Week 5 of the 2026 college football season is in the books, and with Big 12 play taking center stage, we’re starting to get a much clearer picture of the conference race. BYU remained unbeaten with a road win over TCU, Texas Tech handled Colorado in Boulder, Baylor made a massive statement at Arizona State, and Arizona dominated previously unbeaten Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Houston erased a 17-point deficit to beat UCF, while Iowa State survived a wild shootout against West Virginia.
As we move deeper into October, we’re starting to figure out which Big 12 teams are legitimate conference championship contenders — and which teams could be in for a long fall. Some teams made major statements on Saturday. Others raised even more questions about where they’re headed.
So, what did we learn?
Here are my five biggest Big 12 football takeaways from Week 5.
Aiden Flora is Iowa State at its Best
While all the big Iowa State stars seemingly left Ames to follow former head coach Matt Campbell to Penn State, Aiden Flora stayed. Now, Flora had a total of 15 carries and 111 career rushing yards coming into this season. But, he could have bailed like most of the team did. He didn’t. The Adel, Iowa native stayed. And now he’s the star of the Iowa State offense that beat West Virginia 45-42 on Saturday. Flora ran 22 times for 212 yards, both career highs, and three touchdowns. He also threw for two TDs on halfback passes. Not bad for a guy who was a walk-on his first two years in the program.
Iowa State’s offense entered the game 16th in the Big 12 in total yards, but this early in the season, the stat was skewed by played tough defenses like Iowa and Utah. Their total against West Virginia was their highest in a conference game since they amassed 608 against Texas Tech in 2016. And credit Aiden Flora for driving this offense down the field, including on two game-winning drives. What a performance.
Sonny Dykes Has a Serious Problem
Credit to the BYU Cougars, going on the road and getting a tough and hard-fought win in the rain. The team was without two key players, LJ Martin and Isaiah Glasker. However, this game is a condemnation on TCU and an offense that continues to be completely anemic. As I predicted, TCU’s defense was going to be better vs. BYU than many expected, but it was TCU’s offense that is just uninspiring. Sonny Dykes brought in Gordon Sammis to bring more of a smash-mouth offense to TCU, but the pieces don’t seem to fit together. From the offensive line, to quarterback Jaden Craig, and the skill-position players, it just isn’t gelling.
You have to wonder if Sonny Dykes regrets totally transforming his offense. And then, is there a move coming at quarterback? Adam Schobel is waiting on the wings. And sooner than later, it may be time for Dykes to see what the TCU legacy can do.
Texas Tech’s Ugly, But Needed Win
There’s a lot to critique from this game for the Red Raiders. But they got a 29-7 road win, in large part thanks to its defense that carried the way against Colorado, notably from a secondary that had four interceptions, consistently confused Isaac Wilson, and took advantage with a bend-but-don’t-break approach.
There are still questions as to whether or not this team can get as far as last year’s, and frankly, it would be wise for Tech fans to take this season one week at a time. I’m not trying to force clichés, but there are just too many questions as we approach the halfway mark of the regular season. Will Hammond has still not hit his stride, is inconsistent throwing the ball, and the running game, despite its depth and talent, still hasn’t had the big breakout game, all the while the offensive line is very much TBD.
So while Tech is 5-0, and there’s nothing to apologize for, this team can’t just assume its coasting the rest of the way, even with its softer Big 12 schedule.
We Aren’t Talking Enough About Baylor
The Bears are possibly just a play or two away from being 5-0 and ranked in the Top 25. They’re 4-1 with their one loss to Auburn and they absolutely dominated Arizona State 55-19 on Saturday night. It was the Big 12 home opener for Arizona State, coming off a bye week, and the Bears made the Sun Devils look like they were still stuck in London. Baylor jumped out to a 21-3 lead and never looked back. When DJ Lagway is on, he may be the most-fun quarterback to watch in the Big 12 Conference. Sure, the inconsistencies show up, but they were few and far between on Saturday night as he finished 25/40 for 306 yards and four touchdowns. The Bears also racked up 244 yards on the ground, while Joe Klanderman‘s defense seemingly gets better by the week, holding ASU to under 100 yards rushing, while Cutter Boley looked off most of the night as well. The Bears go into their bye week at 4-1 and then take on a reeling TCU team in Week 7. This season can get interesting real fast in Waco, and suddenly those final three games of the season at BYU, vs. Texas Tech and at Houston may have enormous Big 12 Title Game implications.
Houston Fans, We Have a Problem
The Houston Cougars had to come back from 17-0 down to beat UCF 27-17 at home on Saturday. It was a great comeback win. Too bad there were only a handful of fans in attendance to see the game. Much has been made of Houston football’s attendance problems, including Kelvin Sampson calling out the fanbase in Week 1. But fast forward to Saturday, with this team off to a 3-1 start, ranked inside the Top 20, and playing their Big 12 home opener, this was a complete embarrassment.
I heard all the excuses from fans on our X account after my post on Saturday. Blame the heat. Blame the early start. Blame the administration. Blame general attendance declines. None of it passes the smell test. There is no other Power 4 team ranked who would have a home crowd like what we saw from the Cougars on Saturday. And if this program, and its fan base, wants to be taken seriously, it’s time to start showing up. If nothing else, support your guys who are playing some damn good football.
