Oct 7, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault talks to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) and guard Jared McCain (3) during the second half of a preseason game at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

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There has never been this much buzz around the Big 12 since the Playoff expanded in 2024.

The SEC pundits are getting nervous at the idea of the league receiving at least one at-large bid. Some of them can’t fathom the idea that the Conference is legitimately good.

The nonconference wins over Oregon and Notre Dame changed the narrative.

But reputations can be torn down in a week.

No. 2 BYU heads to Orlando to play UCF in an eyebrow-raising matchup. A loss would destroy much of the goodwill built up in the national media.

In this week’s Big 12 Column, I preview all of the games involving teams in the West.

Plus, the featured team is Utah with College GameDay in town.

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Featured Team: Utah

No.14 Houston at No. 10 Utah

Saturday, October 24
7:15 PM PT, ESPN

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This matchup in Salt Lake City is Utah’s biggest game since joining the Big 12.

The only comparable moment is the contest against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, back in 2024. That means the whole conference is watching. And the stakes are high.

The winner will become a favorite for an at-large bid to the Playoff.

Houston has already been tested. The Cougars have a win over Oklahoma State, a road “W” in Manhattan against Kansas State, and a victory over Oregon State.

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The UH offense is efficient, with senior quarterback Conner Weigman leading the way.

Weigman enters the game with a 20-to-2 touchdown/interception ratio. He has six rushing touchdowns, too, with 229 yards on the ground and 3.9 yards per carry.

This is, without a doubt, the best offense the Utes have faced this season.

That might be a problem for Utah. The team has been trending in the wrong direction since the second half of the Iowa State game. This matchup provides the opportunity to change the narrative.

Otherwise, Houston could expose Utah.

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Miller covers College Basketball and College Football as well as Formula 1 racing as a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor for SuperWest Sports.

Latest posts by Dane Miller (see all)

All the latest injury news as Week 7 gets set to kick off

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Oct 21, 2026

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At a time of decisiveness for the United States, credit college football for introducing a plan that can bring some solidarity to our society.

Regardless if you support a program representing the Big Ten, SEC, or any of the eight conferences subject to the Power Two’s whims, everyone can agree expansion of the College Football Playoff to 24 teams is an awful idea.

Use of the term everyone is rhetorical in this context; no idea is ever universally praised nor universally reviled. However, it’s effectively impossible to argue that a 24-team bracket is not a bastardization of why proponents wanted a Playoff system to begin with.

Fan outcry for a postseason tournament grew from the desire to see matchups traditions denied the sport in the more distant past, like Washington-Miami to conclude the 1991 season. The BCS offered some improvement, giving us matchups like Texas-USC in the iconic 2006 Rose Bowl Game.

More BCS seasons ended in championship controversy than not, though. LSU and USC split the BCS and Associated Press titles in 2003, undefeated Auburn was skipped over a year later, and Utah was never even considered for a championship shot in 2004 or 2008.

Utah’s shunning as the sole unbeaten team in all of Div. I football in 2008 provided a key catalyst in making a playoff reality. The threat of antitrust lawsuits failed to earn Boise State a national championship shot in 2009, or TCU in either 2009 or 2010, but the resulting pressure helped make the College Football Playoff happen.

The system has never gotten the formula right, and expansion to 24 entrants is the worst change yet.

The original, four-team bracket proved to be a half-measure; an appeal to both traditionalists who embraced the pageantry of the bowl system and fans seeking a more concrete method of crowning a champion.

The exclusion of co-Big 12 Conference champions Baylor and TCU in the four-team Playoff’s first year set an ominous tone.

Ohio State and Alabama making the bracket in 2016 and 2017 without qualifying for their own conference title games; UCF excluded through consecutive undefeated regular seasons; Cincinnati only qualifying in 2021 thanks to going two regular seasons without losing a game and one of the more chaotic campaigns unfolding around the Bearcats; plenty of evidence surfaced that as a vehicle for determining the most legitimate champion, four teams wouldn’t cut.

How anyone concluded that the solution was to triple the size of the field, and now doubling that just four years later, is gobsmacking.

The 12-team Playoff has had glaring issues from the outset, with first-round games mostly being one-sided snoozers — a direct byproduct of no college football season ever producing 12 teams capable of winning or deserving of competing for the national championship.

A more subjective argument against the 12-team Playoff is its diminished significance of regular-season games. The Oct. 17 slate offers a prime example.

