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Big 12 this week: Iowa State visits No. 21 Iowa, Arizona heads to BYU

By The Associated Press - | Sep 10, 2026

BYU wide receiver Jared Esplin, right, runs past Utah Tech defensive lineman Zayden Cook (95) in the second half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)

Things to watch this weekend in the Big 12 Conference:

Game of the week

Arizona (1-0) at No. 15 BYU (1-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (Fox)

Arizona had an easy go in its opener, blowing out Northern Arizona 35-7, but will face a much stiffer challenge against BYU. The Cougars opened the season with a 63-7 rout of Utah Tech after forcing four turnovers.

Noah Fifita threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats last week while BYU QB Bear Bachmeier threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half.

Arizona and BYU played a wild game in Tucson last season, going to double overtime before the Cougars pulled out a 33-27 win.

The undercard

Iowa State (1-0) at No. 21 Iowa (1-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

The rivals meet for the 73rd time with Iowa trying to regain the upper hand against the Cyclones. Iowa State has won two straight in the CyHawk Series and three of the past four.

Iowa opened coach Kirk Ferentz’s 28th season with a 40-0 victory over Northern Illinois behind Kamari Moulton’s career-high 183 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 11 carries and a stifling defense that allowed 120 total yards.

Iowa State kicked off the Jimmy Rogers era with a 38-10 win over Southeast Missouri State last week. Jaylen Raynor was superb in his debut at the Cyclones’ starter, accounting for 216 yards and fourth touchdowns.

Despite Iowa being a nearly two-touchdown favorite, expect this one to be close; the last four meetings were decided by a combined 14 points.

Arizona State (1-0) at No. 10 Texas A&M (1-0), Saturday, noon CT (ABC)

The Sun Devils hit the ground running to kick off coach Kenny Dillingham’s fourth season, racking up 681 total yards in a 70-7 win over Morgan State in their opener. Cutter Boley was superb in his first start since transferring from Kentucky, throwing for 387 yards and six touchdowns.

Arizona State faces a much more daunting task against the Aggies. Coming off a trip to the College Football Playoffs, Texas A&M opened coach Mike Elko’s third season with a 50-0 thumping of Missouri State last weekend. Missouri State has just 67 total yards.

Arizona State has never won a road game against an SEC opponent.

Impact players

— QB Cutter Boley, Arizona State. The Kentucky transfer threw for 387 yards and six TDs on 21-of-27 passing. He had the most yards passing in a debut in Arizona State history and the six TDs were the most since Andrew Walter in 2004.

— DE Isaac Terrell, Iowa State. The Washington State transfer had quite a debut for the Cyclones, finishing with three sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry against Southeast Missouri State.

Inside the numbers

Arizona State will be the first Big 12 school to play at Kyle Field since 2011, the year before Texas A&M left for the SEC. … West Virginia running back Cam Cook led the Big 12 last week with nine missed tackles forced on run plays against Coastal Carolina. He ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns. … Avery Johnson became Kansas State’s all-time leader in TD passes with 51 after throwing for three against Nicholls last week. … No. 6 Oregon will become the first Big Ten school to play at Oklahoma State’s Boone Pickens Stadium and the highest-ranked opponent to visit Stillwater since 1978 on Saturday. … No. 13 Texas Tech is seeking its first nonconference road win since beating Houston in 2017 when it plays at Oregon State.

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