Bear Bachmeier and the BYU Cougars are currently undefeated heading into Week 7.

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The college football season has officially hit halfway and the Big 12 standings have taken shape. It’s time to take a look at the conference landscape ahead of the rest of October.

The first question: who will play in Arlington at season’s end? The two usual options, BYU and Texas Tech, are back in championship contention. Bear Bachmeier, who boasts a 8.61 BiteScore, and reigning Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin, who’s currently injured, lead a potent Cougars offense. They will welcome Notre Dame to Provo, Utah, this week for College Gameday.

Texas Tech has not seemed to have broken through yet, but it remains undefeated with a huge conference win against Houston. Its defense stood strong last week in Boulder, holding off a miserable Colorado Buffaloes squad. Star tailback J’Koby Williams (6.80 BS) and the Red Raiders host Arizona State next week.

The other undefeated teams in conference play are Utah, Baylor, and Oklahoma State. The Utes, in the first season of the Morgan Scalley era, simply score a lot of points. Devon Dampier (8.44 BS) has thrown 12 touchdowns, and Wayshawn Parker, a BiteScore Top-5 running back, has taken 11 to the house, tied for third in the country. Playoff hype in Salt Lake City is palpable.

After dropping their season-openers, Oklahoma State and Baylor have not looked back. The Cowboys were embarrassed in week one in Tulsa, but immediately pulled off the shocker of the season over then-No.2-Oregon. Since then, they have picked up an impressive victory at West Virginia and a home win over UCF. The offense carried over from Eric Morris’s time at North Texas. Players at star positions are fighting for conference and national postseason awards. 

In Waco, there was a lot of nervousness surrounding quarterback DJ Lagway (7.83 BS) after a rough start against Auburn. After missing two non-conference buy games, Lagway looked like the player he was billed to be just a year ago. He and the Bears offense have been on point, culminating in a jaw-dropping performance in Tucson on Oct. 3.

Contenders remain down the list. Arizona and Houston, even with conference losses to their name, still feel they have a path to Arlington and to the College Football Playoff. Noah Fifita (8.85 BS) and Connor Weigman (8.98 BS) both lead dangerous offenses, putting up monster numbers respectively. Unfortunately, they also both fell short on the road in their pursuit of toppling BYU and Texas Tech.

The door to the conference championship remains wide open, with title-worthy teams all over Middle America. Storylines will unfold over the second half of the season with marquee matchups every week. Once again, the Big 12 looks poised to reclaim the title of the craziest conference in college football.

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