After chaos and big matchups from the top to the bottom of the Big 12 for the first five weeks of the season, week six was nothing but chalk, with ranked and favored teams winning all five of this week’s conference games. Here’s where each team in the league stands at the midway point of the year:

16. Kansas

A 17-point second quarter gave the Jayhawks a momentary flicker of hope on Saturday, but Utah locked back in in the second half to rush past Kansas. Quarterback Isaiah Marshall wasn’t particularly consistent, but he was effective, averaging nearly 10 yards per pass attempt. The Jayhawks got bullied on the ground, though generating under 3 yards per rush while averaging over 6. There were some reasons for hope for Jayhawk fans once they play lesser Big 12 foes, but the way KU played on Saturday, they simply can’t physically compete with the league’s best.

15. Colorado

The Buffaloes were on bye this week.

14. TCU

The Horned Frogs were on bye this week.

13. UCF

The Knights ran into a buzzsaw Saturday in Oklahoma State, but quarterback Keyone Jenkins has found his footing, throwing 4 touchdowns in UCF’s loss to the Cowboys. The Knights were unable to get anything going on the ground, averaging under 3 yards per carry, and the defense struggled to contain OSU quarterback Drew Mestemaker, but UCF’s offense is moving in the right direction.

12. Arizona State

Arizona State had a good bounceback win over Hawai’i. The defense held Rainbow Warrior quarterback Micah Alejado to just 5.1 yards per attempt while Sun Devil quarterback Cutter Boley threw 2 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. The ASU run game produced 7.7 yards per carry to Hawai’i’s 2.9. Arizona State took care of business, the question is whether they can execute against Big 12 competition. With a big test against Texas Tech on Saturday, we’ll find out if this week represented genuine growth or just a lesser foe.

11. West Virginia

The West Virginia defense needs to find a way to get more stops. It’s really that simple. The offense has been electric, particularly on the ground, where the Mountaineers generated 303 yards and 4 touchdowns on Saturday, but the defense giving up 6 touchdowns was too much for the offense to overcome. The Mountaineers have potential, but until they find some balance, they’ll be stuck in the bottom half of the league.

10. Baylor

The Bears were on bye this week.

9. Iowa State

The Cyclone offense had no answers for BYU Friday night. Just 200 total yards and under 4 yards per play kept the Cyclones from building any momentum. The Iowa State defense was strong in the red zone, generating multiple goal line stands, but they bent too much not to break eventually, letting the Cougars into the red zone over and over again and ultimately giving up 4 scores. The defense left with plenty to feel good about, but Iowa State’s offense needs to do more to help that defense out, particularly quarterback Jaylen Raynor, who has struggled throughout the year.

8. Kansas State

Avery Johnson struggled Saturday, and in an offense that is fundamentally reliant on its quarterback, that turned into a recipe for disaster in the Wildcats’ loss to Houston. The defense had no response for Connor Weigman and the offense couldn’t get anything going. Now 0-2 in Big 12 play, the Wildcats will look for a reset on Saturday against in-state rival Kansas.

7. Cincinnati

The Bearcats were on bye this week.

6. Oklahoma State

Make it four straight wins for Oklahoma State. Their loss to Tulsa looks more like an aberration each week, as Drew Mestemaker has made his case as one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. 304 passing yards and 3 total touchdowns for Mestemaker marked another dominant day in the pocket for the gunslinging Cowboy. The OSU defense surrendered 4 touchdowns to UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins, but a scoop and score provided the nail in the coffin. From one of the worst teams in the nation last year to a genuine College Football Playoff threat, OSU might just be the next 2024 Indiana.

5. Houston

Connor Weigman continued to make his case among the nation’s best quarterbacks with a 4-touchdown performance against Kansas State. The Cougar run game was efficient, going for 5.4 yards per carry, and the defense held Wildcat quarterback Avery Johnson to just 6.1 yards per pass. The next two weeks will determine the fate of Houston’s season, as they take on Oklahoma State and Utah in consecutive games. Emerge from that stretch 2-0, and the Cougars will be in position to compete for both a conference title and a CFP appearance. Drop one of those games, and Houston will be banking on other teams at the top of the table to make mistakes.

4. Arizona

The Wildcat offense had itself a day on Saturday, hanging 52 points on West Virginia. 3 rushing touchdowns for 3 different backs and a 3-touchdown day for quarterback Noah Fifita were more than enough to boat race the Mountaineers. Now 5-1, the Wildcats have found themselves back on a potential College Football Playoff trajectory with games against Texas Tech and Utah still on the schedule. Arizona needs to not overlook Iowa State coming out of this week’s bye, but the Wildcats have put themselves in a great position halfway through the fall.

3. Texas Tech

The Red Raiders were on bye this week.

2. BYU

BYU is about as steady of a team as you’ll see. The Cougars almost perfectly repeated their game script from their win over Arizona when they took on Iowa State Friday, scoring once per quarter and leaning on their defense to finish the win. Bear Bachmeier averaged 11 yards per passing attempt, throwing for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns. The run game averaged nearly 6 yards per rush. The Cougars are consistent and physically imposing, a combination that will translate well as weather gets colder and competition gets tougher. That will be put to the test when the Cougars welcome No. 2 Notre Dame to town this weekend, an opportunity for BYU to reclaim its spot at the top of the conference.

1. Utah

The Utes may let teams hang around longer than their fans would like, but they certainly know how to finish games. A 20-point second half buried the Jayhawks after a strong KU second quarter made the game seem competitive going into halftime. The Utes dominated the point of attack, over doubling the Jayhawks in terms of yards per rushing attempt. Utah will need to be careful not to overlook Colorado this week, but we’ll learn how the Utes respond to a true challenge on the other side of the field next week when they take on Houston.