Week 6 in the 2026 Big 12 season had a little of everything: undefeated teams staying upright, offenses lighting up scoreboards, and a few programs slipping deeper into trouble. BYU held off Iowa State, Utah handled Kansas, Oklahoma State and Houston kept building momentum, and Arizona went to Morgantown and hung 52 on West Virginia.
Not every win felt clean, though. BYU survived with plenty left on the table, but Bear Bachmeier still turned in the kind of bounce-back performance the Cougars needed, piling up nearly 440 total yards and two scores.
The defense was sharp, yet the offense and special teams made the night messier than it should have been. Still, BYU walked out unbeaten.
Arizona had a far more convincing offensive night. In West Virginia, Noah Fifita kept humming even with Arizona’s top three receivers out, and the Wildcats never let the Mountaineers slow them down on the way to 52 points. The defense has things to sort out, but the message from this one was clear: Arizona can line up with just about anybody when Fifita is rolling.
Oklahoma State also looked like a team finding itself. The Cowboys wobbled early against UCF, then took over after halftime and outscored the Knights 21-7 in the second half.
Drew Mestemaker threw for more than 300 yards, the offense settled in, and the defense made the right adjustments when it mattered most. After a fumble on the opening drive, Oklahoma State scored on six of its final eight possessions.
Houston may have turned in the most eye-opening result of the weekend. The Cougars went into the Little Apple and handled Kansas State, scoring on five of their final seven drives and never letting the Wildcats breathe.
Connor Weigman threw four touchdown passes to Patrick Overmyer, the ground game cleared 200 yards, and the defense looked noticeably better. The only thing missing, according to the report, was a bigger crowd next weekend when Houston hosts a Top 25 Oklahoma State team.
Utah’s offense kept moving too, even if Kansas made it a tougher fight than expected. Wayshawn Parker ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns, while Devon Dampier threw three scores and added another on the ground.
The Utes leaned on Parker in a big way, and that made sense - he was described as a triple-threat back who can run, catch and pass protect. The defense still has cleanup work, but Utah is still sitting among the Big 12’s top tier.
Arizona State got what it needed as well, even if the opponent made it hard to draw sweeping conclusions. Against Hawaii, the Sun Devils’ defense held up and the run game finally popped for more than 230 yards. Kenny Dillingham pointed out after the game that there are still things to fix, but it was the kind of bounce-back win Arizona State needed before the conference schedule tightens up.
The weekend’s rougher side showed up in the second halves and in some ugly offensive stretches. UCF started well against Oklahoma State, just like it did against Houston, but the back half of the game went the wrong direction again. Over the last two games, the Knights have been outscored 48-14, and the second-half collapse has become a real problem even with the team dealing with injuries.
Kansas showed more fight than expected against Utah, but the same flaws kept showing up. The Jayhawks stayed in it into the fourth quarter and created a couple of takeaways, yet they still couldn’t finish drives when chances were there. Isaiah Marshall’s accuracy remains an issue, and the run game still hasn’t shown up.
Then there was Iowa State, where the offense drew the harshest review of the bunch. The Cyclones didn’t get over 100 yards until the fourth quarter, Jaylon Raynor struggled to keep things moving, and Iowa State finished just 2-of-13 on third down. Outside of Aiden Flora, there wasn’t much working, and the scoreline looked far friendlier than the game actually was.
West Virginia’s day was even worse on the other side of the ball. The Mountaineers gave up more than 50 points and nearly 500 yards, marking a third straight game of allowing more than 40.
Through their first three Big 12 games, they’re giving up 46 points per game. That’s the kind of number that buries everything else, no matter how many yards Cam Cook and Michael Hawkins Jr. run for.
Kansas State’s loss to Houston rounded out the ugly. The Wildcats were favored at home and still lost by nearly 20, with the defense unable to get Houston off the field and the offense never finding much rhythm. Avery Johnson had trouble connecting with his receivers, the run defense got exposed, and what was expected to be a competitive Year 1 under Collin Klein is looking nothing like that right now.
In Other News...
Kansas State Is Chasing Early Help In One Crucial Future Spot
Kansas State has been active on the recruiting trail, casting a wide net across multiple classes as it looks to build depth for the future. Among the recent offers is Texas offensive lineman Xander Fisher, part of a group that also includes Drew Langford, Cortez Jones and Noah Gigger, all of whom have attracted attention from other college football programs as well.
For the Wildcats, the bigger picture is less about any one name than the position group they are targeting and the competition that comes with it. Early offers can matter in a hurry, especially when a program is trying to get in front of prospects before the rest of the country makes the chase even tighter. [Read more 🡒]
K-State Needs This Sunflower Showdown Far More Than Fans Wanted
The Sunflower Showdown arrives Saturday morning at Bill Snyder Family Stadium with a different kind of urgency around it for Kansas State. The Wildcats have owned this rivalry for a long time, winning 17 straight, but the bigger storyline now is less about the past and more about a Big 12 start that has not gone the way K-State wanted. A game like this can still carry all the usual bragging rights, but for the Wildcats it also carries the pressure of getting back on track.
Kansas brings its own reasons to believe the matchup can be more competitive than the record in the series suggests. Former K-State running back Dylan Edwards is now on the other sideline, and quarterback Isaiah Marshall has shown improvement lately as the Jayhawks look to snap the losing streak against their in-state rival. For K-State, that makes this more than just another chapter in the series. It is a chance to steady the season before the conference picture gets any harder to manage. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Heads Into Rivalry Game With Pressure Suddenly Building
Kansas State suddenly finds itself trying to steady the season after back-to-back losses to Cincinnati and Houston dropped the Wildcats to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in Big 12 play. For a team with expectations higher than where things stand right now, the early conference skid has made the margin for error a lot smaller, and first-year coach Collin Klein has already acknowledged that the issues run beyond one side of the ball.
Now the focus turns to the rivalry game with Kansas, a matchup that always carries its own weight but feels even bigger with a losing streak looming. The Wildcats will be looking for cleaner execution and a response that shows the season can still get back on track before the pressure around this start grows any heavier. [Read more 🡒]