One of the winners in the first College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday was the Big 12. BYU (number 7) and texas tech (No. 8) appeared in the top 10, and utah Sits an impressive distance away in 13th place.
This makes Saturday’s matchup between the Cougars and Red Raiders — perhaps the Big 12 title game preview — the most consequential in college football. A loss for either team wouldn’t necessarily eliminate them from the playoff conversation, but would deal a significant blow and leave very little room for error going forward.
There are two other ranked matchups this week, No. 3 Texas A&M at number 22 missouri and number 9 oregon at number 20 iowaWatch out for Iowa. Coming off a great win against the Hawkeyes minnesota And it appears that he has adopted an aggressive stance. Meanwhile, the Ducks have had a few weeks to prepare after failing to impress in a 21-7 win wisconsin On October 25th- kyle bonagura
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Texas A&M , Five new players worth knowing
BYU-Texas Tech , quotes of the week
How Texas A&M gets better in 2025
There haven’t been any wholesale schematic changes, it’s just that the Aggies have finally added some contributors at wide receiver to give offensive coordinator Collin Klein more juice. Besides, they have just grown up. A&M’s offensive line was a major weakness toward the end of the Jimbo Fisher era, but offensive line coach Adam Cushing has done a wonderful job putting together a group in the running for the Moore Award, which goes to the most outstanding OL unit. quarterback marcel reid He’s in his first full season as a starter, so he has extra experience, and solid safety means he can finish his studies. but in addition mario craver And Casey Concepcion At receiver, one of only three tandems in the SEC that each have over 500 receiving yards has given the Aggies breathing room. The vertical threat opens up the running game (Craver’s 455 receiving yards after the catch are second in FBS), and Klein’s attack also stretches teams horizontally.
Last season, no A&M receivers were being isolated. This season, Reed has averaged 9.1 yards per attempt from beyond the line of scrimmage, which is the second-most air yards per throw in the SEC behind . Tennessee’S joey aguilar, That kind of room opens up walking lanes. The Aggies are averaging 2.35 yards per rush before contact, which is third-best in the SEC, and that benefits Reed as well. He has both passing and rushing touchdowns in four consecutive games, which is the longest streak by an Aggie since Johnny Manziel’s five in 2012 and only five SEC players have done so in the last 15 years. , dave wilson
Five new players who have made a name for themselves
bear bachmeyerQB, BYU: Bachmeier is gone stanfordHit the transfer portal and replaced a returning starter before playing a single snap this fall. On Saturday, he leads the undefeated Cougars into a decisive Big 12 showdown at No. 8 Texas Tech with BYU in the playoff race. Bachmeier has fulfilled the dual-threat promise he showed in high school, totaling 2,101 all-purpose yards and 20 total touchdowns in eight starts. Among true freshman quarterbacks, he ranks first nationally in completion percentage (58.7%), passer rating (95.2) and yards per attempt (7.9). And at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Bachmeier is also getting it done on the ground, entering Week 10 ranked seventh in rushing scores (9) among FBS passers. The Cougars’ first-year quarterback appears to be the complete package, and Bachmeier is a big reason No. 7 BYU competes strongly for a playoff spot at the back end of the regular season.
Mason Hentschelcubby, the pit, A three-star prospect in the 2025 class, Heintshall has been a revelation for the 24th-ranked Panthers, who appeared in Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings for only the second time since December 2021. Pitt (7-2) is 5-0 since Heintshall took over as the season-opening starter allie holstein But boston college On 4 October. In those five games, Hentschel has thrown for 1,547 yards with 12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. One of only five true freshman quarterbacks with over 200 passing attempts in FBS, Hentschel sits tied with Maryland’S malik washington He is within that group for most TDs and trails only Bachmeier in completion percentage (64.1%) and passer rating (92.0). Turnovers – a total of nine in five games – have been a problem for Hentschel, and his ball security and relative inexperience will be tested in the matchup. Notre Dame, georgia tech And miami to close the regular season.
Caleb HawkinsRB, North Texas, For all the (warranted) conversation about the Mean Green quarterback Drew MestemakerHawkins is writing an unexpected success story of his own as the nation’s No. 2 scoring attack this fall. Fresh off a 33-carry, 197-yard, 4-touchdown performance navy In Week 10, the three-star newcomer from Shawnee, Oklahoma, leads all freshmen nationwide in attempts (121), rushing yards (744) and touchdowns (11). Among FBS rushers with at least 50 carries this fall, Hawkins ranks fifth in rushing score and 11th in yards per attempt (6.1). Essentially, Hawkins’ breakout debut season is already attracting the attention of Power 4 programs as a potential offseason transfer portal target. But for now, he’s one of the key parts of a high-scoring offense that has North Texas competing for an American Conference title, and in turn, a potential spot in the playoff field.
