RCT Big 12 Power Rankings - Week 14: Conference Championship Bedlam

We are nearing the end of the conference season, and there isn’t much time to move around in the rankings. Kansas and Iowa State were unable to follow up big wins with another one while the top 2 teams stayed above the fray with byes. Where did everything shake out this week?

1 - Oklahoma Sooners (9-2, 8-0 Big 12, Last Week: 1)

With no game and no one even close to them that was in action, there was never any doubt that they would keep this spot. This game will determine the conference champion, a possible spot in the College Football Playoff, and (most importantly) the top spot in our Power Rankings to end the season.

Up Next: vs. #10 Oklahoma State, 11:30 AM on FOX

2 - Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-2, 7-1 Big 12, Last Week: 2)

I can guarantee that the winner of Bedlam will get the top spot, no matter how the outcome is decided. Even if the game ends in quadruple overtime, I’ll honor the result. That being said, Oklahoma is rightfully the heavy favorite in this one, and even a win here by the Cowboys probably isn’t enough to get them serious consideration for the CFP.

Up Next: @ #8 Oklahoma, 11:30 AM on FOX

3 - West Virginia Mountaineers (9-2, 6-2 Big 12, Last Week: 3)

That big win against Iowa State was actually somewhat impressive given how well the Cyclones have been playing the last half of the year. This team is clearly in the top half of the conference, and assuming they finish up the year against Baylor with a win they should get a really good bowl game.

Up Next: vs Baylor, 2:30PM on Fox Sports 1

4 - Kansas State Wildcats (7-4, 5-3 Big 12, Last Week: 4)

I honestly was expecting more from the Wildcats, despite the fact that they lost their starting quarterback about halfway through. Bill Snyder doesn’t shy away from the fact that he likes to pile on the Jayhawks. They have one last chance to impress against TCU this week.

Up Next: @ TCU, 11:00am on Fox Sports 1

5 - TCU Horned Frogs (6-5, 4-4 Big 12, Last Week: 6)

A win is a win, even if it is against a dismal Longhorn squad with a lame-duck coach. They have a chance to get above .500 in the league this week on Senior Day.

Up Next: vs Kansas State, 11:00am on Fox Sports 1

6 - Iowa State Cyclones (3-9, 2-7 Big 12, Last Week: 5)

Despite the record, this team feels like a top-half Big 12 team right now. Unfortunately, they don’t have another chance to show that on the field. But there is a lot of reason to be optimistic going into next year for this program.

Up Next: Season Complete

7 - Kansas Jayhawks (2-10, 1-8 Big 12, Last Week: 7)

I honestly was looking for someone to jump up ahead of them, but the only real candidate was Texas Tech, and as you’ll see in a second, they really are pretty abysmal in their own right. The Jayhawks have a lot of holes to work on in the offseason, but overall I’d have to say this season was fairly successful.

Up Next: Season Complete

8 - Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-7, 3-6 Big 12, Last Week: 10)

The team ended their season with the top-ranked offense in total yards, but the bottom-ranked defense by the same metric. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team that was so reliant on one phase of the game. It seems like every year we say that the defense for this team can’t be any worse, yet it always finds a way. Luckily, that is actually true for next year.

Up Next: Season Complete

9 - Texas Longhorns (5-7, 3-6 Big 12, Last Week: 9)

The Charlie Strong era has come to an end. New coach Tom Herman should be able to get these guys going pretty quickly next year. But this year’s team was still dismal, whimpering to the end with a big loss to TCU on Senior Day.

Up Next: Season Complete

10 - Baylor Bears (6-5, 3-5 Big 12, Last Week: 8)

The bottom has fallen out officially. There is no expectation that this team will muster any resistance for West Virginia this week on the road. The program is an absolute disaster, and who knows when it will get any better. But at least they will have a bowl game to play in. Priorities.

Up Next: @ #18 West Virginia, 2:30PM on Fox Sports 1

Fun With Stats

One final reminder that this is the segment where we highlight a new stat each week that shows definitively that the Kansas Jayhawks are the best football team in the conference.

I wasn’t sure if we were going to get something new to look at for this week, but I was pleasantly surprised. In previous weeks, we have looked at Total Kickoff Return Yards (KU is 1st in conference, 19th nationally), 4th Down Conversion Percentage Defense (4th in conference, 42nd nationally), Team Tackles for Loss Per Game (3rd in conference, 18th nationally), 3rd Down Conversion Percentage (1st in conference, 30th nationally), Fewest Penalty Yards (5th in conference, 70th nationally), Blocked Punts Allowed (1st in conference, 3rd after our tiebreakers) and Fumbles Recovered (1st in conference, 10th nationally). Up this week: Passing Yards Allowed.