Prolific quarterback performances were few and far between in the Big 12 during Week 5.
The only true shootout last week was between West Virginia and Iowa State, though it was more a result of poor run defense. DJ Lagway and Noah Fifita pieced together memorable outings; elsewhere, wet conditions impacted Bear Bachmeier’s night, and Conner Weigman and Will Hammond needed three quarters to get going.
Additionally, several teams in the Big 12 sat idle last week. Some of the more prominent quarterbacks in the conference like Drew Mestemaker, Devon Dampier and Avery Johnson were all on byes in Week 5.
It would be remiss to exclude Aiden Flora in a recap of Big 12 quarterback play in Week 5. In addition to his 212-yard rushing performance, the Iowa State running back completed both of his pass attempts for 48 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win over West Virginia.
Week 6 is bye-heavy in the Big 12. DJ Lagway, Jaden Craig, Will Hammond, JC French IV and Isaac Wilson will all rest before diving back into Big 12 play in Week 7.
The Week 6 slate opens with a meeting between Jaylen Raynor and Bear Bachmeier at BYU late Friday night. Raynor and Iowa State look to ride their high from Week 5 while Bachmeier and the Cougars work to stay atop the Big 12 and defend home turf.
Two quarterback duels immediately jump out in the Saturday slate. Noah Fifita and Michael Hawkins Jr. showcase their twitch at Milan Puskar Stadium in the early window, and Conner Weigman and Avery Johnson clash in a meeting between dual-threat quarterbacks at Kansas State in the afternoon.
Below, we power rank the eight best quarterbacks in the Big 12 ahead of Week 6 of the 2026 college football season.
8. Michael Hawkins Jr.
West Virginia fell 45-42 at Iowa State, but Hawkins Jr. made plays to keep it in the game. He rushed for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns and despite inconsistencies through the air, he found DJ Epps, Jaden Bray and Cyrus Traugh on passes of 33 yards or more.
The Mountaineers return home to play Arizona this weekend (Noon EDT, TNT). BYU is the only team that has broken 100 yards rushing against the Wildcats, and Hawkins Jr. has run for over 100 yards in four of West Virginiaâs first five games.
7. Avery Johnson
Johnson and the Wildcats are emerging from their bye in Week 6. Through four games, Johnson has thrown for 910 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions and leads Kansas State on the ground with 291 yards and three touchdowns.
Kansas Stateâs first home game of Big 12 play is against Houston (3:30 p.m. EDT, Fox). Will Hammond is the most dangerous quarterback the Cougars have seen on the ground, and Johnson has far greater potential with his legs.
6. DJ Lagway
For the first time in about a year, an offense with DJ Lagway calling the signals looked comfortable in Baylorâs 55-19 rout at Arizona State. Lagway squeezed passes into tight windows throughout his 306-yard, four-touchdown performance and added a cherry on top with a rush touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Bears take their 2-0 Big 12 start into a bye this week. TCU will be the first defense Lagway faces on the other side of the bye week.
5. Conner Weigman
Weigman weathered a frustrating 18-of-33 day through the air in Houstonâs 27-17 win over UCF. He took matters into his own hands in the second half, scoring all three of the Cougarsâ touchdowns on the ground.
Houston heads to Kansas State for its second Big 12 road game of 2026 (3:30 p.m. EDT, Fox). The Wildcats struggled against the run in their 31-26 loss at Cincinnati in Week 4, so Weigman could utilize his dual-threat capabilities for another big day on the ground.
4. Bear Bachmeier
Rain made for suboptimal passing conditions in BYUâs 17-10 win at TCU, so Bachmeier used his legs to help his offense. He churned out three crucial runs on the Cougarsâ last scoring drive, including a 21-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach with two minutes to play.
The Cougarsâ second Big 12 home game is against Iowa State Friday (10:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN). BYU starting running back LJ Martin is out with a lower body injury for no less than a month, so Bachmeierâs legs have become infinitely more important.
3. Drew Mestemaker
Mestemaker and the Cowboysâ open date was in Week 5. He finished September with 1,271 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions, starring in wins over Oregon and West Virginia.
Oklahoma State hosts UCF in Week 6 (Noon EDT, ESPN2). The Knights have defended well enough to keep them in each of their first three games against Power Four competition, but Mestemaker and the Cowboys pose a different kind of challenge.
2. Devon Dampier
Utah sat idle in Week 5. In September, Dampier threw for 896 yards, nine touchdowns and an interception while rushing for an additional 135 yards and two touchdowns.
The Utes come out of the bye week with a home bout against Kansas (10:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN). The best quarterback the Jayhawks have faced so far is Austin Simmons, who lit them up for 292 yards and three passing touchdowns in their 38-21 loss to Missouri in Week 2.Â
1. Noah Fifita
Fifitaâs worrisome trend of throwing interceptions in the first quarter was present against Cincinnati, but it didnât cost him thanks to a missed field goal. He finished the night 25-of-37 passing for 284 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an eight-yard score on the ground in Arizonaâs 34-7 win.
The Wildcatsâ second Big 12 road game of the season is at West Virginia (Noon EDT, TNT). The Mountaineer defense performed dreadfully in its first two conference games, surrendering over 40 points and 550 yards to each opponent.
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