Another week of Big 12 play is in the books. Iowa State has lost two straight games, while Texas Tech and BYU remain undefeated. Utah surges in the rankings after a victory over Arizona State.
The bottom of the Big 12 has slightly changed, with Colorado getting a major win over the Cyclones. With an exciting Big 12 slate this weekend, teams will look to make a push for the Big 12 championship.
Here are our Big 12 Power Rankings entering Week 8 – and before you start in, make sure to check out last week's rankings as well.
#16: Oklahoma State (Record: 1-5, 0-3 in the Big 12)
The Cowboys remain at the bottom of the Big 12 as they are currently on a five game losing streak. Since losing head coach Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State has not even been a competitive team, losing every game by double digits.
Things got worse for the Cowboys when they faced Houston last weekend. Oklahoma State had to start wide receiver Sam Jackson V at quarterback, where he only threw for 84 yards and one interception. The only bright spot in the offense was running back Rodney Fields Jr. scoring a 63 yard receiving touchdown. It will be challenging for the Cowboys to get their first Big 12 win anytime soon, as they face Cincinnati and Texas Tech over the next two weeks.
#15: West Virginia (Record: 2-4, 0-3 in the Big 12)
The Mountaineers are coming out of a much needed bye week. Before the bye, WVU suffered three blowout losses to Kansas, Utah and BYU. They also lost starters Nicco Marchiol and Jahiem White for the entire season.
WVU has a chance to get back in the win column this week as they travel to Florida to play UFC, a team that is also winless in the Big 12. It will also be a chance for younger players to continue to improve. Freshman quarterback Khalil Wilkins got the start against BYU and while he threw two interceptions, he showed grit as he ran for 89 yards and scored a rushing touchdown. Scotty Fox Jr., another freshman quarterback, could see some playing time as well.
#14: UCF (Record: 3-3, 0-3 in the Big 12)
UCF’s season has completely turned around in the wrong way since Big 12 play. After defeating Jacksonville State, North Carolina A&C and UNC, the Knights lost three straight games to Kansas State, Kansas and Cincinnati.
Against Cincinnati, the Knights’ held the Bearcats to only 20 points, but could only score 11 points themselves. Dual-threat quarterback Cam Fancher threw for 222 yards and rushed for 108 yards. Fancher’s rushing touchdown was also the only touchdown scored for the Knights. UCF will have a chance to win their first Big 12 game of the season when they face the Mountaineers at home this weekend.
#13: Colorado (Record: 3-4, 1-3 in the Big 12)
Colorado makes a jump in the rankings as they got their first Big 12 win of the season against a formerly ranked Iowa State team. With a win against the Cyclones and a close loss to undefeated BYU, the Buffaloes are proving they can compete against any Big 12 opponent.
Head coach Deion Sanders has given quarterback Kaidon Salter the starting job, and it looks like Salter will keep it going forward. Against Iowa State, Salter threw for 255 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Buffaloes’ defense did struggle greatly against the run, giving up 236 yards on the ground, but they got the job done by intercepting Rocco Becht once. Colorado looks to go on a strong winning streak when they play Utah after their bye week.
#12: Kansas (Record: 4-3, 2-2 in the Big 12)
Kansas had a chance to make a statement in the Big 12, but they failed miserably as they lost to Texas Tech by a score of 42-17.
Senior quarterback Jalon Daniels had a statistically sound game as he completed 27 of his 33 passing attempts, threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns. The Jayhawks’ defense was dominated on the ground though as Texas Tech’s running back Cameron Dickey rushed for 263 yards on just 21 carries. While the offense is not the main problem, the defense is not making it possible for the Jayhawks to win any meaningful Big 12 games.
#11: TCU (Record: 4-2, 1-2 in the Big 12)
The Horned Frogs are starting to trend downwards as they suffered their second Big 12 loss of the season. TCU was defeated on the road against an improving Kansas State team by a score of 41-28.
Turnovers were the main concern for TCU this past weekend. While quarterback Josh Hoover threw for 376 passing yards and three touchdowns, he also threw two costly interceptions. Freshman wide receiver Ed Small had a costly fumble as well. Three turnovers can make the difference in a two-score game. TCU will look to clean up their game when they take on Baylor this weekend in a potential high-scoring matchup.
#10: Arizona (Record: 4-2, 1-2 in the Big 12)
The Wildcats have proven they can compete in the Big 12 with wins against Kansas State and Oklahoma State. But with losses to Iowa State and most recently to BYU, Arizona has to start winning meaningful Big 12 games before it’s too late.
Arizona’s defense was successful in stopping the BYU passing game, intercepting Bear Bachmeier twice. The struggles came in the run defense, as Arizona gave up 89 rushing yards to Bachmeier and 162 yards to running back LJ Martin. Arizona will face Houston in a must-win game this weekend. Houston has struggled in the run game recently, giving Arizona a possible edge in the matchup.
#9: Kansas State (Record: 3-4, 2-2 in the Big 12)
Kansas State has improved since their 1-3 start to the season. The Wildcats are now 2-2 in Big 12 play. All of Kansas State’s losses this season have been one-score games, showing that the Wildcats have at least been competitive in defeat.
