What a Saturday the Big 12 just had. Week 7 brought a little of everything: a massive upset in Provo, a dominant showing from a conference heavyweight, a ranked fight in Houston, rivalry business in Manhattan and a walk-off field goal in Morgantown.
The headline belongs to BYU. The Cougars walked into Saturday night as double-digit underdogs against No.
2 Notre Dame, with College GameDay in Provo and the whole country watching. They answered with the kind of finish that changes a season’s conversation.
Bear Bachmeier drove BYU on a late touchdown march to grab the lead, and the defense stood firm in the final seconds, keeping Notre Dame out inside the 10-yard line to secure a 28-24 win.
That result carries real weight for the league. BYU’s upset of Notre Dame is being treated as the biggest win in the history of the 16-team version of the Big 12, and it’s not hard to see why.
It matters for credibility. It matters for the College Football Playoff picture.
And it matters because it gives BYU, and by extension the conference, a marquee non-conference win that can strengthen resumes across the board.
Bachmeier was at the center of all of it. He finished 23-of-36 for 224 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and he added 45 rushing yards and two scores on 13 carries.
He wasn’t just good. He carried the offense.
Texas Tech also delivered a performance that looked like the version of the Red Raiders plenty of people expected to see this season. The tone changed early when Ben Roberts returned an interception for a touchdown in the first quarter, and Texas Tech never let Arizona State back into it on the way to a 53-25 win.
J’Koby Williams piled up a career-high 165 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Will Hammond looked settled for the first time all year, completing 18 of 26 passes for 232 yards, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. Tech needed that kind of outing, and it may be the spark that gets the Red Raiders rolling in the back half of the season.
In Manhattan, Kansas State kept its grip on the Sunflower Showdown. The Wildcats erased a 17-7 first-half deficit and beat Kansas 35-24 to make it 18 straight in the series.
Once Kansas State found its footing, it controlled the game with sheer production: 357 rushing yards and 568 total yards, along with 7.6 yards per play. Joe Jackson led the ground attack with 159 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, while Avery Johnson added 132 rushing yards on just 12 attempts and also threw for 209 yards and a touchdown.
The win also gave Kansas State its first conference victory and moved the Wildcats to 1-2. In Year 1 under Collin Klein, this still looks like a team in transition. But rivalry wins have a way of cutting through that noise, and this one keeps the streak alive for a coach who was part of it as a player and now continues it from the sideline.
Houston earned a hard-fought one in a ranked game that had plenty of bite. The Cougars held off an Oklahoma State rally and escaped with a 35-32 win in front of a sell-out crowd.
Conner Weigman was the difference, throwing five touchdown passes and winning the duel with Drew Mestemaker, who kept flashing the kind of ability that has him climbing NFL Draft boards. Mestemaker was sharp, but Weigman made the bigger plays late.
With Houston protecting a three-point lead and under two minutes left, Weigman kept the Cowboys from getting another shot by running on a second-and-6 to help close it out.
For Houston, it was the kind of night the program has been building toward for more than a decade. The fan base showed up, and the Cougars gave them a result to match.
Not every Big 12 contender had a clean day. Baylor’s trip to the Revivalry turned into a mess.
The Bears entered the game with four straight wins and some real momentum in the conference, but Saturday unraveled quickly. DJ Lagway was inconsistent, the run game never found traction and the performance left Dave Aranda in the spotlight again.
After the loss, Aranda said, “We have to win. I understand when there’s not success, but I believe in this team.
I believe in the guys in the locker room. They care about winning.
They care about Baylor. IT means a lot to them.”
Baylor is still 2-1 in Big 12 play, and the schedule ahead gives the Bears Kansas, UCF and Iowa State next. After that comes BYU, Texas Tech and Houston.
The question hanging over the program is how much runway Aranda has left. Saturday didn’t help his case.
It was a rough showing in a rivalry game after a promising stretch, and it landed badly.
In Other News...
Kansas State May Need Another Tight End Fix Against Arizona State
Garrett Oakley is expected to miss a second straight game, leaving Kansas State to keep adjusting at tight end as it prepares for Arizona State. Coach Collin Klein said the starting tight end is dealing with a viral illness, and Oakley was already out for the Wildcats game against Kansas, forcing the staff to shuffle personnel and look for help elsewhere on the offense.
One of those fixes has been using freshman offensive tackle Oliver Miller in a tight end role in recent games, a move that shows how much the Wildcats have had to improvise around the spot. With Oakley unlikely to return this week, Kansas State will again have to manage its tight end plan on the fly while trying to stay on schedule against the Sun Devils. [Read more 🡒]
K-State Revives A Throwback Look Fans Never Expected This Soon
Kansas State is reaching back into its wardrobe for a look that feels equal parts familiar and fresh, unveiling alternate uniforms with purple helmets and purple pants for its upcoming game against Arizona State. The Wildcats shared images of the set on social media ahead of the matchup, and the combination brings back a style that has been part of the programs history but not its recent game-day routine.
The purple helmets are especially notable, since Kansas State has not worn them since 1988. The purple pants also make their return after last being used during the Ron Prince era, giving this weeks matchup a vintage feel before the Wildcats even take the field. For fans who like a little nostalgia mixed into the present, it is a throwback worth paying attention to. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Faces A Road Test After Last Weeks Ground Breakthrough
Kansas State heads into Saturdays trip to Tempe with a little more breathing room after finally breaking through for its first Big 12 win of the season against Kansas. The Wildcats will now try to carry that momentum into Mountain America Stadium, where they face Arizona State on Oct. 24 with kickoff set for 2:45 p.m. CT.
Arizona State comes in looking to respond after a loss to Texas Tech, which makes this one feel like an important measuring-stick game for both programs. The matchup will be on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+, giving the Wildcats a quick chance to see whether last weeks breakthrough can travel on the road. [Read more 🡒]