BYU and Iowa State nearly received their first blemish on an unbeaten record last weekend.
Instead, both the Cougars and Cyclones found a way to rally late and beat a pair of Big 12 opponents that now sit under .500 on the season.
That nearly shook up the Big 12 championship race — instead, the top of the league remained status quo for another week, outside of a stunning loss for Texas Tech.
What else did Week 8 bring to the conference? It included a rock-bottom moment for preseason favorite Utah.
Here’s our look at how the Big 12 stacks up through the eighth week of the 2024 season:
1. BYU Cougars (7-0, 4-0 Big 12)
- Poll movement: No change
- Last week: Beat Oklahoma State, 38-35
- Next game: Saturday at UCF, 1:30 p.m. MDT (ESPN)
BYU nearly lost its first game of the season, after a struggling Oklahoma State team came into Provo and matched the Cougars punch-for-punch in a thrilling Friday night game. The Cougars showed poise, though, in rallying for a game-winning touchdown drive in the final minute with several clutch plays — including the 35-yard winning TD pass to Darius Lassiter — after Oklahoma State took the lead with just over a minute to play.
Again, the Cougars hold on to the top spot in these power rankings by virtue of their two wins over teams currently in the top 25 — and with Kansas State and SMU playing well and winning, that only strengthens the perception of those BYU victories.
Will the Cougars get tripped up at UCF? ESPN’s Football Power Index thinks it’s a definite possibility, giving the edge to the Knights. UCF has lost four straight but gave Iowa State everything it could handle last week, and BYU has to travel to the East Coast for this matchup. A win would ensure that the Cougars are undefeated when the first College Football Playoff rankings are released on Nov. 5.
2. Iowa State Cyclones (7-0, 4-0 Big 12)
- Poll movement: No change
- Last week: Beat UCF, 38-35
- Next game: Nov. 2 vs. Texas Tech, TBD
Like BYU, the Cyclones got a scare last week. And like the Cougars, Iowa State found a way to rally and score the winning points in the final minute of the contest — oddly enough, by the same winning score as BYU. Iowa State showed resilience in its first one-score game since beating Iowa 20-19 in Week 2, and as a result, the Cyclones kept their unbeaten streak alive.
After a bye week, the Cyclones will start their final month of the season with their first of three home games in November, including the season finale against Kansas State. There will be tests in November, but Iowa State has shown it’s up to the task, and that could pay off with a Big 12 championship berth.
3. Kansas State Wildcats (6-1, 3-1 Big 12)
- Poll movement: No change
- Last week: Beat West Virginia, 45-18
- Next game: Saturday vs. Kansas, 6 p.m. MDT (ESPN2)
The Wildcats have put themselves in an excellent spot in the Big 12 standings by winning a pair of road games the last two weeks against opponents that looked like they could knock them off. Unlike the previous week when Kansas State needed to rally to beat Colorado, the Wildcats took care of business earlier in the game in rolling past West Virginia.
Now, the Wildcats will play three of their next four games at home, with the lone road game at Houston. This part of the schedule is setting up well for Kansas State to extend their winning streak heading into the season finale at Iowa State — a game that could determine one of the two spots in the Big 12 championship game.
4. Colorado Buffaloes (5-2, 3-1 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Climbed two spots
- Last week: Beat Arizona, 34-7
- Next game: Saturday vs. Cincinnati, 8:15 p.m. MDT (ESPN)
Deion Sanders has his team playing well, and they have the chance to go into November and be right in the thick of the conference race. The Buffaloes ran past Arizona in Tucson, their fourth win in five games, and showed no signs of a letdown after a heartbreaking loss to Kansas State the week before.
The next two games look like the most difficult remaining for Colorado — after the contest with Cincinnati, the Buffaloes play Texas Tech on the road. Utah is also on the schedule after that, but the Utes look far from the dominant team that was expected coming into the year. The schedule is set up for Colorado to make a run at playing in the Big 12 championship if they can take advantage.
5. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-2, 3-1 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Climbed two spots
- Last week: Beat Arizona State, 24-14
- Next game: Saturday at Colorado, 8:15 p.m. MDT (ESPN)
Cincinnati has been one of the best feel-good surprise stories of the Big 12 race thus far, and that continued with the Bearcats taking care of another upstart, Arizona State, to improve to 3-1 in league play. The Bearcats have already won two more conference games this year than they did all last season.
