Big 12 Football Predictions: Our Insiders Predict Week Five Matchups

SALT LAKE CITY – It’s time for another week of Big 12 football predictions.

The week five schedule is headlined by a Top 25 battle. No. 20 Oklahoma State travels to the Little Apple to face No. 23 Kansas State. Both teams are looking to bounce back after disappointing showings last week against Utah and BYU, respectively.

Speaking of BYU and Utah, the newly-ranked Cougars at No. 22 in the AP Top 25 go on the road to Baylor in Waco. No. 10 Utah hosts Arizona in their first Big 12 home game as a member.

Every week during the 2024 Big 12 season, our insiders here at KSL Sports, Mitch Harper and Steve Bartle, will share their weekly Big 12 football predictions. Follow their coverage throughout the season on their personal X accounts: @Mitch_Harper & @BartleKSLsports.

Big 12 standings entering week five

• BYU: 1-0 (4-0 overall)
• Utah: 1-0 (4-0)
• UCF: 1-0 (3-0)
• Cincinnati: 1-0 (3-1)
• Colorado: 1-0 (3-1)
• Texas Tech: 1-0 (3-1)
• West Virginia: 1-0 (2-2)
• Iowa State: 0-0 (3-0)
• Arizona: 0-0 (2-1)
• Arizona State: 0-1 (3-1)
• Kansas State: 0-1 (3-1)
• Oklahoma State: 0-1 (3-1)
• Baylor: 0-1 (2-2)
• TCU: 0-1 (2-2)
• Houston: 0-1 (1-3)
• Kansas: 0-1 (1-3)

Big 12 Football Predictions: Week 5 of the 2024 season

Here’s the seven-game slate to kick off our week five edition of Big 12 football predictions.

Season Totals

(Through Week 4)

• Mitch Harper: 41-11
• Steve Bartle: 40-12

No. 22 BYU at Baylor

• Saturday, September 28, 2024
• Kickoff: 10 a.m. (MT)
• TV: FS1
• Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM)

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: BYU
• Mitch Harper: BYU

This game is frightening for BYU. Baylor has a defensive front that will toss out multiple looks and can make this a rock fight. This game is going to come down to the wire, but BYU escapes and starts the year 5-0 to match its win total from last season. -Harper

This actually feels like a hangover game for each team. BYU coming off an emotionally juiced win at home, while Baylor let a win sail over their heads on the road. You’d obviously rather have BYU’s hangover. Baylor is a tough team but Dave Aranda’s seat is growing warmer. I think BYU finds a way to get it done in Waco. -Bartle

No. 20 Oklahoma State at No. 23 Kansas State

• Saturday, September 28
• Kickoff: 10 a.m. (MT)
• TV: ESPN

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: Kansas State
• Mitch Harper: Kansas State

What a tough spot for each team to be in. Facing 0-2 in conference play this weekend. Kansas State at home should be the difference but Avery Johnson has to be much better than he was against BYU. That was sort of a confidence killing performance, so he’s the x-factor in this game to me. -Bartle

Kansas State always has a game in the month of September where they leave you scratching your head. They will bounce back, and being at home definitely helps the cause. What might be even more impactful is that the Beefy Five-Layer Burrito guy is taking care of his bet before kickoff. -Harper

TCU at Kansas

• Saturday, September 28
• Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. (MT)
• TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: TCU
• Mitch Harper: TCU

What happened last week for TCU was not good as Sonny Dykes was ejected from a game. But they go on the road to an Arrowhead Stadium crowd that I doubt is going to be anything close to hostile. TCU’s offense can still put up points. So give me the Horned Frogs. -Harper

TCU is a mess and have hurt themselves significantly in their losses this season. That’s why I think they win this weekend. They do a much better job taking care of the ball and get a comfortable win. -Bartle

Colorado at UCF

• Saturday, September 28
• Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. (MT)
• TV: FOX

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: UCF
• Mitch Harper: UCF

The Knights have been a surprise this season and their success is due entirely to their ground game. It’s a powerful machine right now and Colorado simply does not have the ability to stop it. -Bartle

I’m curious to see if Colorado makes this one competitive. Big national showcase spot for UCF. Knights roll. -Harper

No. 18 Iowa State at Houston

• Saturday, September 28
• Kickoff: 5 p.m. (MT)
• TV: FS1

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: Iowa State
• Mitch Harper: Iowa State

The Cougars are in for a long season. There’s no better way to put it. Iowa State will take control of this game early in the third quarter and run away with it. Not much else to say with this one. -Bartle

Iowa State boasts the No. 9 scoring defense in the country (9.7 points allowed per game). If Houston hits 10 points, that would be surprising. -Harper

Cincinnati at Texas Tech

• Saturday, September 28
• Kickoff: 6 p.m. (MT)
• TV: ESPN2

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: Texas Tech
• Mitch Harper: Cincinnati

This game screams wacky Big 12 outcome. It’s a coin flip game, but I’ll go with the Bearcats who have been much improved this season. -Harper

Cincinnati is a sneaky 3-1 and could be 4-0 if they didn’t have the collapse of the Pitt game. Tech, on the other hand, has looked better each week defensively since they gave up 52 to Abilene Christian. Plus, I trust Tahj Brooks to outplay Cincy running back Corey Kiner. -Bartle

Arizona at No. 10 Utah

• Saturday, September 28
• Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. (MT)
• TV: ESPN

Insider Predictions

• Steve Bartle: Utah
• Mitch Harper: Utah

The Utes will need an all-around effort again this week. They’ll have the crowd behind them, which should be amped up by the fact that it’s the first night game in quite some time. Utah needs to continue to run the ball effectively on offense and control the game in that manner. Arizona’s Noah Fifita is arguably the top quarterback in the conference, he’s going to require Utah’s absolute best effort on the defensive side of the ball. -Bartle

Whether it’s Rising or Wilson at QB, it won’t matter, Utah will take care of business at home. Arizona has been underwhelming through their first three games. The tough defense they had last year is not showing up early on this season. -Harper

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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