The college football season has crossed the halfway mark and Week 9 was a busy one with major implications in the Big 12. The Big 12 had seven games on the schedule on Saturday, including rivalry match ups in Lawrence, multiple upsets and blowouts. The day started in Lawrence, Kansas and ended in Salt Lake City, Utah. So with that, let’s take a look at the top five takeaways from Week 9 in the Big 12 Conference.
BYU Does It Again vs. Iowa State
The BYU Cougars improved to 8-0 with a come-from-behind win over Iowa State in Ames. And they did it all without their star running back LJ Martin, who left the game with an injury late in the first quarter. But then, the legend of true freshman QB Bear Bachmeier continued to grow. The Cougars came back down from 24-10 in the first half to win the game on the road 41-27 behind an incredible performance from true freshman QB Bear Bachmeier, who finished 22/35 for 307 yards, two passing touchdowns, plus 49 rushing yards and one rushing score on the night. Special teams played a huge factor as well, which BYU is always excellent in, and that was on display again on Saturday in Ames.
The Cougars are banged up, as Martin’s status us unknown moving forward, and linebacker Jack Kelly was seen leaving the game in a sling. But this team is heading into a perfectly-timed bye week before a huge match up with Texas Tech in Week 11.
Houston, We Don’t Have a Problem
The Houston Cougars went to Arizona State, where the Sun Devils were fresh off a huge upset of Texas Tech, and took it to ASU with a dominant victory. Houston QB Connor Weigman continues to grow more confident every week, and as I noted in the preview show (subscribe to our Heartland College Sports YouTube channel or podcast), Houston’s offense has a new layer to it when Weigman is willing to run the ball. He led the team through the air and on the ground on Saturday. And defensively, this Houston team was tremendous. While ASU was without star wide receiver Jordan Tyson, the Cougars kept Leavitt in check, and on the run, all night. Houston is now 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12. And their schedule is as manageable as any contender remaining in the Big 12: vs. WVU, at UCF, vs. TCU and at Baylor.
Is Cincinnati the Quietest 7-1 Team in America?
The Cincinnati Bearcats are now 7-1, having won seven-straight games for the first time since 2021, after rolling Baylor 41-20. The Bearcats did what teams have done against Baylor all season: Crush them in the running game. Cinci rushed for 265 yards on 50 carries, good for 5.3 yards per carry. And it was quarterback Brendan Sorsby leading a balanced rushing attack with 85 yards on the ground, along with a touchdown, while throwing for 111 yards and two scores. Also, Cinci’s defense held Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson in check, holding him to a season-low 137 passing yards and 18 competitions. It was a total team effort for the Bearcats, who continue to roll, and may be the most overlooked team in America right now.
Another Animal Shows Up in Utah: Welcome Byrd Ficklin
So we’ve spent plenty of time talking about the Bear in Provo. But now, we have to talk about the Bird in Salt Lake City. It’s really Byrd, as in Byrd Ficklin, the true freshman quarterback who led the Utah Utes to a 52-7 win over Colorado on Saturday night. Ficklin, like Bear Bachmeier, is a true freshman, and was beyond impressive in his debut. He finished 10/22 for 140 yards and two passing touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 151 yards and 20 carries with a score, which went 63 yards to the house. Ficklin played in place of Devon Dampier, who was nursing a right-ankle injury suffered vs. BYU the week prior. But no matter what happens moving forward, I don’t think Utah can go wrong either way at quarterback. And with Ficklin being the future, watch out Big 12.
Lance Leipold’s Worst Kansas Loss
The Kansas Jayhawks lost to the Kansas State Wildcats 42-17 on Saturday in the Sunflower Showdown, their 17th-straight loss in the series, a drought that dates back to 2008. And for Kansas head coach Lance Leipold, it was the worst loss of his Kansas tenure. KU entered the game as a 3.5-point favorite, jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead thanks to a special teams turnover on the opening kickoff, and then got absolutely rolled the rest of the afternoon in front of the Jayhawks Faithful.
Kansas entered the game 4-3 and 2-2 in league play, with a win keeping them in the conversation for the Big 12 Championship race. With quarterback Jalon Daniels at the helm heading into a 2025 season that came with plenty of fanfare after 2024 didn’t meet expectations, this would have been the kind of game that would have given plenty of life to this season. The next two games are against Oklahoma State and Arizona, not locks, at least not Arizona, but winnable games that would have kept KU fans engaged heading into a mid-November match up at Iowa State. All of that is gone. Now? KU is just going to be fighting for a bowl game. Those were not the expectations this season in Lawrence after winning three in a row over Top 25 teams towards the end of last season, bringing back Daniels and opening up the re-furbished stadium this fall.
