Week 10 of the Big 12 football season delivered another wild weekend, with Utah taking control of the conference championship race, Texas Tech keeping pace and two prominent head coaches facing growing pressure.
No. 3 Utah remained undefeated with a 28-20 victory over No. 9 BYU in the Holy War, giving the Utes a 93% chance of reaching the Big 12 Championship Game, according to ESPN.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech survived a 53-48 shootout against West Virginia to remain in second place in the Big 12 standings, while Oklahoma State made a statement with a dominant 66-28 victory over Kansas State.
Elsewhere, Kansas and TCU suffered heartbreaking losses that will only increase the pressure on Lance Leipold and Sonny Dykes, while Baylor continued its surprising turnaround under interim head coach Joe Klanderman.
With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Big 12 Championship picture is becoming clearer, but there are still plenty of questions surrounding the rest of the conference.
Here are my five biggest takeaways from Week 10 of Big 12 football.
Utah Takes Control of the Big 12 Race
The Utah Utes now have a 93% chance of reaching the Big 12 Championship Game after improving to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in Big 12 play following their win over BYU.
They’re the only unbeaten team left in the Big 12 with three games to play.
And they did it thanks to Devon Dampier’s dominance and a defense that didn’t allow BYU to score in the entire second half. The Utes also picked off Bear Bachmeier four times, including at the goal line on the Cougars’ final drive of the game.
LJ Martin was a non-factor for BYU, so it was once again on the shoulders of Bear Bachmeier to carry this team. And in a brutal road environment during a rivalry game, it proved too much to ask of the sophomore.
But for the Utes, they’re cruising in Year 1 under Morgan Scalley, and no one is looking back to last offseason wondering if the program made the right decision to ultimately move on from Kyle Whittingham.
Texas Tech Keeps Pace in the Big 12 Race
The Red Raiders and Mountaineers combined for an insane 800-plus yards of total offense in the first half, but the second half turned into a defensive slugfest between the two teams.
It was Texas Tech that drove down the field with a few minutes remaining to score the go-ahead touchdown and take a 51-48 lead before a safety closed out the 53-48 victory for the Red Raiders, who are now 5-1 and in sole possession of second place in the Big 12.
The first half felt like a Big 12 game circa 2014-2016, but once things settled down, it was the defense that impressed on both sides.
The Red Raiders are well-positioned to end up in Arlington again for a second straight season, but they’ll first have to go to Stillwater this weekend and beat the Cowboys on the road, which is no easy task.
The good news is that Thomas Castellanos has given this offense a lift it’s needed all season.
The defense just isn’t what it was in 2025, so having a quarterback with dual-threat ability who can get the ball downfield is going to be critical for this team if it wants to win the Big 12 again.
Are Lance Leipold’s and Sonny Dykes’ Seats on Fire After Week 10?
Man, these two coaches suffered brutal losses in Week 10, albeit in different ways.
Lance Leipold and the Kansas Jayhawks were trailing 26-7 in the third quarter before storming back to take a 32-26 lead.
But then they completely blew the game, giving up a 10-play, 73-yard drive as the Knights scored the game-winning touchdown and added the PAT to seal a 33-32 victory.
You have to give KU credit for not giving up and mounting the comeback, but my goodness, the way this game played out was a nightmare for Lance Leipold, who has to be feeling some heat in Lawrence.
And for Sonny Dykes, he also looked like he was on the verge of a much-needed upset on Friday night.
His Horned Frogs were up 28-20 on Arizona before the Wildcats scored a touchdown but failed to convert the extra point. Arizona then executed a pooch kick, recovered it and kicked a field goal to win the game 29-28.
It’s hard to imagine a worse ending than that for Sonny Dykes.
Both coaches should be feeling the heat this week.
I like both guys, and I’d personally keep them for the 2027 season, but the fan bases are getting weary at both universities, especially considering the investments being made into both programs, on and off the field.
Oklahoma State’s Performance Was Dominant
Oklahoma State went to Manhattan and handed it to a Kansas State team that, at times, looks like an FCS team on defense.
The Wildcats can’t stop the run to save their lives, and that was on display again Saturday as Caleb Hawkins rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns. All three scores came in the first half, when the Pokes built a 49-14 halftime lead.
Drew Mestemaker completed 22 of 28 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns, finishing with a QBR of 90.2.
For comparison, on the other side, fourth-string quarterback Blake Barnett finished with a QBR of 1.0 for the Wildcats.
Oklahoma State is still right in the Big 12 title race, but the Cowboys need to beat Texas Tech this weekend to stay in that conversation.
And the good news for the Pokes is that Tech’s defense is vulnerable, meaning the Cowboys could have a field day in Week 11.
However, Oklahoma State’s defense will have to step up as well against much better competition.
Baylor is Still in the Mix, Amazingly
Two weeks after firing Dave Aranda, the Bears are one of five teams at 4-2 or better in league play heading into the final three weeks of the season.
They’ve scored 83 points over their last two games against UCF and Iowa State and are now 4-2 in Big 12 play.
When’s the last time a coach got fired, his team went 2-0 with dominant wins and suddenly found itself still in the conversation for an appearance in the conference championship game?
Nothing comes to mind for me.
However, the remaining schedule is a nightmare: at BYU, vs. Texas Tech and at Houston.
So I’m in no way predicting it, but it goes to show you that this team had talent, which we knew all along. The Bears just couldn’t play with the consistency they needed during the first half of the season, and that ultimately cost Dave Aranda his job.
Now, here’s an interesting question: Could Joe Klanderman actually win the job if he wins one or two of his final three games?
It’s not a serious conversation yet, but it may be one to watch.
The opportunity is there.