These final five games are going to test Cincinnati — first there’s the road trip to Colorado this weekend, then the Bearcats will hit the road again to take on Iowa State and Kansas State in mid-to-late November. If the Bearcats can manage to win one or more of these games away from home, they’ll impact the league race — something that wasn’t expected even a few weeks ago.
6. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-2, 3-1 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Dropped two spots
- Last week: Lost to Baylor, 59-35
- Next game: Saturday at TCU, 1:30 p.m. MDT (Fox)
Texas Tech looked primed to stay unbeaten in Big 12 play when the Red Raiders hosted Baylor, but the Bears had other plans. It’s not a demoralizing loss for Texas Tech’s championship hopes, but it certainly was a stunner that raises questions about whether the Red Raiders really can remain in contention for the league title.
Texas Tech needs to take care of business on the road at TCU. If the Red Raiders can do that, they’d head into a two-game stretch where they’ll face Iowa State and Colorado with the chance to keep themselves in the Big 12 title picture — or fall into purgatory known as the middle of the league standings.
7. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2, 2-2 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Dropped two spots
- Last week: Lost to Cincinnati, 24-14
- Next game: Nov. 2 at Oklahoma State, TBD
Arizona State’s turnaround has been one of the best storylines around the Big 12 so far this season, but the Sun Devils ran into trouble early and often at Cincinnati last week. Starting quarterback Sam Leavitt is also out for several weeks with an injury, and his replacement, Jeff Sims, couldn’t generate enough offense for the Sun Devils to beat the Bearcats.
This feels like a well-timed bye for Arizona State as it gets ready for the final month of the regular season. While the Sun Devils still have to face Kansas State and BYU in back-to-back games, Arizona State also faces Oklahoma State, UCF and Arizona — those three teams have combined for two Big 12 wins so far.
8. TCU Horned Frogs (4-3, 2-2 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Climbed five spots
- Last week: Beat Utah, 13-7
- Next game: Saturday vs. Texas Tech, 1:30 p.m. MDT (Fox)
TCU really needed a win after getting embarrassed by Houston two weeks ago, and the Horned Frogs came up with a gritty victory on the road at Utah. It wasn’t a pretty effort by any means, but TCU took control and dictated the game’s pace for nearly the entire night in beating the Utes.
How will TCU respond? Up next is a Red Raiders team that is coming off its own frustrating loss — Texas Tech was steamrolled by Baylor — and the Horned Frogs will have the home-field advantage in this matchup. That didn’t mean anything in the loss to Houston, but perhaps the Horned Frogs can take advantage against a wounded Red Raiders squad.
9. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-4, 2-2 Big 12)
- Poll movement: No change
- Last week: Lost to then-No. 17 Kansas State, 45-18
- Next game: Saturday at Arizona, 5 p.m. MDT (FS1)
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for the Mountaineers. West Virginia lost by double digits at home to Iowa State and Kansas State in consecutive weeks, with the Wildcats coming in to Morgantown and breaking open a close game at halftime by scoring 28 points in the second half.
The road ahead looks more favorable for West Virginia, though the Mountaineers will play three of their final five games away from home, starting this week at Arizona and following that with a road contest at Cincinnati, which has surprisingly gone 3-1 so far in Big 12 play.
10. Utah Utes (4-3, 1-3 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Dropped two spots
- Last week: Lost to TCU, 13-7
- Next game: Saturday at Houston, 5 p.m. MDT (ESPN+)
The Utes hit rock bottom in their latest loss, and with it came the collateral damage of seeing offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig step down from his post after a 13-7 loss to TCU.
The goal now for Utah is to become bowl eligible, a far cry from the lofty expectations for the program heading into the season. The offense will need to show marked improvement to make the postseason, and the hope is interim OC Mike Bajakian can find enough answers to make it happen.
It won’t be easy — while the Utes are favorites on the road this week at moribund Houston, Utah’s schedule looks difficult in November. There are matchups with ranked teams BYU and Iowa State, a resurgent Colorado team and a season finale at UCF — given the current state of the Utes, they could be underdogs in all four.
