Big 12 Football: Arizona Streak Meets Texas Tech Defense
The conference has six ranked teams as No. 22 Arizona travels to Lubbock, while Cincinnati aims to extend its run against an undefeated Utah squad.
By Robert Herrera ·
The Big 12 Conference features a collision of two top 25 teams in Saturday's schedule.
No. 22 Arizona visits No. 13 Texas Tech at noon ET on Saturday. The Wildcats hold a 6-1 record, which is their best start since 2014. They have won their last five games by an average margin of 24 points. This winning run began after a 33-27 double-overtime loss to No. 8 BYU.
Texas Tech enters the game with a 6-1 record and a 3-1 conference mark. The Red Raiders are coming off a 37-24 loss at Cincinnati. Their home record stands at 16-4 against Big 12 opponents over the last five seasons under coach Joey McGuire. They are currently on an 11-game home winning streak, which is one game shy of the school record set in 1942.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita has thrown for 2,064 yards with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He faces a Texas Tech defense that has returned five interceptions for touchdowns in its last four games. Cincinnati quarterback Cole Tabb ran for 173 yards and a 58-yard touchdown in the recent win over the Red Raiders. That performance broke a Texas Tech trend of allowing no rushing touchdowns or 100-yard rushers since 2024.
Cincinnati (5-2) hosts undefeated No. 6 Utah (7-0) at 3:45 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Bearcats are seeking their second win over a top 10 opponent in a row. No unranked Big 12 team has ever achieved that feat. Utah has won 13 consecutive games, the longest active FBS streak. The Utes are 7-0 for the first time since 2010.
Utah allows only 88.3 rushing yards per game, the lowest in the Big 12. They defeated Houston 21-13 last week to secure their ninth consecutive Big 12 victory. UCF hosts Baylor on Friday night. UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns in a 39-31 overtime win over BYU. UCF is playing its first game under interim head coach Joe Klanderman, who replaced Dave Aranda.
The conference has six teams in the Top 25 for the first time since 2012. No. 8 BYU (6-1) hosts Arizona State (4-3) and has not lost consecutive games since late 2024. TCU (3-4) leads the conference in defense, allowing 13.9 points and 264 total yards per game. TCU hosts Kansas (3-4) on Saturday. Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker has passed for at least 300 yards and multiple touchdowns in six straight games. The No. 24 Cowboys (5-2) play at Iowa State (3-4). Colorado (2-5) enters a home game against Kansas State (4-3) with a nine-game conference losing streak.
No. 18 Houston (6-2) and West Virginia (5-3) have open dates this week.
Source: MySA
