Big 12 Update: Wild Finish in Houston, Iowa State and Oklahoma State Surging

Is Oklahoma State now the Big 12’s best hope at wrecking a Red River rematch being the conference title game?

The Cowboys have beaten Kansas State and Kansas, respectively, the past two weeks. Both teams from the Sunflower State were thought to be candidates to slip into the conference title bout, with K-State being the defending champion and KU starting the season 4-0.

The next possibility was West Virginia after four straight wins and its only loss being to a very good Penn State squad Week 1. But the Mountaineers just lost a thriller to Houston, which is maybe the worst team in the Big 12.

Then there is 4-3 Iowa State creeping into the mix at 3-1 in conference play, with its only loss being to OU.

The Big 12 is just a mess, so here’s your Week 7 update to help keep up with all the conference chaos.

Houston 41, West Virginia 39

What a start to the Big 12 weekend on a Thursday night.

This game may have featured the greatest ending of the season. In case you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch it here. Down 35-24, West Virginia scored a pair of unanswered touchdowns. The last was a 50-yard pass to make the score 39-35 with 12 seconds left. The end and great comeback by the Mountaineers?

There was an unsportsmanlike penalty that gave Houston the ball on its own 43. Donovan Smith hit a quick 8-yard pass with seven seconds left. Smith then chunked a Hail Mary pass that bounced around and ultimately landed in former Cowboy Stephon Johnson’s hands for a 49-yard touchdown and the win.

The miracle gave Houston its first-ever Big 12 victory and put the Cougars at 3-3. West Virginia dropped to 4-2 and halted a four-game winning streak. West Virginia hosts OSU next, while Houston welcomes No. 8 Texas coming off a bye week.

Iowa State 30, Cincinnati 10

Similar to OSU, Iowa State may not actually be the team it was during its nonconference slate.

The Cyclones handled Cincinnati for back-to-back Big 12 wins. Rocco Becht continued to impress with two touchdowns through the air and another on the ground. At 4-3, ISU heads to Baylor next after getting a week off.

Cincinnati, on the other hand, dropped to 2-4 and is still looking for its first Big 12 win while struggling on a four-game losing streak after winning its first two games of the season. The only team having more issues than Cincinnati may be Baylor, so the Bearcats’ next matchup with the Bears may be their best shot at a conference win.

TCU 44, BYU 11

Are the Horned Frogs good or not?

Coming off back-to-back conference losses, TCU handled a solid BYU team after scoring the first 24 points of the game. We may learn more about 4-3 TCU next week when it travels to Kansas State for a Big 12 title game rematch.

BYU dropped to 4-2 after losing two of its last three. The Cougars may be suffering from their first experience with a Power Five schedule. They host Texas Tech next.

Kansas State 38, Texas Tech 21

There may be a quarterback battle brewing in the Little Apple.

Freshman Avery Johnson played the entire second half as Will Howard watched from the sidelines after throwing only nine passes. Chris Klieman said after the game it was only because Texas Tech was giving the Wildcats a chance to run with their quarterback, and boy did they. Johnson had five (!!!!!) rushing touchdowns and 90 rushing yards on 13 carries while leading the Wildcats to a bounce-back win. Johnson was 8-of-9 for 77 yards through the air.

K-State hosts TCU on Saturday night for our next chance to see how Klieman handles the QB situation. Maybe he’ll rotate three of them.

Texas Tech dropped below .500 at 3-4 and travels to BYU next.

Big 12 Standings