Big 12 football predictions, odds: BYU-UCF point spread surprising
The Big 12 football title race was nearly flipped on its head last weekend.
The top two teams in the conference - No. 10 Iowa State and No. 11 BYU - had to stage last-minute rallies to narrowly avoid upset bids at home. It underscored the parity and week-to-week nature of the most balanced conference in college football.
This weekend has similar potential.
BYU (7-0, 4-0) travels cross-country to Orlando to face UCF (3-4, 1-3) - and the Cougars are 2.5-point underdogs.
Texas Tech (5-2, 3-1) is still right in the thick of the title race and needs a win at TCU (4-3, 2-2) to stay in the hunt. The Red Raiders, however, are 6.5-point underdogs.
In the late game (10:15 p.m. ET) Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1) takes on Colorado (5-2, 3-1) in a game that will likely eliminate the loser from conference championship contention.
Arizona State and Iowa State have byes this week.
Here are our predictions and the latest betting odds on this weekend's Big 12 football games:
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
1. BYU at UCF, 12:30 p.m. MST (ESPN)
ESPN's FPI prediction gives UCF a 54% chance to win. The oddsmakers have UCF as 2.5-point favorites. Our prediction: BYU 31, UCF 27
2. Oklahoma State at Baylor, 12:30 p.m. MST (ESPN+)
ESPN's FPI prediction gives Baylor a 52.1% chance to win. The oddsmakers have Baylor as 6.5-point favorites. Our prediction: Oklahoma State 40, Baylor 34
3. Texas Tech at TCU, 12:30 p.m. MST (FOX)
ESPN's FPI prediction gives TCU a 60.8% chance to win. The oddsmakers have TCU as 6.5-point favorites. Our prediction: Texas Tech 33, TCU 31
4. West Virginia at Arizona, 4 p.m MST (FS1)
ESPN's FPI prediction gives West Virginia a 52.6% chance to win. The oddsmakers have Arizona as 4.5-point favorites. Our prediction: Arizona 30, West Virginia 24
5. Utah at Houston, 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
ESPN's FPI prediction gives Utah a 66.8% chance to win. The oddsmakers have Utah as 4.5-point favorites. Our prediction: Utah 24, Houston 17
6. Kansas at Kansas State, 5 p.m. MST (ESPN2)
ESPN's FPI prediction gives Kansas State a 75.2% chance to win. The oddsmakers have Kansas State as 9.5-point favorites. Our prediction: Kansas State 34, Kansas 27
7. Cincinnati at Colorado, 7:15 p.m. MST (ESPN)
ESPN's FPI prediction gives Colorado a 67.8% chance to win. The oddsmakers have Colorado as 6.5-point favorites. Our prediction: Cincinnati 27, Colorado 24
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.