grayson littletonCB, texas, A late addition to the Longhorns’ top-ranked 2025 recruiting class, the 6-foot, 180-pound defensive back has become a fixture in the new-look Texas secondary powering the nation’s 25th-ranked pass defense. Working primarily at the slot corner, Littleton has totaled 33 tackles and a pair of pass breakups, while playing more snaps (409) than all but four other Longhorns defenders this fall, and has two interceptions – including a fourth-quarter pick against. oklahoma on Oct. 11 – leaving him tied for the national lead among rookie defensive backs in FBS. Through nine games, Littleton has developed into an instant contributor with the makings of a future star in the Texas secondary, where he and the No. 11 Longhorns face a pair of challenging late-season matchups with the No. 5 seed. Georgia and No. 3 Texas A&M.
Malachi Tonywr, miami, The pass catcher they call “Baby Jesus” in Coral Gables isn’t just putting together the best freshman receiving season in the FBS. Toney, who entered college early by reclassifying from the 2026 cycle, is also already one of the nation’s productive wide receivers. No first-year pass catcher has recorded more targets (66), receptions (52) and receiving yards (632) than Toney in 2025. And among all receivers nationally, the 5-11 newcomer from Liberty City, Florida, ranks seventh in yards after the catch (390) and 16th in first-down receptions (31). Toney, who has yet to pass a pass in his college career, has immediately become one of the most prolific playmakers in the country this fall, and he’s projected to be a central contributor to whatever the 18th-ranked Hurricanes do from here on out through 2025 and beyond. , eli lederman
What capital does BYU, Texas Tech need to win?
BYU: Keep it close. This is a team that has proven that it has the ability to win close matches and in a game like this, it matters. Texas Tech is winning more strongly and perhaps its lack of experience in tougher matches has led to its loss arizona state a few weeks ago.
For true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier, Texas Tech’s impressive front seven will force him to make quick decisions. This will be their most challenging test of the season and they need to play error-free for BYU to find offensive rhythm.
Despite the undefeated record, BYU has not been as good defensively as it was a year ago. This would be a perfect game to reach your potential. , bonagura
Texas Tech: In a must-win game for the Red Raiders’ Big 12 title hopes, they need to hold down their quarterback behren morton Protected and healthy. Will Hammond Is out for the season and may not step in to save the day if Morton loses again. It is a big challenge to finish the drive in this. No FBS team has made more field goals in the red zone than Texas Tech (15-for-15 this season), and utah Three missed fourth-down conversions in field goal range helped swing the Holley War game.
On defense, Texas Tech’s No. 1-ranked rushing defense needs to stop the Big 12’s leading rusher LJ Martin And bring in Bachmeier on third-and-long. The rookie has been disciplined in those situations with an 88.4 QBR and no turnovers and can get out of trouble, but he hasn’t faced that yet. David Bailey And romello height, max olson
quotes of the week
“I think we’re desperate,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said about his undefeated Aggies“I tell them all the time: You know, we’ve earned everything we’ve got, right? We’ve got a record. We’ve got a ranking. We’ve got opportunities that we’ve worked really hard to earn. And, every Saturday, someone’s coming in and trying to take all that away from us, and that’s the urgency we have.”
“They’re big humans that take up a lot of space,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said of BYU’s talent on both sides of the line of scrimmage“We’ve got to do a great job against our double-teams. You know, we’ve got to win our single-teams. I think that’s a huge thing.”
Miami’s Mario Cristobal delivers a message to his team after the Hurricanes’ Week 10 loss smu: “When things go wrong, all the rats start coming out and trying to peck you and everything else. You’ve got to go and tell them to leave. You know what? Go to work, and do it forcefully and do it with some courage. Fix the things we need to fix so we can get better and win.”
Oregon’s Dan Lanning No. 9 Ducks ahead of Week 11 trip to No. 20 Iowa: “I’m surprised this team isn’t ranked [in the AP poll]If you look at the way they’ve been playing, especially recently, and the work they’ve done. They came up very quickly against a Minnesota team that plays good football, having a big win last weekend. So I think this team probably doesn’t get close to enough credit for the kind of team they deserve.”
“The reality is that college football must be decided on the field,” Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz said in criticism of the College Football Playoff committee’s preliminary rankings“There need to be play-in games. There’s no other sport in the country that is decided — other than NCAA basketball, NCAA baseball and NCAA football — by committees. Like, decide it on the field. Just like pro sports do.”
Clemson’Dabo Swinney on accountability at work this week: “Referees are people too. It’s not just coaches and players. And if they’re part of the game, by the grace of God, they should be part of the game and they should be part of the accountability. They should be part of the results, not just behind some shadowy curtain. Like no, they have to answer for it.”
