Big 12 Week 12 Results: Arizona State Makes a Statement

The Sun Devils defeated Kansas State to remain in contention for the Big 12 Championship Game.

Nov 16, 2024; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo (4) carries the ball against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images / Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Week 12 of college football was a great week of football, with some great matchups, such as Kansas versus BYU and Missouri versus South Carolina.

Week 12 featured exclusively conference play! There were six conference games. In my predictions, I went 7-2 this week and was wrong about the Arizona State and Kansas victories.

*Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech and UCF had their second bye week.

Big 12 Week 12 Results

Houston (4-6, 3-4) at Arizona (4-6, 2-5)

Oct 26, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Quali Conley (7) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images / Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Houston. Wildcats quarterback Noah Fafita threw two touchdowns, including a 33-yard pass to Tetairoa McMillan in the first quarter. Houston struggled to move the ball; the Cougars had one interception, two fumbles lost, and failed to convert on fourth down four times. One of the failed conversions was on the Arizona 2-yard-line on fourth and one. Houston has to improve on moving the ball down if they want to become bowl-eligible; they need to win out.

Arizona went three and out four times in the first half and botched a field goal due to a bad hold. The 33-yard touchdown came during a free play because Houston jumped offsides, and Fafita aired it out deep, hoping it would connect. Houston got desperate, faked a punt, and failed; this set up an Arizona field goal and created momentum. Arizona safety Genesis Smith had a career night; he had an interception, recovered a fumble, and broke up a pass while having seven tackles, 1 1/2 of which were for a loss.

Houston plays Baylor next week, and Arizona plays at TCU.

Result: Arizona beat Houston 37-3.

Utah (4-6, 1-6) at Colorado (8-2, 6-1)

Nov 16, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Will Sheppard (14) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) in the first quarter against the Utah Utes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado looks like the best team in the Big 12. BYU and Kansas State just lost, and Iowa State lost two of their last three games. The Buffaloes have won four straight, all by ten plus points. Utah has been one of the top defenses in the Big 12, and Colorado embarrassed them. LaJohntay Wester had the play of the game, returning a 76-yard punt return for a score.

This was the most points Utah has scored since week three against Utah State. The offense is moving in the right direction, regardless of the loss. They have increased in points scored for four straight weeks. Colorado's first play was an interception thrown by Shedeur Sanders. Sanders proceeded to throw for 340 yards and three touchdowns. Travis Hunter had an interception, a rushing touchdown, and 55 yards receiving. Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson threw three interceptions.

Utah plays Iowa State next week, and Colorado plays Kansas.

Result: Colorado beat Utah 49-24.

Baylor (6-4, 4-3) at West Virginia (5-5, 4-3)

Nov 16, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson (13) celebrates with teammates after defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Baylor has now won four in a row, and Dave Aranda has saved his job for another season. Baylor is officially bowl-eligible. Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson threw for a career-high 329 yards and three touchdowns. The Bears rushed for four scores; Bryson Washington ran for three touchdowns with 123 yards. He ripped off a 51-yard touchdown near the end of the second quarter. 28 points were scored in the final three minutes of the second half. The teams combined for nine first-half touchdowns.

The third quarter quarter was scoreless. West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene threw for 237 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He led the team in rushing with 129 yards and two scores.

Baylor plays at Houston next week, and West Virginia will play UCF.

Result: Baylor beat West Virginia 49-35.

Arizona State (8-2, 5-2) vs #16 Kansas State (7-3, 4-3)

Nov 16, 2024; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo (4) runs the ball against Kansas State Wildcats linebacker Austin Moore (41) during the first quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images / Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Arizona State is 6-1 against Kansas State all-time. Kansas State's offense was horrendous in the first half of the game. They had two turnovers, one point, and two failed fourth-down conversions, one of which was on the Arizona State six-yard line. Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt played fantastic; he threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Sun Devils receiver Jordyn Tyson caught 12 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns; this was his best game of the season. Wildcats running back DJ Giddens ran for 133 yards. Kansas State's hopes of winning the Big 12 championship are likely over.

