No. 13 Texas Tech opens Big 12 title defense vs. No. 22 Houston, and league goes international again

Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:

Game of the week

No. 22 Houston (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) at No. 13 Texas Tech (2-0, 0-0), Friday, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)

Texas Tech, the reigning Big 12 champion and a favorite to repeat, has won its last nine home games while allowing no more than 17 points in any of them. The Red Raiders play their conference opener against a Houston team in its third season with coach Willie Fritz and looking for a real breakthrough in the Big 12. The Cougars won 10 games last year after four wins in each of their first two seasons in the league.

Both teams have already beaten Oregon State this year. Houston’s season opener was a 33-20 win at home over the Pac-12’s Beavers, who last week lost their home opener 35-24 to Texas Tech.

The undercard

Arizona State (1-1, 0-0) vs. Kansas (1-1, 0-0), at London, Saturday, noon ET (FS1)

The Sun Devils and Jayhawks both traveled well over 4,000 miles for the first college football game ever to be played at historic Wembley Stadium. It is the Big 12’s third international game in two seasons after back-to-back season openers in Ireland.

West Virginia (2-0) vs. No. 25 Virginia (2-0), at Charlotte, North Carolina, 7:30 p.m. ET (ACCN)

The Mountaineers, 2-0 for the first time since 2018, play border-state rival Virginia for the first time since the Cavaliers beat them in the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl, a game also played in Charlotte.

Impact players

— BYU’s Bear Bachmeier is only the fourth Big 12 quarterback, and first since Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph in 2017, with at least three passing touchdowns and a rushing TD in each of the first two games of a season. Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma in 2015 and Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech in 2016 did it in the first three games. The No. 11 Cougars play at Colorado State.

— Utah RB Wayshawn Parker has already scored an FBS-high six touchdowns, three rushing and three receiving. He ran for six TDs and caught three all last year for the No. 17 Utes, who are home this week against Utah State.

— Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker, the national passing leader as freshman last season at North Texas, has 17 consecutive games with at least 200 yards passing, the longest active FBS streak. He threw for 317 yards and two TDs in the 39-31 upset of then-No. 6 Oregon. The Cowboys now host Murray State.

Inside the numbers

The Big 12 leads all FBS conferences for fewest points allowed (15.1 per game) and average margin of victory (35.7). … Kansas State, which hosts Tulane, has held consecutive opponents under 200 total yards for the first time since 2011. It’s also the first time the Wildcats have given up less than 100 yards passing in back-to-back games since 2000. … Only five FBS teams have active streaks allowing under 100 yards rushing in at least three consecutive games. Texas Tech’s seven in a row are the most. Houston and Iowa State both have three.

Victory Bell in Ohio

Cincinnati is looking for its first 3-0 start since 2021 when it plays instate rival Miami (Ohio) in the Battle for the Victory Bell, one of college football’s oldest regional rivalries. They first played in 1888, and Cincinnati holds a 61-60-7 series lead after winning 17 of the last 18 meetings.

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