Week 5 of the Big 12 football season takes us into October. Nearly all of the nonconference games are complete, and it’s time to start separating the contenders from the pretenders.
Three Big 12 teams are off this week, while nearly everyone else dives into conference play. Kansas is the lone exception, as the Jayhawks host Middle Tennessee in their final nonconference game of the regular season.
For everyone else, there’s something on the line.
Some teams are trying to establish themselves as legitimate Big 12 contenders. Others need to show that some of the problems we’ve seen through the first month of the season can actually be fixed.
Here are four Big 12 teams with something to prove in Week 5.
Houston: Prove You Can Win the Games You’re Supposed to Win
It’s been two weeks since the Cougars lost by basically an inch to Texas Tech in what may end up being one of the best games of Big 12 play.
Since then, Houston took care of business last weekend, beating Georgia Southern 42-28 in the rare Power Four trip to a Group of Six school.
So what does Houston have to prove this week?
The Cougars get UCF at home Saturday, and these are the kinds of games Houston has to win if it wants to contend for a Big 12 championship.
I believe the Cougars are the more talented team.
Now prove it.
Arizona: Prove You Can Stop Cincinnati’s Running Game
The Wildcats have had three weeks to grind their teeth over that loss to BYU. That game slipped away from Arizona in the second half, but wins over Northern Illinois and Washington State have put the Wildcats back in a good frame of mind.
With little margin for error, though, Arizona needs this one.
The challenge is obvious: stop Cincinnati’s running game.
The Bearcats already have more than 1,000 rushing yards through four games, and their ability to run the football helped Cincinnati control the second half of Saturday’s win over Kansas State.
Arizona has to prove it can slow down the Bearcats on the ground and get its defense off the field.
If not, Cincinnati could control this game the same way it did against Kansas State.
Arizona State: Prove the Offense Can Find Some Consistency
It’s been two weeks since Arizona State’s trip to London, and after watching that offense, the Sun Devils need to prove they’ve figured out how to become more consistent on that side of the football.
That’s especially important this week.
If you watched Baylor-Colorado on Saturday like I did, you know the Bears have a defense capable of making life difficult for anyone in the Big 12.
Baylor slowed Colorado for most of the game, limited the Buffaloes to only a few big plays and consistently put pressure on the quarterback.
Now Arizona State has to prove its offense can handle that kind of heat.
West Virginia: Prove the Defense Can Actually Get Fixed
This one is simple.
West Virginia‘s defense has to prove it can be significantly better than it was last week against Oklahoma State.
The Mountaineers allowed more than 600 yards of total offense to the Cowboys. Oklahoma State ripped off chunks of yardage on the ground against West Virginia’s three-high safety look before shredding the secondary in the second half.
There are plenty of things West Virginia needs to fix defensively.
The problem? It only has one week to do it.
Now the Mountaineers head to Ames to face an Iowa State team also looking for its first Big 12 victory.
Can West Virginia get its defense fixed quickly enough?
I need the Mountaineers to prove it.
