Big 12 has first top-10 matchup since ’21 when No. 8 BYU goes to No. 9 Texas Tech

Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:

No. 8 BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12, No. 7 CFP) at No. 9 Texas Tech (8-1, 4-1, No. 8 CFP), Saturday, noon ET (ABC)

This is the first conference game in the Big 12 matching top 10 teams since 2021. The Cougars, with true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier and banged-up league rushing leader LJ Martin (98.6 yards per game), will try to get to 9-0 for the second year in a row.

Texas Tech has its highest AP Top 25 ranking since 2008, which was the last time that ESPN broadcast its “College GameDay” show from the Lubbock campus. Then sixth-ranked Tech upset No. 1 Texas 39-33 in that November game, part of the Red Raiders’ 10-0 start that season. Quarterback Behren Morton returned for Tech last week after missing two games with a right leg injury.

Iowa State (5-4, 2-4) at TCU (6-2, 3-2), 3:30 p.m. ET (Fox)

TCU is coming off an open date after winning three of its four games in October. The closing stretch for the Horned Frogs starts with the game against slumping Iowa State before playing three ranked teams that are ahead of them in the Big 12 standings – BYU, No. 17 Utah and No. 25 Cincinnati. The Cyclones, who started 5-0, have lost four games in a row since defensive backs Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams suffered season-ending knee injuries in September.

– Kansas’ Jalon Daniels became the only active FBS quarterback to reach 10,000 yards of total offense at the same school when he threw for 110 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 28 yards in a win over Oklahoma State last week. He has 10,054 career yards (8,742 passing and 1,312 rushing) in 46 games over six seasons. The school record is Todd Reesing’s 11,840 total yards in 41 games from 2006-09. Daniels has thrown for 1,991 yards and 20 TDs this season, with only three interceptions.

– Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez has a national-best seven forced fumbles, and is fourth in the Big 12 with 77 tackles.

– Bachmeier has six games this season with touchdowns passing and rushing. That is tied for the most in FBS.

Houston and BYU are the only FBS teams to play at least four road games this season and win them all. Houston (7-2, 4-2) plays at UCF (4-4, 1-4) on Friday night. The Knights are 4-1 at home. … Texas Tech’s eight wins by at least 23 points are the most in FBS this season, and match the most in the Big 12 since TCU’s eight in 2014. … A season-high six teams have open dates with Arizona State, Baylor, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Utah all off on Saturday. … Colorado plays at West Virginia in a matchup of 3-6 teams. The loser will be guaranteed a losing record in the regular season.

The Big 12 had top-10 matchups on consecutive Saturdays in 2021. The last was when No. 9 Baylor beat No. 5 Oklahoma State in the league championship game Dec. 4, a week after the Cowboys’ win over No. 10 Oklahoma in the regular-season finale.