One of the most remarkable Saturdays in recent memory, Week 7 would have marked the end of some brand-name programs’ national title aspirations in years past. In the case of a matchup like Ohio State’s 19-14 win at Indiana, the nail-biting finale could have been the first chapter in a series destined for completion at the Big Ten Championship Game.

Yet, because of the conference bloat that is a direct result of leagues looking to secure as many Playoff bids as possible, the Hoosiers now trail undefeated UCLA. The Bruins are having a terrific season under first-year coach Bob Chesney — but they also happen to miss both the Hoosiers and Buckeyes in the regular season.

Again, this position is more subjective. One could contend that more opportunities to reach the 12-team Playoff creates more high-stakes regular-season games involving more teams.

Extend this philosophy to 24 teams, and the meaning of what constitutes high stakes dilutes. This is especially true if the 24-bid Playoff excludes all conference champions as automatic berths, which is the system the NCAA uses for the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.

Using the current format with automatic bids for the four autonomy conference and a designated Group of Six berth, the 2025 season’s playoff would have shaped up as follows:

• Alabama vs. James Madison advances to face No. 8
• Miami vs. Iowa advances to face No. 7 Texas A&M
• Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech advances to face No. 6 Ole Miss
• BYU vs. Houston advances to face No. 5 Oregon
• Texas vs. Tulane advances to face No. 4 Texas Tech
• Vanderbilt vs. Virginia advances to face No. 3 Georgia
• Utah vs. Michigan advances to face No. 2 Ohio State
• USC vs. Arizona advances to face No. 1 Indiana

The above includes a team in Iowa that lost four regular-season games — one-third of its schedule. The top eight seeds must win four games now instead of three to claim the title, which is also demanding they play another one-third of a season.

Compare that to March Madness, which requires six wins for a title. That’s only about 20 percent or less of a basketball team’s schedule going into the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, the Playoff grew without ever so much as experimenting with an eight-team bracket. The inclusion of eight teams would have addressed even the most convoluted BCS seasons, like 2008, when Florida, Oklahoma, USC, Utah, Texas, Texas Tech and even Boise State all had cases to make for playing in a title game.

For posterity’s sake, an eight-team Playoff in 2025, laid out without automatic bids and only going off of the committee’s final regular-season rankings, would have appeared as follows:

• Indiana vs. Oklahoma
• Georgia vs. Texas A&M
• Ohio State vs. Ole Miss
• Texas Tech vs. Oregon

The above scenario may not be ideal, but would surely have less consensus against it than the upcoming 24-team variety.

Connacht will look to build on their brilliant Champions Cup win over Saracens when they return to United Rugby Championship action against Zebre Parma at Dexcom Stadium on Friday night.

Stuart Lancaster’s side produced one of the standout performances of the opening European weekend, scoring seven tries in a 45–36 victory over the former champions.

It was a result that few expected, particularly with Connacht having rested internationals Mack Hansen and Finlay Bealham. But the challenge now is to back it up against a Zebre side still searching for their first URC win of the season.

Connacht have won one and lost two of their opening three league games, so Friday offers an opportunity to improve that record before the URC table begins to take shape.

Connacht looking to build on Saracens win

The Saracens game showed just how dangerous Connacht can be when they get their attack moving. They recovered from an early 12–0 deficit and went on to score seven tries, with Ciarán Frawley crossing twice on his home debut.

There were still six tries conceded at the other end, however, and backs coach Gerard Mullen believes there is plenty of room for improvement.

Mullen said Connacht had left scores behind them against Saracens and conceded tries they were unhappy with. That will be a focus against Zebre, who are capable of playing an unstructured game and punishing sides that switch off.

Zebre struggling for wins

Zebre travel to Galway after a difficult start to their campaign. They have lost their opening three URC games and were beaten 40–21 by Ulster in the Challenge Cup last weekend.

The Italians have also lost their last six URC matches stretching back into last season. Their most recent URC win outside Italy came against Edinburgh in February 2025.

Those results, and Connacht’s performance against Saracens, make the home side clear favourites. But Mullen warned that games against teams struggling for results can be difficult.

The Connacht coach said his side needed to stick to their systems and improve again on the Saracens performance. He also expects Zebre to stay in the contest.

Connacht team news

Connacht have been boosted by the return to full training of Will Connors, Dave Heffernan and Harry West, with all three available for selection.

