What a Saturday for the Big 12. Week 7 delivered just about everything you could ask for: a massive upset in Provo, a statement performance from one of the conference favorites, a ranked thriller in Houston, rivalry drama and a walk-off field goal in Morgantown.
But let’s start with BYU. The Cougars entered Saturday night as double-digit underdogs against No. 2 Notre Dame, with the entire country watching and College GameDay in Provo. And when it mattered most, BYU delivered. Bear Bachmeier led the Cougars on a late touchdown drive to take the lead, and the BYU defense held off Notre Dame inside the 10-yard line in the final seconds to preserve a 28-24 win.
The contenders are starting to separate themselves. And after what we saw Saturday, the Big 12’s College Football Playoff ceiling might be getting higher, too.
Here are the five biggest Big 12 football takeaways from Week 7.
BYU Lands the Biggest Win in the 16-Team History of the League
The BYU Cougars upsetting Notre Dame, which we predicted in our BYU vs. Notre Dame prediction, is the biggest win in the history of the 16-team version of the conference. And it’s not close. This win means so much to this conference from a credibility perspective, and from a College Football Playoff perspective. The league needed this to try and knock Notre Dame out of the CFP picture, but more importantly give BYU, and indirectly, the league, a great non-conference win to build resumes for not just the Cougars, but the rest of the league.
Bear Bachmeier was elite on Saturday and carried this entire offense. He finished 23/36 for 224 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while rushing 13 times for 45 yards and two scores. Bachmeier was a household name in the Big 12, but now should be one across the country.
Texas Tech Finally Looked Like… Texas Tech
I said in the Big 12 preview show last week on YouTube that I just needed to see Texas Tech look like the team many of us thought they would be this season before I just declared this game a route. Well, that’s exactly what they did, and it started with Ben Roberts’ pick six in the first quarter to put the Red Raiders ahead in a game they would never look back in as they dominated Arizona State 53-25. J’Koby Williams ran for a career high 165 yards and two scores in the win, while Will Hammond went 18/26 for 232 yards and one passing touchdown, along with one rushing touchdown, as the quarterback looked as comfortable as he had all season. Tech needed this in the worst way, and this team may really start to take off in the second half of the season.
The Sunflower Showdown Streak Continues
Make it 18 in a row for Kansas State over Kansas following a 35-24 win for the Wildcats in Manhattan. Now K-State did have to rally from a 17-7 first half deficit to come back and win the game, but once the Cats got rolling, it was all over. The Wildcats piled up 357 rushing yards and 568 total yards, averaging 7.6 yards per play. Joe Jackson led the way with 159 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, while quarterback Avery Johnson added 132 rushing yards on just 12 attempts. Johnson also finished with 209 passing yards and a touchdown.
The Cats needed to get their first win of the conference schedule to improve to 1-2, which they did. And while this season still appears to be one of transition in Year 1 under Collin Klein, it sure feels good to beat your rival and land this win to keep the streak going, which Klein was a part of as a player, and now continues as a head coach.
Houston Cougars Show Grit vs. Oklahoma State
The Cougars held off a second-half rally from the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who have been a second-half team all season, to hang on for a gutsy 35-32 win. Houston quarterback Conner Weigman dominated with five touchdown passes to outduel Drew Mestemaker who continues to fly up NFL Draft boards. And while Mestemaker was elite, Weigman was grittier and made the bigger plays when it mattered most. Up 35-32 late, Weigman did not let Mestemaker get another shot to try and tie or win the game, rushing on a 2nd and 6 with under two minutes left to seal the win for the Cougars at home in a Top 20 match up that saw the fan base show up and show out with a sell-out crowd. It’s everything that Houston football has been building towards for a decade plus, and the Cougars handsomely rewarded the fan base.
Baylor Throws Up a Stinker vs. TCU
Baylor came into the Revivalry having won four in a row and playing some of the best football in the Big 12. Then, Saturday happened. DJ Lagway was inconsistent, the running game never got going and Dave Aranda was suddenly, seemingly, back on the hot seat. After the loss, Aranda said, “We have to win. I understand when there’s not success, but I believe in this team. I believe in the guys in the locker room. They care about winning. They care about Baylor. IT means a lot to them.”
The question is, how many more opportunities will he get to try and win? The Bears are still 2-1 in the Big 12 and take on Kansas, UCF and Iowa State in their next three games. But after that, it’s BYU, Texas Tech and Houston. What will it take for Aranda to get a shot at 2027? That’s TBD, but Saturday was a bad look all around given the recent wins, rivalry match up, and dud of a performance this team put up.
