The final week of Big 12 play is in the books. Texas Tech and BYU have cemented their spots in the Big 12 championship. Former Big 12 championship contenders Iowa State and Arizona State will both settle for bowl games.
For teams such as West Virginia, Kansas and Baylor, their seasons have come to an end after disappointing results. Other teams such as Utah, Arizona and Houston performed much better than they did last season and will each get one bowl game to play at the end of the year.
Here are our final Big 12 Power Rankings of the regular season – and before you start in, make sure to check out last week's rankings as well.
#16: Oklahoma State (Record: 1-11, 0-9 in the Big 12)
Last season, Oklahoma State finished with a 3-9 record. The Cowboys regressed further in 2025 when they finished 1-11 and didn’t win a single Big 12 matchup. Most of Oklahoma State’s losses happened after they fired longtime head coach Mike Gundy.
Despite losing every game in conference play, the Cowboys kept games close later in the season, as their last three losses were all one-score games. Last weekend against Iowa State, Oklahoma State kept the game close against the Cyclones by only allowing 20 points. The offense for the Cowboys was unable to do much as they only scored one rushing touchdown and two field goals.
The future of Oklahoma State is looking clearer as the Cowboys officially hired Eric Morris to be their next head coach. Morris coached North Texas from 2023-2025. This season, he led North Texas to a 11-1 record and a chance of making the College Football Playoff. With the new coaching hire, the Cowboys could potentially look very different in 2026.
#15: Colorado (Record: 3-9, 1-8 in the Big 12)
After finishing the 2024 season with a 9-4 record and having the Heisman winner on their team, Colorado regressed mightily by finishing with a 3-9 overall record. Head coach Deion Sanders was unable to replicate the production that was provided from Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, leading to a potentially worrying future.
In their last game of the season against Kansas State, the Buffaloes lost by a score of 24-14. Freshman quarterback Julian Lewis did not start this game as he chose to redshirt this season, giving him an extra year of eligibility. Starting quarterback Kaidon Salter was unable to provide a spark as he threw for only 172 yards and one interception.
Despite the unsuccessful season, Colorado has young players such as Lewis who should continue to improve in the 2026 season. The question will be what players can Sanders recruit or acquire in the transfer portal to improve the team, that's if they don’t lose players in the transfer portal as well.
#14: UCF (Record: 5-7, 2-7 in the Big 12)
After defeating West Virginia and having a 4-3 record, UCF crumbled by losing four of their last five games and failing to qualify for a bowl game. In their defense, they had a daunting schedule by facing teams such as Houston, Texas Tech and BYU at the end of the season. But the Knights were unable to show that they could compete against the top teams in the Big 12. They also nearly lost to a weak Oklahoma State team.
In UCF’s most recent loss to BYU, the Knights’ defense surrendered four touchdowns and two field goals to the Cougars. UCF’s special teams also allowed a punt to be returned for a BYU touchdown. Quarterback Tayven Jackson showed fight by throwing for 232 yards and two touchdowns, but he also hurt his team by losing a fumble.
The only positive for UCF this season is that they technically improved from their 4-8 record last season. There will be much for head coach Scott Frost to fix before the 2026 season.
#13: West Virginia (Record: 4-8, 2-7 in the Big 12)
It was a season of ups and downs for the Mountaineers this season. On the positive side, WVU won the Backyard Brawl against Pitt, got a victory against a ranked team in Houston, and gradually improved as the season went along. On the negative side, WVU faced significant injuries at their quarterback and running back positions, lost five consecutive games to essentially end their postseason hopes early in the season, and got dominated in their last game of the season against Texas Tech.
The improvement that West Virginia showed faded away against the Red Raiders as they lost by a score of 49-0. Freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. struggled as he threw for only 98 yards and one interception. The running game was alarmingly non-existent as Armoni Weaver was the only player to have more than 10 rushing yards (he had one rush for 25 yards).
Senior receiver Jeff Weimer had a solid game with 77 receiving yards, but it was fellow receiver Cam Vaughn that was unable to contribute. After the RMU game where he had seven receptions for 127 yards, Vaughn didn’t have a single game where he had over 100 receiving yards and only had one other game where he had more than three receptions. Not all of this is Vaughn’s fault, as his statistics notably dipped once quarterback Nicco Marchiol got injured. Still, it was unfortunate to see WVU not get the most out of Vaughn throughout the season.
The defense for WVU looked miserable as they allowed 384 passing yards, 188 rushing yards, and seven touchdowns against Texas Tech. In their defense, the Red Raiders are currently the best team in the Big 12. But it should be a wake-up call for head coach Rich Rodriguez to see his defense struggle mightily against a top offense in the Big 12.
