Week 6 in the 2026 Big 12 season had a little of everything: undefeated teams staying upright, offenses lighting up scoreboards, and a few programs slipping deeper into trouble. BYU held off Iowa State, Utah handled Kansas, Oklahoma State and Houston kept building momentum, and Arizona went to Morgantown and hung 52 on West Virginia.
Not every win felt clean, though. BYU survived with plenty left on the table, but Bear Bachmeier still turned in the kind of bounce-back performance the Cougars needed, piling up nearly 440 total yards and two scores.
The defense was sharp, yet the offense and special teams made the night messier than it should have been. Still, BYU walked out unbeaten.
Arizona had a far more convincing offensive night. In West Virginia, Noah Fifita kept humming even with Arizona’s top three receivers out, and the Wildcats never let the Mountaineers slow them down on the way to 52 points. The defense has things to sort out, but the message from this one was clear: Arizona can line up with just about anybody when Fifita is rolling.
Oklahoma State also looked like a team finding itself. The Cowboys wobbled early against UCF, then took over after halftime and outscored the Knights 21-7 in the second half.
Drew Mestemaker threw for more than 300 yards, the offense settled in, and the defense made the right adjustments when it mattered most. After a fumble on the opening drive, Oklahoma State scored on six of its final eight possessions.
Houston may have turned in the most eye-opening result of the weekend. The Cougars went into the Little Apple and handled Kansas State, scoring on five of their final seven drives and never letting the Wildcats breathe.
Connor Weigman threw four touchdown passes to Patrick Overmyer, the ground game cleared 200 yards, and the defense looked noticeably better. The only thing missing, according to the report, was a bigger crowd next weekend when Houston hosts a Top 25 Oklahoma State team.
Utah’s offense kept moving too, even if Kansas made it a tougher fight than expected. Wayshawn Parker ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns, while Devon Dampier threw three scores and added another on the ground.
The Utes leaned on Parker in a big way, and that made sense - he was described as a triple-threat back who can run, catch and pass protect. The defense still has cleanup work, but Utah is still sitting among the Big 12’s top tier.
Arizona State got what it needed as well, even if the opponent made it hard to draw sweeping conclusions. Against Hawaii, the Sun Devils’ defense held up and the run game finally popped for more than 230 yards. Kenny Dillingham pointed out after the game that there are still things to fix, but it was the kind of bounce-back win Arizona State needed before the conference schedule tightens up.
The weekend’s rougher side showed up in the second halves and in some ugly offensive stretches. UCF started well against Oklahoma State, just like it did against Houston, but the back half of the game went the wrong direction again. Over the last two games, the Knights have been outscored 48-14, and the second-half collapse has become a real problem even with the team dealing with injuries.
Kansas showed more fight than expected against Utah, but the same flaws kept showing up. The Jayhawks stayed in it into the fourth quarter and created a couple of takeaways, yet they still couldn’t finish drives when chances were there. Isaiah Marshall’s accuracy remains an issue, and the run game still hasn’t shown up.
Then there was Iowa State, where the offense drew the harshest review of the bunch. The Cyclones didn’t get over 100 yards until the fourth quarter, Jaylon Raynor struggled to keep things moving, and Iowa State finished just 2-of-13 on third down. Outside of Aiden Flora, there wasn’t much working, and the scoreline looked far friendlier than the game actually was.
West Virginia’s day was even worse on the other side of the ball. The Mountaineers gave up more than 50 points and nearly 500 yards, marking a third straight game of allowing more than 40.
Through their first three Big 12 games, they’re giving up 46 points per game. That’s the kind of number that buries everything else, no matter how many yards Cam Cook and Michael Hawkins Jr. run for.
Kansas State’s loss to Houston rounded out the ugly. The Wildcats were favored at home and still lost by nearly 20, with the defense unable to get Houston off the field and the offense never finding much rhythm. Avery Johnson had trouble connecting with his receivers, the run defense got exposed, and what was expected to be a competitive Year 1 under Collin Klein is looking nothing like that right now.
In Other News...
Arizona Coach Just Framed WVUs Defensive Collapse Perfectly
Arizona left Morgantown with a 52-31 win over West Virginia, but the tone afterward from Brent Brennan was less about celebration and more about respect for what his team had to navigate. The Arizona coach credited the Mountaineers for their effort and singled out their quarterback while also pointing to the defensive moments that swung the game, including five fourth-down stops and two turnovers that helped the Wildcats keep control.
Brennan also pointed to Isaiah Mizell as one of the players who helped make the difference, while explaining how Arizona approached West Virginias defense and pressure throughout the night. For the Mountaineers, it was the kind of loss that leaves plenty to sort through, because the final score reflected not just Arizonas execution but the specific ways the Wildcats were able to answer the challenges West Virginia presented. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Let A Winnable Game Slip Away Before Fighting Back
West Virginia had chances to settle into the game early against Arizona, and for stretches it looked like the Mountaineers were in position to make it a clean afternoon. The opening quarters were shaped by a steady back-and-forth of first downs, touchdowns, penalties and turnovers, with both offenses finding some rhythm while the defense tried to keep the game from tilting too far in either direction.
What made the matchup feel so tense was how quickly the momentum kept shifting, especially as the win-probability numbers moved with each key play. WVU allowed a winnable game to drift away at points, but the response never disappeared completely, and the second-quarter sequence showed enough fight to keep the result from feeling settled too soon. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Playoff Hype Is Fading Faster Than Gators Fans Expected
Week 6 brought another round of movement in ESPNs FPI projections, and for West Virginia it was not the kind of update anyone in Morgantown wanted to see. The Mountaineers were among the teams that slipped in the ratings, part of a broader reshuffling that also saw Notre Dame climb to No. 1 and two-loss LSU and Oregon hold their place in the top 10. Louisville, Purdue and USC were on the rise, but West Virginias direction was headed the other way.
For a team still trying to keep its season on track, those projection changes matter because FPI is now being used as part of the conversation about six wins and possible College Football Playoff paths. West Virginias decline does not end the season by any means, but it does make the margin for error thinner, and the rest of the schedule carries a little more weight after each week the rankings are updated. [Read more 🡒]