Big 12 Football Week 8: Frogs Stand Alone At The Top

The Horned Frogs beat Kansas State; OSU prevails over Texas
© Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Week 8 of the college football season gave us four Big 12 conference games, two of which included ranked versus ranked matchups. And both of those were exciting, tense games, with the home team coming from behind to win their respective homecomings. No. 11 Oklahoma State was down 14 points to No. 20 Texas and pulled off the win. And in Fort Worth, No. 8 TCU was down 18 to No. 17 Kansas State before scoring 28 unanswered points for the win.

Kansas suffered their third straight loss, confirming their Cinderella season has ended as they continue searching for that elusive sixth win to make them bowl-eligible. Then in Lubbock, Texas Tech blew out West Virginia.

Here is how each Big 12 team fared, plus some of the key results in the Top 25:

Baylor (4-3, 2-2) vs. Kansas (5-3, 2-3)

Baylor wins 35-23

Kansas tried to make this a game, pulling to within five points with just over six minutes to play. Another touchdown by Baylor with 3:25 remaining sealed the deal for the Bears. This was the third straight loss for the Jayhawks after beginning the season 5-0. Kansas needs one more win to go to their first bowl game in over a decade. But after three straight losses, will they even make it? Baylor jumped out to a quick lead, scoring 14 points in less than the game's first five minutes. Freshman Richard Reese ran for 186 yards on 31 carries, including two touchdowns. Quarterback Blake Shapen, who was questionable to play earlier in the week, threw 17-of-26 for 164 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Texas Tech (4-3, 2-2) vs. West Virginia (3-4, 1-3)

Texas Tech wins 48-10

We have said throughout this season that both of these teams seem to be the Dr. Jekylls and Mr. Hydes of the league, both with unexpected wins and questionable losses. You never know which team will show up each week. Texas Tech had no problem with the Mountaineers. Tech scored within the game’s first two minutes and never looked back. Freshman quarterback Behren Morton threw 28-of-45 for 325 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also carried the ball eight times for 21 yards. Taj Brooks had 17 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Xavier White had 139 receiving yards on eight catches, including one touchdown.

#11 Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-1) vs. #20 Texas (5-3, 3-2)

Oklahoma State wins 41-34

If one thing has been proven true in this Big 12 season, no two or three-possession lead is ever safe, especially if that lead is in the second quarter. The first quarter of this game was a back-and-forth affair, with each team scoring twice. Texas was up by 14 points in the second quarter with just over three minutes to play. But one minute later, OSU answered with a touchdown to cut the deficit in half. In the third, both teams only scored one field goal apiece. OSU tied the game early in the fourth quarter and got the go-ahead touchdown with just over three minutes to play. The story in this game was the 14 penalties by Texas for 119 yards, compared to OSU’s zero penalties.

#8 TCU (7-0, 4-0) vs. #17 Kansas State (5-2, 3-1)

TCU wins 38-28

TCU is now 7-0, which hasn’t been done since 2017. For the first time in its history, TCU has defeated four straight-ranked opponents. It’s also only the second time in Big 12 history for a team to do this. And for the second consecutive week, TCU had to overcome three-possession deficits to get the win. Last week against OSU, TCU was down 17 points in the 2nd quarter. This week, they were down 18 points in the 2nd quarter. TCU scored 28 unanswered points in this game, shutting down K-State for the last 39 minutes of the game. The Frogs fell just five yards shy of having a 500 total yards game. Max Duggan threw 17-of-26 for 280 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also carried the ball 15 times. Kendre Miller had 29 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Jared Wiley, Quentin Johnston, and Derius Davis each had a receiving touchdown.

Bye Weeks

  • Iowa State (3-4, 0-4)
  • Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3)

Bowl Eligible Teams

  • Oklahoma State
  • TCU
TeamOverallBig 12 

TCU

7-0

4-0

Oklahoma State

6-1

3-1

Kansas State

5-2

3-1

Texas

5-3

3-2

Baylor

4-3

2-2

Texas Tech

4-3

2-2

Kansas

5-3

2-3

Oklahoma

4-3

1-3

West Virginia

3-4

1-3

Iowa State

3-4

0-4

Noteworthy Top 25 Games:

#5 Clemson (8-0) vs. #14 Syracuse (6-1)

Clemson wins 27-21

#6 Alabama (7-1) vs. #24 Mississippi State (5-3)

Alabama wins 30-6

#7 Ole Miss (7-1) at LSU (6-2)

LSU wins 45-20

#9 UCLA (6-1) at #10 Oregon (6-1)

Oregon wins 45-30

With Ole Miss, UCLA, and Syracuse losing, there are now only six undefeated teams in the FBS: Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee, and TCU.


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Published
Barry Lewis
BARRY LEWIS

Barry is the managing editor/publisher of TCU Horned Frogs On SI and oversees a team of 15+ writers, photographers, and podcasters covering all 22 of TCU’s sports. He writes on football, basketball (men’s and women’s), baseball, men’s tennis, and other sports as needed. His weekly articles include Big 12 Power Rankings and Poll Watching during the football, basketball, and baseball seasons. He is a frequent guest on one of the many podcasts that TCU Horned Frogs On SI writers host covering football, baseball, basketball, and other sports. Barry is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He has represented TCU Horned Frogs On SI at the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, the 2023 College Football National Championship, the 2023 College World Series, the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tennis National Championship, Big 12 Football Media Days, and Big 12 Basketball Media Days. Barry has followed TCU sports since the Jim Wacker days. He is an avid sports fan and traveler, and he loves any opportunity to see a sporting event in person. He has been to 18 of the 30 MLB ballparks, experienced game day at 25 college football stadiums, seen 21 NFL stadiums, and been to 16 bowl games.

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