Baylor back and Flora blooming: Five Big 12 takeaways from Week 5

Week 5 in the Big 12 could best be described as an eye opener and event.

There were six conference meetings, while Kansas was beaten by Middle Tennessee in its only non-conference upset. Houston blew a 17-0 deficit against UCF over the final 19 minutes. Iowa State and West Virginia provided one of the most active young shoots of the season. BYU maintained its top-10 ranking after a defensive-driven attack in Fort Worth. Texas Tech endured another slow start before being pulled away by Colorado. Baylor blew out the Tempe crowd by defeating the State High School. And Arizona’s perfect season in Cincinnati’s perfect season nightcap.

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Here is the full scoreboard from Week 5;

• Kansas 55, Middle Tennessee 0

• Iowa State 45, West Virginia 42

• Texas Tech 29, Colorado 7

• Baylor 55, Arizona State 19

And here are five takeaways from Week 5 in the Big 12;

Baylor is an amazing team this year

Baylor is one of the top flight programs in college football. Every year since 2015, the Bears have increased or decreased their win total by at least three. In the past 10 years alone, Baylor has won three or fewer games, but it has also won at least 11 times and competed in two Big 12 championship games.

This year, it seems, we have a good version of Baylor.

The Bears picked up their fourth consecutive victory Saturday night, obliterating Arizona State in the two-day zone at home in a 55-19 victory. DJ Lagway, who missed weeks 2 and 3 due to injury, earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors for his dominating 306-yard, 4-touchdown performance without an interception. Meanwhile, the rushing attack added four yards and three touchdowns, showing how dynamic this offense can be under Jake Spavital.

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No one questioned Baylor’s offensive abilities as a 5-7 team, but it was ultimately the defense that denied the Bears from bowl eligibility. First-year defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman has fixed those woes. Arizona State worked hard against Baylor up front, and that has been the case for almost every opponent Klanderman has faced. The Bears now have the fourth-most sacks in the FBS with 18, compared to last year’s third-most with 12. The run defense has undergone a similarly dramatic transformation, going from 122nd nationally in rushing yards allowed per game to 22, while reducing opponents’ rushing average from 4.91 yards to 2.88.

Baylor is inches away from a 5-0 record, as Matthew Klopfenstein stepped up short of the goal line to set up a two-point attempt in Week 1 against Auburn. Dave Aranda’s team remains perfect in Big 12 play with a manageable stretch of TCU, Kansas, UCF, and Iowa State.

Every year, the Big 12 has a surprising team – 2013 West Virginia, 2014 Arizona State, 2014 Houston. This year, Baylor fits the bill.

Aiden Flora is a one-man submarine crew

Iowa State faced one of the toughest builds in college football this offseason. Head coach Matt Campbell left for Penn State and took several assistants and four players with him. As a result, the Cyclones were one of two FBS teams, along with North Texas, to not have any starters returning from 2025.

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Every offensive starter on this 2026 Iowa State squad is a transfer, except for one who played last season in the reserves. That single holdover made all the difference.

Aiden Flora enjoyed one of the best individual performances we’ll see all season in the 45-42 West Virginia Cyclones win. The running back posted 212 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 22 attempts while also giving up 48 yards and two touchdowns as a passer in the playoffs.

Every time Flora was involved, great games followed. He threw to Cody Jackson for a 46-yard touchdown and ran for touchdowns of 24 and 63 yards in the second half. When Iowa State needed to punch in the game-winning score with two minutes remaining, not surprisingly, Flora’s number was called.

This all around masterclass was not a one-off performance. Two weeks earlier against Bowling Green, Flora accounted for 194 rushing yards, 10 receiving yards, and 92 punt return yards for 296 all-purpose yards, while scoring two touchdowns as a rusher and another as a punt returner.

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He is a ball carrier. He had taken it in his jaws. Retribution is an artist. And apparently, the QB is a star. Flora has been the ultimate spark for this Iowa State team, and he has been the most versatile player in the country this season.

