Big 12 quarterback rankings took a noticeable shakeup after Week 4, and Drew Mestemaker was the biggest mover. His performance at West Virginia - a 41-24 Oklahoma State win - was the kind that forces attention. He was sharp late, repeatedly finding Wyatt Young on deep shots in the second half, and the Cowboys rode that burst to pull away.
Mestemaker’s jump came in a week that also brought a return, a benching and a few uneven outings. DJ Lagway stepped back into the mix in Baylor’s 23-13 win over Colorado, Keyone Jenkins handled his business in UCF’s 21-13 win against TCU, and Will Hammond’s day went sideways in Texas Tech’s 49-14 win over Sam Houston State after three straight interceptions. Colorado’s quarterback situation changed, too, with Deion Sanders benching Julian Lewis for Isaac Wilson at halftime and later saying Wilson would start going forward.
Here’s how the eight best Big 12 quarterbacks stack up entering Week 5 of the 2026 season.
Michael Hawkins Jr. remains one of the league’s most dangerous runners, and that showed again at West Virginia. He piled up 103 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, but Oklahoma State also exposed a limitation when the Mountaineers needed him to beat them with his arm as the game tightened in the fourth quarter.
That matters this week, because Iowa State will be Hawkins Jr.’s first Big 12 road environment of the season at noon EDT on TNT. The Cyclones were vulnerable against the run against Utah, which fits the way the Mountaineer offense wants to operate.
Lagway is back in the conversation after his return against Colorado. The box score was messy - he finished 19-of-39 passing - but he still accounted for both Baylor touchdowns, one on a contested throw into the corner of the end zone and the other on a 33-yard deep ball.
His first Big 12 road test comes at Arizona State at 10:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN, and the Sun Devils have already seen two inconsistent quarterbacks in Marcel Reed and Isaiah Marshall.
Conner Weigman delivered exactly what Houston needed in its 42-28 win at Georgia Southern. He went 17-of-22 for 239 yards and four passing touchdowns, then added the other two scores on the ground. Now he gets UCF in Houston’s first Big 12 home game of the year at noon EDT on ESPN2.
Mestemaker’s rise is built on more than one outing. Against West Virginia, he finished 20-of-27 for 389 yards and threw only one interception, and even that mistake came with four defenders around the intended receiver.
The rest of the afternoon was all about the deep ball, and Oklahoma State kept leaning into it until the game broke open. After a bye in Week 5, UCF will be his first conference home test.
The quarterback picture at Kansas State is quieter this week because the Wildcats are off, but Avery Johnson still has work to clean up after the 31-26 loss at Cincinnati. His legs were mostly taken away, with a 10-yard run on the first possession standing as his longest of the night, and most of his passing game stayed underneath.
He did connect with Derrick Salley Jr. on a 39-yard completion, though. Kansas State returns in Week 6 to host Houston.
BYU also comes off a bye, and Bear Bachmeier has been productive through three games: 642 passing yards, six touchdowns, one interception, plus 64 rushing yards and two more scores. The Cougars head to TCU for a 7 p.m. EDT matchup on ESPN, and Bachmeier figures to present a much different challenge than the first two quarterbacks the Horned Frogs saw, Billy Edwards and Keyone Jenkins.
Arizona’s Noah Fifita had a rough moment early in the Wildcats’ 34-24 win over Washington State when he threw a pick six to a safety who had crept in from behind his target. He recovered with big throws down the field, connecting with Tre Spivey, Caleb Smith and Chris Hunter III on long gains.
Cincinnati visits Casino Del Sol Stadium at 11 p.m. EDT on FOX, and the Bearcats now face their toughest test in the air after dealing with Mason McKenzie and Avery Johnson in September.
Utah’s Devon Dampier didn’t need to carry much of the load in a 31-17 win at Iowa State. He threw a 24-yard touchdown to Braden Pegan through traffic in the first quarter, but the Utes leaned mostly on Wayshawn Parker and the ground game from there.
Utah heads into the bye at 4-0, and Kansas is next on Oct. 10.
In Other News...
UCF Heads To Houston With A Lineup Problem Fans Know Too Well
UCF is heading into its matchup with Houston still shorthanded, with Scott Frost confirming several starters will remain unavailable. Duane Thomas Jr., Alonza Barnett III, Lewis Carter and Owen Spell are all among the names the Knights will be without, leaving the roster depth picture familiar for fans who have watched injuries reshape this group.
Houston, by comparison, enters the week in a much cleaner spot on the availability report. The Cougars have only two lower-depth players ruled out and two others listed as questionable, which is the kind of edge that can matter in a conference game where both sides are trying to stabilize their lineups and avoid letting attrition decide the night. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Could Be Vulnerable In One Colorado Matchup Fans Should Notice
Colorado is about to find out a lot about itself, and Houston has a clear reason to pay attention. The Buffaloes are headed into a difficult run with multiple AP Top 25 opponents over their next seven games, a stretch that will demand cleaner execution and sharper game plans every week. For a Cougars team watching the broader race unfold, it is the kind of schedule that can expose where a contender is truly sturdy and where it still has some giving points.
The matchup outlook also suggests this is not just a talent test, but a chess match built around specific players and matchups on both sides of the ball. The preview points to strategic focus areas for each opponent, the kind of detail that can swing close games and reshape confidence quickly. For Houston fans, the takeaway is simple enough: if Colorado starts to look vulnerable anywhere, this is the sort of stretch where it will show, and the Cougars will want to know which version shows up. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Faces An Early Big 12 Test That Could Change Perception
Houstons trip to Kansas State on Oct. 10 is starting to take shape as one of the first real measuring-stick games of the Big 12 season. The Cougars will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CST on FOX, marking their third national TV appearance of the year and their second on that network, a stage that will put even more attention on how they handle an early road test against a conference opponent with a difficult profile.
The matchup also carries a little extra weight because of the history between the programs and the uncertainty surrounding Kansas States coaching situation, which adds another layer to an already tricky assignment. For Houston, the bigger picture is clear: games like this are where perception can shift quickly, and a strong showing in Manhattan would say plenty about how far the Cougars can go in their new league. [Read more 🡒]