Big 12 Update: Chaos, Absolute Chaos

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If the SEC imploded last week, the Big 12 did the same this week.

Two Big 12 unbeatens suffered their first defeat, as two other title contenders met in Salt Lake City. Here’s a recap of the Big 12’s Week 8.

Utah Outlasts Houston

The conference’s premier game of the weekend was a little ugly at times, but it had the drama late.

Houston held a 3-0 lead well into the third quarter, when the Cougs scored the game’s first touchdown to go up 10-0.

That seemed to finally get the lid off the basket, as Utah responded with a touchdown and Houston answered with a field goal. After about 45 minutes where only three points were scored, the two teams combined for 17 points in less than five minutes.

Utah RB Wayshawn Parker scored a 5-yard touchdown run early in the fourth to give the Utes their first lead of the night — 14-13.

Houston had a chance to respond, but on their first play from scrimmage on the next drive, a blitzer was on Conner Weigman before he had time to do anything. Weigman fumbled, and Utah recovered on Houston’s 9-yard line with 2:15 to play.

#GoUtes | #RSNB | 📺 @ESPNCFB https://t.co/Q8XC2EP8I1

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 25, 2026

I watched the ending of this game in the Boone Pickens Stadium press box with some of the other media members, and we were having a debate as to whether Utah should try to score or burn as much clock as possible. The Utes went with Option 1, scoring on their first play from scrimmage to go up 21-13 and leaving 2:09 on the clock.

Weigman got the Cougars moving, hitting a 41-yard pass to get to the Utah 23-yard line. But that was where Houston stayed. Four straight incompletions turned the ball over to Utah, and the Utes ran out the clock.

Utah remains unbeaten while Houston drops to two Big 12 losses.

Bearcats Dominate Red Raiders

The Brendon Sorsby Bowl goes the way of the underdogs — and by a lot.

Cincinnati beat Texas Tech 37-24 on Saturday in Cincy. Had it not been for a picked up targeting flag on a Tech pick-six, it would’ve looked even worse.

The Bearcats ran for 255 yards on the Red Raiders. Stanford transfer Cole Tabb led the way, darting for a career-high 173 yards.

Cole Tabb takes it 58-yards to the HOUSE!

@GoBEARCATS https://t.co/X19vlXjTu4

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 24, 2026

Cincy quarterback JC French sort of had an up-and-down day, but four of his passes ended in the Cincy fight song playing. Meanwhile, Tech scored one offensive touchdown and had to settle for four field goals.

It marks the first time Tech has lost a Big 12 game since falling to Arizona State in Tempe on Oct. 18, 2025.

BYU Caught in the Bounce House Trap

This was one of the more obvious letdown spots of recent memory. So much so, you wondered if it was such a trap game that it was no longer a trap game. Well, the Cougars were trapped in the Bounce House.

After an emotional home win against Notre Dame last week, BYU packed up and flew to Florida for a game against UCF. The Knights won 39-31 in a wacky, wacky, double-OT game.

Where to even start?

With the game tied at 24, UCF drove to the BYU 1-yard line with less than two minutes to play. Rather than taking the lead, the Knights elected to go for it and didn’t get it.

But the Cougars were pinned so close to their own end zone that they ended up going three-and-out, and UCF got the ball back with a little less than a minute to play.

The Knights got in field-goal range and tried to kick it on third down. It was blocked, but the UCF kicker scooped it up and ran forward and ended up getting his helmet taken off. After a discussion, it wasn’t ruled a facemask, but since the kick was on third down, it looked like UCF was going to get another shot at it. But further discussion led to something about a 10-second run off, and we were headed to OT.

Both teams scored in the first OT before UCF had to settle for a field goal in the second … until a roughing the kicker call moved the Knights in close, and former Cowboy Grayson Brousseau scored. The Knights got the 2-point conversion, as well. Then the UCF defense got the four stops it needed to finally put this game away.

UCF quarterback Keyon Jenkins finished with 293 passing yards, three touchdowns and no picks to lead his team to what has to be among the biggest wins in UCF’s history.

Built for this moment 🌟
Keyone Jenkins Highlights vs. #2 BYU 🎬

@UCF_Football https://t.co/zeexAleJSY

— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) October 25, 2026

Full Week 8 Results

UCF 39, BYU 31 (2OT)
Cincinnati 37, Texas Tech 24
Utah 21, Houston 13
Arizona 39, Iowa State 3
Oklahoma State 57, Colorado 24
West Virginia 24, TCU 20
Kansas 25, Baylor 24
Arizona State 28, Kansas State 17

Next Weekend’s Schedule

Big 12 Standings