Arizona State plays BYU next week, and Kansa State plays Cincinnati.

Result: Arizona State beat Kansas State 24-14.

Cincinnati (5-5, 3-4) at Iowa State (8-2, 5-2)

Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) passes the ball against Cincinnati during the fourth quarter in the week-12 NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht ran and threw for a touchdown in their win over the Bearcats. Becht threw for 234 yards and rushed for 48 yards. The Cyclones scored 24 points in the second half and held Cincinnati to seven points. The Bearcats' only second-half touchdown was a 41-yard rush by quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who ran for 143 yards. He passed for 66 yards, which was his least of the year. This win ended Iowa State's two-game losing streak and kept their playoff hopes alive.

Cincinnati plays Kansas State next week, and Iowa State plays at Utah.

Result: Iowa State beat Cincinnati 34-17.

Kansas (4-6, 3-4) at BYU (9-1, 6-1)

Nov 16, 2024; Provo, Utah, USA; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) passes the ball against the Brigham Young Cougars during the first quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Kansas running back Devin Neal ran for two touchdowns during Kansas' big win. This is the first time Kansas has beaten ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks. BYU failed to score a touchdown in their four red zone attempts. BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff threw an interception in the endzone at the end of the second quarter. The team had scored on two straight drives before that, and this was a key moment in the game. That was BYU's fastest and most efficient drive of the game before the pick. They started with the ball in the third quarter; the Cougars had a ten-minute and thirty-second drive that resulted in a field goal. After that, that offense could not get anything going until the final drive, but it failed to convert on downs on the Kansas 16-yard line.

Kansas plays at Colorado next week, and BYU plays at Arizona State.

Result: Kansas beat BYU 17-13.

Week 12 Big Games Outside the Big 12

#23 Missouri (7-3, 3-3) at #21 South Carolina (7-3, 5-3)

Nov 16, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) passes against the Missouri Tigers in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer won his first game against Missouri this week. South Carolina scored a go-ahead touchdown with 11 seconds left. Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw for 353 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. South Carolina is hot and has a chance to make the playoffs if they win out and beat Clemson. Chaos needs to happen for them to make the SEC championship. This is the first time in 12 years that South Carolina has won four straight SEC games.

Missouri scored with 1:23 left and scored a two-point conversion to put them up 33-30; most thought the Gamecocks had lost. Tigers receiver Luther Burden III caught a 37-yard touchdown to put them ahead. Missouri has been a disappointment this season; the team had very high hopes and accomplished very few of their goals. Missouri plays Mississippi State next week, and South Carolina plays Wofford.

Result: South Carolina beat Missouri 34-30.

#7 Tennessee (8-2, 5-2) at #12 Georgia (8-2, 6-2)

Nov 16, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (15) runs for a touchdown against the Tennessee Volunteers in the third quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck looked like a new man this week and led the Bulldogs to their 29th straight home win. He threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 32 yards and a touchdown. He had no interceptions last night, which has not happened since week three against Kentucky. Georgia running back Nate Frazier rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown. Trevor Etienne was out this week, and the Bulldogs relied heavily on the passing game in their victory. This was one of Georgia's best games of the season; the only other game close was the Texas game. Texas may have been the higher-ranked team during their victory; Beck threw three interceptions and struggled during that game, whereas, in this game, he played fantastic. Georgia has now won this series eight games straight.

Tennessee jumped out early with a 10-0 lead, but soon after, their offense stalled, which gave Georgia to do their trademark comeback. Volunteers running back Dylan Sampson continued his six-game streak of 100-yard rushing games; he rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown. Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava threw for 167 yards and was running for his life against Georgia. The offensive line could not stop Georgia's pass rush, which was Tennessee's undoing. Tennessee plays UTEP next week, and Georgia plays UMass.

Result: Georgia beat Tennessee 31-17.

My record this season is 95-37, which means I have been right 72% of the time.

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