There truly has not been a better week for the Big 12 in the post-Texas and Oklahoma era. 

College Gameday is setting up on a Big 12 campus for a second straight week, everybody is talking about Texas Tech-BYU across the sport, Big 12 basketball stars Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Koa Peat dazzled in their debuts, and the College Football Playoff committee gave the Big 12 a stunning amount of love in the initial playoff rankings. 

More on basketball below, but here are the five biggest storylines of week eleven of Big 12 football. 

There is a Real Path to Multiple Big 12 Playoff Teams

The biggest week in the new Big 12 got even better Tuesday night with the first College Football Playoff rankings. 

I was shocked to see the committee put three Big 12 teams in the top 13. There are three Big 12 teams higher than any team in the ACC. Texas Tech is one spot higher than Oregon, a Big Ten team whose only loss is to #2 Indiana. Two-loss Utah is ahead of Vanderbilt, a two-loss team from the SEC. 

Here’s what the playoff field would look like if the season ended today. 

These rankings open the door for multiple Big 12 teams to make the field. Utah, in particular, has to love its draw.

The Utes have a very favorable schedule left with games against Baylor, K-State, and Kansas. If they take care of business, teams in front of them are going to lose. It’s already been one of the most upset-filled seasons in recent memory. 

If Texas Tech beats BYU on Saturday, it’s unlikely that Utah makes the conference championship game. All the Utes would need to do is win three games as heavy favorites to creep up the rankings and into the field by selection Sunday, without having to play Texas Tech or BYU again. 

We do need to account for the ACC and Group of Six champions jumping Utah to make the field in the final rankings. Right now, there isn’t an ACC or G6 team above the Utes, and they are both guaranteed a spot as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions. 

Several teams ahead of Utah still have landmines. Texas, Notre Dame, and Oregon each have multiple potential losses left.

With BYU and Tech starting at 7 and 8, there may be enough cushion for the loser of Saturday’s game to still earn an at-large bid if they’re not in the Big 12 championship game. It could also put both teams in if they split games in Lubbock and Arlington. 

The committee showed the league real respect. Chair (and Baylor AD) Mack Rhoades said they gave Tech a break for losing with a backup QB at Arizona State—treatment usually reserved for blue bloods.

I understand taking a cynical view of this and expecting the worst when it comes time to unveil the actual field. Three-loss Texas or Oklahoma, for instance, could absolutely keep a second Big 12 team out. 

Even so, these rankings give the Big 12 a real shot. Utah sits four spots higher than in the AP. Coming from 17 to an at-large bid would be nearly impossible. Coming from 13 isn’t. 

However you slice it, this was a jolt of energy for the Big 12.

How Much of a Difference Can LJ Martin Make for BYU?

#7 BYU (8-0, 5-0) at #8 Texas Tech (8-1, 5-1) – 11:00 ABC
Line: Tech -10.5

Texas Tech’s defense is one of the most dominant and talented and the country, and BYU will need all hands on deck on Saturday. 

The Cougars got some good news on that front this week. 

Starting WR JoJo Phillips is expected to be back for the first time since the Stanford game when he suffered a broken clavicle. 

So is Big 12 leading rusher LJ Martin.  

Martin left early in the win over Iowa State two weeks ago amid rumors of a serious injury. He’s the heart of BYU’s offense, averaging six yards per carry with five 100-yard games.

In Ames, BYU put more on true freshman QB Bear Bachmeier’s plate and he delivered. Repeating that vs. the nation’s best edge duo and a likely Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year at linebacker is a different challenge.

So, how much of the load will Martin be able to shoulder against the Red Raiders?

That’s one the biggest storylines I’ll have my eye on. 

Texas Tech has the nation’s top-ranked rush defense, allowing only 74 yards per game. K-State’s 126 rushing yards last week were by far the most given up the Red Raiders this season. 

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick knows a huge part of his job this week is finding a way to manufacture a run game to keep Tech edge rushers David Bailey and Romello Height, who have combined for 17.5 sacks, from pinning their ears back. That job gets much easier if Martin can take 10+ carries. 

Tech has worn down Big 12 opponents who pushed them into the second half. Utah, Kansas, and K-State were competitive for at least a half before getting whitewashed late. Can BYU match that physicality and apply real fourth-quarter pressure?

We’ll find out soon enough. 

TCU’s Big 12 Title Hopes Are Still Alive

Iowa State (5-4, 2-4) at TCU (6-2, 3-2) – 2:30 Fox
Line: TCU -6.5

A month ago this looked like a game that would have huge Big 12 championship implications. Four straight losses by Iowa State have taken the Cyclones out of the running to make it back to Arlington, but TCU is still alive, though the path is narrow.  

The most difficult part for the Horned Frogs is simply taking care of their own business. After ISU, TCU finishes the season with three of the top four teams in the Big 12 standings (BYU, Houston, and Cincinnati). 

Iowa State is reeling. The Cyclones are losing games and starters at a rapid pace. They’ll play this game against TCU missing over half of their week one starters on defense, including all but one starter in the secondary.  

