Welcome to Big 12 play, where every team has finally stepped into league action and the picture is starting to sharpen. Eight teams are unbeaten in conference games. Eight are still searching for their first win.
Week 4 gave us a little more clarity on a league that’s been tough to read. A few teams made real statements.
A few others raised some uncomfortable questions. Here’s who helped their stock and who took a hit.
Oklahoma State made the kind of noise that gets attention fast. After beating West Virginia on Saturday, the Cowboys look like the real deal.
The offense rolled for more than 600 total yards, and even though the defense gave up plenty of yardage, it came through in the biggest moments and forced a turnover. That offense has the feel of something dangerous, especially with the offensive line expected to get healthier over the bye week and Braydon Nelson set to provide help at left tackle.
These aren’t Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State Cowboys anymore. That much is clear.
Cincinnati also earned a bump, even if the overall picture still isn’t fully settled. The Bearcats weren’t my pick to do much up to this point, and I’m still not sold on where they’ll land by season’s end.
But beating Kansas State after trailing 17-14 at halftime showed something real. Cincinnati outscored the Wildcats 21-9 in the second half, and the defense made Avery Johnson throw it 50 times.
The Bearcats stayed true to their run-first identity and controlled the clock for nearly 27 minutes. Ugly?
Sure. But they’ve now won two straight that way, and that matters.
Utah also belongs in the stock-up conversation. The Utes deserve more national attention, and it feels like that recognition is coming.
What stood out at Iowa State was how steadily they controlled the game, with only a small hiccup or two along the way. Wayshawn Parker is starting to demand more notice too.
He’s the Big 12 running back not getting enough credit, and his Big 12 co-offensive player of the week honor should help. He’s on track for his first career 1,000-yard season, and that could be a big piece of Utah’s push to get to the Big 12 Championship game for the first time.
On the other side, Kansas State has some fixing to do. I had the Wildcats beating Cincinnati, and I was wrong.
After rewatching the game, the concerns were hard to miss. The run game never really got going, which created an offensive imbalance.
The run defense was soft. Special teams gave up 18.5 yards per punt return.
On the road, those kinds of mistakes usually decide the outcome, and this is exactly the kind of week where a bye can help. Kansas State needs it.
West Virginia’s arrow is pointed down after a rough showing against Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers’ defense had no answer for the Cowboys, who piled up more than 600 yards of total offense.
The front four struggled to slow the run or get to Drew Mestemaker, and the secondary, already dealing with injuries, was beaten downfield. Offensively, West Virginia does have two excellent pieces in Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook, but Oklahoma State found a way to limit both after the first three drives.
If that becomes the blueprint, the Mountaineers have a bigger problem on their hands.
TCU also slid in a hurry. Sonny Dykes was already on my hot-seat coaches list last week, and the loss to UCF didn’t help his case.
UCF is a tougher place to play than it looks, and the Horned Frogs didn’t protect the football there. They managed just 13 points and never established a run game.
At this point, TCU’s resume is what it is: wins over Grambling and Arkansas State, losses to UNC and UCF. No one is mistaking those two defeats for elite opposition, and that’s exactly why the Horned Frogs are starting to look like a plain old average team.
In Other News...
UCFs Big 12 Road Suddenly Looks Tougher Than Fans Expected
The Big 12 road for UCF picked up a little more weight on Saturday as Houston finished its nonconference slate with a 42-28 win over Georgia Southern and moved from No. 25 to No. 20 in the AP poll. Oklahoma State also made a statement, handling West Virginia 41-24 to secure a spot in the Top 25, while Georgia State bounced back from its loss to UCF by beating Northern Illinois 35-14 behind a strong day from quarterback Taron Dickens.
For the Knights, that matters because the league trip they thought might offer some margin for error now looks a lot tighter. Houston is climbing, Oklahoma State is suddenly in the rankings, and the results around them suggest UCF will keep seeing teams arrive with more confidence and more hardware attached to the matchup, especially after the kind of performances that can reshape a September conversation in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Warren Just Gave Oklahoma State Fans A Big NFL Reminder
Week 3 offered Oklahoma State fans another reminder of how much NFL talent has come through Stillwater. Jaylen Warren was the headliner, turning in a strong showing for Pittsburgh in a tight win over Cincinnati, while Chuba Hubbard and Ollie Gordon II were among the other former Cowboys in action across the league. It was one of those weekends when the orange-and-black pipeline felt especially visible, with familiar names popping up in different games and different roles.
The list of former Cowboys did not stop there, either, with Justice Hill, Malcolm Rodriguez, Tyler Lacy, Tay Martin and Tylan Wallace also active or dealing with injury situations during the week. Teven Jenkins absence was part of that broader picture, a reminder that these NFL returns are not always clean or linear even when the former Cowboy talent is easy to spot. For Oklahoma State supporters, the bigger takeaway is simple enough: the program keeps producing players who matter on Sundays. [Read more 🡒]