It’s a lighter Big 12 slate than usual, but there’s still plenty to keep an eye on in Week 4 of the 2026 college football season.
Conference play is starting to take over, and that means the matchups shrink a bit as Arizona State, BYU and Kansas all sit out this weekend. Still, the league has a handful of games that should tell us a lot, especially with unbeaten teams colliding and a few programs looking for a reset.
The headliner in the Big 12 is Kansas State at Cincinnati, a showdown between undefeated teams in Ohio. The Wildcats have handled every opponent so far by double digits, including a 31-20 win over Tulane last week. Cincinnati had a much shakier path to 3-0, surviving Miami (OH) 35-31 after trailing by 21 at halftime.
Another strong one sits in Morgantown, where Oklahoma State visits West Virginia at 6 p.m. Saturday on FS1. The Cowboys are 2-1, while the Mountaineers are 3-0, making it one of the more interesting league games on the board.
TCU’s trip to UCF also brings some intrigue. The two teams have taken very similar roads through three games: both dropped a close one to an ACC opponent and picked up wins over Sun Belt and FCS competition.
TCU quarterback Jaden Craig has been the league’s top passer through three games, piling up 903 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception. Ed Small has been his go-to option, and his 330 receiving yards rank second in the Big 12.
Colorado at Baylor carries a different kind of pressure. The Buffaloes need a response after getting hammered 41-7 at Northwestern, a loss that led Deion Sanders to dismiss several players for conduct detrimental to the team.
Baylor, meanwhile, could use the kind of win that helps define what it wants to be this season. Former Cowboy Gavin Freeman has been a bright spot for the Bears, ranking third in the Big 12 with 305 receiving yards.
There’s also Utah at Iowa State, with No. 15 Utah bringing a 3-0 record into Ames, and Houston at Georgia Southern, plus Arizona at Washington State late Saturday night. Texas Tech hosts Sam Houston in one of the day’s earlier kickoffs, and Arizona State, BYU and Kansas are all off.
Outside the Big 12, the weekend is loaded.
No. 1 Texas goes to No.
14 Tennessee in a game that gives Arch Manning a trip to where Peyton Manning played in college. Texas already cleared one major nonconference hurdle by beating Ohio State, but the rest of the schedule is brutal.
Seven of the Longhorns’ final nine opponents are currently ranked in the AP Poll. Tennessee has cruised so far, but this matchup should say a lot more about the Vols.
Boise State at Western Michigan is another one with bigger stakes than the average September game. FanDuel has Boise State at +240 to make the College Football Playoff, the best odds among Group of Six teams.
Western Michigan is ninth among Group of Six teams at +2,500, which is the highest number among MAC schools. The Broncos have only lost by a touchdown to Oregon and already beat Memphis, another Group of Six playoff hopeful.
Western Michigan, meanwhile, has a result that looks better in every way except the final score against Michigan. If the Mustangs keep winning from here, it’s going to be impossible to ignore.
The weekend also asks a big question for LSU and Ole Miss: what happens after one of the most emotionally charged games college football has seen in recent memory? Both teams now have to turn around and face ranked opponents.
Ole Miss, fresh off beating its former coach, gets a Florida team that is somehow favored. LSU, coming off its loss, hosts Texas A&M, which is also trying to shake off a defeat to Kentucky.
For both the Tigers and Rebels, the margin for error is already thin.
In Other News...
Oregon State Just Added Another High-Upside Piece Fans Will Notice
Oregon State kept building its future by landing a commitment from Emmanuel Ahamefule, a 6-foot-9 forward from Great Britain who is currently at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco. Justin Joyner and his staff have made development a clear selling point, and Ahamefule pointed to the programs plan as a major reason he felt comfortable making the move.
For the Beavers, this is the kind of pickup that can quietly reshape a roster down the line. Ahamefule brings the sort of defensive ability and versatility that coaches covet, and he sounded genuinely excited about the fit in Corvallis. With his commitment in hand, Oregon State adds another long-term piece with upside, even if the full impact of this one wont be known for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Found An Unexpected Pass Rush Piece In Jarrel Comer
Jarrel Comer has become one of the more intriguing additions to Oregon States defense, a player whose path to a starting outside linebacker job never looked anything like the usual college football route. After junior college football in California, he arrived in Corvallis and quickly showed the kind of athleticism and growth the coaching staff could build around, giving the Beavers a needed boost off the edge.
What makes Comer stand out is not just the origin story, but the way he has fit into the pass rush picture alongside Takari Hickle. Oregon State has seen enough from him to trust him in a larger role, and his development has already translated into steady production and a growing presence on the field as the season has gone on. [Read more 🡒]
Boise States Top Spot Comes With One Worry Fans Cant Ignore
A comfortable September win gave Oregon State a chance to keep building after a 52-17 home victory over Montana, the kind of result that can settle a team in early in the season. The Beavers handled business on their own field and looked the part of a group still trying to sort out who it is while the schedule opens up.
Around the sport, Boise States rise to the top of the conversation has been fueled by eye-catching playmakers, including true freshman Jesse Legree pacing college football in receiving and Braden Atkinson sitting second nationally in passing. For Oregon State, that kind of attention is a reminder of how quickly the national picture can shift, and why the Beavers will keep tracking the teams around them as much as their own progress. [Read more 🡒]