No. 21 Colorado goes into 1st November game in thick of Big 12 race; No. 9 BYU still undefeated

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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, right, confers with his son, safety Shilo Sanders (21), in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter, front, is tackled by Cincinnati defensive back Derrick Canteen and cornerback Ormanie Arnold in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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TCU wide receiver Jack Bech (18) catches a long pass from quarterback Josh Hoover (10) while guarded by Texas Tech defensive back Macho Stevenson (12) in the second half of an NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Chris Torres/Star-Telegram via AP)

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Texas Tech wide receiver Josh Kelly, top, celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against Iowa State during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Bryon Houlgrave)

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Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby warms up before an NCAA college football game against Colorado, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene (6) runs against Kansas State during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/William Wotring)

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Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, left, confers with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

By STEPHEN HAWKINS

Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:

Game of the week

No. 21 Colorado (6-2, 4-1 Big 12) at Texas Tech (6-3, 4-2), 4 p.m. ET, Saturday (Fox)

Coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes play their first November game tied for second place in the conference. They got in that position and moved up two spots in the AP poll even during their open date last weekend, when Texas Tech won at previously-undefeated Iowa State to leave No. 9 BYU as the only Big 12 team without a loss. That upset for the Red Raiders came after back-to-back losses. Colorado and Texas Tech are already bowl eligible and go into the final stretch of the regular season in contention for a spot in the Big 12 championship game that matches the 16-team league’s top two finishers. Colorado’s two-way standout Travis Hunter is second in the Big 12 with eight TD catches and third with 757 yards receiving, and at cornerback is tied for the conference lead with seven pass breakups.

The undercard

No. 9 BYU (8-0, 5-0, No. 9 CFP) and Utah (4-4, 1-4) play for the first time since 2021. Their instate “Holy War” matchup is getting revived in their first season together as conference foes since 2010, when both were in the Mountain West. The Cougars are one of only five undefeated FBS teams. Utah went into its first Big 12 season as one of the league’s preseason favorites, but has a four-game losing streak since winning at Oklahoma State (3-6, 0-6). This will be the 102nd meeting between the Utah-based schools, but BYU recognizes only 95 games since the private school officially began playing intercollegiate football in 1922.

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Impact player

TCU receiver Jack Bech has nine touchdown catches, the most in the Big 12 and tied for the most among Power Four players. The former LSU transfer has two TD catches in three of the last six games. He is second in the league with 102.6 yards receiving per game and his 51 catches are a career high, surpassing 43 as a freshman with the Tigers in 2021.

Inside the numbers

No. 17 Iowa State (7-1, 4-1) goes for its seventh consecutive Big 12 road victory Saturday, which would extend a school record. The Cyclones play Kansas (2-6, 1-4) at Arrowhead Stadium. ... Oklahoma State (3-6, 0-6), which is at TCU on Saturday, has to win the rest of its regular season games to avoid its first losing season since 2005. That was Mike Gundy’s first season as head coach and the last time the Cowboys missed a bowl game. ... Baylor (5-4, 3-3) is going into an open date after a last-play field goal to beat TCU. That was after Texas Tech beat Iowa State with a last-minute TD last Saturday. Those are among 12 go-ahead scores in the final minute of games for Big 12 teams, the most in the country this season.

Rushing QBs

Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby leads all Big 12 quarterbacks with six rushing touchdowns, and West Virginia’s Garrett Greene tops league QBs with 443 rushing yards. The former Big East rival teams meet Saturday. Greene ran for 154 yards and three TDs in a 42-21 home win over Cincinnati last season. Sorsby is also one of the league’s top passers, throwing for 263.5 yards per game while completing 172 of 262 passes (65.6%) with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions.

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