It was a good week to be a favorite in the Big 12. There were four conference games this weekend, and in each, the favored team won by double-digits. Three of those teams kept an undefeated conference record alive and proved their stability as conference title contenders.
No. 12 West Virginia stays unbeaten
The Mountaineers had no trouble earning a 48-17 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday to remain undefeated this season.
The win was arguably West Virginia’s most balanced performance, and it keeps the Mountaineers in the conversation for a Big 12 title.
Senior quarterback Skyler Howard accounted for three touchdowns as he passed for 318 yards and rushed for 89 more. The Mountaineer rushing attack racked up 332 yards behind a physical offensive line that kept Howard untouched.
West Virginia’s defense stumped the No. 5 scoring offense in the FBS and forced the lowest scoring output at home for the Red Raiders since 2014. Junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 305 yards — his second-lowest passing total of his season — and was sacked four times before being pulled from the game in the fourth quarter.
The Mountaineers will host TCU on Saturday.
No. 9 Baylor rolls past Kansas
The Bears took care of business coming off their bye week to defeat Kansas, 49-7.
Senior quarterback Seth Russell needed just one half to score four touchdowns, with two through the air and two on the ground. Senior running back Shock Linwood rushed for 46 yards and one score to claim the school record for career rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, Baylor recorded five sacks and forced five turnovers. Kansas totaled just 217 yards of offense a week after almost beating TCU. The loss marked the team’s 15th straight conference defeat.
Baylor has another bye this week before heading to Austin to face Texas on Oct. 29.
No. 16 Oklahoma cruises to third straight win
The trio of redshirt junior quarterback Baker Mayfield, redshirt senior receiver Dede Westbrook and redshirt sophomore running back Joe Mixon carried Oklahoma to a 38-17 victory over Kansas State on Saturday.
All five Sooner touchdowns came through the air with Westbrook notching three of the scoring receptions. Mayfield recorded four touchdowns and 346 passing yards.
Mixon also threw a 26-yard touchdown to Westbrook on a halfback pass in the second quarter. He reeled in a one-handed, 8-yard touchdown pass later in the contest.
Oklahoma’s defense clamped down on the Kansas State rushing attack, holding the Wildcats to 110 yards and just one rushing touchdown, which came at the end of the first quarter. The defense buckled down after that, recording two sacks and giving up just one score in the second half.
