The college football season is is nearly at the halfway mark and Week 7 was loaded with conference match ups in the Big 12. The Big 12 had a busy Saturday slate, starting in Stillwater and Cincinnati early in the day, and ending in the early morning on Sunday in Salt Lake City. We saw some dominant performances, along with some upsets across the league. So with that, let’s take a look at the top five takeaways from Week 5 in the Big 12 Conference.
Texas Tech: Never a Doubt
Even when the Kansas Jayhawks scored 17 unanswered to take it from a 21-0 Texas Tech lead to 21-17, it never really felt to me like Tech was in serious trouble. The Red Raiders just had the more complete team on both sides of the ball, and was dominating in the trenches in their 42-17 win. Tech smashed Kansas for 372 rushing yards, led by Cameron Dickey’s 263 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Meantime, the Red Raiders held KU to 72 rushing yards on the night for 1.9 yards per carry. Tech had nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss. It was a dominant performance.
Sure, there were injuries, and now we have to wonder if Behren Morton is going to start next week after his ankle injury. But they have an incredible back up in Will Hammond, who took some time to get going on Saturday, but turned it on and helped this team coast to a victory. Tech still has not won a game by fewer than 24 points after this 25-point victory on Saturday.
BYU and the Bear
BYU was down 10 points in the fourth quarter on the road and came back to beat Arizona in double overtime 33-27. This was thanks to a defense that got tough, a special teams that is the best in the Big 12, and the Bear. Yes, Bear Bachmeier, BYU’s true freshman quarterback who had his toughest test yet against an underrated Arizona team that forced him into a couple of big mistakes. But he never lost his confidence, used his legs between the tackles in the fourth quarter and overtime, and helped the Cougars pick up a huge road win to remain undefeated. It was the toughest test for this young quarterback, and he passed the challenge on the road. BYU wins these close games because they are built to win these close games. That’s something I am starting to realize in my third season covering the program as a member of the Big 12.
Chris Klieman and Deion Sanders Silence the Doubters… for Now
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman and Colorado coach Deion Sanders have both been questioned by their respective fan bases heading into their games on Saturday. K-State was off to a 2-4 start, and despite losing those four games by a combined 13 points, some fans were wondering whether or not Chris Klieman was the guy for the job moving forward. Had the game passed him by? Was he doing all the work needed in the new world order of college football? But Klieman picked up a very solid win at home vs. TCU thanks to an opportunistic defense and an offense that was crisp enough without running back Dylan Edwards.
And for Deion Sanders, after last year’s 7-2 Big 12 record, the Buffaloes were off to an 0-3 start, and between his ongoing health problems, while losing last year’s stars to the NFL, questions around his ability to truly build a program, and develop top-tier talent, Coach Prime got a great win at home he needed in an upset of the Iowa State Cyclones, giving him his first Top 25 win since 2023 against TCU, when CU was still a Pac-12 member.
Cincinnati: Ranked For the First Time in the Big 12?
Hey, those Bearcats are for real! Cincinnati handled a rapidly-improving UCF team on Saturday to improve to 5-1 on the season, and likely find themselves ranked on Sunday for the first time since 2022, which would be the first time since they joined the Big 12 (2023).
The defense was in bend-but-don’t-break mode on Saturday, which worked just fine vs. UCF. They only gave up a field goal until a late touchdown in the fourth quarter. Also, you’re seeing some of the transfers like Jeff Caldwell, a 6’5” transfer from Lindenwood, get more comfortable by the week. He had two touchdown grabs and can be a huge player for Cincinnati as they progress through the Big 12 season. This team is starting to gel nicely and Scott Satterfield may just have something really special on his hands.
Big 12 Fans Did Their Thing
College football is the best sport in the country because of the pageantry and the fans, most notably the students. And while the Big 12 may not have the stadium capacities of the SEC and Big Ten, the conference’s student enthusiasm is right up there. And there were several examples of that on Saturday.
In Stillwater, hundreds of Oklahoma State fans started a shirtless section during the team’s 39-17 loss to the Houston Cougars. These are the worst days of OSU football in decades, but credit to these fans for showing out.
Meantime, Colorado football fans enjoyed an upset of Iowa State on Saturday, and decided to storm the field. At first, I thought the field-storming was lame, but I immediately came around on it. CU got a ranked win as a small underdog, but it was also the first league win this year, and screw it, it’s college football. Coach Prime and company have been through a lot. Also, it was their first ranked win at home under Deion Sanders. Let’s have fun.
And in Manhattan, despite the 2-4 start to the season, Kansas State’s student section was packed well before kick off on Saturday vs. TCU. This is fantastic to see. And I love this from the students, even with the unexpectedly tough start to the season.
