Big 12 Football Predictions: Our Insiders Predict Week Five Matchups
Sep 25, 2025, 4:57 PM | Updated: 5:14 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Welcome to week five of Big 12 football in the 2025 season.
Here are our weekly insider picks from BYU Insider Mitch Harper and Utah Insider Steve Bartle.
Check out their daily podcasts, Cougar Tracks, and The Utah Blockcast, for the latest on the Cougs and the Utes.
Big 12 Standings Entering Week 4
- Iowa State – 1-0 in the Big 12 (4-0 overall)
- Texas Tech – 1-0 (4-0)
- Houston – 1-0 (3-0)
- Arizona State – 1-0 (3-1)
- Kansas – 1-0 (3-1)
- Arizona – 0-0 (3-0)
- BYU – 0-0 (3-0)
- UCF – 0-0 (3-0)
- TCU – 0-0 (3-0)
- Cincinnati – 0-0 (2-1)
- Oklahoma State – 0-0 (1-2)
- Utah – 0-1 (3-1)
- Baylor – 0-1 (2-2)
- Colorado – 0-1 (2-2)
- West Virginia – 0-1 (2-2)
- Kansas State – 0-1 (1-3 overall)
Season Totals
(Through Week 3)
- Mitch Harper: 42-9
- Steve Bartle: 41-10
Big 12 football teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll entering Week 5
- 12. Texas Tech
- 14. Iowa State
- 24. TCU
- 25. BYU
Big 12 football predictions throughout the 2025 season
Week 0 | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14
No. 24 TCU at Arizona State
- Friday, September 26
- Kickoff: 7 p.m. (MT)
- TV: FOX
Insider Predictions
- Steve Bartle: TCU
- Mitch Harper: TCU
After a gutty win in Waco, the Sun Devils return home to Tempe for a Friday night tilt against the TCU Horned Frogs. Josh Hoover has been playing some great football and is the clear headliner, but the defense has been a key factor in their success. This is a Friday night game, which can be tricky, but I think Hoover and the Horned Frogs will shock in Tempe. -Bartle
I’m a believer in the Horned Frogs. Give me TCU, even without top running back Kevorian Barnes for the second consecutive week. ASU is dealing with notable absences on the defensive side of the ball this week. Horned Frogs win a close one in the desert. -Harper
Houston at Oregon State
- Friday, September 26
- Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. (MT)
- TV: ESPN
Insider Predictions
- Steve Bartle: Houston
- Mitch Harper: Houston
The Beavers are an absolute mess; you can’t help but feel bad for the program. Houston heads to Corvallis and takes care of business, securing a comfortable win for the Coogs. -Bartle
There’s a path for Houston to go 9-3 this year. It sounds crazy, but these Coogs are tough. Houston wins by three touchdowns. -Harper
Cincinnati at Kansas
- Saturday, September 27
- Kickoff: 10 a.m. (MT)/11 a.m. (CT)
- TV: TNT
Insider Predictions
- Steve Bartle: Kansas
- Mitch Harper: Cincinnati
I like Jalon Daniels and the Jayhawks to keep the momentum rolling here. -Bartle
I’m calling for an upset. Since Cincinnati joined the Big 12, they haven’t had a big-time win. This would count, and it would show that the Scott Satterfield-led Cincy squad is much different from the previous two years. -Harper
UCF at Kansas State
- Saturday, September 27
- Kickoff: 10 a.m. (MT)/11 a.m. (CT)
- TV: FS1
Insider Predictions
- Steve Bartle: K-State
- Mitch Harper: K-State
I really want to pick UCF, but I believe the week away for Avery Johnson and the Wildcats will serve them well. I’ve got Kansas State winning, but I believe this will be a competitive contest late in the fourth quarter. -Bartle
UCF is playing well; however, I have to imagine they are playing with a heavy heart after the passing of offensive line coach Shawn Clark. It’s a tough spot. I’ll go with K-State, barely. -Harper
Baylor at Oklahoma State
- Saturday, September 27
- Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. (MT)/2:30 p.m. (CT)
- TV: ESPN2
Insider Predictions
- Steve Bartle: Baylor
- Mitch Harper: Baylor
Da Bears. -Bartle
Does Oklahoma State care at all at this point? I’ll be interested to see if they get an emotional bump after the firing of Mike Gundy. Baylor rolls. -Harper
Utah at West Virginia
- Saturday, September 27
- Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. (MT)/3:30 p.m. (ET)
- TV: FOX
Insider Predictions
- Steve Bartle: Utah
- Mitch Harper: Utah
Utah needs a bounce-back performance and for it to be a resounding one, given the injury status of the Mountaineers. Devon Dampier and the offense have to start providing answers in the passing game. Utes win. -Bartle
West Virginia’s defense can get after opposing offenses. They are near the top in the Big 12 in total sacks. But after Utah’s offensive line struggled against Texas Tech, they are probably angry going into this one. Utah comes out on top. -Harper
Arizona at No. 14 Iowa State
- Saturday, September 27
- Kickoff: 5 p.m. (MT)/6 p.m. (CT)
- TV: ESPN
Insider Predictions
- Steve Bartle: Iowa State
- Mitch Harper: Arizona
The Wildcats have been one of the more pleasant surprises through the early weeks of the season. Iowa State has looked like one of the top contenders, though, and this game will reflect that. The Cyclones control this one. -Bartle
I’m a believer in Arizona’s defense. This could be a low-scoring game, but I’ll call for Arizona to pull off an upset win on the road. -Harper
No. 25 BYU at Colorado
- Saturday, September 27
- Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. (MT)
- TV: ESPN
Insider Predictions
- Steve Bartle: BYU
- Mitch Harper: BYU
Does Colorado have its QB position solidified? That would go a long way for them if so, because BYU’s defense is playing good football. With the uncertainty around Colorado, I won’t be picking them. -Bartle
BYU is the better team in this matchup. Colorado’s rush defense is not good. LJ Martin should have a lot of success on the ground. BYU improves to 4-0 overall. -Harper
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_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.
