- BYU (10th), Texas Tech (13th), Cincinnati (17th), Houston (22nd) and Utah (24th) give the Big 12 five teams ranked in this week’s AP Top 25. It marks the first time the Conference has had five ranked programs in the month of October since 2022.
- ESPN’s College GameDay will make a Big 12 visit this week for the top-25 showdown between Cincinnati and Utah in Salt Lake City.
WE'RE HEADING WEST FOR A BIG 12 SHOWDOWN 🏔️
See you next week for Cincinnati-Utah! pic.twitter.com/iUZlzW7pMu
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 26, 2025
- As the Big 12 Conference celebrates its 30th season of football, this week’s Kansas State-Texas Tech game is a rematch of the inaugural Conference game played on August 31, 1996.
- Six Big 12 programs are bowl eligible, with another two that are one win away entering Week 10.
- Only eight FBS programs have active winning streaks of seven games or more and two of them are BYU (10 wins) and Cincinnati (7 wins).
- Texas Tech’s average margin of victory of 36.2 points per game ranks second nationally and is the most by a Big 12 team through seven games since 2013.
- The Big 12 boasts five of the top 25 scoring defenses and four of the top 25 scoring offenses nationally. Texas Tech ranks fourth in both categories, while both BYU and Utah rank in the top 25 in both distinctions.
- Big 12 QB Club: Six of the top 25 national leaders in passing touchdowns are from the Big 12, including Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson (2nd – 23 TD’s), TCU’s Josh Hoover (3rd – 22 TD’s), Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby (T-7th – 19 TD’s), KU’s Jalon Daniels (T-11th -18 TD’s), Arizona’s Noah Fifita (T-16th – 17 TD’s) and K-State’s Avery Johnson (T-24th – 15 TD’s).
- After picking up its first AP top-25 win on the road since 2017, Houston’s seven wins this season nearly match its win total of eight from the previous two seasons combined.
- Utah amassed 422 yards on the ground in its win over Colorado on Saturday, which were the most by an FBS team in conference play this season.
Big 12 Football Week Nine Honorees Announced
Highlights and headlines for these week nine award winners 🏅#Big12FB | @Venmo pic.twitter.com/AapFTPirqa
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 27, 2025
Offensive Player of the Week: Byrd Ficklin, QB, Utah and Conner Weigman, QB, Houston
Defensive Player of the Week: Faletau Satuala, S, BYU and Eddie Walls III, DL, Houston
Special Teams Player of the Week: Nate McCashland, K, TCU and J’Koby Williams, Returner, Texas Tech
Freshman of the Week: Byrd Ficklin, QB, Utah
Offensive Line of the Week: Utah
Defensive Line of the Week: Houston
IRVING, Texas — Marquee performances against nationally-ranked opponents highlighted the Big 12’s football awards for Week Nine. The quarterback duo of Byrd Ficklin from Utah and Conner Weigman from Houston (offensive) were recognized alongside BYU’s Faletau Satuala and Houston’s Eddie Walls III (defensive). The special teams honors went to TCU’s Nate McCashland and Texas Tech’s J’Koby Williams, while Ficklin was also the Freshman of the Week. Utah and Houston took home offensive and defensive line awards for the week, respectively.
Making his first collegiate start on Saturday, Ficklin guided Utah to 587 yards of total offense in its 53-7 victory over Colorado. The Muskogee, Oklahoma native threw for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while rushing for 151 yards and a score. Ficklin’s 151 yards on the ground were the most by a Ute QB in three decades.
With a 200-yard game through the air, 100 yards rushing and three total touchdowns in a win at then-No. 24 Arizona State, Weigman became the first FBS quarterback to accomplish the feat without an interception in three seasons. The Cougars’ signal caller connected on 77.3% of his 22 pass attempts, and his 50-yard scamper in the first quarter was the second-longest run by a UH quarterback since joining the Big 12.
Satuala posted a game-high 10 tackles and a pick-six from his safety position in BYU’s 41-27 win at Iowa State. Six of his 10 tackles were solo and included one for a loss. With the Cougars leading 34-27 in the fourth quarter, Satuala intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards for the final score of the game. Saturday was his third consecutive game of double-digit tackles.
Walls III led a Houston defense with three sacks versus the Sun Devils, becoming the third Big 12 player this season to achieve the feat. His trio of sacks tied the Houston record for most in a Big 12 game and helped lead the Cougars to Defensive Line of the Week honors as well.
McCashland made three field goals and a pair of extra points to propel TCU to a 23-17 win at West Virginia. His made field goals were from 22, 35 and a career-long 41 yards out. McCashland was also the only Big 12 kicker to make 100% on three field goal attempts or more for the week.
Williams returned the opening kickoff of Texas Tech’s win over Oklahoma State 99 yards for a touchdown, becoming the first Red Raider to return the opening kick for a score since 2017. He scored Texas Tech’s second touchdown of the day, taking a Will Hammond swing pass 26 yards to the endzone. Williams finished his day with three catches for 60 yards and a score on offense.
Utah’s offensive line paved the way for 422 yards of rushing in the win over Colorado, which were the most rushing yards by an FBS team in conference play this season. The rushing output was the seventh most in program history and part of a 587-yard night for the offense. The unit only allowed one sack as it eclipsed 500 yards of offense for the fourth time this season.
Tallying four sacks and limiting then-No. 24 Arizona State to just 98 rushing yards, the Houston defensive line was pivotal in the 24-16 win in Tempe. The Cougars’ defense held the Sun Devils scoreless for the first three quarters of Saturday’s game and helped secure the program’s first top-25 win on the road since 2017.
