The Big 12 championship race is taking shape, but if Week 8 taught us one thing, no team is safe from an upset.

Two of the conference's top contenders suffered surprising losses last weekend, with BYU falling to UCF and Texas Tech losing at Cincinnati. Those results left the Utes as the Big 12's lone unbeaten team with an inside track to the Big 12 title game.

The Utes travel to Cincinnati, where the Bearcats will look to knock off a second consecutive ranked opponent. Meanwhile, No. 14 Texas Tech hosts a surging Arizona team led by quarterback Noah Fifita, and No. 9 BYU hopes to bounce back against Arizona State.

Colorado also faces a pivotal matchup against Kansas State at Folsom Field, with a win almost feeling mandatory to hold off widespread changes within the program.

Our Buffaloes Wire staff picked all the conference games straight up, plus a couple other marquee matchups. Here are our expert picks for Week 9.

All games are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, and all times are Mountain Time unless noted. West Virginia and Houston are off this week.

UCF vs. Baylor

Friday, 5:30 p.m., ESPN

Baylor has lost back-to-back Big 12 gams against TCU and Kansas, teams they should have been able to beat. UCF is a much better team and just knocked off BYU, which ended their two-game losing streak. It just seems like momentum is favoring the Knights, and they are at home, which can be a very important factor in a close game. UCF wins this one.

UCF showed me something last week by taking down BYU at home that I didn't think was there. Give me the Knights to take down a Baylor team that recently fired its coach.

No. 14 Texas Tech vs. Arizona

10 a.m., ESPN

Realistically, Texas Tech should win. However, they just lost to Cincinnati, which exploited some of their offensive weaknesses. Arizona also has the better quarterback in Noah Fifita, who has over 2,000 passing yards, three times as many passing touchdowns as Will Hammond with the Red Raiders, and fewer interceptions. The Wildcats win in an upset.

Quarterback Noah Fifita gives the Wildcats a massive edge under center as he is on fire right now. Texas Tech is reeling after an upset loss to Cincinnati, and this game throws a serious wrench in the Big 12 race.

Tech cannot afford to lose to Arizona at home after last week's letdown in Cincinnati. Lubbock will be rocking, and I think home field advantage is enough to put the Red Raiders over the top of a talented Arizona squad.

Colorado vs. Kansas State

Noon, TNT

We shared our Colorado-Kansas State predictions in a separate post, with each staff member providing a final-score prediction and thoughts on what may be the biggest game of Deion Sanders' tenure.

No. 9 BYU vs. Arizona State

1:30 p.m., Fox

After their loss to UCF, BYU will have a chip on their shoulder and set out to prove they are the best team in the Big 12. I also lack faith in the Sun Devils, who do not look as good as last season despite having an incredibly talented wide receiver in Reed Harris. BYU easily wins this game.

BYU is still in position to make the Big 12 title game, with the Holy War rivalry against Utah on the horizon. A loss to ASU would end that hope, and the Cougars will be hungry to get back in the win column after the loss to UCF.

TCU vs. Kansas

1:30 p.m., FS1

Quite frankly, I do not believe either team is that good. Each has only one win in the Big 12 and a 3-4 record this year. Both quarterbacks have struggled with interceptions, so I expect some turnovers in this game. TCU has home-field advantage, which will ultimately help them win by a narrow margin.

I agree that neither team is very good. If I had to pick, which I do for this exercise, I usually go with the home team, which is TCU. The Horned Frogs are slightly better in my opinion as well.

No. 5 Utah at Cincinnati

1:45 p.m., ESPN

As the only undefeated team in the Big 12, Utah appears to be the best team in the conference. Cincinnati pulled off a shocking upset over Texas Tech last week, but they won't upset a top-10 team two weeks in a row. Although I believe the Bearcats will keep it close, Utah wins to get to 8-0.

Quarterback Devon Dampier will use his dual-threat mobility to extend plays outside the pocket and keep the Bearcats' defense guessing. Utah continues to win. This team might have Kyle Wittingham asking to come back.

Nippert can be a scary place, ask Texas Tech. I think Utah will be tested and Cincinnati will keep it close, but the Utes pull it out at the end.

Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State

5 p.m., Fox

Iowa State cannot throw the ball. However, Oklahoma State can with quarterback Drew Mestemaker. Mestemaker may be the best quarterback in the Big 12 with 2,326 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns. He gets the Cowboys' sixth win in this game.

Iowa State might slow the Cowboys' explosive offense a bit, but it's not stopping the Drew Mestemaker train.

No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 20 Florida

1:30 p.m., ABC (Atlanta)

Georgia is a reliable, consistent team. Their loss to Auburn was shocking, but it seemed more like a fluke than anything. The Bulldogs are National Championship contenders, while Florida is incredibly inconsistent. Georgia wins this one.

No. 4 Indiana vs. Minnesota

1:30 p.m., CBS

This is a potential upset alert based on how Indiana's offense looked last week against Michigan. However, I still think Indiana escapes with a win. They have a phenomenal defense and solid playmakers on offense to get this win.

With the craziness of college football, I'm hoping for another upset weekend. The Golden Gophers' defensive front will dial up the pressure against quarterback Josh Hoover to disrupt his rhythm early and give the defending champs their second loss of the season.