Who’s Coming Out on Top in the Big 12?

The Big 12 currently has four teams that are ranked in the AP Poll. After Texas Tech’s dominant win over BYU this past weekend, no team remains undefeated in the conference. This has created a conversation of who is going to win the Big 12.

The Utah Utes currently sit at 7-2 overall this season and are fifth in the division while being ranked 15th overall. They have one of the best defenses in the conference, only allowing three scores or less in eight of their games this season.

Despite having two losses, both from ranked opponents, they do hold a huge win over Cincinnati. If the Utes can win out and if both of the one-win teams can take one more loss, Utah has a chance at the conference title.

Looking at the fourth-place team, the Houston Cougars are also 7-2 but currently sit unranked. However, Houston’s chances are slim since they took a bad loss to West Virginia; a majority of their wins are from weaker teams.

Quarterback Conner Wiegman and the offensive line have had their struggles, however, as Wiegman has thrown seven interceptions and has been sacked 17 times. The Cougars would need all the teams ahead of them and Utah to lose out if they saw a chance of winning the conference.

After losing to Utah almost two weeks ago, the Cincinnati Bearcats are the current third-place team in the Big 12. The Bearcats were one of the top teams in the nation, but after losing to Utah, they’re now sitting at two losses.

One of these losses came from an unranked Nebraska in week one, which has definitely played a factor in their ranking. If Cincinnati can pull out a win against BYU at home and win their other two games to finish their season, they can still win the Big 12.

Before this past weekend, BYU sat in the driver's seat of the conference being undefeated on the year. However, after losing by three scores to Texas Tech, the Bearcats are now second in the conference.

Running back LJ Martin is having his best season yet as he currently has 142 carries for 824 yards. If BYU can recover from the loss and win out, which includes beating Cincinnati on the road, they can definitely make a push for the conference championship trophy.

After a massive win over BYU, Texas Tech currently stands in first place in the conference with a 9-1 record and is number three in the country. Despite losing to Arizona State, Texas Tech has proven itself and has had big wins over Utah and BYU.

They have one of the best defenses in the conference as they have allowed 26 points or less in all of their games this season. The Red Raiders’ defense also has 11 interceptions and 29 sacks this season, and is a top ten defense in the country. As long as they win out, the Big 12 Conference title should be theirs.

It looks as though Texas Tech and BYU are in control of their own destiny to win the conference. However, every week is unpredictable, and anything can happen in these last three weeks of the regular season. Time will tell who will be the Big 12 Conference champion.

Julia Nawalany is a first-year student studying broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email jrn5527@psu.edu