Another week of Big 12 play is in the books. BYU and Cincinnati are the only teams that are undefeated in Big 12 play. Houston and Texas Tech remain near the top of the Big 12 with only one loss each.
Iowa State and Arizona State were once teams at the top of the Big 12, but have now dropped considerably in the rankings with three losses each. With both teams facing each other this week, one of their chances of a second straight Big 12 Championship appearance will go down.
Here are our Big 12 Power Rankings entering Week 10 – and before you start in, make sure to check out last week's rankings as well.
#16: Oklahoma State (Record: 1-7, 0-5 in the Big 12)
The Cowboys being at the bottom of the Big 12 is becoming a weekly occurrence. Oklahoma State has not been competitive in any of their Big 12 losses. Their most recent loss was against Texas Tech by a score of 42-0.
Against the Red Raiders, Oklahoma State got beaten in all three parts of the game. On offense, the Cowboys only had 87 passing yards and 95 rushing yards. Running back Sesi Vailahi lost two fumbles as well. On defense, the Cowboys were slightly better, recovering two fumbles and holding Texas Tech’s run game to 88 rushing yards. But the defense still gave up 28 points, 28 more points than what the whole offense scored. Special teams were also not good for the Cowboys as Texas Tech had a 99 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first play of the game.
Oklahoma State will play Kansas this weekend and will aim to get their first win in Big 12 play this season.
#15: West Virginia (Record: 2-6, 0-5 in the Big 12)
At least it wasn’t a blowout for the Mountaineers. West Virginia put up a fight against TCU in their annual Coal Rush game, but still lost by a score of 23-17.
For once in this losing streak, there were signs of improvement for WVU. Freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. statistically outplayed TCU’s quarterback Josh Hoover, throwing for 301 passing yards and two touchdowns. Fox has looked like the best passer for the Mountaineers this season and should continue to get more starts going forward.
The WVU defense also gave the team a chance at victory, holding TCU to only 23 points. Senior safety Derek Carter Jr. had a team-tying seven total tackles and had two passes deflected.
West Virginia is slowly trending in the right direction, but still has much room for improvement. The Mountaineers have a chance to shock the Big 12 when they take on Houston this weekend.
#14: UCF (Record: 4-3, 1-3 in the Big 12)
UCF is coming out of their bye week with some solid momentum. The Knights most recently defeated WVU by a score of 45-13. Despite that victory, UCF is still 1-3 in the Big 12 and are lacking any kind of statement win.
If the Knights want to have a late season run, their offense will need to continue to dominate. Against WVU, quarterback Tayven Jackson threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Jaden Nixon had 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries.
UCF will have a good chance to get their second straight win when they take on a struggling Baylor team this weekend.
#13: Colorado (Record: 3-5, 1-4 in the Big 12)
Just when it looked like Colorado was trending upwards after a victory against Iowa State, they fell right back down to Earth with a shattering loss to Utah. The Buffaloes lost to the Utes by a score of 53-7.
It was looking like senior quarterback Kaidon Salter had the starting job to himself. That may be in question after he went 9/22, threw for only 37 yards and one interception against Utah. Backup quarterback Ryan Staub came in relief, but he’s struggled in the past for Colorado as well. The defense for the Buffaloes was horrendous as they gave up 422 yards on the ground alone.
Colorado will look to move past this game when they face Arizona at home this weekend.
#12: Kansas (Record: 4-4, 2-3 in the Big 12)
The Jayhawks’ chances of a Big 12 championship have drastically gone down after two straight blowouts against Texas Tech and Kansas State. At least Kansas has shown consistency, losing both of those games by an exact score of 42-17.
Kansas needed sixth-year quarterback Jalon Daniels to put the team on his back. He did the opposite against Kansas State, completing 17 of his 35 passing attempts, throwing for only 129 passing yards, one interception, and one fumble lost.
Daniels and the Jayhawks will look to be .500 in Big 12 play when they face Oklahoma State this weekend, the worst team in the Big 12.
