Week 10 in the Big 12 doesn’t just bring a packed slate. It brings pressure.
The league’s biggest spotlight lands on BYU and Utah in Holy War week, a matchup that has the kind of weight that makes everything else feel a little smaller. ESPN has the Cougars and Utes kicking at 10 a.m. mountain, a choice that only adds to the edge around a game involving two Top 10 teams. And with that showdown leading the way, three programs enter the week with plenty to answer for.
BYU sits at the top of that list. The Cougars already have one loss this season, the setback coming against UCF, and a win over Utah may be the clearest path to the Big 12 Championship game.
Drop this one, and BYU gets squeezed into a crowded race with other two-loss teams hoping for chaos involving Utah, BYU and Texas Tech. That’s a lot of scoreboard-watching, and it’s unlikely all three of those teams will stumble.
If the Cougars win, they’ll be tied with Utah for first in the Big 12 alongside Texas Tech, assuming the Red Raiders handle the Mountaineers. If they lose, Utah stays unbeaten and looks headed for Arlington, while Texas Tech’s path becomes simple in theory: win out.
That’s easier said than done, but the margin for error shrinks fast either way. For BYU, the point is simple.
This is a season-defining game.
Baylor is in a different kind of prove-it spot, but it’s no less real. The Bears rolled past UCF, 41-9, in Joe Klanderman’s first game as interim head coach, and that’s about as strong a debut as a coach can ask for. The question now is whether it holds.
That’s the thing with interim coaches: teams either catch fire or fall apart. Baylor chose the first path last week.
The next test matters more, because the second game usually says more about the direction of the team than the first one does. The Bears get Iowa State at home, and the Cyclones just put up 51 points on Oklahoma State.
Baylor needs to show that last week was the start of something, not just a one-week spike, especially with a brutal stretch ahead against BYU, Texas Tech and Houston.
Kansas State rounds out the group, and the Wildcats are trying to steady themselves after a rough stretch. Since opening 3-0, they’ve gone 1-4, and while there was always going to be some growing pain with first-year head coach Collin Klein, patience only stretches so far before the questions get louder.
This week brings one of those questions into focus: can Kansas State win without quarterback Avery Johnson? The Wildcats nearly answered that last week against Colorado. Barnett turned in a solid outing, throwing three touchdown passes before KSU fell by three points to the Buffaloes, who picked up their first Big 12 win.
Now comes Oklahoma State, which has the conference’s most productive offense but a defense that has been taking on water through Big 12 play. That gives Klein a chance to show he can build an offense that takes advantage of those cracks. For Kansas State, that would be another useful box to check.
In Other News...
Kansas State's Thinning Offense Faces Another Worry Before Oklahoma State
Kansas States offense is already trying to adjust without Avery Johnson, and now it may have another key piece in question heading into Oklahoma State. Running back Joe Jackson has landed on the injury report as questionable, adding uncertainty to a unit that has leaned on his versatility and production all season.
Jackson is the Wildcats third-leading rusher and one of the more flexible options in the offense, which makes his status worth watching closely as game day approaches. With the quarterback situation already settled for the long term because of Johnsons season-ending injury, any additional absence would only make the challenge of keeping the offense moving more difficult. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Suddenly Has A Road Problem Collin Klein Must Solve
Kansas States strong start has given way to a two-game skid, and the timing has made the Wildcats margin for error feel a lot thinner. Collin Klein has pointed to a broader issue that has followed the program on the road over the past three years, where close games have too often tilted the wrong way and left little room to recover when things start to wobble.
Avery Johnsons injury has only complicated matters, forcing Kansas State to lean on inexperienced backups in spots where composure matters most. The latest setback, an overtime loss to Colorado, fit the pattern all too well, and it leaves Klein with a problem that goes beyond one bad night away from home. The Wildcats now have to find a way to steady themselves before the road keeps dictating the story. [Read more 🡒]
K-State Faces A Brutal Test Keeping Up With Oklahoma State
Kansas State is heading into a matchup that figures to demand points in bunches, and the Wildcats are not pretending otherwise. With backup quarterback Blake Barnett set to run the offense in place of injured starter Avery Johnson, K-State knows it will need to keep pace with an Oklahoma State team that has been piling up yards and points behind quarterback Drew Mestemaker and the Big 12s top offense.
The challenge for the Wildcats is as much about staying aggressive as it is about surviving the matchup. Players and coaches have been clear that Oklahoma States attack can force opponents out of their comfort zone, which puts even more pressure on K-States offense to answer possession for possession. For a team already adjusting at quarterback, the margin for error against that kind of firepower looks awfully thin. [Read more 🡒]