Week 8 ripped the Big 12 wide open.
No. 2 BYU and No.
8 Texas Tech both went down on the road, with UCF handing the Cougars a 39-31 overtime loss and Cincinnati knocking off the Red Raiders 37-24. West Virginia also grabbed a big win, surviving TCU 24-20 behind a defense that kept making stops, including a fumble recovery with under a minute to play.
Utah added another ranked victory, topping No. 14 Houston 21-13 in a matchup of top-15 teams.
Elsewhere, Arizona flattened Iowa State 39-3, Kansas edged Baylor 25-24, Arizona State beat Kansas State 28-17, and Oklahoma State rolled Colorado 57-24.
The ripple effect shows up in the new rankings, where Utah sits at No. 1, BYU falls to No.
2, Houston checks in at No. 3 and Oklahoma State is No. 4.
Texas Tech slides to No. 5, Arizona lands at No.
6, UCF moves up to No. 7 and Cincinnati climbs to No. 8.
West Virginia rises to No. 9, with TCU at No. 10, Arizona State at No.
11, Kansas State at No. 12 and Kansas at No. 13.
Baylor drops to No. 14, Iowa State sits at No. 15 and Colorado rounds out the list at No.
Cincinnati gets the biggest boost, jumping five spots after what the piece describes as a much-needed response. The ranking notes that while there was concern Scott Satterfield’s team might be sliding again after last week’s loss, the Bearcats answered with a statement win.
The biggest drop belongs to Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas State, each falling five places. Baylor’s slide comes after going from 4-1 to two straight losses, with the offense not producing enough.
Iowa State’s struggles are even starker after posting just 13 points across the last two weeks. Kansas State also cratered on offense, with Avery Johnson doing what he can but not getting much help around him.
Week 9 brings a busy slate across the league. No.
22 Arizona visits No. 13 Texas Tech at noon ET on ESPN.
Kansas State heads to Colorado at 2 p.m. ET on TNT.
Arizona State travels to No. 8 BYU at 3:30 p.m.
ET on FOX, while Kansas meets TCU at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
No. 6 Utah plays at Cincinnati at 3:45 p.m.
ET on ESPN, and No. 24 Oklahoma State goes to Iowa State at 7 p.m.
ET on FS1.
In Other News...
WVUs Defensive Beatdown Just Led To Serious Fallout At TCU
West Virginias defense left TCU searching for answers after a game in which the Horned Frogs struggled to protect their quarterback and never got their running game going. The aftermath was swift. Soon after the loss, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes fired co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach A.J. Ricker, a move that underscored how badly the offense had stalled against the Mountaineers.
Dykes pointed to the teams inability to make critical plays even with statistical advantages, a frustration that has now turned into a major shakeup on the staff. For West Virginia, it was the kind of defensive performance that can ripple beyond one Saturday, forcing an opponent to confront deeper issues almost immediately. [Read more 🡒]
Neal Brown Is Suddenly Back In A Debate WVU Fans Know Well
Baylors decision to move on from Dave Aranda after a second straight loss and a 4-3 start has reopened a familiar conversation in West Virginia circles: where Neal Brown fits in the bigger coaching carousel. Brown, now at North Texas, has found his name back in the mix as a possible candidate for the Baylor opening, which immediately pulls Mountaineers fans into a debate they know well from his time in Morgantown.
For WVU supporters, the question is less about Baylors search than what Browns name still says about his future in the sport. His track record at West Virginia will be part of any serious discussion, but so will what he has done in his current stop at North Texas, where the next move could determine whether he is still viewed as a Power Four fit. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Opens Season With Two Key Players Still In Limbo
West Virginias season opener may already come with a legal backdrop attached, as the status of Brenen Lorient and Javan Buchanan remains tied up in court. The latest development is another delay in the case, with the courts denying an expedited briefing, which means the NCAAs opening brief is now due Nov. 30 and responses follow by Dec. 29. For now, a preliminary injunction keeps both players eligible, but the situation is anything but settled.
The real concern for the Mountaineers is whether that protection holds long enough to matter once the case gets deeper into the process. A court-issued stay could still change their availability, though legal experts believe that first request is likely to be denied. If that happens, the matter could keep moving through further proceedings and potentially into the appeals process, leaving West Virginia to navigate the start of the season with two important names still in limbo. [Read more 🡒]