Can the Big 12’s undefeated survive Week 5?

The Big 12 has only three teams left that remain undefeated in the 2024 season. 

Can the BYU Cougars, UCF Knights and Utah Utes survive Week 5?

No. 22 BYU at Baylor, 12 p.m. EST, Fox

Redshirt junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff has been a productive component of the BYU Cougars’ offense, going 72-of-115 for a 62.6% completion percentage across four games. However, it has been a solid defensive performance that has allowed BYU to go undefeated into the fifth week of the season. 

The defensive unit has already tallied eight total turnovers, including five interceptions and three forced fumbles. Up front, the stout line has recorded seven sacks and 22 tackles for loss since the start of the year. For a team that finished 5-7 on the season in 2023, the roster has pieced impressive victories together, including beating SMU on the road and dominating league Kansas State this past Saturday at home.

This weekend, the Cougars travel to Waco to take on the Baylor Bears (2-2), with head coach Dave Aranda’s squad fresh off an avoidable loss to Colorado. BYU statistically has recently fared best with afternoon and night matchups. All 2023 games in the morning or noon kickoff slots became losses, which is why Big 12 fans should tune in to this early matchup to see if coach Kalani Sitake has the Cougars ready to bear hunt.

Colorado at UCF, 3:30 p.m. EST, Fox

Gus Malzahn must now put his Knights against the very team that rallied to overcome the Baylor Bears last week: the Colorado Buffaloes, with the dynamic duo of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. 

The 3-1 Buffaloes have not looked their best in the first third of the season, while the Knights have been quietly building a resume to put the Big 12 on notice. Their first conference matchup saw them taking TCU the distance, and they are currently first in the country in rushing with 375.7 yards per game.

There will be a lot of eyes in Orlando this weekend as coach Deion Sanders brings Colorado to a lower elevation, and Malzahn isn’t looking ahead to next week’s matchup with the University of Florida, stating (via The Coloradoan), “(It’s) a big game for us being at home. Real excited for our fanbase and it’s a really good opportunity for our program.” 

Arizona at Utah, 10:15 p.m. EST, ESPN

Apart from BYU, many believe that the Utah Utes have the stingiest defense in the conference. This will be tested against one of the most talented wide receivers in the country in Tetairoa McMillan and the versatility of dual-threat quarterback Noah Fifita. 

Utah is coming off a hard-fought victory against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, looking to maintain momentum as the Utes roll through a very manageable slate of conference games to come. 

Arizona presents one of the final major obstacles within this series of upcoming matchups, making it advantageous that it happens in Salt Lake City. The 10:15 EST start time is familiar to both teams, so this should be a matchup garnering national attention as Saturday’s slate of top-25 matchups draws to a close.