Week 10 in the Big 12 had the whole league acting exactly like the Big 12. There were wild finishes, huge numbers, ugly collapses, and a few teams making very loud statements about where they stand. Utah kept stretching its grip on the conference, while Kansas and Kansas State both walked away with losses that stung in very different ways.
The late-night window once again delivered the kind of chaos fans have come to expect. Arizona pulled off a 29-28 comeback over TCU after needing a late touchdown, a successful pooch onside kick, and a game-winning field goal to finish the job. Noah Fifita was right in the middle of it, throwing for 313 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 38 rushing yards and a score.
That game somehow wasn’t the wildest one of the weekend.
Texas Tech and West Virginia turned Saturday night into a full-blown shootout, with the Red Raiders escaping 53-48 in one of the most frantic games the conference has produced this season. West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. put up 303 passing yards and a touchdown, then added 88 rushing yards and three more scores. Texas Tech’s Thomas Castellanos answered with an even bigger line, throwing for 362 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 102 yards.
It was the kind of game that makes a point all by itself: Big 12 After Dark is still must-watch chaos.
Elsewhere, the Sunflower State had a rough weekend from top to bottom. Kansas State was buried by Oklahoma State, falling behind 28-7 after one quarter and 49-14 by halftime before the Cowboys rolled to a 66-28 win.
Kansas had an even more agonizing finish. The Jayhawks were down 26-7 early in the second half, then ripped off 25 straight points to grab a late lead.
But they couldn’t close it out, allowing UCF to march down the field and score with one second left in a 33-32 defeat.
That loss fits a pattern that has followed Kansas for several seasons. It also may have been the Jayhawks’ last realistic shot at another win this year, with the pressure on Lance Leipold only set to grow. Thanks to conference tiebreakers, Kansas now sits at the bottom of the Big 12 standings even though it shares a 1-5 conference record with Kansas State and Colorado.
At the top, Utah keeps looking like the league’s clear standard. The No.
3 Utes opened fast against No. 7 BYU, building a 14-3 lead before the Cougars fought back for a 20-14 halftime edge.
From there, Utah’s defense took over completely. The Utes shut BYU out in the second half and used that control to claim a 28-20 win.
That result left Utah as the only unbeaten team in the Big 12 and pushed the Utes to No. 2 nationally behind Georgia. The schedule still has some difficult stops ahead, with trips to Arizona and TCU still on deck before West Virginia comes to Salt Lake City in the regular-season finale. Even so, if Utah finishes 12-0, the Utes will have earned their place in the College Football Playoff before they ever reach the Big 12 Championship Game.
Week 11 brings its own set of pressure points. No.
17 Houston heads to Boulder for what looks like a classic trap game against Colorado. The Cougars have been one of the conference’s better teams, but road games can get tricky fast, especially against a team playing with desperation and a coach who may be fighting for his future.
Houston should handle business, but this is exactly the kind of spot where a favorite can get caught looking ahead.
There’s also bowl eligibility hanging in the balance in a few places. Arizona State and UCF, both 5-4, meet in Orlando with a postseason berth on the line.
The winner gets to bowl season; the loser has to wait. Arizona State looks like it has the tougher road to that sixth win, while UCF’s remaining path appears a little softer with Iowa State and Colorado still ahead.
Cincinnati can also get to bowl eligibility with a road win over Iowa State, though that’s a tough ask with the Cyclones favored at home. West Virginia is in the mix too, hosting a Kansas team that has been struggling. That one has the makings of a high-scoring game, given the offensive talent on both sides.
And then there are the late-night matchups that could get weird in a hurry. No.
2 Utah travels to No. 22 Arizona in a game that could be one of the most entertaining of the season.
Utah will be favored, but Arizona has shown all year that it can hang with anybody, especially at home. That one feels like it could go down to the final possession.
Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in Stillwater has the same kind of upside. Both teams can score, and after what Texas Tech and West Virginia just did, another shootout would hardly be a surprise. Don’t be shocked if those two combine for 100 points.
If Week 10 proved anything, it’s that Big 12 After Dark should never be turned off early. This league keeps producing some of the most entertaining football anywhere.
In Other News...
Kansas Gets An Early Ceiling Test Against Kentuckys New-Look Firepower
The Champions Classic has a way of revealing a lot early, and this meeting with Kentucky gives Kansas a clear read on where it stands against a roster built almost entirely on fresh faces. Kentucky has opened with wins over James Madison and Manhattan, but this is a much sharper step up in class, the kind of game that can expose whether the Wildcats new-look attack is ready for a national stage.
For Kansas, the challenge starts with defending the arc and keeping freshman Tyran Stokes from taking over the game. Kentuckys best path also runs through its newcomers, with Alex Wilkins and Zoom Diallo needing to settle in quickly if the Wildcats are going to match Kansas possession for possession. It is the sort of early ceiling test that can tell you a lot about both teams, even if it leaves plenty still to be sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Must Reshuffle Its Rotation After Losing A Starting Guard
Kansas will have to make an early-season adjustment after guard Melvin Council Jr. broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot during practice and is set for surgery. Bill Self said he expects a full recovery, but the injury will keep Council out until at least January, leaving the Jayhawks to sort through their backcourt options while the schedule keeps moving, including an upcoming matchup with Kentucky.
For a team still trying to settle into its rotation, losing a guard at this stage is more than a short-term inconvenience. Self is hoping Council can make it back around the start of conference play, but until then Kansas has to find a way to absorb his minutes and maintain some stability on the perimeter without one of its expected starters. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Suddenly Has A Backcourt Problem It Didn't Expect
Kansas backcourt took a hit in practice when Melvin Council Jr. suffered a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, a setback that will force Bill Self to adjust on the fly. Council is expected to undergo surgery within the next few days, and the injury comes at a time when the Jayhawks were still sorting out how their guard rotation would settle in during the early part of the season.
Self said Council is expected to make a full recovery and hopes to be back around the start of Big 12 play, but the immediate concern is covering his absence through the rest of the nonconference schedule. For Kansas, that means more responsibility for the other guards and a little less margin for error while the team waits for one of its key perimeter pieces to return. [Read more 🡒]