What a win by BYU. Being OOC, the game didn't directly affect CCG odds, but the impressive performance has boosted the computers' opinion of BYU, and that shows up in the odds. BYU moved up 10 points to 57.4%, a very large movement for a team playing an OOC game this late. TTU increased 4 points to 70.1%, while Utah fell 9 points to 44.9%. Houston rose 3 points to 19.6%.

Nothing's over, but for the first time this season we can look at the numbers and say that it would be a surprise if anyone outside the top 4 got in to the CCG. Houston @ Utah this week is huge for the CCG odds:

• If Utah wins, the odds are Utah 59%, Houston 14%
• If Houston wins, the odds are Utah 18%, Houston 48%

Full interactive odds, matchups, and what-if scenarios: https://sportssimulate.com/cfb/2026/latest/B12

We have:

BYU
Utah
Texas Tech
Houston
Arizona

They were a powerhouse in the 60's, had some of the best teams in the nation in the 80's, and then when the SWC disbanded, they were stuck in Mid-Major purgatory for 17 years.

Finally, they go back to a major conference, reach a Final Four, and become a top program again.

Interestingly, we played each other twice in 1971.

To me that makes this weekend even more exciting!

Edit: We definitely did not play eachother twice in 1971. Haha. Made this post before coffee.

Edit: GO UTES!!!

I'm somewhat obsessive about Big 12 men's hoops, and have gotten in the habit of doing at least light offseason research on every player on a Big 12 roster. This year, I turned that into a written conference preview that looks at some best and worst-case scenarios for each team, as well as looking at their coaching situation and how much trouble they'll be in if they lose some court cases in regards to 5th-year guys. Just published part 1 at the link below (teams alphabetically from Arizona to Houston), part 2 coming soon!

https://clawsneffect.substack.com/p/claws-and-effect-18

With the report that the SEC and B1G plan to sign a scheduling agreement with each other once the CFP expands to 24 teams, should Yormark be proactive in forming a similar agreement with the ACC? Sure, you could argue that we’d naturally be forced to play each other anyway to meet the 10 p4 opponent requirement if the SEC/B1G freeze us out so there wouldn’t be any need for a formal agreement, but I’d rather have the conferences negotiating the schedules instead of the individual schools so that we are more likely to get high profile matchups like each conference’s champion playing each other the season after.

Independence was clearly the worst (EDIT: meant to say BEST. oops) of a bunch of bad options for BYU, but I cannot begin to describe how awesome it is to be aligned with universities that are dedicated to their teams but have a history of being looked down upon because they aren’t blue bloods.

I think the Big12 is on the rise and it’s not crazy to think we could have 2, 3, or even 4 playoff bids if things fall the right way. This is year we kick the door down and let everyone know that the old order is over, and that the days of domination by a handful of blue bloods won’t be returning anytime soon.

Here's the football power rankings for week 8, voted for by r/BigXII.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BigXII/comments/1xa4su0/vote_for_week_8_big_xii_football_power_rankings/

Biggest Movers

TCU jumped up 4 spots (3.58) after a road win over Baylor.

West Virginia jumped up 5 spots (2.14) after a home win over Cincinnati.

Arizona State dropped 3 spots (2.72) after a road loss to Texas Tech.

Cincinnati dropped 3 spots (1.63) after a road loss to West Virginia.

Coming Up

SATURDAY

• #2 Texas Tech at #11 Cincinnati
• #8 West Virginia at #10 TCU
• #9 Baylor at #16 Kansas
• #1 BYU at #12 UCF
• #13 Kansas State at #14 Arizona State
• #15 Colorado at #6 Oklahoma State
• ❗ #7 Iowa State at #5 Arizona
• ❗ #4 Houston at #3 Utah

Voting for Week 9 starts on Monday!

I’m just excited for this match up.

The Longmont (CO) offensive tackle was in Lubbock to see the Red Raiders' 53-25 win over Arizona State.

They do this for every win, so I don't usually post them here, but this one deserves it since it was a win for the Big 12.

We have felt and been overlooked for a while now. Finally, we feel like people are seeing what our team is and how much we’re capable of. I’m just not used to being talked about as a top dog in the nation. It’s super cool, it just feels so odd to not have to worry about style points, victory margin or brand bias. People watched college gameday and watched an incredible BYU/ND game. Now they know. I can only hope we get through the schedule unscathed (esp @ Utah), but for now, I’m reading and listening to as much as I can BYU related. Really cool time for us rn.

Just got told I’m being sent to Lubbock for a week for work. Unfortunately, of the old Big XII South schools, Lubbock was the one place I didn’t get a chance to visit. Looking for things to do. And, most importantly, best food?

A specific set of circumstances would have to happen for sure. Houston Beats Utah this week, and then Utah beats BYU 2 weeks later. All 3 of them plus Tech win out otherwise.

That would leave you with an undefeated Tech and 3x 1-loss and teams in BYU, Utah, and Houston.

Then, whichever of those 1-loss teams that advances to the CCG beats Tech, and you're left with 4x 1-loss teams at the top of the big 12. Could all 4 of them make it in?

What do you think of these match ups? With the exception of the Georgia vs Boise State match, I think all of them would be compelling games.