11. UCF Knights (3-4, 1-3 Big 12)
- Poll movement: No change
- Last week: Lost to then-No. 9 Iowa State, 38-35
- Next game: Saturday vs. No. 11 BYU, 1:30 p.m. MDT (ESPN)
What a heartbreaker for UCF: The Knights, who faced top 10 Iowa State on the road on the heels of a three-game losing streak, played well enough to lead by 14 in the second half and eight in the fourth quarter, only to see the Cyclones rally and take the lead in the final minute. Despite the gutty performance, UCF has now lost four straight and is fighting for bowl eligibility.
Can the Knights play spoiler to BYU’s unbeaten season thus far? UCF has shown it has the talent to compete with anyone, but needs the consistency to go with it, and for long stretches, it was there last week. Plus, BYU is the most difficult remaining game for the Knights — a win there could spark a late-season run like the team had last season, when it went 3-1 in November.
12. Baylor Bears (3-4, 1-3 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Climbed three spots
- Last week: Beat Texas Tech, 59-35
- Next game: Saturday vs. Oklahoma State, 1:30 p.m. MDT (ESPN+)
Where did that offensive explosion come from? The Bears looked like a competitive Big 12 team in blitzing the Red Raiders on the road, and in the process turned their luck after a rough stretch. Can Baylor keep the good vibes going and make a bowl game?
None of Baylor’s final five opponents have a winning record in league play at this point — TCU and West Virginia are 2-2, Kansas and Houston are 1-3 and Oklahoma State is 0-4. If the Bears can capitalize on the favorable schedule, there looks to be some hope that Dave Aranda’s team could finish strong.
13. Arizona Wildcats (3-4, 1-3 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Dropped three spots
- Last week: Lost to Colorado, 34-7
- Next game: Saturday at Arizona, 5 p.m. MDT (FS1)
Remember when the Wildcats upset Utah almost a month ago and started Big 12 play with a revitalizing victory? Well, the hope from that win has been extinguished amid a three-game losing streak where Arizona has lost by 22 and 27 points the last two weeks, including getting blown out by Colorado at home.
Sure, the final five games of the schedule don’t look nearly as foreboding as the last few weeks have, but Arizona hasn’t looked right for most of the season. Can the Wildcats get bowl eligible? It could be a slog to get to six wins.
14. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-4, 0-4 Big 12)
- Poll movement: No change
- Last week: Lost to then-No. 13 BYU, 38-35
- Next game: Saturday at Baylor, 1:30 p.m. MDT (ESPN+)
For as awful as the Cowboys looked in losing their three previous games before facing BYU last Friday night, Oklahoma State more resembled a competitive team in nearly upsetting the Cougars. With 73 seconds to play, the Cowboys took the lead, but they couldn’t stop BYU from scoring the game-winner with 10 seconds left, a devastating end to a valiant effort.
Which Oklahoma State team will show up the rest of the way? There are no more games against ranked opponents — though Colorado could be by the time the two schools meet in the season finale. It sets up the chance for Oklahoma State to right the ship a bit with a more manageable schedule — if the Cowboys can show a better fight and better play.
15. Kansas Jayhawks (2-5, 1-3 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Climbed one spot
- Last week: Beat Houston, 42-14
- Next game: Saturday at No. 16 Kansas State, 6 p.m. MDT (ESPN2)
It was odd to see it take until Game 7 before the Jayhawks picked up their first win over an FBS opponent, but Houston ended up being the perfect opponent for Kansas to snap its five-game losing streak. Finally, a Kansas team that has been competitive but unable to finish games won by taking an early lead and cruising to victory.
The elation could be short-lived, though — the Jayhawks now hit the road to face in-state rival Kansas State. That is the first of three straight games against ranked opponents, with a home game against Iowa State following a bye, then a road trip to BYU. Kansas also still has to face Colorado in late November.
16. Houston Cougars (2-5, 1-3 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Dropped four spots
- Last week: Lost to Kansas, 42-14
- Next game: Saturday vs. Utah, 5 p.m. MDT (ESPN+)
Losing by 28 to a team that previously had won just once this season puts Houston right back at the bottom of the power rankings. The Cougars fell behind by 14 before the first quarter ended and lost the turnover battle 4-0 to Kansas in another humbling loss.
Now, Houston gets the preseason favorite Utes, who have fallen on their own hard times and head to Texas on a three-game losing streak. Oddly enough, this is the game of the Cougars’ five remaining contests that ESPN’s FPI gives Houston the best odds for a victory — at 32.9%.