#11: Arizona (Record: 4-3, 1-3 in the Big 12)
Like Kansas, Arizona has lost back-to-back games in Big 12 play. What puts Arizona above the Jayhawks is that their two losses were to top Big 12 teams in BYU and Houston. Both of those losses were also one-score games.
Exiting their bye week, Arizona will need their defense to improve immediately. In their losses to Iowa State, BYU and Houston, the Wildcats have given up 30 or more points. Against Houston, the defense gave up 232 yards on the ground and three touchdowns in the air. Quarterback Noah Fifita attempted to rally Arizona back with 14 points scored in the fourth quarter, but was unsuccessful.
Arizona will get a chance to start a new winning streak as they face another struggling team in Colorado this weekend.
#10: Baylor (Record: 4-4, 2-3 in the Big 12)
Baylor is beginning to drop in the rankings after back-to-back losses to TCU and Cincinnati. Their loss to Cincinnati was not competitive as they lost by a score of 41-20.
Quarterback Sawyer Robertson still leads all of college football in passing yards with 2,513. Against Cincinnati, he did struggle to throw the football, throwing for only 137 yards. The Baylor defense has also been lackluster this season. Against Cincinnati, the Bears gave up 265 yards on the ground, 85 of those yards coming from the Bearcats’ starting quarterback.
Baylor’s chances of winning the Big 12 are extremely slim, especially with only four games remaining in their schedule. They can at least play spoiler when they face Houston and Utah later in the season.
#9: Kansas State (Record: 4-4, 3-2 in the Big 12)
Kansas State has been steadily climbing in the power rankings. The Wildcats have two straight victories against TCU and Kansas.
Quarterback Avery Johnson has been steadily improving over the week. Against Kansas, Johnson threw for 231 yards and had four total touchdowns. The defense for Kansas State has also been improving. Against Kansas, the Wildcats had four sacks, two interceptions, eight passes deflected, and two fumbles recovered.
Kansas State has a chance to move further up the rankings if they can upset Texas Tech this weekend.
#8: Iowa State (Record: 5-3, 2-3 in the Big 12)
Iowa State was once 5-0 and the team to beat in the Big 12. They were also ranked number one in the first power rankings we did. The Cyclones have since lost three straight games to Cincinnati, Colorado, and BYU.
Against BYU, Iowa State gave up 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. This began when BYU punted the ball and an Iowa State special teams player didn’t play the ball, accidentally letting the ball hit his foot and BYU recovering it. Simple mistakes cannot be made if Iowa State wants to make it back to the Big 12 championship. Quarterback Rocco Becht also needs to play better after he threw three interceptions against BYU.
Iowa State has a legitimate chance to get back on track this weekend when they face Arizona State, a team that is missing their starting quarterback Sam Leavitt.
#7: TCU (Record: 6-2, 3-2 in the Big 12)
The Horned Frogs have gotten back on track with two straight victories against Baylor and West Virginia. They are now 6-2 this season with a legitimate chance of a Big 12 championship.
TCU did struggle against the Mountaineers, but were able to still get the win. Wide receiver Eric McAlister stepped up with nine receptions, 124 receiving yards and one touchdown. His 727 total receiving yards is seventh best in all of college football. Quarterback Josh Hoover is also third in college football in passing yards with 2,371 yards.
The talented QB-WR duo will look to stay hot when they face Iowa State after their bye week.
#6: Arizona State (Record: 5-3, 3-2 in the Big 12)
It keeps getting worse for the defending Big 12 champions. Arizona’s most recent loss was against Utah at home. The Sun Devils were in a bad spot in that game, and potentially in future games, when they lost starting quarterback Sam Leavitt to injury. They were also missing star wide receiver Jordyn Tyson to injury as well.
Backup quarterback Jeff Sims could not give the Sun Devils a comeback against Houston, throwing for only 58 yards and one touchdown. He also was the starting quarterback in Arizona State’s other Big 12 loss against Utah. With Sam Leavitt currently projected to not play this weekend, Sims will likely be the starting quarterback yet again.
