Big 12 Notes – West Virginia Week

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Big 12 Notes – West Virginia Week

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November 6th

… Foe Pause … 

CBS: Defense to rule the day in Lubbock; West Virginia over CU “Lock of the Week”

From CBS Sports …

No. 7 BYU at No. 8 Texas Tech: The evaluation of every Big 12 game featuring Texas Tech begins with the same question: Can Team X block the Red Raiders? This week the team is BYU, and this week the answer remains mysterious. The Texas Tech defensive line is much stronger than the other schools, so Big 12 offensive lines aren’t used to dealing these monsters on a weekly basis. If you think this is a gross overstatement on my part, I’ll remind you that Texas Tech is a 10.5-point favorite in this game as I write. That defense is the primary reason why.

As for whether BYU can block it, I’m not overly optimistic. BYU’s offensive line has been good this year, but the best defensive front it has faced is Utah’s, and Utah’s DL isn’t up to the same standard as recent seasons. I’ve also seen the BYU line struggle in games against Arizona, and that’s concerning to me. What else concerns me is Bear Bachmeier. When it comes to sack avoidance, all the stats I care about suggest he’s slightly above average. My eyes tell me different, though. What I see when I watch is a guy who gets away with things I’m not sure he’ll get away with against this defense.

None of this means you should expect Tech to run away with the game. I don’t think it will. Tech’s offense has been extremely inconsistent lately as it’s been forced to play musical chairs at quarterback with Behren Morton and Will Hammond. It’s the Morton Show for good at this point, but BYU’s defense might not have the monsters Tech has up front, but it’s a good unit. One I believe will be able to frustrate the Red Raiders’ offense. The Pick: Under 52.5 (-115) at Fanduel

Colorado at West Virginia: These two teams feel like trains going in opposite directions. West Virginia is coming off an upset road win over Houston last week, and looked feisty the week before in a 23-17 loss to TCU. Switching to Scotty Fox Jr. at quarterback has provided a spark for the offense. You know what else has sparked offenses lately? Facing the Colorado defense.

The Buffaloes have not just been getting beaten lately, they’ve been hammered. Utah beat them 53-7 a couple of weeks ago, and last week it was Arizona beating them 52-17. Now the Buffs need to win out to get to a bowl game, and coach Deion Sanders is starting Julian Lewis under center. It’s the true freshman’s first career start, and it’s coming on the road in a tough place to play. He’s talented, but odds are he’s going to make a few mistakes here. Given how terrible Colorado’s defense is right now, I don’t see how the Buffaloes hang within this spread. The Pick: West Virginia -6.5 (-112) at Draftkings

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November 4th

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First CFP rankings has two Big 12 teams in the mix; Utah just outside at No. 13

From ESPN … Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the first rankings released Tuesday by the College Football Playoff selection committee, topping fellow unbeatens Indiana at No. 2 and Texas A&M at No. 3.

Three SEC teams followed the Aggies, with Alabama at No. 4, Georgia at No. 5 and Ole Miss at No. 6.

BYU, Texas Tech, Oregon and Notre Dame round out the top 10. The top ACC team is Virginia at No. 14. Every team in the Top 25 came from the Power 4 conferences, so the committee designated Memphis as the top team from the Group of 5.

The five highest-ranked conference champions will make the 12-team field, but there is a tweak to the format this year as the committee is using a straight seeding model. The top four teams in the final ranking, regardless of conference championship, will receive a first-round bye.

If the playoff was today, the first-round games would be: Memphis at Georgia; Virginia at Ole Miss; Notre Dame at BYU; and Oregon at Texas Tech.

The SEC led the way with nine teams ranked in the Top 25, while the Big Ten had seven, the ACC had five and the Big 12 had three.

1. Ohio State (8-0) ~
2. Indiana (9-0) ~
3. Texas A&M (8-0) ~
4. Alabama (7-1) ~
5. Georgia (7-1)
6. Ole Miss (8-1)
7. BYU (8-0)
8. Texas Tech (8-1)
9. Oregon (7-1)
10. Notre Dame (6-2)
11. Texas (7-2)
12. Oklahoma (7-2)
13. Utah (7-2)
14. Virginia (8-1) — No. 11 seed
15. Louisville (7-1)
16. Vanderbilt (7-2)
17. Georgia Tech (8-1)
18. Miami (FL) (6-2)
19. USC (6-2)
20. Iowa (6-2)
21. Michigan (7-2)
22. Missouri (6-2)
23. Washington (6-2)
24. Pittsburgh (7-2)
25. Tennessee (6-3)

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November 2nd 

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AP poll sets up Top Ten matchup between No. 8 BYU and No. 9 Texas Tech

From ESPN … The Big 12 had two teams — BYU and Texas Tech — in the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the first time in two years Sunday, while Notre Dame was back in the top 10 after a two-month absence.

Oklahoma and Texas made the biggest upward moves in this week’s poll, rising seven spots to No. 11 and No. 13, respectively.

The top seven teams were unchanged in the final poll before the College Football Playoff committee releases its first rankings Tuesday night to kick off the run-up to the CFP bracket release Dec. 7.

No. 1 Ohio State, which pulled away in the second half to beat Penn State on Saturday, is at the top of the AP poll for a 10th straight week. Indiana, which scored 50-plus points against a Big Ten opponent for the third time while hammering Maryland, is No. 2 for a third straight week.

The Buckeyes and Hoosiers again were followed by Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Ole Miss.

Losses by Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Miami shuffled the Nos. 8, 9 and 10 spots, now held by BYU, Texas Tech and Notre Dame.

Others receiving votes: Iowa 71, James Madison 53, Pittsburgh 35, San Diego State 30, North Texas 27, South Florida 23, SMU 7, Houston 6, Illinois 4, LSU 4, Arizona State 4

Dropped from rankings: Houston 22

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Buffs open as 4.5-point road underdogs to 3-6 West Virginia

From DraftKings …

Big 12 schedule … 

Friday, November 7th

• Houston at UCF … 6:00 p.m., FS1 … UCF is a 1.5-point home underdog …

Saturday, November 8th

• BYU at Texas Tech … 10:00 a.m., MT, ABC … Texas Tech is a 9.5-point home favorite …
• Colorado at West Virginia … 10:00 a.m., MT, TNT … West Virginia is a 4.5-point home favorite …
• Kansas at Arizona … 1:30 p.m., MT, ESPN2 … Arizona is a 3.5-point home favorite …
• Iowa State at TCU … 1:30 p.m., MT, Fox … TCU is a 5.5-point home favorite …
• Idle … Utah … Arizona State … Oklahoma State … Baylor … Cincinnati … UCF …

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This post, about the West Virginia game, from the 2025 Season, is filed under Article.
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