Week 2 of the 2026 Big 12 football season is in the books, and the conference gave us plenty to talk about.
From contenders making early statements to disappointing performances and a few results that could have ramifications well beyond non-conference play as well, our second full Saturday provided an early glimpse at what could be ahead in the Big 12 race.
Obviously, it’s dangerous to draw too many conclusions this early in the season. But that’s never stopped us before.
So, after the second full weekend of the season, here are the five biggest takeaways from Week 2 across the Big 12.
Oklahoma State, Who Are You?
The Cowboys lost to Tulsa last week. Then, they turned around in Eric Morris’ debut at Boone Pickens Stadium and shocked college football with a 39-31 win over No. 6 Oregon. Have you ever seen a more bizarre start to a season? The Pokes’ defense was the most impressive part of this game. The held the Ducks to 90 rushing yards (3.0 yards per carry), along with Dante Moore looking incredibly pedestrian, throwing for just 191 yards on 14/29 passing, good for a QBR of 22.4. The Cowboys looked much improved on both lines, which was mediocre, at best, last week. The big North Texas transfers who got roasted all week showed out and showed up on Saturday. Drew Mestemaker went 26/43 for 317 yards and two touchdowns (although his two interceptions were the only reason this game was close). Running back Caleb Hawkins rushed 23 times for 110 yards and one score. Wide receiver Wyatt Young had five catches for 121 yards and one touchdown. And linebacker Ethan Wesloski led the team with nine tackles, with .5 sacks and .5 tackles for loss.
Big 12 vs. Power 4
The Big 12 went 1-2 against the SEC, losing the two games they were underdogs in (Arizona State, Kansas), and winning the game they were favored in (Utah). The conference is now 4-5 vs. Power 4 teams so far this season, including going 6-3 against the spread. If we wanted to extend that to include the Pac-12, the overall record would be 7-5, and the record vs. the spread would be 7-5. But I like to focus on the Power 4. Oklahoma State’s win was huge. Iowa State played above its weight class. And so did Arizona State. The final score of 48-20 doesn’t indicate that, but the Sun Devils had more pass yards, more rush yards, more yards per play, more first downs and more sacks than the Aggies. If there’s a disappointing loss that nags me at this point in the season, it’s the TCU loss to UNC, along with UCF’s loss to Pitt on Saturday. Both were ugly, and I thought the Big 12 team was the better one. The scoreboard told a different story.
Texas Tech Doesn’t Look Like Its 2025 Version, So Far
The Red Raiders beat Oregon State 35-24. I predicted they’d win the game, but not cover, figuring they’d just want to get out of Oregon State with a win and move on to Houston. However, this team was in a dog fight all night. They gave up 346 passing yards to a former FCS quarterback in Braden Atkinson (who in fairness has looked solid through two weeks vs. Big 12 competition), only averaged 3.3 yards per carry on offense, and were sloppy on both sides, racking up 70 penalty yards. Oh, and there might be a quarterback controversy brewing between Will Hammond and Thomas Castellanos. We’ll have to wait and see.
There’s no doubt Texas Tech has the most talent in the Big 12, but they haven’t come close to putting it all together through the first two weeks of the season. And if they keep that up, this team will come up well short of expectations.
Bear Up, Not Bear Down
Bear Bachmeier had a day against Arizona in a win for BYU. The sophomore threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns to rally the Cougars for a 28-17 victory over the Wildcats on Saturday. It was the first Big 12 league game of the season, and the game lived up to the hype. BYU’s defense locked down Arizona in the second half, who had a 17-14 lead, but the Cats were held scoreless in the final 30 minutes, including just 82 total yards. Quarterback Noah Fifita took the blame, but he didn’t have much time in the second half, and the running game behind him never really got going. Through two weeks, BYU looks like the most consistent and best team in the Big 12, and technically, they’re in first place at 1-0 in conference play
Iowa State Showed Us Something
Listen, I don’t know who the worst team is in the Big 12 right now. But based on Saturday night’s 16-13 loss to Iowa, I don’t think it’s Iowa State. Even if they don’t have a great season, this team is going to be a tough out this fall. I don’t want to compare Rogers to Campbell, but this team has an Iowa State feel to it, already. They played a clean game on Saturday (zero turnovers), held Iowa to 3.2 yards per rush, and won time of possession. I thought Tyler Roehl got too conservative with the offense in the second half, especially once Iowa’s run defense really stepped up, but such is life in a tough rivalry game. And if we want to play that comparison game between Rogers and Campbell (because, well, why not), Campbell lost his first game to Iowa 42-3. Do with that information what you want.
