Week 10 gave the Big 12 plenty of quarterback fireworks, and Week 11 is set up to keep the spotlight squarely on the guys behind center. From Noah Fifita’s late push in Arizona’s 29-28 win over TCU to the chaos of the Holy War, the league’s signal-callers kept changing the shape of the rankings.
The biggest swing came in Utah’s 28-20 win over BYU, where the two quarterbacks produced wildly different nights. One accounted for all four of his team’s touchdowns.
The other threw four interceptions. That kind of split was enough to shake up the order, even if it didn’t knock anyone out entirely.
Thomas Castellanos and Michael Hawkins Jr. also delivered one of the weekend’s most entertaining shootouts in Texas Tech’s 53-48 win over West Virginia. The two offenses piled up 68 points in the first half alone, and both quarterbacks topped 300 passing yards while doing damage on the ground as well.
Here’s how the Big 12’s eight best quarterbacks stack up heading into Week 11 of the 2026 college football season.
Devon Dampier keeps showing why Utah’s offense can tilt games so quickly. In the Holy War, he was responsible for all four of the Utes’ touchdowns.
He threw two scores to Braden Pegan, including a 46-yard strike into tight coverage and a 14-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone. He also ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns, and even caught a 29-yard pass from Creed Whittemore on a fourth down.
Utah now heads south for a ranked road game at No. 23 Arizona on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
EST on Fox. The Wildcats have already seen a similar quarterback-running back pairing in Thomas Castellanos and J’Koby Williams, who combined for 292 rushing yards against them.
Noah Fifita’s night against TCU started with a costly mistake, but he recovered enough to help Arizona stay in the fight. His pick six put the Wildcats in a halftime hole, yet he later ran for a nine-yard touchdown in the third quarter to briefly put Arizona back in front. He also helped trim the deficit with a contested touchdown pass to Quincy Craig in the fourth.
Arizona stays home for the matchup with unbeaten No. 2 Utah on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
EST on Fox. The Utes have forced turnovers in each of their last six Big 12 games, including a four-interception outing against BYU.
Castellanos has given Texas Tech a different gear over the last two weeks. Against West Virginia, he threw for 362 yards, hit a bunch of deep shots and tossed five touchdowns while adding 102 rushing yards in a huge night for the Red Raiders.
That performance sends Texas Tech into a ranked road test at No. 25 Oklahoma State on Saturday night at 9:30 p.m.
EST on ESPN. The Cowboys have given up at least three touchdowns to opposing offenses in each of their six Big 12 games.
Hawkins Jr. answered with another big dual-threat outing for West Virginia. He threw for more than 300 yards for the second time this season, finding TaRon Francis, Prince Strachan and Ryan Ward on deep passes. On the ground, he added 88 yards and three touchdowns, as usual making life difficult for the defense.
West Virginia returns home to face Kansas on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. EST on ESPNU. The Jayhawks have defended the run well over the last three weeks, though Kansas State and Utah both ran for more than 275 yards against them in mid-October.
Houston’s Conner Weigman also earned a place in the top group after a sharp showing in the Cougars’ 31-24 win over Cincinnati. He finished 17-of-24 for 227 yards and two touchdowns, added 30 rushing yards and scored Houston’s third touchdown on the ground. One of his best throws came on an eight-yard touchdown to Amare Thomas, delivered off his back foot.
Houston heads to Colorado for a late Friday night game at 10:15 p.m. EST on ESPN. The Buffaloes’ last two opponents both started third-string quarterbacks.
DJ Lagway made his legs a bigger part of the game in Baylor’s 42-31 win over Iowa State. He threw touchdown passes to Tony Livingston and Taz Williams, ran for 119 yards and a touchdown, and nearly had another score before fumbling as he crossed the goal line at the end of the first half.
Baylor now travels to No. 10 BYU for an afternoon kickoff at 3:30 p.m.
EST on Fox. Utah’s quarterback play was a major factor in the Cougars’ loss last weekend, but Lagway is not nearly as dangerous with his feet as Devon Dampier.
Bachmeier stays in the rankings, but the Holy War was a rough one. After BYU moved ahead 20-14, he doubled his interception total for the season by throwing four picks over the final three quarters. Not all of them came on bad luck, either; the second and third interceptions were thrown directly to Utah defenders.
BYU is back home this week for the Baylor game at 3:30 p.m. EST on Fox. The Bears have forced at least one turnover in every game this season, though they also came off one of their poorest defensive outings of the year against Iowa State.
Drew Mestemaker rounds out the group after one of the wildest stat lines of the weekend. In Oklahoma State’s 66-28 win at Kansas State, he threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns, ran for a score and even caught a touchdown in the fourth quarter. He did throw a pick six in the second quarter, but it barely mattered with the Cowboys already up 28-14.
That sets up a ranked showdown in Stillwater against No. 12 Texas Tech on Saturday at 9:30 p.m.
EST on ESPN. The Red Raiders have struggled defensively over the last three weeks, and they gave up 582 total yards in last week’s win over West Virginia.
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Arizonas first real road test arrives Friday night at Neville Arena, where the Wildcats will try to carry the momentum from two home wins into a matchup with an Auburn team that is also unbeaten. The Tigers are 2-0 under second-year head coach Steven Pearl, and the game on ESPN2 gives Arizona a chance to see how its early-season form translates away from home against a deeper, more physical opponent.
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Auburn, now in its second season under Steven Pearl, has its own reason to treat this as a meaningful test, but Arizonas attention will be split between staying organized defensively and getting enough help from the second unit. The Wildcats have leaned on their core pieces so far, yet games like this often turn on whether the bench can supply a steady lift when the pace tightens and the matchup gets more demanding. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Has A Rare Shot To Shake Up The CFP Race
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Utah brings the kind of profile that tends to separate good seasons from memorable ones, with quarterback Devon Dampier and wide receiver Braden Pegan leading the way. For Arizona, the opportunity is obvious: beat one of the best teams in the country and turn a strong year into something even more compelling, with the kind of result that would echo well beyond Saturday evening. [Read more 🡒]