WVU will look to slowly move out of the rebuild phase in the 2026 season.
#12: Kansas (Record: 5-7, 3-6 in the Big 12)
Kansas finished their season with a 31-21 loss against Utah. This loss ends the Jayhawks’ season as they did not qualify for a bowl game.
Against the Utes, Kansas was up 14-10 after the 3rd quarter. The Jayhawks would then give up 21 points in the fourth quarter alone. Sixth-year quarterback Jalon Daniels might’ve saved his worst game for last as he completed only 10 passes for 187 yards, two total touchdowns and three interceptions. One of those interceptions was also returned for a touchdown.
Kansas finished this season with the same record as last season. With Daniels now gone, the future of Kansas will look slightly unclear.
#11: Baylor (Record: 5-7, 3-6 in the Big 12)
Baylor was another Big 12 team that crumbled at the end of conference play. The Bears lost five of their last six games, most recently losing to Houston by a score of 31-24. With only five wins, Baylor will not qualify for a bowl game.
Quarterback Sawyer Robertson had an okay final game against Houston as he threw for 309 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and lost one fumble. His 3,681 total passing yards puts him at second in all of college football in total passing yards this season. The Baylor defense continued to be a problem as they allowed 417 total yards of offense and four touchdowns.
Baylor took a step down from last season as they finished 8-5 in 2025. Head coach Dave Aranda will need to make significant changes to the roster, primarily on defense, if they want to compete in 2026.
#10: Kansas State (Record: 6-6, 5-4 in the Big 12)
The remaining Big 12 teams in the power rankings have all at least qualified for a bowl game. Kansas State became eligible for a bowl game after defeating Colorado last weekend. The Wildcats had a disappointing start to their season before finding some consistency as they won five of their last eight games.
After a historic game against Utah, running back Joe Jackson had a strong showing against Colorado by rushing for 142 yards and three touchdowns. In the past two games alone, Jackson had 435 total rushing yards and six touchdowns. Jackson’s touchdowns against Colorado were the only touchdowns scored for Kansas State and he will continue to be an important player for the Wildcats in 2026.
The bowl game for Kansas State has yet to be announced, but the Wildcats will get one more chance to build momentum for the upcoming season.
#9: Cincinnati (Record: 7-5, 5-4 in the Big 12)
Cincinnati was in the Big 12 championship picture for the majority of the weekly power rankings. Over the past four weeks, the Bearcats lost four consecutive games and have fallen completely out of that picture.
Cincinnati’s final loss of the season was their most disappointing as they lost to TCU by a score of 45-23. The offense played well as quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns. The defense on the other hand completely lost the game as they gave up 544 total yards and six touchdowns. In Cincinnati’s last four games, they allowed 26 points or more and only scored 24 points or less.
It will be a frustrating offseason for Cincinnati as they had a shot of making the Big 12 championship. They will at least get the chance to end their season on a high note if they can win their bowl game.
#8: TCU (Record: 8-4, 5-4 in the Big 12)
TCU had a quietly solid season as they finished with an 8-4 record. What hurt the Horned Frogs was their bad loss to Kansas State and back-to-back losses to Iowa State and BYU. TCU was able to finish their season strong by winning against Houston and Cincinnati.
Quarterback Josh Hoover had one of his best games of the season against Cincinnati as he threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Eric McAlister also had a great game as he caught eight passes for 101 yards and one touchdown. Hoover finished fifth in FBS total passing yards with 3,472 and McAlister finished fifth in FBS total receiving yards with 1,121.
TCU will get a chance to match their 2024 record of 9-4 if they can win their bowl game at the end of the year.
#7: Iowa State (Record: 8-4, 5-4 in the Big 12)
In the first week of the power rankings, Iowa State was ranked first as they were 5-0. The Cyclones would then lose four consecutive games and fall out of the Big 12 championship picture. Iowa State’s season would at least be salvaged as they won their last three games, qualifying for a bowl game in the process.
Iowa State didn’t have a strong final game of the season against Oklahoma State, but they still won by a score of 20-13. Quarterback Rocco Becht has been disappointing this season, and he didn’t do much against the Cowboys as he threw for only 94 yards and one touchdown. Linebacker Caleb Bacon made the largest impact for the Cyclones as he recorded three sacks against Oklahoma State.
Considering the fact that Iowa State was in the Big 12 championship last season, this season was a step down overall. Iowa State will need to regroup and recruit hard if they want to make another run at the Big 12 championship next season.
