Week 8 took a little shine off the Big 12’s momentum. BYU and Texas Tech both stumbled, Utah had to scrap to the finish against Houston, and the conference’s push for multiple playoff teams suddenly looked a touch less tidy.
In a league that changes by the hour, though, there’s no time to sit on that. Week 9 brings a fresh set of tests, and these three teams have the most to answer for.
Texas Tech is at the top of the list because the Red Raiders have real questions now, not theoretical ones. Cincinnati didn’t just hand them their first loss of the season - it also put a spotlight on the offensive issues Texas Tech had been able to hide.
They’re still waiting on running back Cameron Dickey, and there’s a chance he could be back for Arizona this weekend. That would come at exactly the right time, because Arizona might be playing the best football of any Big 12 team right now.
This is the kind of game that forces Texas Tech to show whether it’s still the preseason version of itself. Arizona’s hot streak, and the play of quarterback Noah Fifita, make that a tough ask.
The Red Raiders need their offense humming again, and Dickey’s presence would matter. When he scores a touchdown, the Red Raiders don’t lose.
And with this season sitting right in front of them, another setback would make their path to the Big 12 Championship Game extremely thin unless chaos takes over elsewhere. They need to answer.
Cincinnati is the next team with something to prove, even if it doesn’t look obvious at first glance. The Bearcats host Utah, the conference’s highest-ranked team and the last undefeated squad standing.
On paper, that’s a brutal draw. But Cincinnati already blew up the script once by knocking off Texas Tech, and that makes this week more than just a survival test.
The real challenge is avoiding the classic letdown after a big win. That’s what this game is about: proving the Bearcats can stack strong performances in back-to-back weeks.
Last week’s upset didn’t happen in a vacuum, either. UC carried some offseason frustration, including what it felt from Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell.
Utah won’t give Cincinnati that same edge. The Utes aren’t going to provide bulletin board material, and the Bearcats are going to have to create their own energy at home.
Then there’s Oklahoma State, a team that can’t afford to drift in any road game from here on out. The Cowboys have dropped two of their three road contests this season, and if they want to stay alive in the Big 12 Championship race, that has to stop.
Their three-point loss at Houston two weeks ago was respectable, but it also knocked them out of the unbeaten league picture. Another road miss would be a major blow.
What Oklahoma State has to prove now is simple: it can win the kind of close road game contenders have to win. That’s the assignment, especially with Eric Morris knowing firsthand how difficult a place Ames can be at night from his time at Texas Tech.
The Cowboys’ jump from 1-11 to contender status has been one of the Big 12’s best stories, and Morris deserves plenty of credit for the turnaround. But storylines only go so far.
OSU has reached the point where it needs to cash in on games it’s supposed to take.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Scored 49 And Still Left Fans With One Big Fear
For most of Saturday, Oklahoma State had enough offense to feel like it could survive almost anything. Drew Mestemaker threw for 323 yards and five touchdowns, Caleb Hawkins piled up 275 yards of total offense and scored three times, and the Cowboys kept answering every Iowa State push in a wild Big 12 shootout that had the feel of a game decided by whichever side had the ball last.
But even with all that production, the ending left the Cowboys with the kind of concern that lingers after a loss like this. Iowa State kept finding answers of its own, with Aiden Flora rushing for 221 yards and two touchdowns and Jaylen Raynor accounting for four total touchdowns, and Oklahoma State never quite got the final stop it needed when the game tightened late. The result was a 51-49 defeat that showed just how explosive the Cowboys can be, while also reminding them how thin the margin is when a shootout turns into a finish-line scramble. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Lutz Has A Real Oklahoma State Lineup Decision Before The Opener
Steve Lutz came to Stillwater with the mandate to lift Oklahoma State back into the NCAA Tournament picture, and the first real test of how quickly that rebuild can take shape arrives with the season opener against Incarnate Word. After three exhibition games, the Cowboys have at least given their new coach something useful to sort through: a few players have flashed enough to make the early rotation picture feel less settled than it might have seemed a month ago.
Among the names making noise are freshman Felisi, Jacob Walker and Kashie Natt, all of whom turned in encouraging stretches during exhibition play. The challenge for Lutz now is less about finding talent than deciding how to arrange it, because the opener is close enough that the lineup choices start to matter in a hurry, and the best answer may not be the most obvious one. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Lutz Just Added Tension To Oklahoma States Opener
Oklahoma States season opener against Incarnate Word already had the usual early-year uncertainty, and Steve Lutz added a little more of it while updating the status of his roster. The Cowboys are still sorting through availability as they get ready to tip off, with Lutz offering a broader look at where the team stands physically and how preparation has gone heading into the first game.
The most immediate question is at point guard, where Clary is dealing with a groin injury but appears to be moving in the right direction. Lutz also pointed to the longer-term recovery picture elsewhere on the roster, including Fallahs rehab from a torn ACL, as Oklahoma State tries to balance caution with the need to get off to a clean start. [Read more 🡒]