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Baylor and Oklahoma State both secured bowl eligibility, while Arizona State and UCF got one win closer to getting into bowl games during Week 10, leading to some shakeups in bowl projections.
However, the biggest difference between this week and last week is how BYU is viewed in the playoff projections released by ESPN, CBS Sports and USA TODAY Sports. Before their loss to Utah, they were still a unanimous playoff contender. Now, views are split on whether the once-undefeated Cougars will make it into the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Utes are considered the second-best team in college football, with both ESPN analysts predicting they will make the National Championship game against Georgia. USA TODAY Sports has them making it to the semifinals, also facing the Bulldogs.
Here are their updated bowl projections. Among the Big 12 teams, Colorado, TCU, Iowa State and Kansas remain the only teams no outlet projects to make a bowl game.
With only three wins and three more games left, Colorado needs to win out to make a bowl game. They face Houston this Friday, followed by Cincinnati and UCF, both of which have five wins. ESPN analytics only gives the Buffaloes a 17% chance of defeating the Cougars, who have defeated every non-ranked Big 12 team they have faced this season. It is no surprise Colorado is not projected to make a bowl game. At this point, it would be more surprising if they did make it into a bowl game.
There seems to be consensus that the Big 12 will have at least one at-large team make the playoffs, but whether it will be Texas Tech or BYU remains the biggest question. With a 5-1 conference record and an 8-1 overall record, the Red Raiders are in the driver's seat to play in the final Big 12 Championship game against Utah. Assuming they win out, how they play in that game could be the difference in making the playoffs or playing in the Alamo Bowl. Texas Tech has played in the Alamo Bowl three times, winning just once in 2010.
After a miraculous touchdown on the last play of the game against Kansas, the Knights are now one win away from becoming bowl-eligible. Their final three games are against Arizona State, Iowa State and Colorado. Odds are they will win one of these games. Seeing UCF's offense against South Carolina's defense would be a very interesting matchup. Tulsa would also be an interesting matchup. They defeated Oklahoma State in the season opener and put up just 60 points against Tulane.
After their 42-31 win against Iowa State, the Baylor Bears are officially bowl-eligible after just missing out on a bowl game last season. A matchup in the Cactus Bowl or Texas Bowl would be interesting. But personally, I think it would be fun to see Baylor get revenge against Auburn for their Week 1 loss by about an inch.
With their 20-10 win over Colorado, the Sun Devils are one win away from going to a bowl game for the third year in a row. It will not be easy with their remaining schedule, which includes games against UCF, Oklahoma State, and Arizona. According to ESPN analytics, their greatest chance of winning is against UCF, with a 32.4 percent chance of victory. If they do win another game, the Poinsettia Bowl seems like the most likely outcome.
With two conference losses, Houston will not be making it to the Big 12 Championship game unless Texas Tech loses another game. Since that was the most likely path to the playoffs, the Cougars will be in one of college football's top non-playoff bowl games. I always love the Pop-Tarts Bowl, and seeing Houston play Louisville or SMU would be entertaining.
Like Texas Tech, BYU has two options at this point: the Alamo Bowl or the playoffs. They have lost two of their last three games since taking down Notre Dame in a controversial game. Getting a chance to defeat the Irish fair and square in the playoffs would be highly entertaining. If I were a Cougars fan, I would not want to see them go against Alabama, especially since this game would be in Tuscaloosa. Getting a chance to play in the Alamo Bowl would be a nice consolation if they do not make the playoffs as an at-large team.
USA TODAY Sports is the only outlet still hoping Kansas State can manage two more wins and become bowl-eligible. However, with their current quarterback situation, it seems highly unlikely they will make it into a bowl game. If they cannot manage to win two of their final three games, which are against TCU, Arizona and Iowa State, it will be the first time since 2020 they are not eligible for a bowl game.
Undefeated Utah is clearly the favorite in the Big 12. They are the unanimous No. 2 seed in the playoffs. While CBS Sports does not list whether they project Utah to win or lose, every other outlet has the Utes advancing to the next round of the playoffs. USA TODAY Sports has them losing to Alabama in the semifinals. However, ESPN has a little more confidence in Utah, with both analysts projecting they will face Georgia in the National Championship.
At 7-2, Arizona has already clinched a bowl game. At this point, they are simply looking to boost their resume with a win against Utah, since they would still need Texas Tech to lose to get into the Big 12 Championship and potentially make the playoffs. The Las Vegas Bowl appears to be the consensus. The Wildcats have played in that bowl game only once, beating BYU in 2008.
With one more win, Cincinnati will be bowl-eligible. In all likelihood, that will happen in their next two games against Iowa State and Colorado, since they play BYU in the regular-season finale. They have never played in the Armed Forces Bowl, Cactus Bowl or the Independence Bowl. They also played Michigan only once and lost, and they have not faced Oregon State since 2009. The Bearcats have also never faced Texas San Antonio. So, any of these matchups would be historic.
At 5-4, West Virginia is another Big 12 team that needs one more win to become bowl-eligible. They face Kansas on Saturday and have a 53.8 percent chance of winning. Of these teams, Missouri allows the most rushing yards per game, so it would be interesting to see how they would perform against the Mountaineers' run game, which averages the sixth-most rushing yards of any team in the FBS.
For the first time since 2023, Oklahoma State is going to a bowl game, making Eric Morris the first head coach for the Cowboys to lead them to a bowl game in his first season since Pat Jones in 1984. None of these teams have amazing pass defenses, so it should be entertaining to see how many touchdowns Drew Mestemaker throws if he plays in the bowl game.