A high-flying duel between JC French IV and Michael Hawkins Jr. kicked off the Week 7 Big 12 slate.
The quarterbacks combined for 853 yards in the air, and it was ultimately Hawkins Jr. who made the clutch throw to catapult his team to a 45-42 win.
Later that night, Conner Weigman and Drew Mestemaker battled in Houston. The Cougars maintained their lead largely because of Weigman's work against the Oklahoma State secondary in the 35-32 victory.
Elsewhere, Bear Bachmeier guided BYU to an upset of No. 2 Notre Dame. He was an inconsistent 23-of-36 in the air but was responsible for all four of the Cougars' touchdowns in the 28-24 win, doubling as a running back and wide receiver in addition to quarterback.
The second benching of a Big 12 quarterback occurred in Week 7. Arizona State fell into a 43-10 hole at half against Texas Tech, a development that forced Kenny Dillingham to pull Cutter Boley and start Mikey Keene the rest of the game.
The quarterback matchup between Conner Weigman and Devon Dampier should steal the show in Week 8. Both possess the ability to make plays with their feet in addition to their arms, and Weigman's confidence continues to grow as Houston continues to win.
Several of the top quarterbacks in the league face lackluster defenses this week. Two in particular that could piece together dominant performances are Noah Fifita and Avery Johnson, who respectively face Iowa State and Arizona State. Both defenses allowed over 500 total yards in each of their last two Big 12 games.
Below, we rank the Big 12's eight best quarterbacks entering Week 8 of the 2026 college football season.
8. Will Hammond
Quarterback play was a sidestory in Texas Tech’s 53-25 drubbing of Arizona State, but it was good enough to get Hammond back in our rankings. He scored the Red Raiders’ first offensive touchdown with his legs and finished 18-of-26 passing for 232 yards and a touchdown, finding Coy Eakin in the back of the end zone.
The Red Raiders travel east to Cincinnati for their Week 8 bout (Noon EDT, FS1). The Bearcats allowed Noah Fifita and Michael Hawkins Jr. to throw for a combined 748 yards in their last two games.
7. Michael Hawkins Jr.
Hawkins Jr. turned in a 464-yard, three-touchdown performance in the air against Cincinnati last week. Bad tackling technique is a factor in that total, but he found DJ Epps and Prince Strachan on deep passes, the last of which set up West Virginia with a game-winning field goal.
Up next for the Mountaineers is a trip to TCU (Noon EDT, ESPN2). North Carolina and Baylor are the only teams to break 300 yards of offense against the Horned Frogs.
6. Avery Johnson
Kansas State is at its best when Johnson makes plays with his legs, and that’s what happened in the 35-24 win over Kansas. A 59-yard scamper aided the Wildcats on their first scoring drive, and a 37-yard run on their penultimate possession set up a game-icing field goal attempt.
A 3-3 Arizona State team awaits Kansas State in Week 8 (3:45 p.m. EDT, ESPN2). The Sun Devils have allowed their last two Big 12 opponents to rush for over 240 yards, a welcome sight for Johnson and running back Joe Jackson.
5. Devon Dampier
Dampier slid this week due to cleaner performances from his fellow Big 12 quarterbacks. Colorado contained Dampier and the rest of the Utah backfield, and he threw a pair of interceptions amid his 17 incompletions. He still finished the 27-24 win with 278 yards and a trio of touchdowns, the second of which was on a difficult throw to Braden Pegan in the corner of the end zone.
The Utes play their first ranked matchup of the season in Week 8 against No. 14 Houston (10:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN). The Cougars were ineffective in slowing down Drew Mestemaker and Oklahoma State, and the creativity with the trio of Dampier, Wayshawn Parker and Byrd Ficklin provides a different kind of challenge.
4. Conner Weigman
Weigman flushed an unlucky interception and threw for 343 yards and five touchdowns against Oklahoma State. The throws increased in difficulty throughout the night; both of his last two touchdown passes were on deep strikes to Amare Thomas and Koby Young.
A trip to No. 10 Utah is on deck for Houston (10:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN). Though both were erratic, Isaiah Marshall and Isaac Wilson threw for over 250 yards in losses against the Utes the last two weeks.
3. Bear Bachmeier
Notre Dame didn’t allow Bachmeier to take shots down the field like Iowa State, but that didn’t prevent him from putting the BYU offense on his back. He threw for 224 yards and a touchdown, ran for 45 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass on a trick play.
BYU resumes Big 12 play at UCF this week (3:30 p.m. EDT, Fox). The Knights have gradually worsened on defense in Big 12 play, most recently falling in a shootout at Oklahoma State in Week 6.
2. Drew Mestemaker
Oklahoma State depended on Mestemaker to keep it competitive in its loss at Houston. He finished the night with 365 yards and three touchdowns through the air, a total somewhat inflated by yards after catch. He utilized his legs when necessary, scampering for 34 yards to pick up first downs late in the game.
The Cowboys meet a Colorado team looking to snap a four-game losing skid in Week 8 (7 p.m. EDT, FS1). The Buffaloes limited Devon Dampier on the ground and forced him into a pair of turnovers but still allowed him to throw for almost 300 yards last week.
1. Noah Fifita
Fifita and Arizona were on their bye in Week 7. He threw for 1,756 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in the first half of the season, guiding the Wildcats to comfortable wins against Cincinnati and at West Virginia in the two weeks prior to the open date.
Another productive outing should be in order for Fifita against Iowa State this week (7:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN2). The Cyclones have yet to slow down an opposing Big 12 offense, allowing Bear Bachmeier to uncork several deep passes the last time they took the field.
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