Week 6 didn’t really give the Big 12 a classic quarterback duel. It gave the league a string of solo showcases instead.
Bear Bachmeier was electric late Friday in BYU’s 24-10 win over Iowa State. Noah Fifita followed with the first 300-yard passing game he’s had against a Big 12 opponent this season, helping Arizona roll to a 52-31 win at West Virginia. And in Oklahoma State’s 42-28 victory over UCF, Drew Mestemaker stacked another big afternoon while Keyone Jenkins kept the Knights afloat with a strong passing line of his own.
The one true head-to-head feel came in Houston’s 35-16 win over Kansas State, where Conner Weigman outplayed Avery Johnson and the Cougars pulled away. Weigman threw four touchdown passes against the Wildcats, while Johnson never quite matched Houston’s pace.
That sets up a Week 7 slate loaded with quarterback intrigue, including a pair of ranked matchups that should bring the best version of the Big 12 passing game into the spotlight. Bachmeier and No.
8 BYU host CJ Carr and No. 2 Notre Dame at LaVell Edwards Stadium, and both quarterbacks will be dealing with tough defenses.
Mestemaker and Weigman are set for a top-20 showdown when No. 18 Oklahoma State visits No.
20 Houston in what could turn into a shootout.
Below is the Big 12 quarterback ranking entering Week 7 of the 2026 season.
Dampier’s latest outing came with some noise around it. He turned it over twice in Utah’s 41-24 win against Kansas, once on a strip sack and once on an underthrown interception. Even so, he still made enough plays underneath to finish 16-of-23 for 238 yards and three touchdowns, and his 71 rushing yards were his best total of the season.
Utah now heads to Colorado for a late-night road game in Week 7 (10:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN). The Buffaloes stayed in games against Baylor and Texas Tech because of their defense, but neither of those teams brings Utah’s run game.
Hawkins Jr. stays in the rankings despite a mixed week and a couple of bye weeks around him. Against Arizona’s defense, he ran for 98 yards and a touchdown, but his uneven throwing has been part of why West Virginia has dropped two of its three Big 12 games.
The Mountaineers get Cincinnati at home in their third conference game in Morgantown (Noon EDT, TNT). The Bearcats had their own issues against run-heavy teams through their first five games.
Johnson’s performance against Houston was uneven from start to finish. He finished 16-of-30 for 182 yards and two second-half touchdowns, but he also threw a fourth-quarter interception on a poor decision to Josh Manning. Kansas is next on the schedule for Kansas State in league play (Noon EDT, FS1), and the Jayhawks are coming off a rough defensive outing in a road loss to Utah.
Lagway and Baylor come out of a Week 6 bye, and his early-season body of work still keeps him in the conversation. He played in only three of the Bears’ first five games because of injury, but he still managed 860 passing yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions while helping Baylor get to 2-1.
The Bears return to McLane Stadium for a rivalry game with TCU in Week 7 (7 p.m. EDT, FS1). The Horned Frogs have not let any offense top 350 yards yet, though they still don’t have a Power Four win.
Weigman was devastating when Houston needed him to be. Against Kansas State, he found tight end Patrick Overmyer for all four of his touchdown passes, and he also hit Amare Thomas and Koby Young on deep throws in the first half.
That form now gets tested again with Oklahoma State coming to town (7:30 p.m. EDT, Fox). The Cowboys let Keyone Jenkins throw the ball all over the field last week, so Weigman may have another big night ahead.
Bachmeier’s role in BYU’s win over Iowa State grew after LJ Martin’s absence, and he handled it beautifully. He threw for 329 yards and two scores, added 109 rushing yards, and finished the game himself with a 39-yard run in the final minutes.
Now the challenge gets far stiffer. BYU faces Notre Dame on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. EDT, ABC), and none of the first six offenses the Fighting Irish have seen managed to reach 300 total yards.
Mestemaker keeps climbing after another efficient and explosive outing. He worked the middle and left side of the field in Oklahoma State’s win over UCF, completed 19 of 28 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns, and every one of the six receivers he connected with had at least one catch of 20 yards or more.
That sets up a huge one for the Cowboys, who travel to No. 20 Houston for their first ranked Big 12 matchup of the year (7:30 p.m.
EDT, Fox). Houston’s defense had its best performance yet against an FBS quarterback last week, but it has also given up big pass plays, especially in non-conference games against Oregon State and Georgia Southern.
Fifita rounds out the list after another sharp passing day that also came with a few shaky moments. A tipped pass deep in Arizona territory turned into a West Virginia first down at the 3-yard line early in the second quarter, and the early interceptions remain something to watch. Still, he finished 16-of-23 for 341 yards and three touchdowns, while peppering Isaiah Mizell with highlight-reel throws in Arizona’s win.
Across six games before Arizona’s bye, Fifita has thrown for 1,756 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. Iowa State is his first test coming out of that bye.
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Arizonas Young Talent Just Made One Early Statement
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Caleb Holt looked every bit like a player who will matter right away, finishing with 17 points, while Motiejus Krivas did plenty of his damage before halftime with 16 points. For a team still finding its rhythm in the preseason, that kind of contribution from young players is the kind of development Arizona wants to see. The bigger question now is how far this new-look group can carry that early momentum once the games count for real. [Read more 🡒]
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Bryce James was part of that early look, earning a start in the opener and giving Arizona another name and another storyline to track as the roster takes shape. Lloyd addressed both James and Holt after the game, explaining the thinking behind the starting decision and offering his view of Holts progress, leaving plenty to watch as the Wildcats keep building toward the real thing. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Fans Have Every Reason To Question This Ivan Kharchenkov Omission
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Kharchenkov is expected to be a real offensive piece for Arizona this season, and he has already given the Wildcats a glimpse of why. In the exhibition win over San Francisco, he finished with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, a line that suggests there is more here than just preseason buzz. Arizona will get another measuring stick soon enough with an exhibition against San Diego State, and Kharchenkov should have another chance to make the omission look a lot stranger. [Read more 🡒]