This Week in the Big 12 Conference
Saturday, October 30
Texas at No. 16/18 Baylor (ABC) 11:00 a.m.
Series: UT 79-27-4
Last Meeting: UT 27-16 on Oct. 24, 2020 in Austin.
No. 22/23 Iowa State at West Virginia (Big 12 Now) 1:00 p.m.
Series: WVU 5-4
Last Meeting: ISU 42-6 on Dec. 5, 2020 in Ames.
Texas Tech at No. 4/4 Oklahoma (ABC) 2:30 p.m.
Series: OU 22-6
Last Meeting: OU 62-28 on Oct. 31, 2020 in Lubbock.
TCU at Kansas State (ESPNU) 2:30 p.m.
Series: Tied 7-7
Last Meeting: K-State 21-14 on Oct. 10, 2020 in Fort Worth.
Kansas at No. 15/15 Oklahoma State (FS1) 6:00 p.m.
Series: OSU 40-29-3
Last Meeting: OSU 47-7 on Oct. 3, 2020 in Lawrence.
All Times are listed as Central. Rankings are listed as AP/USA Today Coaches
Conference News and Notes
The Big 12 has a full slate of conference matchups this week with all teams in action.
The Big 12 is second in the FBS with forty percent of programs ranked in the national polls with No. 4/4 Oklahoma, No. 15/15 Oklahoma State, No. 16/18 Baylor and No. 22/23 Iowa State. Texas is receiving votes.
Oklahoma is among just nine teams that remain undefeated on the season. The Sooners’ 16-game win streak leads the nation.
The Big 12 finished the regular season with a .800 (24-6) win percentage in non-conference outings, good for second among FBS leagues. Four of the six losses were to other autonomy leagues and three were to teams currently ranked.
Among FBS leagues, the Big 12 is first in scoring (32.3), rushing yards per game (180.9), pass completion percentage (65.6), passer rating (151.1) and yards per play (7.5) in addition to having the toughest strength of schedule.
Sixty percent of Big 12 teams average over 32 points a game to rank in the top 37 nationally: 8. Oklahoma (41.8), 9. Texas (41.6), 14. Baylor (38.3), 29. TCU (34.3), 31. Texas Tech (34.2) and 37. Iowa State (32.3).
Fifty percent of Big 12 teams are listed in the top 25 for toughest schedule, based on combined win percentage of FBS opponents: 7. Kansas, T12. TCU, T18. Texas, T24. Kansas State and West Virginia. Seven Big 12 players are among the top 25 in the FBS in all-purpose yards per game: 3. Bijan Robinson, UT (161.57), 9. Breece Hall, ISU (143.86), 15. Tresten Ebner, BU (140.43), 21. Jaylen Warren, OSU (130.0), 22. Zach Evans, TCU (129.67), 24. Deuce Vaughn, K-State (128.14) and 25. Winston Wright, WVU (128.00).
Five Big 12 RBs average over 100 rushing yards a game to rank in the nation’s top 14: 3. Bijan Robinson, UT (132.0), 7. Breece Hall, ISU (116.9), 10. Abram Smith, BU (112.1), 11. Jaylen Warren, OSU (111.6) and 14. Zach Evans, TCU (108.0).
Big 12 players of the week were awarded to Iowa State’s Brock Purdy (offensive) and Will McDonald IV (defensive), West Virginia’s Casey Legg (special teams) and Charles Woods (newcomer), and Kansas’ Devin Neal (newcomer).
Baylor LB/FB Dillon Doyle became the first player in program history to record a rushing TD, a receiving TD and a sack in the same game.
Iowa State running back Breece Hall scored a rushing touchdown in a 19th consecutive game, which is a Big 12 record and tied for the nation’s fourth-longest streak since 1996.
Kansas’ Kenny Logan Jr. registered a career-high 14 tackles against Oklahoma, tying for most tackles by a Jayhawk in a game this season. Since 2019, the first year under head coach Chris Klieman, K-State has converted on 102-of-109 red zone possessions with 72 touchdowns.
Oklahoma has registered at least one takeaway in 14 straight games and in 15 of the last 16 to hold a plus-13 turnover margin during that span. The Sooners have committed only eight turnovers through eight games this season.
Oklahoma State’s Malcolm Rodriguez has recorded at least six tackles in 12 straight games and totaled 13 at Iowa State.
TCU remains the nation’s leader in converting on red zone opportunities at 100 percent, having scored on all 25 of its trips inside the red zone this season.
Texas RB Bijan Robinson has scored a touchdown in nine straight games.
Entering the game as the FBS-leader in 40-yard or better explosive plays, Texas Tech added four more to its resume on Saturday. Tech now has 21 through eight games.
West Virginia opened the game at TCU by scoring on each of its first four possessions, including three drives which began inside its own 10-yard line.
The 2021 Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship is scheduled for Saturday, December 4 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Over the summer, the Big 12 and Dallas Cowboys announced a two-year extension that will keep the Championship game at AT&T Stadium through the 2023 season. Tickets to this year’s contest are on sale through SeatGeek.