Arizona’s run defense is terrible

No one had an answer for Cincinnati’s offensive line in September. The Bearcats ranked seventh nationally in both rushing yards and rushing yards. In the Big 12 opener, Kansas State’s typically stout front had no answer for Cincinnati in the trenches, giving up 271 rushing yards and three touchdowns on a 7.1 average.

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The entire network is ugly. The Wildcats limited the Bears to 74 yards rushing on 28 attempts. One week after Cincinnati’s two running backs produced 120 yards, Arizona prevented one Bearcat tailback from gaining more than eight yards on a carry. The All-Star duo of Gi’Bran Payne and Cole Tabb combined for just 43 yards rushing Saturday night in Tucson.

In 2025, Arizona was known for its dominant pass defense that produced three NFL draft picks from its secondary. This year, the Wildcats beat opposing offensive lines and regularly bring running backs into the scrimmage, spearheaded by linebackers Taye Brown, Cooper Blomstrom, and Chase Kennedy. Arizona is now 11th nationally in run defense, allowing just 79 yards per game. We’ll see if that trend continues, as star running backs Cam Cook and Aiden Flora appear on the schedule later this month. But through five weeks, Arizona has established itself as one of the Big 12’s most formidable foes.

Texas Tech’s offense is a major concern

Texas Tech is 5-0, 11th overall, and has won four games by double digits. On the surface, the Red Raiders are enjoying a spectacular start to 2016.

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But Texas Tech hasn’t looked like the same dominant force it was last year, when it won a dozen games by at least 22 points. The Red Raiders’ Achilles heel was the first quarter.

In four games against FBS contenders, Texas Tech has been outscored 17-10 in the opening quarter. The Redskins were shut out in the first 15 minutes by Houston and Oregon and were limited to Saturday’s field goal in Colorado. Most first-quarter possessions in those games ended in points, as Texas Tech struggled to run early while the passing game proved ineffective.

Unless they are strong defensively, the Red Raiders could get off to a slow start. Texas Tech outscored its four FBS opponents 89-26 after halftime, but the defense deserves a lot of credit for a 26-0 second half advantage against Colorado. Of their 26 points, 19 came on short-field interceptions, including a rare 16-pointer by John Curry. The second touchdown came from another small field goal, when Colorado deflected a drive down the Pauline 41 line.

Texas Tech’s defense is an elite unit. But continued offensive struggles in the morning have made the 2026 Red Raiders look far more vulnerable than the 2025 iteration that dominated opponents on both sides of the ball from the opening whistle.

TCU’s defense was enough to make it 5-0

TCU is 2-3, yet the Horned Frogs have not given up more than 21 points in a single game all season. There is no formula for a winning season, especially for TCU’s program’s elusive track record of success.

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It was clear on Saturday that TCU has a Big 12 bowl-quality defense. Horned frogs are forced now-No. 8 BYU killed in tough situations in a 17-10 defeat. Quarterback Urs Bachmeier completed 11-of-24 passes for 62 yards, never connecting on a throw beyond 13 yards. The running game is similarly challenging. Star running back LJ Martin suffered his first injury, and no BYU running back gained 28 yards in the face of a relentless Horned Frogs.

TCU is tied for 12th nationally in scoring defense at 13.4 points allowed per game. The Horned Frogs are 13th in total defense, 13th in passing defense, and 27th in passing defense. They’ve generated consistent energy and power in more than one takeaway game.

But with little help from the offense, TCU is averaging just 16.0 points per game against FBS competition. The offense didn’t necessarily move the ball badly. TCU actually defeated BYU 43 on Saturday. But the combination of issues — sacks, penalties, turnovers, and red zone inefficiencies — continue to pile up and prevent this pick from earning defensive support.

At 2-3, TCU’s record doesn’t reflect the quality of its defense. If the offense can find even a modicum of consistency, the Waxy Frogs have the foundation to turn their season around and secure their fourth campaign in five years under Sonny Dykes.

Check out more Big 12 coverage from our sister SB Nation Big 12 sites:

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Desert Swam (Arizona); Defeat Foe (BYU); Broad right & Natty Lite (Iowa State) Chalk Rock Talk (Kansas); Bring on the trigger (Kansas State) Frogs O’ War (TCU); Every Musket (West Virginia)