Week 8 absolutely detonated the Big 12 College Football Playoff picture. Second-ranked BYU got stunned in double overtime by UCF, coming right after previously-unbeaten and eighth-ranked Texas Tech fell to Cincinnati. These massive upsets have tossed the entire conference’s CFP hopes into a blender, no joke.
The Shockwaves Hit the Big 12
Cincinnati came out swinging, taking down previously-unbeaten and eighth-ranked Texas Tech. They snapped the Red Raiders’ gnarly nine-game Big 12 winning streak that stretched back to last season. Then, only hours later, Scott Frost and the UCF Knights pulled off their own magic trick, holding off No. 2 BYU in double overtime. Can you believe it? BYU had climbed to No. 2 in the AP poll after beating Notre Dame a week prior. This is wild!
For Cincinnati, this was a statement game. Quarterback JC French threw four touchdown passes and Cole Tabb ran for a career-best 173 yards. They snapped a two-game skid and got a signature win, only Scott Satterfield’s second ranked win in four seasons! Plus, there was that whole personal angle with former starting QB Brendan Sorsby leaving for Texas Tech via the transfer portal this offseason, only to be suspended later. On Texas Tech’s side, their season-long passing game struggles finally caught up to them. They coughed up three turnovers and never recovered from Cincy’s 21-point surge in the second quarter. Now, Will Hammond and the Red Raiders’ offense probably have to win out, with Arizona looming, if they want any shot at repeating as Big 12 champions and snagging that auto-berth into the CFP.
Chaos Reigns: Who’s Left Standing?
With five top-25 teams in Week 8, all eyes are glued to the primetime battle between 14th-ranked Houston and No. 10 Utah. The winner of that one gets a serious leg up on the rest of the conference, right up there with BYU. Here’s how the Big 12 standings looked before Saturday’s late games:
* No. 10 Utah: 6-0 (3-0 conf)
* No. 2 BYU: 6-1 (3-1 conf)
* No. 8 Texas Tech: 6-1 (3-1 conf)
* No. 14 Houston: 6-1 (3-1 conf)
* No. 25 Arizona: 5-1 (2-1 conf)
Houston and Utah played Saturday’s late game, while Arizona hosted Iowa State. It is absolutely critical that the Big 12’s top teams don’t cannibalize each other over the second half of the season if this league wants to send multiple teams to the CFP, especially after BYU’s totally shocking loss! The selection committee’s new conference strength metric is going to be a big deal, but only one of the league’s five ranked teams in Week 8 has a strength of schedule ranked inside the top-35 nationally. That’s a conversation point for the CFP selection committee next weekend, you can bet on it. BYU was No. 1 in strength of record and No. 7 in game controls before Saturday’s loss, metrics that will be huge if Kalani Sitake’s team can somehow rebound as the league favorite. Utah’s got similar stats.
What a mess, right? The Big 12 went from having two unbeaten titans to pure pandemonium in one weekend. With Houston and Utah locking horns and Arizona trying to make a move, every single game from here on out is going to be a battle for survival. The CFP committee is watching, and the league better bring its A-game or risk seeing those multiple-team playoff dreams vanish. Get ready, because the second half of the Big 12 season is going to be absolutely insane!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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