The Big 12 race is starting to sort itself out, and the separation is showing up in a hurry. Some teams are building real momentum, some are hanging around, and a few are discovering just how hard this stretch of the season can be.
One of the clearest risers right now is Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are not just winning; they’re looking like a team that can decide the shape of this conference race.
Drew Mestmaker threw for more than 300 yards against UCF, and the defense answered after a few tackling issues by holding the Knights to seven second-half points while also scoring a defensive touchdown. That’s the formula working in real time: the offense piling on pressure, the defense delivering at the exact moments that matter.
Saturday’s game against Houston is the big hinge point. It’s Oklahoma State’s first matchup against a ranked opponent while ranked itself, and the stakes are obvious.
If the Cowboys handle business, they could roll into their Nov. 14 meeting with Texas Tech still undefeated in Big 12 play. If they slip, they’re still in the hunt, but the climb gets steeper fast.
Either way, their stock is moving up.
Arizona also earned a serious boost. The Wildcats went into Morgantown for a noon kickoff - 9 a.m. back in Tucson - and did it without three wide receivers.
None of that slowed them down. Arizona put up 51 points, Noah Fifita threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, and Isaiah Mizell stepped into the spotlight with six catches for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense gave up 31, but that number doesn’t carry the same weight against a West Virginia team that is built to score. With six games played and only one loss, to BYU, Arizona is very much in the mix for the Big 12 title game.
As long as Fifita keeps operating at this level, the Wildcats will have a chance.
Utah has climbed into the same conversation. Last weekend was the first time the Utes really had to deal with a push, and Kansas made them work for it.
Utah led only 21-17 at halftime, the Jayhawks challenged them in different ways, and the Utes had to adjust before finally pulling away after the break. The second-half response mattered.
So did Wayshawn Parker, who ripped off 171 yards and two touchdowns and now looks like the running back Utah should keep feeding. He’s done this before, too, helping close the door on an upset-minded opponent in Iowa State earlier in Big 12 play.
After coming in with some skepticism tied to the coaching change, Utah now looks to be in excellent shape.
Not every stock report is glowing, though. UCF is still stuck in a tough pattern away from home.
The Knights have now dropped 12 straight road games since beating TCU in their Big 12 debut in September of 2023. Scott Frost is the one who has to break that streak, and the reality is that his team keeps showing fight without finding a finish.
Against Oklahoma State, UCF was missing 10 players, including Alonza Barnett III and Duane Thomas Jr., and that kind of depletion leaves the offense with very little margin. The defensive line can only carry so much.
If the Knights can’t start turning these close road games into wins, a bowl berth is going to remain out of reach.
Kansas State is another team whose season is heading in the wrong direction. It’s unusual to look at the Wildcats and see a team that simply doesn’t look like Kansas State, but that’s where things stand.
Houston came in and controlled the game after a tight first quarter, and the biggest issue remains on the defensive side. The portal losses hit hard, Collin Klein worked to patch things together, but there just isn’t enough there right now.
That puts a lot on Avery Johnson and the offense, and it also raises the stakes for this weekend’s Sunflower Showdown against Kansas. Kansas State’s 17-year run in that rivalry is on the line.
BYU is in a strange spot in this discussion because the Cougars are still undefeated, but the injury to LJ Martin changes the temperature around the team. Bear Bachmeier turned in a huge performance, throwing for 329 yards and rushing for 109 more, and he pretty much carried the load.
That’s the problem. It’s hard to imagine asking him to do that every week.
BYU did get six other players involved in the run game, but Preston Rex led the non-Bear rushers with 21 years. The Cougars now have to find a real answer on the ground, and they need one quickly with No.
2 Notre Dame coming to town.
In Other News...
Kansas States Big 12 Slide Is Putting One Weakness Under A Spotlight
Kansas States recent slide in Big 12 play has done more than dent its standing in the league race. It has also sharpened the conversation around what has been an uneven stretch for the Wildcats, with the conference picture getting tighter as the weekend slate brings more high-profile games and a fresh round of movement in the rankings.
The broader Big 12 landscape only adds to the pressure, with updated power rankings reflecting recent results, standout performances and the challenges still ahead for several teams. For Kansas State, the issue is not just keeping pace in a crowded conference, but proving it can steady the part of its game that has become harder to ignore as the losses pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State's Offense Faces Real Pressure Entering Sunflower Showdown
Kansas States offense has hit a rough patch at the wrong time, with the Wildcats trying to shake off a two-game losing streak and find a way back to the kind of rhythm that made them dangerous earlier this season. Big plays have been hard to come by, and first-year coach Collin Klein has made it clear the unit needs more explosiveness if it is going to get back on track.
The timing only adds to the pressure with the Sunflower Showdown coming next against Kansas. The Wildcats are looking not just to end the skid, but to keep their recent edge in the rivalry intact, and that means the offense has to show it can create more than steady drives when the stage gets bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Has A Run Game Problem At The Worst Time
Kansas State looked like it had a manageable path into Big 12 play after handling the run game well enough in non-conference action, but the first two conference weekends told a different story. Against Cincinnati and Houston, the Wildcats have not been able to generate the kind of ground production that lets Avery Johnson and the offense settle in, and that has put more stress on a unit already trying to find its footing against better league competition.
The trouble has not stopped on offense, either. Kansas State has also had a hard time slowing opposing rushing attacks, leaving the Wildcats chasing game flow on both sides of the ball. Johnsons own rushing numbers have dipped in conference play as defenses adjust, so the next step is clear for a team still trying to stabilize its Big 12 start: run more efficiently, create more explosive plays, and find answers before the margin gets thinner. [Read more 🡒]