Top Big 12 football games to watch for Week 3 of 2026 season

After an interesting Week 2 in the Big 12 that included the biggest upset of the week when Oklahoma State took down Oregon, there is another good week of college football headlined by Houston facing Texas Tech in the Friday night slot on Fox.

Best Game of the Week: No. 22 Houston vs. No. 13 Texas Tech

This one is easy to figure out. No. 23 Houston faces No. 12 Texas Tech in an intrastate rivalry with huge implications for the Big 12. It is the first conference matchup between two ranked teams and will be the first true test for the Red Raiders if they should be the favorites in the conference. Houston has been viewed as a dark horse candidate to win the Big 12 in the offseason. But if they pull off this win against Texas Tech, they could actually be in the driver's seat to get into the conference championship game.

Potential upset: Arizona State vs. Kansas

It wouldn't be much of an upset if the Sun Devils lost to the Jayhawks. Both teams enter the game 1-1, having won their season opener and lost their second game. But it is still a game to watch, since it's the first college football game in London since 1988. Based on some NFL games in London, weird things can happen when you travel to another country for a football game. Look at TCU and North Carolina a few weeks ago in Ireland. ASU arrived in London a few days before Kansas, and the Sun Devils seem to have a more explosive offense, so I expect them to win. But an upset is certainly possible.

Most Big 12 teams are playing non-Power Four teams in Week 3. However, the only Big 12 matchups against another Power conference are Colorado at Northwestern. The Buffaloes are slight underdogs going against the Wildcats. However, with their electric offense, strong run game, and much-improved run defense, Colorado can certainly win.

West Virginia is also facing off against No. 25 Virginia in the Duke's Mayo Classic. The Hokies come into that game as double-digit favorites and for good reason. Both teams enter the game 2-0, but Virginia has a dominant win over NC State, while West Virginia's best win is a Week 2 victory over UT Martin. The Mountaineers barely survived Coastal Carolina in their season opener. I don't expect an upset here, but hopefully West Virginia can at least keep things interesting.

In other conference action, Kansas State takes on Tulane, while Iowa State looks to bounce back from their first loss of the season to Iowa with a win over Bowling Green. No. 17 Utah is a 28-point favorite over Utah State, while Cincinnati is also heavily favored in their game against Miami Ohio.

Baylor is looking to build off their first win of the season with a victory against LA Tech on Saturday, while UCF is looking to get back in the win column when they face Georgia State. Following their upset over Oregon, Oklahoma State is a 57-point favorite over Murray State.

No. 11 BYU will take on Colorado State, while TCU faces Arkansas State. The latest Big 12 game is Arizona vs. Northern Illinois, who are 0-2 so far this season. That game starts at 8:30 p.m. MT. The Wildcats are 34-point favorites in that one.

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