Big 12 Stock Market — What games should BYU fans invest in this weekend?
By J.J. Stephens,
September 18, 2026
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Welcome to the preview of the upcoming weekend across the Big 12, telling you who is playing who and which games BYU fans should be especially interested in.Time is money, and few football fans have enough time to invest in watching football games that don’t involve their favorite team. The stock value placed on these matchups will clarify which games BYU fans should pay most attention to. A stock value of 100 means that a game is worth watching, and that the outcome is pertinent to you as a BYU fan. A stock value of zero suggests little immediate relevance. Everything in between is for you to decide.13 Texas Tech v. 22 Houston, Friday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m. MT on Fox
Stock value: 100Many sports analysts across all of the sites ranked both of these teams inside the top five in the Big 12. Some even had each in the top three.Texas Tech, the defending conference champion, has built an impressive roster. This was a game marked down on many peoples sheets as their first real test of the season. Ahead of this game, this is what Tech’s coach, Joey McGuire said about Houston: “No disrespect to anybody we played last year, I think Houston is the best team we’ve played in the last two years…” As the generally accepted best team in the Big 12, Tech has been viewed as having potential to even go undefeated in the regular season.But last week against Oregon State, the Red Raiders bled. It was a back and forth game which Tech ended up winning 35-24. The team previously seen as unbeatable showed weaknesses.On the other hand, the Houston Cougars have flown just under the radar when it comes to being seen as one of the best in the conference. Last year they went 10-3, landing at fourth place in the final conference standings.This year they look to vindicate themselves, and on Saturday they’ll have a chance to do so in this top 25 matchup.Thus begs the questions, does Houston have what it takes to finally make the jump to a true top contender? Is Texas Tech as good as we all thought?The implications are huge for this game, because whoever wins will become a potential Bg 12 favorite, and could be very realistically end up in the Big 12 championship — which we hope would make them BYU’s opponent in Arlington.ASU v. Kansas, Saturday, Sept. 19 , 10 a.m. MT, FS1
Stock value: 75With both the Sun Devils and the Jayhawks coming off losses against ranked opponents, each will be looking to give themselves a good start in the Big 12 standings, as this will be second conference matchup of the year.Aside from standings, Arizona State is a team that has been a big question among CFB discussions. Kansas has also generated questions after graduating their previous starting QB.Both teams show up in the latter half of BYU’s season, and this game will be very telling as to the level of competition the Cougars can expect.This is an international game, being played in London.17 Utah Utes v. Utah State Aggies, Saturday, Sept. 19, 1:30 PM MST, FOX
Stock value: 60The Utah Utes have showcased a very powerful offense — potentially one of the best in the conference.This week, their new offensive coordinator, Kevin McGiven will have a chance to flex his new threads against his previous employer, the Utah State Aggies.The Aggies are 0-2. But last week they put up a strong fight against the No. 19 team, the Washington Huskies, losing only by two, 16-14.In all reality, this should be a blowout with the Utes on top. But with such a close loss against a ranked team, and the added emotion that goes in to playing an in-state rival — and a former staffer — you should pay attention to this scoreboard.Oklahoma State v. Murray State, Saturday, Sept. 19, 5 p.m. MT, ESPN+
Stock value: 40Oklahoma State successfully confused the entire country by beating the Oregon Ducks, who were previously ranked No. 6. Top draft prospect and 2025’s leading passer, Drew Mestemaker played very impressively.The kicker is that only a week before this, the Cowboys lost by 14 to Tulsa.By all definitions, they should destroy Murray state, but at this point, the Pokes are a wild card and it could be interesting to see what they do.BYU doesn’t play Oklahoma St. this year — at least not in the regular season — so this isn’t the most relevant game for a fan of the Cougars.West Virginia v. 25 Virginia, Sept. 19, 5:30 p.m. MT, ACC Network
Stock value: 25Virginia is ranked No. 25 going in to week three, and this is the first time that West Virginia has started a season 2-0 since 2018.West Virginia is a team that has struggled in recent years, and with a win against Virginia, they could really begin to turn the tide.This of course isn’t all of the matchups for the teams in the Big 12, but rather the five that are the most pertinent to BYU fans.
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big 12 conference
kansas
oklahoma state
arizona state
houston cougars
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