Colorado had Texas Tech right where it wanted it through halftime, but the Buffaloes couldn’t finish the job. What looked like a possible jolt in the Big 12 power rankings turned into another rough night, as Colorado’s offense faded and the Red Raiders pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 29-7 win on Saturday.
The loss leaves the Buffs stuck beneath several conference teams after a second half that unraveled fast. Colorado led 7-3 at the break against the then-No. 12 team in the country, only to watch the game slip away behind the same issues that have haunted it all season: shaky quarterback play and offensive playcalling that never quite found a rhythm.
Texas Tech didn’t exactly cruise early, either. The Red Raiders were pushed hard by Colorado and were trailing at halftime before their offense settled in, took control down the stretch, and added insurance points in the fourth quarter.
Elsewhere in the Big 12, the week brought plenty of drama for the teams near the top of the rankings. The Cougars were taken down to the wire by the Horned Frogs in Week 5, and while the game raised questions about their offense, it also reinforced how sturdy their defense is, even in a tight road spot.
The Red Raiders were not the only ranked team to get tested. The Cougars were the third of three ranked Big 12 teams to have a scare in Week 5, and they had to erase a 10-0 halftime deficit to avoid the upset. They survived and stayed in the AP Poll for another week.
The Bears also kept climbing after showing they’ve fully moved past their Week 1 loss. They have now won their first two conference games, and the latest one came in dominant fashion.
The Wildcats are looking more and more like a sneaky Big 12 contender, too. After bouncing back well from their loss to BYU, they handed Cincinnati its first loss of the season in a blowout, with Noah Fifita throwing for 284 yards and two touchdowns while also running for another score.
That defeat has Cincinnati starting to resemble last season’s team, which began hot before things unraveled. The Bearcats still need two more wins to reach bowl eligibility, but this was the kind of ugly loss that can start snowballing if they’re not careful.
Iowa State and West Virginia delivered one of the week’s wildest games, and the Cyclones came out just ahead in a 45-42 shootout. Aiden Flora was everywhere for Iowa State, rushing for 212 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries while also throwing two touchdowns. The result showed Iowa State has plenty of offensive firepower to matter in the Big 12, even if its defense still needs work.
West Virginia looked better than it did against Oklahoma State, but the same defensive problems showed up again. Michael Hawkins Jr. remains one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the Big 12, yet he can only do so much on his own.
Kansas answered a sloppy start to Big 12 play with a statement against its final non-conference opponent, rolling to a 55-0 win over Middle Tennessee. Dylan Edwards led the way with 137 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries, averaging 6.9 yards per rush.
The Jayhawks now turn to a tough Week 6 matchup with the No. 12 Utah Utes.
TCU’s frustration kept building in a 17-10 loss to No. 8 BYU. It was the Horned Frogs’ third one-score loss of the season, and this one stung the most because the offense again got in its own way.
UCF also had a game that turned sharply in the second half. The Knights shut out the Cougars through two quarters, but they couldn’t get stops after halftime, and that collapse is the part to watch going forward.
Arizona State took another blowout loss, this time after having two weeks to prepare for Baylor. The Sun Devils’ defense remains one of the weakest in the Big 12, and unless it improves soon, more lopsided defeats are coming.
Colorado now heads into its bye week with work to do. The Buffaloes will spend the break trying to overhaul the offensive playbook before another top-12 matchup, this one against Utah in Week 7.
In Other News...
West Virginias Cincinnati Weekend Is Turning Into A Program Showcase
West Virginias Oct. 17 home game against Cincinnati is getting a bigger stage, with the Big 12 announcing the matchup will air on TNT and also be simulcast on TruTV and HBO Max. For a program that has spent the fall trying to turn home dates into full-event weekends, it fits neatly with what is already building around the game in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers are layering in a Stripe the Stadium theme, group ticket packages for alumni and the induction of the 36th WVU Sports Hall of Fame class, while the Big 12 Fall Tour is also set to stop in town with a free kickoff concert on Oct. 10. It is the kind of calendar that gives the Cincinnati game more weight than just another conference Saturday, and West Virginia will be hoping the extra attention translates into a packed house and a lively atmosphere. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Mourns A Heartbreaking Loss In Its Recruiting Class
A heartbreaking loss struck West Virginias recruiting class on Monday morning when Chris Wilson, a senior at Yorktown High School and a committed defensive line recruit for the Mountaineers, was killed in a shooting. The incident remains under investigation, and authorities have not released additional details.
Yorktown High School principal Stacey Brewer issued a statement expressing condolences to Wilsons family and the school community while also confirming there is no threat to students or schools. For West Virginia, the news goes far beyond football, cutting into the lives of coaches, teammates and a program that had welcomed Wilson as part of its future. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginias Fast Start Is Reviving A Feeling Fans Missed
Five games into the season, West Virginias offense has given fans reason to flash back to one of the programs most beloved stretches. The comparison centers on Mike Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook alongside Pat White and Steve Slaton from 2006, a season that still sits near the top of the Mountaineers modern memories because of how smoothly the quarterback-runback pairing fit together and how hard it was for defenses to sort out who was doing what.
The numbers are not identical, and the styles are not carbon copies, but the similarities are enough to make the conversation worth having. Hawkins Jr. and Cook have already drawn the kind of attention that comes when a backfield starts to feel layered and dangerous at the same time, with the passing and rushing production inviting side-by-side study rather than simple nostalgia. For West Virginia, the interesting part is not just the flash of a fast start, but whether it can sustain the kind of offensive rhythm that once made this pairing feel inevitable. [Read more 🡒]