#6: Arizona State (Record: 8-4, 6-3 in the Big 12)
Arizona State had a sliver of hope to make the Big 12 championship for the second consecutive season last week. That sliver was quickly gone as the Sun Devils lost to Arizona last week by a score of 23-7.
Against Arizona, quarterback Jeff Sims fell back down to Earth badly as he threw for only 114 yards, threw three interceptions, and lost a costly fumble. The defense kept Arizona’s high scoring offense to only 23 points, but the Sun Devils were unable to catch up.
Similar to Iowa State, considering the fact that Arizona State won the Big 12 championship last season, this season was a step down overall. Injuries should be credited though as quarterback Sam Leavitt did not play for the second half of the season. Wide receiver Jordyn Tyson also battled injuries throughout the season. What could be worrisome for the 2026 season is that both Leavitt and Tyson might not be on the roster at all.
#5: Arizona (Record: 9-3, 6-3 in the Big 12)
Arizona climbed the power rankings considerably after winning their last five games of the season, with notable wins against Cincinnati and Arizona State. Their 9-3 record is a considerable improvement over their 4-8 2024 record.
Against Arizona State, quarterback Noah Fifita continued to play at a high level by throwing for 286 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers. The defense stepped up for the Wildcats as the unit recorded three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Considering how Arizona played in the second half of the season, it’s still disappointing that the Wildcats lost two close games to BYU and Houston. If Arizona won those games, they could have easily been in the Big 12 championship.
#4: Houston (Record: 9-3, 6-3 in the Big 12)
At one point in the season, Houston was 7-1 and had one of the easiest paths to the playoffs. The Cougars would then suffer two losses to WVU and TCU, ending their chances of making the Big 12 championship. Similar to Arizona though, Houston still made considerable improvements this season as their 9-3 record is much better than their 4-8 record in 2024.
Quarterback Conner Weigman did not play the best in Houston’s losses, but finished his season strong against Baylor. Against the Bears, Weigman threw for 201 yards, rushed for a team-leading 121 yards, and scored three total touchdowns. As Weigman is only a junior, there is a good chance he and Houston can reunite for another season.
Now sitting on the outside of the Big 12 championship, Houston will look to get one more victory this season at the end of the year.
#3: Utah (Record: 10-2, 7-2 in the Big 12)
Utah improved greatly this season as their 10-2 record is much better than their 5-7 record from last season. The Utes only lost to BYU and Texas Tech this season, two losses that kept them out of the Big 12 championship. With not enough ranked victories, Utah will likely be kept out of the College Football Playoff as well.
The Utes finished their season with two comeback wins against Kansas State and Kansas. Against Kansas, quarterback Devon Dampier had a solid passing game as he threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns. Utah’s defense had an excellent showing as the unit recorded three interceptions. One of those interceptions came from cornerback Elijah Davis, who returned the interception for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Because BYU and Texas Tech both won last week, Utah will play in a bowl game instead of the Big 12 championship. Despite that, it was still a very successful season for the Utes.
#2: BYU (Record: 11-1, 8-1 in the Big 12)
BYU has had an incredible 2025 season, with their only loss coming against Texas Tech. After that loss, BYU was able to win their final three games to secure their spot in the Big 12 championship.
In their most recent win against UCF, freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier had an accurate game as he completed 21 of his 25 passing attempts, threw for 289 yards and a touchdown. Running back LJ Martin contributed to much of the scoring as he rushed for 95 yards and three touchdowns.
BYU will get into the College Football Playoff if they win the Big 12 championship. A loss will more than likely end their playoff hopes despite having an 11-1 record in the regular season.
#1: Texas Tech (Record: 11-1, 8-1 in the Big 12)
Since defeating BYU, Texas Tech has been undoubtedly the top team in the Big 12. Their only loss this season was against Arizona State, a game that starting quarterback Behren Morton did not play in. The Red Raiders defeated the best teams in the Big 12 this season, defeating BYU by a score of 29-7, Utah by a score of 34-10, and Houston by a score of 35-11. Texas Tech also won by more than two scores in all of their wins this season.
In their most recent win against West Virginia, Texas Tech scored 49 unanswered points. Quarterback Behren Morton had a great game as he threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns. Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez had another solid performance as he had four total tackles and one rushing touchdown on offense. Fellow linebacker David Bailey had a quieter game but still finished the regular season as the FBS sack leader with 12.5 sacks.
If Texas Tech defeats BYU to win the Big 12 championship, they should likely have a first round bye in the college football playoff. Even if they lose the conference championship, the Red Raiders should still be in a playoff spot competing for a national championship in December.