Shane Jennings and Thomas Connolly are ruled out as they go through graduated return-to-play protocols. There were no further updates on Dylan Tierney-Martin, Ben Murphy, Hugh Gavin or Byron Ralston.

Lancaster rested Hansen and Bealham against Saracens after they had played in each of Connacht’s opening three games. Whether either returns against Zebre will become clear when the matchday squad is named.

Connacht v Zebre head-to-head record

Connacht have an excellent recent record against Zebre, winning the last eight URC meetings between the sides.

Zebre’s last league victory over Connacht was a 19–11 win in Galway in February 2018. Overall, Connacht have won 17 of their league meetings with Zebre, with the Italian side winning three.

Connacht have also won their last six matches against Italian opposition since losing to Benetton in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals in April 2024.

Connacht v Zebre: What the stats say

Connacht have scored 101 points and 16 tries in four matches, while Zebre have scored 92 points and 12 tries in five. With the teams having played a different number of games, the per-game figures give a clearer comparison.

Connacht’s attacking figures are encouraging: they are averaging more carries, metres and tries per game, while the lineout figures also suggest an area where they could put Zebre under pressure.

Zebre have lost 14 of 82 lineouts, compared with three lost from 44 for Connacht. Zebre’s scrum success rate is slightly higher, however, and both sides are listed with a 97% ruck success rate.

The figures also show Connacht have kicked one penalty from eight attempts, compared with four from seven for Zebre. Connacht have scored nine conversions and Zebre 10.

In the URC specifically, Josh Ioane leads Connacht with three tries and 15 points. For Zebre, Giacomo Ferrari and Alessandro Fusco have scored two tries each, while Tommaso Allan leads their points tally with 13.

Connacht v Zebre betting odds and handicap

Connacht were giving Zebre a 17-point start on the handicap before the line moved to 21 points.

In this three-way handicap market, Connacht must win by at least 22 points for the -21 selection to win. A Connacht victory by exactly 21 points is the handicap draw. Odds may change before kick-off.

The movement to -21 shows just how strongly Connacht are fancied, but it is a big margin to cover. Their attack has shown it can score heavily, while Mullen’s comments suggest the coaching staff expect Zebre to make them work for the result.

Connacht v Zebre prediction

Connacht should win this game. They have the stronger recent form, an excellent record against Zebre and should take plenty of confidence from the Saracens performance.

The bigger question is whether they can produce the same energy and accuracy a week later, with the expectation now firmly on them. If Connacht get their attack going and cut out some of the scores they conceded last weekend, there should be opportunities to put points on the board.

Zebre’s results make it difficult to argue against a home win, but the move from -17 to -21 leaves a sizeable handicap, particularly if the visitors can stay in touch for as long as Mullen expects.

Match officials

Referee: Hanru van Rooyen

Assistant referee: Jack MacNeice

Assistant referee: Sam Holt

TMO: Egon Seconds

Paris Saint-Germain defeated Barcelona 4-2 in an exciting UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday night, while Manchester City, Liverpool, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Roma and PSV also recorded victories.

PSG took the lead in the 38th minute through Désiré Doué, who finished well after creating space for himself.

Barcelona responded after the break, with 19-year-old Xavi Espart scoring the equaliser. Lucas Hernández restored PSG’s lead in the 72nd minute, but Lamine Yamal levelled again seven minutes later.

Vitinha then put PSG ahead with a fine finish before Fabián Ruiz scored the fourth goal from Achraf Hakimi’s cross to seal the victory.

The result gave PSG their third consecutive win in the league phase, moving them to the top alongside Liverpool. Doué was named Player of the Match.

In England, Liverpool came from two goals down to beat Villarreal 4-3 at Anfield. Georges Mikautadze and Sergi Cardona gave the visitors a 2-0 lead before Alexis Mac Allister and an own goal by Ronald Araújo brought Liverpool level.

Mac Allister scored again, while Florian Wirtz added another goal to put Liverpool in control. Tani Oluwaseyi scored late for Villarreal, but Liverpool held on to maintain their perfect start.

Manchester City also enjoyed a big win, beating AEK Athens 5-1. Phil Foden scored a hat-trick, while Elliot Anderson and Rayan Cherki also found the net for the English side.

Napoli defeated Bodø/Glimt 4-3 in another high-scoring encounter. Scott McTominay scored twice, while Matteo Politano and an own goal by Odin Bjørtuft helped the Italian club secure their first Champions League win of the season. Sondre Brunstad Fet scored for the visitors late in the match.

