Big 12 Football: Week 1 Matchups and Predictions

Year Two of the Coach Prime era kicks off with an interesting matchup against North Dakota State, which may be the most interesting Big 12 game of Week 1.

Nov 4, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Travis Hunter (12) breaks past Oregon State Beavers defensive back Jermod McCoy (23) at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Chet Strange-USA TODAY Sports / Chet Strange-USA TODAY Sports

Week 1 of the college football season has arrived. This will be the first year without Oklahoma and Texas, which forces teams to step up and take their place. This year, the league now includes 16 teams after Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah joined last month.  

All 16 teams are playing nonconference games. TCU is the only team this week with a road game. West Virginia and TCU both play another Power 4 program.  

UNLV is playing at Houston, and the Cougars are a 2.5-point favorite, which is the closest of any game this week. The largest spread of any game is Utah hosting Southern Utah, where Utah is a 38.5-point favorite.  

Big 12 Week 1 Games and Predictions

All times listed are Central Time. 

UCF vs. New Hampshire 

Thursday, 6 p.m., ESPN+ 

The Knights play their first home game against New Hampshire, with their new quarterback K.J. Jefferson from Arkansas.  Running backs R.J. Harvey and Penny Boone look to be a top running back duo this year, each having 1000+ rushing yards last season. UCF opened as +33.5-point favorite and should have an easy time over the Wildcats. 

Pick: UCF 

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#22 Kansas vs. Lindenwood 

Thursday, 7 p.m., ESPN+ 

The Jayhawks could very well have another good start to the season. Their first test will be at West Virginia in Week 4. Going into the season, they keep star quarterback Jalon Daniels and look to be a contender for the Big 12 championship. They should cruise by Lindenwood.  

Pick: Kansas 

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Colorado vs. North Dakota State 

Thursday, 7 p.m., ESPN 

Colorado looks to start off the season in the Big 12 hot with a win over North Dakota State, a consistent FCS national championship contender. Coach Prime and his team look to build off a great off season transfer portal and recruitment work. Travis Hunter is coming back from his injury and will be a large factor in the outcome of the game. The Buffalos opened as a 9.5-point favorite. 

Pick: Colorado 

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#12 Utah vs. Southern Utah 

Thursday, 8 p.m., ESPN+ 

Utah is looking for its first win while in the Big 12 and looks to be the team to beat this season. They kept super senior quarterback Cam Rising, which should put the team in a great position. They open as 38.5 point-favorites over Southern Utah and should win this game.  

Pick: Utah 

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TCU at Stanford 

Friday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN 

Coach Dykes and his team travel to Palo Alto with the hopes of recreating the magic of the 2022 season. For Stanford, this will be their first game as part of the ACC, and they hope to start the year on a positive note after not winning a single home game last year. TCU is led by quarterback Josh Hoover who threw for over 300 yards in three of his last four games. TCU opened as an 11-point-favorite over Stanford.  

Pick: TCU 

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#8 Penn State at West Virginia 

Saturday, 11:00 a.m., Fox 

Yikes! This is not a good way for the Mountaineers to start the year. The Mountaineers host the Nittany Lions to start the season. Then, in two weeks, they play in the Backyard Brawl in Pittsburgh, which looks to be an all-out slugfest. West Virginia looks to repeat and build on their success of last year, while Penn State is hoping to make the expanded playoffs. Penn State should win this game in a convincing fashion, but Morgantown’s advantage may help the Mountaineers pull off a huge upset. 

Pick: Penn State 

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#17 Oklahoma State vs. South Dakota State 

Saturday, 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 

This could set the tone for the year. Oklahoma State’s offseason has been stressful for head coach, Mike Gundy due to Ollie Gordon’s off the field drama. The Cowboys play Arkansas next week, which makes this game potentially a trap game due to the skill of the Jackrabbits. They hope to win the Big 12 this year after making the title game and losing to Texas, who left the conference this offseason. Oklahoma state opened as a 7-point favorite against the Jackrabbits. 

Pick: Oklahoma State 

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Cincinnati vs. Townson 

Saturday, 1:30 p.m., ESPN+ 

Cincinnati is coming off their worst season in the last five seasons, not only did they enter the Big 12 last year, but they also lost head coach, Luke Fickell who had previously led them to the CFP. The Bearcats are hoping to improve this year with second year head coach Scott Satterfield. They should win this week, but next week play Pittsburgh, who will not be a cake walk.  

Pick: Cincinnati 

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Iowa State vs. North Dakota 

Saturday, 2:30 p.m., FS1 

Matt Campbell’s squad is returning 19 starters after finishing last season 7-6. The Cyclones should breeze past this game and next week play No. 25 Iowa in the Cy-Hawk series.  

Pick: Iowa State 

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Baylor vs. Tarleton State 

Saturday, 6 p.m., Big 12 Now on ESPN+ 

The Bears have a tough year ahead; they are at Utah, Colorado, Texas Tech, and West Virginia, all of which are either conference championship contenders or historically hard places to play. Baylor should win this game, but next week play Utah, which could easily make them see this game as an oversite. Tarleton State went 8-3 last season and could make this an interesting game. Dave Aranda is on the hot seat this year and must prove himself.  

Pick: Baylor 

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UNLV vs. Houston 

Saturday, 6 p.m., FS1 

This off-season Houston hired a new head coach, Willie Fritz from Tulane. Fritz had great success in his last years at Tulane and hopes to turnaround the program. Fritz brought in a new offensive coordinator, Kevin Barbay, who was at Mississippi State last season. They should win this game but are in for a long season.  

Pick: Houston  

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#18 Kansas State vs. UT Martin 

Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN+ 

This starts Kansas State journey to the Big 12 championship game, they won it two seasons ago but fell short last season. Will Howard transferred to The Ohio State, so Avery Johnson will need to step up at quarterback. They should win this game.  

Pick: Kansas State  

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Texas Tech vs. Abilene Christian 

Saturday, 6:30 p.m., CBS 

The Red Raiders have 14 returning starters and look to be a dark horse candidate for the Big 12 Championship. Texas Tech should win this game with ease.  

Pick: Texas Tech 

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BYU vs. Southern Illinois 

Saturday, 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 

Last year was BYU’s first season in the Big 12, and it was a rude awakening. It was their worst season since 2017, and they look to bounce back, but they have a tough schedule. They should handily beat Southern Illinois, and they play an explosive SMU team next week. BYU is celebrating its 100th football season this year and hopes to do it with success! 

Pick: BYU 

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#21 Arizona vs. New Mexico 

Saturday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN 

Welcome to late night football! With the addition of more West Coast teams, there should be a late night Big 12 game every week. Arizona is coming off their first ten-win season since 2014 and has high expectations this year. Quarterback Noah Fifita looks to keep improving after a fantastic Freshman season. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Jedd Fisch left to coach for Washington. So, Brent Brennan has some large shoes to fill. Arizona should beat New Mexico, which brings New Mexico to 0-2, after their loss to Montana State. 

Pick: Arizona 

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Arizona State vs. Wyoming 

Saturday, 6:30 p.m., CBS 

Arizona State is coming off back-to-back 3-9 seasons with second year head coach Kenny Dillingham. This is their first year in the Big 12 and they have a tough schedule slated for the year. They should win this game, but it will not be an easy game. 

Pick: Arizona State 

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So, if you are counting after all that, I have the Big 12 going 15-1 to start the season. That would be a great start to the season. Football starts Thursday! 

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