Big 12 Week 8: OU, Texas Struggle Following Bye Week; OSU Finishes Strong On The Road

Past the halfway point for the 2023 college football season, a handful of teams are all that is left to battle for the Big 12 conference championship.

Week 8 Winners:

Baylor:

Earning their second conference win this season, the Baylor Bears fended off the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday in a 32-29 finish.

Baylor will return to Waco this weekend to welcome the Iowa State Cyclones, who are returning from a Bye Week.

BYU:

With a 27-14 win over Texas Tech on Saturday, the Cougars now hold the distinction of being the first of the Big 12 newcomers to win over an existing conference opponent.

BYU were also the first of the new arrivals to win a conference game as well, after defeating Cincinnati on Sept. 29.

The Cougars will now travel to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns. BYU currently maintains a 4-1 record against the Longhorns and a two-game win streak following wins in 2013 and 2014.

Kansas State:

With a little over four minutes remaining in the first quarter, TCU kicker scored a field goal from 32 yards away. These would be the only points scored by TCU for the rest of the game.

The Kansas State Wildcats put on an impressive defensive performance on the road to a 41-3 win over the Horned Frogs, holding TCU to exactly 300 total yards while the Wildcats' offense nearly doubled that, rushing and passing for 587 total yards.

Kansas State will stay in Manhattan for Week, welcoming the Houston Cougars at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Oklahoma:

Managing to stay undefeated, the Sooners held on just enough to overcome UCF 31-29 and reach seven wins.

The win wasn't perfect however, with UCF taking a brief lead in the second quarter, and poised to tie the game in the fourth quarter, attempted a two-point conversion with just over a minute left.

That attempt was stopped, luckily for the Venables-led program, but adjustments will need to be made when the Sooners face Kansas in Lawrence this weekend.

So far this season, the Sooners have outscored opponents 302-113. 59 of those 113 points were scored by UCF and Texas, Oklahoma's past two opponents.

Oklahoma State:

Carrying on with renewed energy following wins over Kansas and Kansas State, the Oklahoma State Cowboys travelled to Morgantown, West Virginia, to face the Mountaineers.

The game was a nail-biter, being tied 27-27 in the fourth quarter. Fortune favored the Cowboys though, who pulled away with three touchdowns and only giving up a single touchdown to West Virginia.

OSU won 48-34, but the question is will they be prepared for Bedlam against so-far undefeated Oklahoma?

Between now and Bedlam though, is another week of college football. On Saturday, the Cowboys welcome the Cincinnati Bearcats to Stillwater.

Texas:

Our final winner this week, the Longhorns saw red, literally and metaphorically, when they jumped to a 21-0 lead over the Houston Cougars.

Despite the energy from Texas, Houston got their licks in, sparking a surprise comeback to tie the game 21-21 in the third quarter, and then again, tying it 24-24 in the fourth.

Texas was able to score again, and managed to get a fourth-down stop against Houston in the red zone, ending the game but generating a flurry of questions amongst fans.

Texas doesn't get a break from the Cougars though, trading the scarlet for navy blue when they host BYU on Saturday.

Week 8 Losers:

UCF:

The Knights put up a valiant effort, but a missed opportunity to score on a two-point conversion and tie the game with a minute left to play stopped them in their tracks.

Still chasing their first conference win, UCF welcomes West Virginia to Orlando on Saturday.

Cincinnati:

Despite keeping it close against Baylor, and with an impressive performance by Bearcats running back Myles Montgomery and wide receiver Xzavier Henderson, Cincinnati fell short against the Bears.

Up ahead though, the Bearcats have another chance to score their first conference win this season when they face Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Houston:

You have to give it up to the Cougars, who gave the now No. 7 Longhorns a run for their money on Saturday, with a controversial call by officials being the only thing between Houston and a possible win over Texas.

Either way, Houston proved they have what it takes to tangle with the big boys in the Big 12, and we look forward to seeing how the program continues to adapt under head coach Dana Holgorson.

In the immediate future though, Houston travels to Kansas State to take on the Wildcats at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

TCU:

The Horned Frogs are purple, the Horned Frogs are white, and the Horned Frogs lost 41-3 to Kansas State.

In a collapse reminiscent of the 2022 OU-Texas game, TCU was trampled by the Wildcats, without any noticeable recovery heading into the second half either.

TCU has a Bye Week for Week 9, but will need to make changes before they face Texas Tech in Week 10.

Texas Tech:

Speaking of the Texas Tech, the Red Raiders were held to two touchdowns against BYU on Saturday on the way to a 14-27 loss.

What plays the Red Raiders did execute panned out well though, including a 72-yard touchdown pass to Xavier White to put their first points on the board.

Just like TCU, Texas Tech has a Bye Week before the two teams meet on Thursday, Nov. 2, in Lubbock.

West Virginia:

The Mountaineers kept it close with Oklahoma State, but ultimately, the Cowboys pulled ahead to win 48-34 in Morgantown.

With another chance to add to their win column, West Virginia will travel to Orlando this weekend to face the UCF Knights.

Did Not Play:

Iowa State:

The Cyclones were on a Bye Week for Week 8, but will emerge to face Baylor for Week 9.

That game starts at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Kansas:

Kansas entered a Bye Week following a 32-39 loss to Oklahoma State, and will enter Week 9 to face the other Big 12 Oklahoma team when the Sooners travel to Lawrence.

The OU-Kansas game begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday.