It’s been a heavy week around the Big 12. Condolences to the UCF football family on the loss of offensive line coach Shawn Clark, who passed away this week after suffering a medical emergency earlier this month.

It was also sad to see Oklahoma State part ways with Mike Gundy in the middle of his 21st season. Gundy spent 35 years at OSU as a player and coach. No matter how you slice it, he’s a Big 12 and college football legend.

Do yourself a favor and watch this montage of Gundy’s best quotes over the years.

Here are the five things I’m watching this week in Big 12 football:

Week Five Primer

I’ll be previewing every week of the Big 12 season by giving you the top five things to watch for. Here’s what you need to know about week five.

All times listed are Central Time (CST)

Another Game of the Year Candidate

#24 TCU (3-0, 0-0) at Arizona State (3-1, 1-0) – 8:00 Friday Fox
Line: ASU -3.5

This game doesn’t have the buildup that Texas Tech–Utah did last week, but it could be just as important in the Big 12 title race.

TCU opened by dismantling North Carolina in front of Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, and seemingly every ESPN employee, then added a two-score win over defending ACC runner-up SMU. Yet with the starts Texas Tech and Iowa State have had, the Frogs feel overlooked.

TCU has now won nine of its last ten games dating back to last season. They’re a legitimate Big 12 title threat. 

QB Josh Hoover is putting up Heisman-type numbers. He leads the country in passing yards per game and is developing a dangerous connection with WR Eric McAlister, who torched SMU for 254 yards and three touchdowns.

The problem? TCU’s pass defense has been the worst in the league. That’s a concerning matchup against future first-rounder Jordan Tyson this week.

Arizona State needs more than Tyson, though. WR Derek Eusebio and TE Chamon Metayer flashed signs in the Baylor win, and they’ll need to keep growing to take pressure off QB Sam Leavitt.

The Mississippi State loss still stings, but with a win here, ASU would plant itself firmly in the Big 12 title picture.

Is Arizona Actually a Contender?

Arizona (3-0, 0-0) at #14 Iowa State (4-0, 1-0) – 6:00 ESPN
Line: ISU -6.5 

There’s plenty of reason for Arizona fans to be optimistic about the Wildcats’ 3-0 start, the program’s best start since 2015. They don’t have the same high-end talent as last season, but this team is markedly better.

Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales’ unit has been stellar, but the Wildcats need to finish drives and avoid sloppiness to be taken seriously as a contender. Ames is the perfect proving ground.

The timing is interesting—both teams had a bye. ISU needed it badly after an exhausting stretch: Ireland, two rivalry games, and a narrow escape at Arkansas State.

If this turns into another one-score game, it’s hard to bet against Rocco Becht making the clutch play. Few are better at it than he is.

Can Colorado Get Revenge?

#25 BYU (3-0, 0-0) at Colorado (2-2, 0-1) – 9:15 ESPN
Line: BYU -6.5

This is a rematch of last season’s all-Big 12 Alamo Bowl that turned into a statement for the Cougars. 

BYU splattered Colorado 36-14 while holding the high-powered Buffs offense to just 210 yards. The Cougs sacked QB Shedeur Sanders three times and picked him off twice. 

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders insists his team isn’t thinking about revenge, though. 

What matters more to Coach Prime is a better effort in conference game number two. The Buffaloes fell flat in an ugly 36-20 loss in the conference opener at Houston. 

The offense struggled to get much going, especially in the second half, and Houston QB Conner Weigman lit up the Buffs for over 300 total yards. 

“In Houston, we played like garbage, man,” Sanders said.

Liberty transfer QB Kaidon Salter seemed to regain his mojo as the starter last week in a 37-20 win over Wyoming, but now he’ll see arguably the best defense in the Big 12 from BYU. 

The Cougars, though, need to clean up the slow starts offensively and the 101 penalty yards they committed last week.

Will this be the first time BYU head coach Kalani Sitake has to ask freshman QB Bear Bachmeier to go win a game himself? If Colorado can force that, things will get interesting.