Borussia Dortmund beat Sabah 2-1 in Baku, with Serhou Guirassy scoring both goals to earn his team all three points.

Roma recorded a comfortable 4-0 victory over Slovan Bratislava. Mario Hermoso, Nahuel Molina, Niccolò Pisilli and Donyell Malen scored as Roma claimed their first win of the league phase.

PSV Eindhoven also secured their first victory, beating Porto 1-0 away from home. Guus Til scored the only goal of the match, leaving Porto without a point after three games.

Meanwhile, Stuttgart and Atlético Madrid played out a 1-1 draw. Jamie Leweling gave Stuttgart the lead before Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman provided an assist for Julián Álvarez to equalise shortly after the restart.

Fenerbahçe and Slavia Praha also shared the points in a 2-2 draw. Oğuz Aydın and Mason Greenwood scored early for Fenerbahçe, but Slavia fought back, with Pavel Kačor scoring a late equaliser.

The Champions League action continues on Wednesday, with Manchester United facing Como, while Arsenal travel to Bayern Munich. Real Madrid will host Leipzig, and Aston Villa will take on Viking.

Ohio State defeated Indiana in Bloomington last Saturday, getting revenge for the 2025 Big Ten championship game. But the Buckeyes might have bigger problems after starting quarterback Julian Sayin was injured. 

Sayin — who entered Week 7 tied for fourth with 17 passing touchdowns this season and ranked sixth among FBS quarterbacks with 1,772 passing yards — left the field and went to the locker room with about eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. 

On Tuesday, three days removed from the game, head coach Ryan Day provided an update that Sayin is “out indefinitely,” and Ohio State’s reportedly planning for the scenario where he misses the rest of the season and postseason. 

How Did Ohio State Starting QB Julian Sayin Get Hurt?

In the fourth quarter against Indiana in Bloomington, the Hoosiers sacked Sayin on first-and-10 from Indiana’s 38-yard line. He fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by the Buckeyes. But it appears Sayin was injured on this play.

When Sayin left the game, he had completed 15-of-29 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions against the Hoosiers.

Did Julian Sayin Return To The Game Against Indiana?

Sayin left the game in the middle of the fourth quarter, and while he didn’t return to action, he was back on the field for the end of the game. When he came back out of the locker room, he had his throwing arm (right) in a sling. 

What Did Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Say About Julian Sayin’s Injury?

Following the Buckeyes’ 19-15 road win over Indiana, FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft asked Ohio State coach Ryan Day if he had an update about Sayin’s injury. 

“I don’t have [an update] right now,” Day told Taft. “Obviously, that was a big blow to us, but the rest of the team picked it up for us.”

At Day’s post-game press conference, the head coach offered an additional update on Sayin. As our Ben Portnoy reported, Day expects Sayin to be out for a couple weeks. 

Three days later, Day addressed the media with a further update:

“We’re not going to put any timeline on his recovery, but he is out indefinitely,” Day said. “Based on the nature of the injury, we are putting a plan for him not being available for the regular season, and then also, him not being available for the postseason.”

Who Is Ohio State’s Backup Quarterback?

When Sayin left the Indiana game during the fourth quarter, true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey replaced him as the top-5 matchup was on the line. Fahey was a three-star recruit, per 24/7 Sports’ composite ratings, from Mission Viejo, California. 

Saturday’s Week 7 game was the third game Fahey has played in so far this season, along with Ohio State’s wins against Ball State and Kent State in September. On the year, he completed 9-of-11 passes for 203 total yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

What Is Ohio State’s Remaining Schedule?

After beating Indiana on Saturday, the Buckeyes are now 6-1 with their only loss being against Texas. Ohio State is on a bye for Week 8, and then it will travel to Southern California to take on USC. 

Here’s a look at Ohio State’s remaining regular-season schedule:

• Saturday, October 31: at USC
• Saturday, November 7: vs. Oregon
• Saturday, November 14: vs. Northwestern
• Saturday, November 21: at Nebraska
• Saturday, November 28: vs. Michigan

Defiance was the word that stood out as Manchester City returned home for the first time since they were found guilty of 114 financial charges by the Premier League in a case that’s made headlines around the world.

City showed a measure of it on the pitch, even as they lost 4-2 to holders, Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain, in the Champions League group stages on Wednesday.