That’s not good news when facing the second-best passing attack in the conference. This has a big game for Josh Hoover written all over it, though his performance last time out at West Virginia was pedestrian by his standards.  

Can Noah Fifita Get Bowl Eligible?

Kansas (5-4, 3-3) at Arizona (5-3, 2-3) – 2:30 ESPN2
Line: Arizona -5.5

It’s easy for Arizona QB Noah Fifita to get overlooked in the Big 12. 

The Wildcats have flown under the radar at 5-3, and Fifita’s year has been overshadowed by BYU freshman Bear Bachmeier’s emergence, Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby’s breakout, and the eye-popping numbers from Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson and TCU’s Josh Hoover.

Fifita just won his second Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after torching Colorado in Boulder. He’s third in league passing at 266 yards per game in conference play with 21 TDs and only four picks.

If the Wildcats had finished off BYU and/or Houston, both one score losses, we’d be talking a lot more about the season he’s having. It’s easy to forget now that Fifita’s Wildcats had #7 BYU down by 10 in the fourth quarter less than a month ago. 

It may not be the storybook season Fifita envisioned, but a bowl is on tap if Arizona holds serve at home vs. Kansas. 

It’s easy to root for Fifita after he decided to stick it out with head coach Brent Brennan when his childhood friend and top target Tetairoa McMillain left for the NFL last season. Plenty of other teammates bailed for the transfer portal after a brutal first season under Brennan. Not Fifita. 

The final four games of the season aren’t easy, but you can make a case they’re all winnable. Fifita still has a shot at an 8 or 9 win season. 

Two Seasons Going in Different Directions 

Colorado (3-6, 1-5) at West Virginia (3-6, 1-5) – 11:00 TNT
Line: WVU -6.5

Colorado and West Virginia enter Saturday’s game with identical records but seasons going in opposite directions. 

The Mountaineers are riding the high of a stunning upset at Houston last week and put a real scare into TCU the week before in Morgantown. It seems like head coach Rich Rodriguez has really found something in freshman QB Scotty Fox Jr, who has 458 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in back-to-back starts. 

The Buffaloes have lost their last two games to Utah and Arizona by a combined score of 105-24. Head coach Deion Sanders shielded his players from the media this week to give them some cover after a brutal pair of games. 

Sanders is also trying to find answers within his coaching staff. We just found out this week that offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was stripped of his play-calling duties after the Utah game. 

While it may feel like a mess in Boulder right now, the Buffs are still technically fighting for bowl eligibility. So are the Mountaineers, though the season finale against #8 Texas Tech makes that goal feel unlikely.

We’ll see who’s positioned for a strong finish.

Week Eleven Power Rankings

1. BYU (LW: 1)
2. Texas Tech (LW: 2)
3. Utah (LW: 5)
4. Cincinnati (LW: 3)
5. TCU (LW: 8)
6. Arizona State (LW: 6)
7. Houston (LW: 4)
8. Baylor (LW: 10)
9. Arizona (LW: 11)
10. K-State (LW: 7)
11. Iowa State (LW: 9)
12. Kansas (LW: 12)
13. UCF (LW: 13)
14. West Virginia (LW: 15)
15. Colorado (LW: 14)
16. Oklahoma State (LW: 16)

• Utah takes a definitive jump into third place after its blowout win over Cincinnati. The Utes are a lock to stay in the top three if they avoid an upset in the final month of the season. 

• I’m giving TCU the nod over Arizona State because of the Sam Leavitt injury. QB Jeff Sims led the Sun Devils to a gritty win in Ames last week, but I don’t think this team is the same with him under center. 

• Houston drops below those two because of its subpar strength of schedule. You lose some benefit of the doubt on that after getting beat at home by a bottom three team in the league. 

• West Virginia gets a bump after the win at Houston, and I almost moved the Mountaineers above UCF. For now, I’ll respect the Knights blowout win over WVU, but it does seem like West Virginia is a different team now than they were three weeks ago.

What You Need to Know

• Stop what you’re doing right now and watch the ABC intro from the last time ABC and College Gameday were in Lubbock for the 2008 Texas-Texas Tech game. 

• Would Texas Tech be favored in a playoff game against Oregon? What about BYU against Notre Dame? Here’s what FanDuel says. 

• Arizona scored a huge win for the Big 12 in men’s hoops this week. The Wildcats knocked off defending national champion Florida 93-87 behind 30 points from freshman Koa Peat. Do yourself a favor and check out this highlight. 

• BYU freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa also had a dazzling debut in a 71-66 win over Villanova. Dybantsa finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. 

• One NBA player compared Kansas guard Daryn Peterson to LeBron James. Peterson had 21 points in KU’s 94-51 win over Green Bay to open the season. Green Bay head coach Doug Gottlieb compared him to Kobe Bryant. 

• TCU was upset by New Orleans 78-74 in Fort Worth to start the men’s basketball season.

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