The Big 12 picture is starting to sharpen, and the early answer to the league’s biggest question may not be Texas Tech at all. After three weeks, Houston has forced its way into the conversation, West Virginia has built a punishing identity on the ground, and Utah looks like part of a new center of gravity in the conference.
Houston gave the league another reminder on Friday night in Lubbock. The Cougars entered that game as double-digit underdogs, a number that already felt out of step with how they had been playing. They backed that up against Texas Tech by racing to a 10-0 lead and staying in the fight for the full four quarters.
They didn’t finish the job, but they pushed one of the conference favorites to the edge and were one play away from sending the game to overtime. Connor Weigman was the best offensive player on the field, or close to it, and the message coming out of that performance was hard to miss: Houston belongs in this league’s upper tier. With Weigman under center, the Cougars look dangerous enough to bother anyone in the Big 12.
West Virginia has carved out a different kind of edge. No team in the conference has been more productive on the ground through three games, and the numbers tell the story clearly: 844 rushing yards, 281.3 per game. Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook have become the engine of the attack, giving the Mountaineers one of the most dynamic backfield pairings in the league.
Hawkins is already among the Big 12’s top rushers, while Cook has piled up 317 yards and the two have combined for nine rushing touchdowns. That kind of balance has put defenses in a bind from snap to snap. West Virginia’s formula is straightforward - run it and make someone stop it - and so far, nobody has managed to do that with much success.
Then there’s the bigger shift at the top of the conference. A year ago, the road to the Big 12 title ran through Texas, with Texas Tech standing apart from the rest of the pack.
This season, that same kind of certainty isn’t there yet. The Red Raiders are still very much in the mix, and Houston has joined the chase, but the league’s strongest base may now be farther west.
Utah is part of that argument, and so is BYU. BYU has a strong case as the Big 12’s best team through the first three weeks, and Utah has looked every bit like a program ready to contend for a conference championship. Put them together, and it’s hard to ignore how much of the league’s top-end strength now sits in the Beehive State.
That’s why the Big 12 race feels different right now. Texas Tech still matters.
Houston is no longer easy to dismiss. West Virginia has the conference’s most reliable ground game.
But if you’re looking for where the title path starts to run, Utah is making a compelling case that the answer is no longer Texas.
In Other News...
WVU's Biggest Home Night In Years Comes With Real Stakes
West Virginia is getting one of those home nights that can define a season, and there is more riding on it than atmosphere alone. Milan Puskar Stadium is set for a major prime-time setting, and the Mountaineers are trying to turn a strong start into something bigger by staying perfect through the opening stretch and putting themselves back into the AP Top 25 conversation.
Rich Rodriguez has pointed to the energy around the program and the value of protecting home field, which makes this one feel less like just another September game and more like a measuring stick. For a team still trying to prove its early momentum is real, a night game in front of that crowd offers a chance to keep building and a reminder that the next step has to happen where West Virginia is supposed to be toughest to beat. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Injury Outlook Suddenly Looks Better Heading Into Oklahoma State
West Virginias injury picture is starting to clear up just in time for a trip to Oklahoma State, and that matters for a team that took a few hits in the recent game against Virginia. Rich Rodriguez said Nick Krahe will be limited in practice but is expected to play, while Jaden Bray is dealing with a hip bruise and should be back soon. The outlook is also encouraging for Ball, who is expected to play after being knocked out, giving the Mountaineers a little more stability as they try to manage the week.
There is even more room for optimism at running back, where Martavious Boswell and Talley are expected to be available. On the perimeter, Prince Strachan should see his role grow after being used sparingly last week, which could give West Virginia another option as it heads into a matchup that can use every healthy body it can get. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Knows Exactly What Awaits West Virginia Under The Lights
Oklahoma State is heading into one of the more charged environments in the Big 12, with Eric Morris already framing the trip to Morgantown as the kind of test that can turn a game on its head after dark. Morris had plenty of respect for what Rich Rodriguez is building at West Virginia, and he singled out quarterback Mike Hawkins as a dynamic presence in an offense that has grown noticeably since last season. For the Mountaineers, that is the sort of public praise that usually comes with a warning label.
The challenge for the Cowboys, Morris said, is not just the crowd or the setting, but staying clean with communication and tackling against a run game that can punish any lapse. West Virginia has shown enough improvement to make opponents prepare differently, and under the lights at home the margin for error gets even thinner. It is the kind of matchup where the details matter from the first snap, and Oklahoma State clearly knows it is walking into a place that rewards precision more than bravado. [Read more 🡒]