Playoff hopeful No. 7 Texas is still trying to make the Big 12 title game. Iowa State awaits
Things to watch in the Big 12 Conference in Week 12:
GAME O F THE WEEK
No. 7 Texas (9-1, 6-1 Big 12, No. 7 CFP) at Iowa State (6-4, 5-2), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (Fox)
The Longhorns, the Big 12's last remaining hope to make the four-team College Football Playoff, are still trying to clinch a spot in the conference championship game. They got quarterback Quinn Ewers back last week after he missed two games with an injured throwing shoulder, but lost 1,000-yard rusher Jonathon Brooks for the rest of the season when he tore the ACL in his right knee in the win at TCU.
Iowa State has won four of its five games since ending September with a 30-point loss at Oklahoma. The Cyclones, who were 1-2 in non-conference play, are still in contention to get in the Big 12 title game for the second time in four seasons, but have to win both of their games and get plenty of help.
This is a matchup of two of the league's top defenses. Iowa State allows only 329 total yards per game, the only one better than Texas' (337.1). The Longhorns have given up only 18.4 points per game and the Cyclones 19.9.
BEST MATCHUP
No. 23 Kansas State at Kansas, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (FS1)
This Sunflower Showdown matches two 7-3 teams. The Wildcats have dominated the series, winning 14 in a row since 2008 by an average margin of more than four touchdowns. But these aren't the same old Jayhawks, though they would be down to their third quarterback if Jason Bean is unable to play. This will be the 113th consecutive year the rivals have met, the fourth-longest uninterrupted FBS series. It is the 121st meeting overall.
IMPACT PLAYER
Texas Tech's Tahj Brooks has rushed for more than 100 yards in seven of his last eight games and he had 98 in the other game. He is second in the Big 12 and fifth nationally at 116.6 yards per game. He has rushing touchdowns in six consecutive games, the first Red Raiders running back to do that since Taurean Henderson in 2004. The Red Raiders on Saturday host UCF, the Big 12's worst rushing defense. The Knights give up 196 yards per game and have allowed 23 TDs on the ground.
EIGHT IS ENOUGH
More than half of the Big 12 teams could finish the regular season tied for first place. With two games left, it is still possible for eight of the 14 teams to have 6-3 conference records. For that to happen, Texas would have to lose its remaining games (Iowa State, Texas Tech), Kansas would have to win both of its games, including this week against Kansas State, which would then have to beat Iowa State. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would both have to split their remaining two games, while Texas Tech and West Virginia have to win out. A series of tiebreakers would then come into play to determine which two teams meet in the Big 12 championship game Dec. 2.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Baylor vs. TCU becomes the most-played rivalry in Texas with its 119th meeting in a series that dates to 1899. Texas and Texas A&M have played 118 times, but their last meeting was 2011. ... No. 14 Oklahoma is coming off a 59-20 win over West Virginia. That made the Sooners, who play at BYU for the first time Saturday, the nation's only team to score at least 59 points in three games this season. ... Seven Big 12 teams are bowl eligible, and three more are one win shy of the needed six wins.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
