By Jacob Seliga
Lead Writer
The closing stretch begins
October will have come and gone when the Big 12 kicks off the Week 10 slate on Saturday afternoon. And as the calendar flips from October to November, the closing stretch of the 2024 season will begin.
The once crowded field of teams vying for the conference championship has turned into a four horse race. And with over half of the conference in position to make a bowl game, this past week was arguably the most consequential this season so far, this is the week in review.
16 in a row
For 15 consecutive years, the Kansas Jayhawks have played second fiddle to their rivals, the Kansas State Wildcats.
The “Sunflower Showdown,” in spite of the return to winning for the Jayhawks over the past couple of seasons, has continued to be a one-sided purple and white showcase.
After a disappointing 1-5 start, the Jayhawks hoped to rectify their early season struggles by pulling off a major upset, and through three quarters it appeared as if Kansas was going to do just that. But as was the case in the other five Jayhawk losses, Kansas once again let a fourth quarter lead fall through its hands as the Wildcat kicker connected on a 51-yard field goal, his second of the quarter to seal a 29-27 Kansas State win.
For the Jayhawks, this extended the losing streak in the rivalry to 16 straight and it may be the most gut wrenching loss during that stretch. Kansas State, on the other hand, continues to escape with late victories to keep its Big 12 championship and college football playoff hopes alive.
Utah, the most disappointing team in America
Once it was announced in the 2023 season that the Utah Utes would be joining the Big 12 Conference following the demise of the Pac-12, to most pundits and fans, it appeared as if the new kings were coming to town. And rightfully so.
The Utes had won two Pac-12 championships in recent years and had played in multiple Rose Bowl matchups. Entering the 2024 season, the Utes were almost unanimously selected to win the conference and be its automatic representative in the college football playoff. Now entering November, the Utes have completely imploded as they currently sit 1-4 in the conference tied for second to last place.
Although Utah quarterback Cam Rising has been injured and is out for the season, the Utes roster is one of the more talented units in the conference, much more than the Houston Cougars who are considered by many to be the worst team. That made the 17-14 Houston victory on Saturday all the more surprising.
The Cougars ran all over the vaunted Utes defense, a trend that has started to become the norm against Utah. The Cougars had 230 yards rushing at close to five yards per carry in the defensive struggle. With a matchup against hated rivals No. 9 BYU and No. 23 Colorado, as well as a home game looming against No. 11 Iowa State, the Utes may be in position to miss a bowl game for the first time in over a decade.
The perfect homecoming
Nicco Marchiol only played two seasons of high school football in Arizona, but in his short time in the copper state, he left his mark with memorable moments such as a 25-24 comeback victory over Bishop Gorman.
Even through that, the former Arizona staff that is currently at Washington didn’t give him a real look. That made his homecoming to Arizona on Saturday night all the more special as he had the opportunity to showcase what could’ve been in Tucson. Marchiol was efficient on the night, as he completed 18 out of 22 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns as the West Virginia Mountaineers knocked off the Wildcats 31-26 to get back to .500 heading into the bye week.
For the Wildcats, their nightmare season continues as they join Utah in a tie for second-to-last place in the conference. And with the loss, their bowl chances took a serious hit as the Wildcats must find a way to win three out of their final four games that include road trips to UCF and to Texas to face a surging TCU team. The final game of the season is a home contest against rival Arizona State.
Game of the week: Texas Tech at No. 17 Iowa State, 12:30 ESPN, Saturday
In terms of consequential matchups, no game looks larger this week than the showdown between the Red Raiders and the Cyclones in Ames on Saturday. No undefeated team has been more disrespected in the rankings than Iowa State. With a lethal defense led by Beau Freyler and Kooper Ebel and arguably the conference player of the year Rocco Becht leading the way at quarterback, Iowa State with a victory could put a stranglehold on the conference title race and all but ensure a spot in Arlington the first weekend in December.
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