By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports activities
Conference play continues this week within the Large 12 with a number of key matchups throughout the league.
Arizona State hosts No. 24 TCU, Utah goes to West Virginia needing a win, and Arizona performs No. 14 Iowa State in Ames.
The evening is capped off with a recreation between No. 25 BYU and Colorado, a matchup that has rivalry potential transferring ahead.
I preview these 4 video games right here and provides a “look in” at the remainder of the essential matchups within the Convention.
No. 24 TCU at Arizona State
Friday, September 26
6:00 pm PT, FOX
It’s time to make an announcement.
The remainder of the nation appears to have forgotten about Arizona State. The Solar Devils have been ranked in the beginning of the season for a purpose. This can be a high quality soccer workforce.
TCU comes into Tempe with a number of respectable wins and spectacular margins of victory. Josh Hoover is taking part in nice, and the workforce appears like a risk. The Horned Frogs are undoubtedly deserving of their Prime 25 rating.
However they’re strolling into the fireplace. The ambiance at Mountain America Stadium goes to be elite. And the Solar Devils are going to return out with one thing to show.
It’s not setup for those who’re a TCU fan.
The gang ought to make a distinction, and ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt might be a game-changer. Search for Leavitt to increase performs together with his legs, get first downs on the bottom, and discover his receivers in open house.
Combine in a Solar Satan run recreation that has efficiency and a protection that makes performs, and also you get a workforce primed to defend house area.
This isn’t Texas. The Horned Frogs are about to get a baptism within the desert.
Utah at West Virginia
Saturday, September 27
12:30 pm PT, FOX
Look me straight within the eye after I say this: Utah’s season is on the road towards West Virginia.
If the Utes can’t beat the Mountaineers, it’s going to be a protracted yr. Overlook that it’s a street recreation. That doesn’t matter. WVU is a bottom-feeder within the Large 12 this yr. Solely different bottom-feeder applications will lose to them.
That may’t be Utah.
Morgan Scalley ought to discover a approach to shut down Wealthy Rodriguez’s system. Wealthy Rod doesn’t have the athletes but, and so they haven’t had sufficient time to really be taught his system. The Ute protection ought to thrive.
Kansas simply clobbered the Mountaineers, and the attention check was jarring. If Utah is a critical program, they beat West Virginia convincingly.
Arizona at No. 14 Iowa State
Saturday, September 27
4:00 pm PT, ESPN
Vegas is likely to be on to one thing.
The unfold is lower than a landing, and it might be for good purpose. Arizona is a much-improved workforce this yr, and a variety of the credit score goes to the brand new coordinators.
Danny Gonzales is teaching the hell out of the protection, and Seth Doege runs a reliable offensive system that places up factors.
On the identical time, Head Coach Brent Brennan is preaching violence. He calls it “redline,” which primarily boils all the way down to a extremely bodily model of soccer.
From the practices to the expectations on recreation day, it’s all about hitting exhausting and taking part in with toughness. It’s paid off to date this yr, and it’s one of many causes Vegas is predicting a one-score recreation.
If Arizona can drive turnovers and rating touchdowns within the crimson zone, the Wildcats have an opportunity. The UA run recreation is robust, Noah Fifita is taking part in freely with confidence, and the offensive scheme will get gamers into open house.
This matchup is one to control.
No. 25 BYU at Colorado
Saturday, September 27
7:15 pm PT, ESPN
Tlisted here are going to be a variety of eyes on this recreation.
Simply trying on the nationwide schedule, there may be primarily no different contest that BYU and Colorado are competing with. The important thing matchups of the day begin at 4:30 pm PT and will probably be over close to the tip of the primary quarter in Boulder.
Which means loads of folks will flip to this recreation to look at the vast majority of the matchup. Don’t consider me? Go have a look at the schedule for the weekend and inform me what different recreation will get extra consideration throughout this timeslot.
That’s with out even mentioning the Deion issue.
However, sufficient.
BYU goes to ship a message. The 6.5 unfold is laughable.
Colorado will not be an excellent workforce this yr, and the Cougars are legit. Certain, BYU is likely to be reasonably untested, and so they begin a real freshman quarterback.
However this workforce is nice, and they’re about to indicate the nation why. The protection ought to stifle CU’s run recreation and create interceptions via the air.
The one X-Components are Kaidon Salter’s risk to run and Bear Bachmeier’s lack of expertise.
Name me out if I’m flawed: BYU wins reasonably convincingly.
The Remainder of the Large 12
Houston is undefeated and heads to Corvallis for a Friday evening matchup with Oregon State.
It’s straightforward to really feel unhealthy for the Beavers, particularly because the preseason expectations have been elevated. This system was crushed in realignment, and their followers deserve higher. However that is actual life, not some fantasy fairytale.
The Cougars are a much-improved workforce and may go away with a win.
Okayansas hosts Cincinnati in a really fascinating matchup.
The Bearcats have fallen out of the nationwide dialogue after their large recreation towards Nebraska in Week One. There’s no buzz across the workforce, despite the fact that there needs to be.
Brendan Sorsby is without doubt one of the high quarterbacks within the Large 12 and UC has expertise on the roster.
It’s a essential check for Kansas, and the consequence will shine fascinating perception into the facility steadiness of the Large 12.
UCF is 3-0 and heads to Manhattan, Kansas, for a contest towards Kansas State.
It’s an early kickoff (9:00 am PT), which apparently will not be what the Okay-State followers like. That’s simply what occurs once you’re 1-3 and coming off a loss to Arizona.
No less than this manner, the followers will get to remain the entire recreation as an alternative of leaving early for the two-hour drive again to the place they really stay.
Regardless, Central might be a bit over-rated and KSU ought to get again on observe.
Miller covers Faculty Basketball and Faculty Soccer in addition to Formulation 1 racing as a Senior Author and Assistant Editor for SuperWest Sports activities.