The Wildcats’ most recent victory was against TCU, where quarterback Avery Johnson continued his solid play by throwing three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Kansas State also got major help from senior linebacker Desmond Purnell, who had one sack, two interceptions, and returned one interception for a touchdown. Purnell will look to build on his dominant performance against a talented Kansas offense once the Wildcats return from their bye week.
#8: Baylor (Record: 4-2, 2-1 in the Big 12)
Baylor is coming off their bye week with a 2-1 record in Big 12 play. The Bears are currently on a two-game winning streak with wins against Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
Despite having a bye week, quarterback Sawyer Robertson still leads all of college football in passing yards with 2,058. Baylor will be in a potential high scoring matchup against TCU this weekend as Josh Hoover, TCU’s starting quarterback, is second in total passing yards with 1,893.
#7: Houston (Record: 5-1, 2-1 in the Big 12)
Despite being 5-1, Houston is still looking for a statement win in the Big 12. The Cougars are coming off of a win against Oklahoma State, the worst team in the Big 12.
Quarterback Conner Weigman had a needed bounce-back game, as he threw for 306 yards and scored three total touchdowns against Oklahoma State. This was a great turnaround as he only threw for 71 yards and threw one interception against Texas Tech the game before. The Cougars will look to get more momentum against Arizona, a game that is very important for both teams.
#6: Iowa State (Record: 5-2, 2-2 in the Big 12)
Iowa State was once ranked number one in the power rankings, but have now fallen to number six after two straight losses in the Big 12. The Cyclones are now no longer ranked in the AP Top 25 and have a challenging schedule as they play BYU and Arizona State in their next two games.
Quarterback Rocco Becht struggled against Colorado last week, as he threw for only 205 yards and one interception. With the receiving talent not being at the same level as last season, Iowa State will need to rely on the talent of Becht or their run game. Running back Abu Sama is a player who can win games for the Cyclones, as he rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns against Colorado. Iowa State will face BYU once they return from their much-needed bye week.
#5: Arizona State (Record: 4-2, 2-1 in the Big 12)
The Sun Devils suffered their first Big 12 loss of the season when they lost to Utah on the road. This loss is not as troubling for Arizona State, as starting quarterback Sam Leavitt did not play. The conditions were also not great as it rained nearly the whole game in Utah.
If Leavitt cannot play in future weeks, it could be more concerning for the Sun Devils. Backup quarterback Jeff Sims only threw for 124 yards and scrambled on the ground for 66 yards on 21 total rushes. Star receiver Jordyn Tyson only had 40 yards on eight receptions with Sims as the quarterback. The run defense for the Sun Devils was poor, as they gave up 276 rushing yards to Utah’s offense. The defending Big 12 champions have a chance to climb right back up the rankings as they take on Texas Tech this weekend at home.
#4: Utah (Record: 5-1, 2-1 in the Big 12)
Since losing to Texas Tech, the Utes have won by scoring at least 40 points against WVU and Arizona State. With these victories in hand, Utah is now 5-1 and ranked 23rd in the AP Top 25.
The Utes most recently won a rain game against the Sun Devils at home. Dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier threw for 104 yards, rushed for 120 yards, and scored three rushing touchdowns. Defensive end John Henry Daley continued his elite play by recording 1.5 sacks against Arizona State, increasing his season total to eight sacks. Utah has a chance to climb higher in the rankings when they take on BYU this weekend.
#3: Cincinnati (Record: 5-1, 3-0 in the Big 12)
The Bearcats are currently on a five-game winning streak, undefeated in Big 12 play, and ranked third in the Big 12 standings. Cincinnati finally received national recognition as they are now ranked 24th in the AP Top 25.
Cincinnati did not need to do much in their most recent win against UCF. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby played a clean game against the Knights as he threw for 191 passing yards and two touchdowns. Despite the Bearcats’ defense giving up 191 rushing yards and 222 passing yards last week, they still held UCF to only 11 points. Cincinnati will likely remain near the top of the Big 12 as they take on Oklahoma State this weekend.
#2: BYU (Record: 6-0, 3-0 in the Big 12)
BYU remains undefeated this season as they are currently ranked number one in the Big 12 standings and ranked number 15 in the AP Top 25. Since entering Big 12 play, the Cougars have defeated Colorado, WVU, and Arizona.
Their most recent win against the Wildcats went to double overtime. Freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier struggled throwing the football, as he threw for only 172 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The ground game for the Cougars helped the offense stay elite, as running back LJ Martin rushed for 162 yards. While BYU is currently undefeated, they have the most difficult upcoming three-week stretch in the Big 12 as their upcoming games are against Utah, Iowa State and Texas Tech.
#1: Texas Tech (Record: 6-0, 3-0 in the Big 12)
Still undefeated and still number one in the power rankings, Texas Tech’s dominance in the Big 12 has continued with a blowout victory over Kansas. The Red Raiders are ranked number seven in the AP Top 25 and second in the Big 12 standings.
Against the Jayhawks, Texas Tech dominated on the ground. Sophomore running back Cameron Dickey had the best game of his young career as he rushed for 263 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns. The Texas native currently has 591 total rushing yards this season, averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
The Red Raiders also have the strongest victories as well this season as they have Big 12 wins over Utah and Houston, two teams that only have one loss each this season. Texas Tech has a chance to get another strong victory and remain at the top of the Big 12 as they face the defending Big 12 champions in Arizona State this weekend.