedee Lamb makes a play against Texas