Big 12 Football Predictions: Our Week Nine Picks

SALT LAKE CITY – It’s time for another week of Big 12 football predictions.

Week nine of the Big 12 football season is an opportunity for championship contenders to create separation in the standings. Meanwhile, a handful of teams are looking to get back in the win column.

Every week during the 2024 Big 12 season, our insiders here at KSL Sports, Mitch Harper and Steve Bartle, will share their weekly Big 12 football predictions. Follow their coverage throughout the season on their personal X accounts: @Mitch_Harper & @BartleKSLsports.

Big 12 Standings Entering Week Nine

• BYU – 4-0 (7-0 overall)
• Iowa State – 4-0 (7-0)
• Kansas State – 3-1 (6-1)
• Colorado – 3-1 (5-2)
• Texas Tech – 3-1 (5-2)
• Cincinnati – 3-1 (5-2)
• Arizona State – 2-2 (5-2)
• TCU – 2-2 (4-3)
• West Virginia – 2-2 (3-4)
• Utah – 1-3 (4-3)
• Arizona – 1-3 (3-4)
• Baylor – 1-3 (3-4)
• UCF – 1-3 (3-4)
• Kansas – 1-3 (2-5)
• Houston – 1-3 (2-5)
• Oklahoma State – 0-4 (3-4)

Big 12 Football Predictions: Week 9 of the 2024 season

Here’s the seven-game slate to kick off our week eight edition of Big 12 football predictions.

Season Totals

(Through Week 8)

• Steve Bartle: 58-20
• Mitch Harper: 57-21

No. 11 BYU at UCF

• Saturday, October 26
• Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. (MT)
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM) — Extended pregame begins at 9 a.m.

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: UCF
• Mitch Harper: BYU

RELATED: BYU Calls UCF ‘Best 3-4 Team In The Country’

BYU’s run defense had a letdown last week against Oklahoma State. After facing Mike Gundy off a bye week, I’m willing to give them a mulligan. This week, there are no exceptions. The Knights are a one-dimensional team with QB Jacurri Brown. BYU’s run defense will bounce back. Also, no one is talking about the emergence of BYU’s ground attack. LJ Martin is a star in the making. -Harper

This probably isn’t the smart thing to do but I’m calling for the upset in Orlando this weekend. Gus Malzahn knows he needs a big win. After giving away an upset bid of their own against Iowa State last week, his program will have another crack at it this weekend. The Cougars have had an incredible run, simply turning the college football world on its head. This isn’t to say that run is over, but after watching Ollie Gordon and Oklahoma State- which was at the bottom of the league before the game- run for 269 yards at 7.2 yards a pop against the Cougars, the top rushing unit in the conference is tough to pick against. -Bartle

Oklahoma State at Baylor

• Saturday, October 26
• Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. (MT)
• TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: Baylor
• Mitch Harper: Baylor

Baylor FINALLY got the win they’ve been so close to earning all season long. A big upset over Texas Tech has reignited some confidence and optimism in the program. Oklahoma State has Alan Bowman back at the helm. Bears get the win. -Bartle

Sawyer Robertson at quarterback has changed everything for Baylor. The Bears feel poised to make a second half run this season. They cruise past Oklahoma State. -Harper

Texas Tech at TCU

• Saturday, October 26
• Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. (MT)
• TV: FOX

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: Texas Tech
• Mitch Harper: TCU

TCU had a dominant performance against Utah. A lot of that stems from Utah’s own ineptitude. Texas Tech won’t make it that easy. The Red Raiders have been a good, balanced team that just seemed to have a bad weekend. The Red Raiders bounce back with a hard fought win over the Horned Frogs. -Bartle

Both of these teams are up and down, but the offenses are high-powered with underwhelming defenses. This game has the makings of being an old-school Big 12 shootout. Horned Frogs by a slim margin. -Harper

Utah at Houston

• Saturday, October 26
• Kickoff: 5 p.m. (MT)
• TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: Utah
• Mitch Harper: Utah

RELATED: Utah Working Through Transition In Preparation For Houston

This is going to be a hard-fought game. It’s crazy to say, considering how much of a sure thing Utah looked a few weeks ago. But the Utes are in transition, which makes it tough to know exactly what to count on. The defense has been tough as nails, not perfect, but really good and motivated to get better. Given the change at offensive coordinator, the focus has to be building a foundation for Wilson to execute. With some tweaks, that should mean the offense scores more than 7 points this week, right? -Bartle

If Utah loses this game, they won’t go to a bowl game this season. Houston is expected to have Zeon Chriss back at quarterback this week. He got injured in the loss at Kansas. Still, I can’t picture Utah losing to this Houston team. -Harper

West Virginia at Arizona

• Saturday, October 26
• Kickoff: 5 p.m. (MT)
• TV: FS1

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: West Virginia
• Mitch Harper: Arizona

Both teams are banged up. Arizona’s defense’s loss of Jacob Manu is significant, but this is a three-timezone game. We saw last week how much that impacted Arizona State on the road at Cincy. This week, it’s West Virginia. Give me the Wildcats to get a much-needed win. -Harper

The only team dealing with as much injury luck as Utah has been Arizona this season and the results are similar. The Wildcats are struggling and it’s hard to see that changing any time soon. The Mountaineers get the win on the road. -Bartle

Kansas at No. 16 Kansas State

• Saturday, October 26
• Kickoff: 6 p.m. (MT)
• TV: ESPN2

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: Kansas State
• Mitch Harper: Kansas State

I envision this game being surprisingly competitive. Ultimately, I do think the Wildcats get the job done but this will go deep into the 4^th quarter before the Wildcats pull away. -Bartle

Kansas never beats Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown. I don’t expect that to change this week in the Little Apple. -Harper

Cincinnati at Colorado

• Saturday, October 26
• Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. (MT)
• TV: ESPN

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: Colorado
• Mitch Harper: Colorado

The Buffs are playing good football on both sides of the ball. They’ve even figured out how to run the ball effectively. Colorado will simply be too much for the Bearcats. -Bartle

Colorado sends another late-night statement that people need to take this team seriously. -Harper

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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