Statement Opportunities for UCF and Cincinnati

UCF (3-0, 0-0) at K-State (1-3, 0-1) – 11:00 FS1
Line: K-State -6.5

Cincinnati (2-1, 0-0) at Kansas (3-1, 1-0) – 11:00 TNT
Line: Kansas -4.5

UCF and Cincinnati have flown under the radar so far this season in the Big 12. 

Many thought the Knights would be the worst team in the Big 12 this season, with head coach Scott Frost in his first year back in the program. Yet, here they sit at 3-0, coming off a blowout win over Bill Belichick and North Carolina. 

The Knights need to prove they can win Big 12 games. They have lost six of their last seven and are 5-13 in Big 12 games since joining the conference. 

K-State is absolutely reeling, but a win in Manhattan would make a statement for a UCF program that lost there 44-31 two seasons ago.

Cincinnati got its shot in the spotlight in week one against Nebraska, and they almost pulled off a stunning win. Since then, a bye week and two blowout wins against overmatched competition have the Bearcats riding into Lawrence with confidence. 

It’s a game KU can’t afford to lose if they’re going to contend, and Cincy can make a real statement that they’re more than a team simply fighting for bowl eligibility. 

Utah Needs to Recover Quickly

Utah (3-1, 0-1) at West Virginia (2-2, 0-1) – 2:30 Fox
Line: Utah -12.5

I have questions about two things heading into this game: West Virginia’s physical state and Utah’s mental state. 

The Mountaineers are dealing with so many injuries offensively that it doesn’t seem fair.

The good news for WVU is that they are back in the friendly confines of Milan Puskar Stadium, where they beat rival Pitt in front of an electric crowd two weeks ago. 

Can they recapture those vibes against a Utah team that needs to quickly move past a disastrous fourth quarter against Texas Tech?

It’s easy to see why the Utes are a heavy favorite, but we need to find out if this team has enough character to keep one loss from becoming two. Last year, one loss became seven after they fell to Arizona. 

That probably had more to do with their quarterback situation than attitude, but there’s still no time to waste in bouncing back. Utah’s proud program is now 2-8 in Big 12 play since joining the conference. 

Banged-up Utes QB Devon Dampier is expected to play, though Kyle Whittingham has been coy with injury reports.

Simply put: this feels like a must-win game for Utah.

Week Five Power Rankings

1. Texas Tech (LW: 4)

2. Iowa State (LW: 1)

3. TCU (LW: 3)

4. Arizona State (LW: 8)

5. Kansas (LW: 7)

6. BYU (LW: 6)

7. Utah (LW: 2)

8. Houston (LW: 9)

9. Cincinnati (LW: 10)

10. UCF (LW: 14)

11. Arizona (LW: 12)

12. Baylor (LW: 5)

13. Colorado (LW: 13)

14. West Virginia (LW: 11)

15. K-State (LW: 15)

16. Oklahoma State (LW: 16)

• Texas Tech is number one with a bullet after a dominant fourth quarter in Salt Lake City. Iowa State’s resume is still very impressive, but they haven’t done anything like what the Red Raiders did to the Utes. 

• Four through eight are difficult to sort out. The pedigree and talent level of Arizona State, combined with a great road win in Waco, are enough to give them the edge for now. 

• I still think Baylor is a better team than UCF and Arizona, but I’m going to drop the Bears for now after their second loss of the season, especially since both losses have come at home.

What You Need to Know

• Oklahoma State fired head coach Mike Gundy on Tuesday after 21 years with the school. Here’s what he told his team.

• Here’s the initial On3 list of candidates to replace Gundy at OSU.

• Here are the latest Big 12 TV numbers for this season. One team has a considerable lead at the top, and it’s not Colorado like last year.

• A new working group of athletic directors from each Power Four conference is being formed to discuss future College Football Playoff formats that could be anywhere from 16 to 32 teams. The formats could also have an equal number of autobids for each league.

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