The last weekend of the regular season is officially in the books, as it was another big weekend for the Big 12. The action started early Friday in Lawrence and ended Saturday in Fort Worth.
Here are the good, bad, and ugly from Week 14 in the Big 12.
The Good
Utah
After getting a scare from Kansas State last weekend, Utah played another school from the Sunflower State and had another close call. Going into the fourth quarter, the Utes were down by four before outscoring Kansas 21-7 in the final 15 minutes. Devon Dampier threw a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, but it was the 97-yard pick-six by Elijah Davis that completely changed the game. This was the second week in a row where Utah didn’t play its best and nearly got beaten, and I don’t think the playoff committee will show any respect for the Utes despite their impressive 10-2 record.
Arizona
The Wildcats used their ball-hawking defense to take the Territorial Cup back to Tucson. Arizona’s defense forced five turnovers and made Jeff Sims look like a backup quarterback. Plus, they did a great job on third down and shut down Arizona State’s rushing attack. Arizona held the ball for over 40 minutes and really took over in the second half, outscoring Arizona State 20-0. What a year it’s been for Brent Brennan. Nine wins after a four-win season last year, and they are better in every single phase of the game. They are certainly a program on the rise.
Texas Tech
What we saw in Morgantown was simply total domination by the Red Raiders. Behren Morton threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns as the offense racked up over 500 yards and 49 points on the day. And again, Tech’s defense continues to shine as they held West Virginia to just 180 total yards and pitched a shutout. This team is not just Big 12 title-ready but playoff-ready as well.
Kansas State
Once again, it was the Joe Jackson show for Kansas State. Jackson rushed for 142 yards and three scores, leading the way for the Wildcats. The weather conditions in Manhattan weren’t great, so Kansas State leaned on its run game, and it worked to perfection. Jackson is the future at running back for this program, and with the win, Kansas State punches a ticket to a bowl game.
BYU
After going down by two scores early, the Cougars woke up. Bear Bachmeier and LJ Martin took over and combined for four touchdowns as BYU outscored 41 to 7 in the final three quarters. That was what I was expecting from BYU for four quarters, but they managed to do it in three. Next up is a rematch with Texas Tech for the Big 12 title next weekend.
Houston
Connor Weigman had a bounce-back performance to remember. Weigman finished the day with over 200 passing yards, 121 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns. He willed Houston’s offense and came up clutch in key moments. And when the defense needed a late stop, they were able to make a play. With the win, Houston has now won their ninth game of the season, and to me, that story alone should be making more headlines.
TCU
It feels like we have been waiting for this version of TCU’s offense all season long. Josh Hoover had a career day against Cincinnati as he threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns. The Horned Frogs also ran for 238 yards, led by Jeremy Payne, who finished with 174 yards and two scores. Everything came together for TCU on Saturday as they finished on a high note, winning their eighth game of the season, which should help cool Sonny’s hot-seat talk.
Iowa State
It was a windy day in Stillwater, and it was clear the Cyclones didn’t want to throw the ball too much, with nearly 50 rushing attempts and over 230 yards on the ground. Combine that with Iowa State’s excellent defense, and that is a recipe for getting out of Stillwater with a win, which makes three in a row for the Cyclones. Given the circumstances, 8 wins is still a good season for this program as they continue to raise expectations in Ames.
The Bad
Kansas
I got to give some credit to Kansas for not just rolling over against Utah. They were in that game until the very end, and if not for that late pick-six in the fourth quarter, the Jayhawks had a chance to tie the game in that moment. Kansas ran the ball well, played well defensively, but the three turnovers by Jalon Daniels were just too much to overcome. With the loss, Kansas has now finished with five wins for the second year in a row.
Colorado
With the news of Julian Lewis redshirting, Colorado is looking to start fresh in 2026. While they didn’t play badly against Kansas State for their final game in 2025, it wasn’t very good either. They couldn’t stop Kansas State on the ground and never really got a ground game of their own going. Plus, Kaidon Salter didn’t do much either. Colorado finishes with a disappointing 3-9 record with a 1-8 record in Big 12 play.
UCF
After jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead thanks to Tayven Jackson, UCF couldn’t keep the good times rolling in Provo. In the second quarter, they were held to just 16 total yards, and over the final three quarters of the game, they were outscored 41 to 7. It was a great start for the Knights, but unfortunately, they didn’t finish it.
Oklahoma State
The result wasn’t what they wanted, as the winless streak in Big 12 play will reach over 1,000 days by the time next season comes around. But I will give credit to Doug Meacham and his staff. This team could have rolled over and died, but over the last few weeks, they were competitive and played hard. Hopefully, Eric Morris can get things turned around in Stillwater.
The Ugly
Arizona State
The reason Arizona State lost by double digits and was outscored 20-0 in the second half is that they couldn’t stop turning the ball over. Jeff Sims had his worst game on Friday night, going 11/25 for 144 yards and three interceptions. The Sun Devils turned the ball over five times, which gave Arizona the game on a silver platter. They did everything imaginable to give the game away, which is not normal under a Kenny Dillingham-coached team. Arizona State lost this game because it couldn’t get out of its own way.
West Virginia
I told you that Texas Tech was coming in my game rankings, but it went as expected with a 49-0 loss for West Virginia. They had no answer for Tech’s offense through the air or on the ground as they gave up over 500 yards of offense. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers failed to score a single point and had just 180 yards themselves. Sorry, but this team never stood a chance on Saturday.
Baylor
There’s no reason for me to do a deep dive on their loss. The fact is that Dave Aranda came into the season on the hot seat, finished 5-7, and still has a job. That alone should make any Baylor fan pissed off. On top of that, they lost their highest commit for the 2026 class. When will this nightmare in Waco end?
Cincinnati
There was a whole lot of ugly this weekend, and Cincinnati ended it with their poor performance in Fort Worth. The Bearcats’ defense gave up over 540 yards of offense and nearly 50 points. Whether it was through the air or on the ground, Cincy had no answer for TCU’s offense. With the loss, Cincinnati has now gone winless in the month of November for the second straight season.