Arizona State will face a desperate Iowa State team this weekend. With Sims at quarterback, the Sun Devils will be looking for a miracle.
#5: Utah (Record: 6-2, 3-2 in the Big 12)
Utah has not been able to get on a dominant winning streak in Big 12 play, but they have responded tremendously after a loss. After losing to BYU, the Utes responded well by dominating Colorado by a score of 53-7. Utah is now fifth in the Big 12 standings and ranked 24th in the AP Top 25.
The Utes were missing starting quarterback Devon Dampier against Colorado. Freshman backup quarterback Byrd Ficklin was exceptional in relief, passing for 140 yards and two touchdowns. He was also dominant on the ground, rushing for 151 yards and a touchdown on just 20 attempts.
With it being unclear if Dampier will be healthy this weekend, the Utes can at least be confident in Ficklin to produce. Utah will face Cincinnati this weekend, a game that will host ESPN’s College Gameday. The Utes will look to give the Bearcats their first loss in Big 12 play.
#4: Houston (Record: 7-1, 4-1 in the Big 12)
Since losing to Texas Tech, Houston has won three straight games in Big 12 play and have climbed up to fourth in the power rankings. The Cougars are fourth in the Big 12 standings and are ranked 22nd in the AP Top 25.
Transfer quarterback Conner Weigman was fantastic against Arizona State, as he threw for 201 yards, rushed for 111 yards, and scored three total touchdowns. Senior defensive lineman Eddie Walls III led the way for the Houston defense with three sacks against the Sun Devils.
Houston has one of the easiest paths to the Big 12 championship. Their next four opponents are WVU, UCF, TCU and Baylor, four teams in the lower half of the Big 12 standings.
#3: Cincinnati (Record: 7-1, 5-0 in the Big 12)
The Bearcats are currently on a seven-game winning streak and are undefeated in Big 12 play. Cincinnati is second in the Big 12 standings and is ranked 17th in the AP Top 25.
Cincinnati’s most recent victory was against Baylor, winning by a score of 41-20. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby led the Bearcats in rushing yards with 85. He also threw for 111 passing yards and scored three total touchdowns. The Cincinnati defense also delivered with two sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Cincinnati’s most impressive win this season was against Iowa State earlier this month. They have a chance to get a more impressive win against Utah this weekend.
#2: Texas Tech (Record: 7-1, 4-1 in the Big 12)
Texas Tech has faced just one speed bump this season when they lost to Arizona State, a game where they didn’t have their starting quarterback Behren Morton. The Red Raiders responded well with a dominant victory against Oklahoma State this past weekend. Texas Tech is third in the Big 12 standings and ranked 13th in the AP Top 25.
The quarterback situation is one to monitor for Texas Tech. Backup quarterback Will Hammond started the past two games for the Red Raiders, throwing one touchdown against Oklahoma State. Hammond ended up suffering a season-ending injury in that game, making the quarterback room very thin. Behren Morton is expected to start this weekend, but the depth behind him will be a question if he goes down with another injury.
Texas Tech will travel to Kansas State this weekend where they will look to get some momentum before their upcoming showdown with BYU.
#1: BYU (Record: 8-0, 5-0 in the Big 12)
One of the few undefeated teams left in college football, BYU has been absolutely dominant. The Cougars are first in the Big 12 standings and are ranked 10th in the AP Top 25.
BYU most recently won back-to-back games against two upper-tier teams in the Big 12 in Utah and Iowa State. Against the Cyclones, freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw for 307 yards, rushed for 49 yards, and scored three total touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Parker Kingston stepped up with seven receptions, 133 receiving yards and one touchdown. The Cougars’ defense also delivered by recording four sacks and three interceptions.
BYU will get a much-needed bye week before taking on Texas Tech in a potential Big 12 championship matchup.