Among the home fanbase at the Etihad Stadium, DW found universal support for City’s Abu Dhabi owners — headed by Sheikh Mansour, who is also UAE’s vice president and deputy prime minister.

“I’m all in with the ownership now,” said local fan Matt. “If we end up back in League Two [fourth tier], so be it. We’ve got 15 years of memories we wouldn’t have otherwise and to me it’s just an accounting line on a spreadsheet really.”

Tarnished trophies?

The stadium name itself is a reminder of the takeover that changed this club, and its part of Manchester, in 2008. The national airline of the UAE, Etihad’s inflated sponsorship of City is among the key planks of the case against them, while many buildings and businesses around the stadium bear the brand. It’s a stadium that’s also seen plenty of success of late.

“We’ve seen things other fans will never see,” added fellow City fan Josh. “I think people have got to consider how many people this club has given great memories to, how many people’s lives have been changed by it, myself included….you’ve got to be grateful for that.”

Though many in sky blue shared those sentiments, most outside the club now view the trophies won in the relevant period as tarnished. On top of that, critics point to City’s reticence in providing evidence in their case, the long-documented human rights abuses in UAE and the often dismissive tone with which the owners have dealt with being found guilty of charges they have now appealed.

UAE links have Burnham on back foot

But those City fans appear to have one powerful ally in British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Though he has since sought to tone down his position on Mansour and co. somewhat, the former mayor of Greater Manchester said he “would be really concerned to lose them,” after the verdict was announced in late September. “They’ve been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester,” he added.

While Burnham has since denied being close to City’s ownership, even as City were playing on Wednesday, The Guardian reported a club representative was invited on a government-backed trade delegation to India this week by Burnham’s successor as Manchester mayor, Bev Craig.

Earlier the same day, Burnham was forced to confirm he had two additional dinners with the club chair, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, at the Etihad Stadium, having previously declared those only as matchday hospitality. It has become a serious domestic issue for the man who replaced Keir Starmer in July.

What is clear is that Burnham welcomed Abu Dhabi investment during his time in charge of the northwestern city. This came mainly in the form of residential and commercial buildings as well as libraries and sports centers, all popping up in previously run-down areas in and around the stadium.

UAE build where others can’t

Georgina Blakeley, a Professor at the University of Huddersfield who wrote a book called “The regeneration of east Manchester,” told DW that UAE investment has transformed swathes of the city.

“One of the prime drivers for building this partnership with the Abu Dhabi United Group [a private equity arm of the state mostly concerned with the football club] was that at that point in time, 2014, there was no other private investor willing to invest at the scale that the council wanted. And to do so in a way that created a build-to-rent market,” she said.

The UAE investment in Manchester, accelerated by the Manchester Life Partnership with the city’s council signed in 2014, has been a key defense for the City owners and fans when faced with sportswashing allegations in the past. And while Blakeley believes councils in the UK are often forced to seek foreign investment, there has been some pushback on how east Manchester has changed.

“A lot of people would be critical of some of the developments in [the districts of] Ancoats and New Islington and say that it’s gentrified the area and there are some tensions between newer populations coming in and living in the more expensive flats and those already there. I think there’s some truth to it. But I also think there’s some truth to the fact that people forget really, really quickly that if you go back to just the 1990s, Ancoats was a no-go area,” she said.

While profit for both council and state have certainly been a driver of the partnership, Blakeley thinks that forging greater links to the community could be something City’s owners see “as a beneficial side effect.”

State-owned clubs starting to think smart despite concerns

After 18 years in the club and city, the UAE are deeply embedded in this part of Manchester. With political ties between the UK and UAE now reportedly strained as a result of the charges, there are suggestions that City’s owners will try to sell the club. They may also be forced to do so, with sanctions still to be decided pending City’s appeal.

There is no such trouble at PSG, who look capable of winning a third straight Champions League powered by their own Gulf-State coffers.

What is clear is that state-owned football clubs can become successful fast in a free market, as the Premier League was when the UAE owners arrived. Deep pockets, strong contacts at the top tables of the sport and canny strategies to integrate with the local area can be a heady mix.

It’s certainly one that’s proved intoxicating to City’s fans, who brush off secret second contracts, sham sponsorship and unreliable witnesses with a loyalty built on success, community and investment. Judging by the mood in Manchester on Wednesday, no sanctions are going to change that.

Edited by: Jonathan Harding