Week 6 didn’t give the Big 12 many classic quarterback showdowns, but it did reshuffle the league’s pecking order behind center. Drew Mestemaker, Conner Weigman, Bear Bachmeier and Noah Fifita all put together statement outings, and that’s exactly why Week 7 brings two ranked matchups with real juice: BYU against Notre Dame and Oklahoma State against Houston.
Mestemaker is the biggest mover here, climbing to No. 2 after another clean, explosive day for Oklahoma State. In the Cowboys’ 42-28 win over UCF, he went 19-of-28 for 304 yards and two touchdowns, and he spread the ball around enough that all six receivers he completed a pass to produced a gain of at least 20 yards.
It was the fourth time this season he has topped 300 passing yards. Now he gets another big stage, with No.
20 Houston coming to Stillwater for the Cowboys’ first ranked Big 12 matchup. The Cougars were better against an FBS quarterback last week, but they have still given up their share of chunk plays, especially in non-conference games against Oregon State and Georgia Southern.
Weigman stays right in the thick of the conversation after his latest efficient, touchdown-heavy performance. Houston’s 35-16 win at Kansas State featured four scoring throws from Weigman, and every one of them went to tight end Patrick Overmyer.
He also hit Amare Thomas and Koby Young on deep balls in the first half, giving the Cougars the kind of vertical punch that can change a game fast. The test gets tougher this week against Oklahoma State, but the matchup sets up as one of the best quarterback battles on the board.
Bachmeier used Week 6 to show he can carry more than just the passing load. In BYU’s 24-10 win over Iowa State, he stepped in with LJ Martin out and delivered one of the best games of his career.
Bachmeier threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns, added 109 yards on the ground to lead the Cougars in rushing, and finished the job with a 39-yard run late to ice it. That earned him a major leap in the rankings, and it comes right before BYU’s toughest challenge yet: No.
2 Notre Dame at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Irish have kept every offense they’ve faced through six games under 300 total yards.
Fifita also made a strong case after Arizona’s 52-31 win at West Virginia. He went 16-of-23 for 341 yards and three touchdowns, and some of his best work came on highlight-reel throws to Isaiah Mizell.
The concern remains the turnovers - a tipped pass deep in Arizona territory turned into a West Virginia first down at the 3-yard line early in the second quarter - but the production was undeniable. Through six games before Arizona’s bye, Fifita has thrown for 1,756 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Iowa State’s defense is up next after the break.
A few quarterbacks held their spots more by circumstance than fireworks. West Virginia’s Hawkins Jr. stayed in the rankings despite rough stretches from other passers and bye weeks around the league.
He ran for 98 yards and a touchdown against Arizona, but his passing inconsistency has been part of why the Mountaineers have lost two of their three Big 12 games. West Virginia’s third conference home game comes against Cincinnati, and the Bearcats have already shown they can be volatile against run-heavy offenses.
Kansas State’s Avery Johnson also remains in the mix after a difficult night in the loss to Houston. He finished 16-of-30 for 182 yards with two second-half touchdown passes, but he also threw a bad interception to Josh Manning early in the fourth quarter. Kansas is next, and the Jayhawks are coming off a rough defensive showing in their road loss to Utah.
Utah’s Devon Dampier had his own uneven outing in the Utes’ 41-24 win over Kansas. He turned it over twice - once on a strip sack and once on an underthrown interception - but still pieced together a productive night.
Dampier threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns, mostly on shorter throws, and added 71 rushing yards, his best mark of the season. Utah heads to Colorado in Week 7, where the Buffaloes’ defense has kept them in games against Baylor and Texas Tech, even if neither of those teams can run it the way Utah has this season.
Baylor’s Arch Lagway stayed in the rankings after the Bears’ Week 6 bye. He has played in only three of Baylor’s first five games because of injury, but in that stretch he still produced 860 passing yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions while helping the Bears to a 2-1 record. Baylor returns to McLane Stadium for a rivalry game with TCU, and the Horned Frogs are still looking for their first Power Four win even though they haven’t allowed an opponent to top 350 total yards.
Week 7 should tell us even more. With ranked opponents waiting for BYU and Oklahoma State, the top of the Big 12 quarterback list could get another shakeup fast.
In Other News...
Houston Fans Finally Have Clarity On John Hebert's Recovery Timeline
John Heberts season ended in an instant on a kickoff against UCF, and Houston has been waiting for a clearer picture ever since the initial lower-leg injury report. The Cougars running back has since undergone successful surgery on Oct. 8, giving the staff a much better sense of the road ahead as they look toward next year and the start of offseason work.
Willie Fritz now expects Hebert to be fully recovered and ready to train by early June, a timetable that at least offers some relief after a tough setback. In the meantime, Houston will keep leaning on senior Makhi Hughes and redshirt junior Re'Shaun Sanford II to carry the rushing load, with Sanford bringing his own perspective after bouncing back from two ACL injuries of his own. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Gets An Early Test That Could Say A Lot
The Players Era Festival is back for its second year, and Houston is part of an opening-round slate that should give the Cougars an early read on where they stand. The 8-team bracket runs Nov. 17-19 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, with a set of non-conference games that includes West Virginia-Auburn, Kansas-UNLV, Florida-Notre Dame and a Houston matchup that immediately carries some weight.
For the Cougars, the appeal is less about the spectacle and more about the chance to see how a revamped group handles a tournament environment against a quality opponent. Rutgers brings enough to make this more than a tune-up, which is exactly why this kind of early test matters in November, when teams are still sorting out roles, chemistry and how far their ceiling might reach. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Run Defense Faces Its Biggest Big 12 Test Yet
Houstons rise on defense has been built on fixing one of last seasons biggest problems, and the turnaround has been hard to miss. Under defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, the No. 20 Cougars have become one of the nations stingiest run units, with Khalil Laufau, Ashton Porter, Myles Parker, DeMarion Thomas, Brandon Mack II, Latreveon McCutchin and Jaden Yates all part of a front that has looked far more sturdy and disciplined than it did a year ago.
Now comes the kind of test that can tell you how real that progress is. No. 18 Oklahoma State brings a strong rushing attack into a matchup Houston needs to treat as a measuring stick in the Big 12 race, especially after the Cougars already showed they could bottle up a quality ground game in recent conference play. The question is whether this front keeps holding its ground when the opponent is built to make it move. [Read more 🡒]