In a recent episode of the Always College Football Podcast, ESPN’s Greg McElroy discussed which Week 8 games could impact the College Football Playoff picture.
Of the four matchups discussed, McElroy selected two Big 12 games to discuss, highlighting BYU hosting Oklahoma State and West Virginia hosting Kansas State.
“10:15 eastern time kick, Oklahoma State at BYU,” McElroy said. “This was a crazy game last year. BYU almost went to Stillwater and got it done. Now, Oklahoma State returns to BYU. Maybe BYU, this time, can upset a team with legitimate Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hopes.”
Oklahoma State has been a major off-season talking point for fans of the Big 12 Conference, with the group returning an impressive cast of players. With the exception of the Cowboys’ Week 4 and 5 matchups against Utah and Kansas State, the Cowboys will likely be favored in each game through Week 8 against BYU.
McElroy then discussed the Week 8 matchup between the Mountaineers and Wildcats, potentially featuring two championship contenders in the league. The Wildcats and Mountaineers did not play in 2023, and with two new quarterbacks under center since the last time they played (KSU 48, WVU 31), the Mountaineers will likely shoot for some revenge against the 2022 league champs.
“I told you that I think Kansas State is the favorite in the Big 12, totally expected, but West Virginia has a lot of pieces back that you’d love to have,” McElroy continued. “They have one of best home-field environments in the Big 12. That game, Kansas State, can they survive a road trip to Morgantown? That’ll be a significant one.”
Week 8 of the College Football season features some of the best games of the Big 12 season, and with the matchups above expected to play a major impact on the future of the CFP race and a Big 12 championship race, Greg McElroy appears to have hit the nail on the head.
