Which Big 12 Games Impact Arizona State This Week
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TEMPE -- The 20th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils (8-3, 6-2 Big 12) are in position to win seven conference games for the second time in as many seasons in the league on Friday night against fellow eight-win Arizona Wildcats.
It has been well-documented that Arizona State remains theoretically alive to return to Arlington next Saturday - they must take care of business and secure the victory to get to that point.
If they do in fact get a win, they must have results outside of their own control go the way they need them to - Arizona State on SI covers the three games that are significant to the team below.
Utah @ Kansas
This is a Friday morning game - the result will be known well before the Sun Devils' game on Friday night.
The result is also crucial to the endeavor to return to the Big 12 championship - Arizona State has the ability to make it to the game with a Utah win or loss.
The Utes are coming into this game in follow-up of narrowly defeating Kansas State in a comeback effort, while the Jayhawks must win this game to gift one final game to program legend Jalon Daniels in the form of a bowl game.
Texas Tech @ West Virginia
Texas Tech is a virtual shoe-in to reach the conference title game for the first time after starting this historic season with a 10-1 record.
Behren Morton has been an incredible stabilizer of the Red Raiders' offense in recent weeks, while the team's defense has been elite in the vast majority of measures.
West Virginia is an improved football team - as the offense has shown new life under QB Scotty Fox Jr. in recent weeks. However, this appears to be a game that Texas Tech should run away with.
UCF @ BYU
This is the most consequential game of the week for the Sun Devils. The Knights are in pursuit of a bowl game in the return season of Scott Frost as head coach.
Brigham Young is well-positioned to end their regular season with an 11-1 record in their own right behind a stout defense and freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier, who has excelled throughout the duration of this season.
BYU and UCF are set to play at 11 A.M. MST on Saturday, so it's very likely that the fate of Arizona State's spot in the standings will be known by early that afternoon.
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on major takeaways from the Sun Devils’ convincing win over Colorado in week 13 here.
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.