Big 12 Power Rankings - Week 8: Separation

I missed week 6 of the power rankings, and while they were different than week 5, the three games from last week didn’t change my rankings at all. So if I had done them last week, then this week would have been the same. The “Last Week” rankings will show the week 5 rankings.

A reminder that these are power rankings, not resume rankings. They are intended to be a current snapshot, and the opinion of the author on how teams would likely fair if they played everyone else in the conference this coming week. They are highly influenced by recent history, and if you don’t like them, feel free to give your own in the comments.

1 – #5 Oklahoma Sooners (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) (LW - 1)

Last Week: Won 52-14 vs West Virginia
This Week: at Kansas State (4-2, 1-2 Big 12)

The Sooners keep on rolling. I’m not sure there is much to say about them at this point.

2 – #14 Baylor Bears (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) (LW - 3)

Last Week: Won 45-27 at Oklahoma State
This Week: BYE

The Bears are the most impressive team in the conference, especially when you take into account preseason expectations. They’ll get a week off before they make a push for the Big 12 Championship Game.

3 – #15 Texas Longhorns (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) (LW - 2)

Last Week: Won 50-48 vs Kansas
This Week: at TCU (3-3, 1-2 Big 12)

I’m trying not to panic too much about this defense, which definitely appears much worse than I thought they would be. They are still dealing with injuries, but at some point we are going to have stop using that as an excuse to prop up their rankings.

4 – #23 Iowa State Cyclones (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) (LW - 4)

Last Week: Won 34-24 at Texas Tech
This Week: vs Oklahoma State (4-3, 1-3 Big 12)

The Cyclones have taken full advantage of Brocktober, finally making their way back into the Top 25. The defense will get tested with the quality of offenses ramping up in the next few weeks, so we’ll see if the improvement is real.

5 – Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) (LW - 5)

Last Week: Lost 45-27 vs #18 Baylor
This Week: at #23 Iowa State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12)

I’ll be completely honest, I could see an argument for any of the teams 5-8 in my rankings in any order. Oklahoma State gets the nod here because I think they have the fewest “big” holes. Their main issue is inconsistency from the quarterback, which theoretically is something that they should be able to overcome. Don’t be surprised if this ranking is very different next week.

6 – TCU Horned Frogs (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) (LW - 6)

Last Week: Lost 24-17 at Kansas State
This Week: vs #15 Texas (5-2, 3-1 Big 12)

Despite the loss to Kansas State, I still have them above the Wildcats. Max Duggan has shown flashes, but is still wildly inconsistent. The defense is still one of the better ones in the conference.

7 – Kansas State Wildcats (4-2, 1-2 Big 12) (LW - 8)

Last Week: Win 24-17 vs TCU
This Week: vs #5 Oklahoma (7-0, 4-0 Big 12)

The Wildcats got a huge win this weekend, but they still have big questions. The offense still relies too much on Malik Knowles. While the defense is still pretty good, I’m still worried about how they will respond to teams that have explosive offenses.

8 – Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) (LW - 7)

Last Week: Lost 33-30 (2OT) at #22 Baylor
This Week: at Kansas (2-5, 0-4 Big 12)

They had a huge win against Oklahoma State, but I think that might have had more to do with the Cowboys imploding than the Red Raiders evolving on defense. Jett Duffy seems to be settling in, but they still aren’t as dynamic as they should be with Alan Bowman.

9 – Kansas Jayhawks (2-5, 0-4 Big 12) (LW - 10)

Last Week: Lost 50-48 at #15 Texas
This Week: vs Texas Tech (3-4, 1-3 Big 12)

This might be an overreaction to the offensive outburst they had against Texas. There is an honest question about how bad the Texas defense actually is. But Carter Stanley looked fantastic, and while I don’t expect 48 points every time out, they should make some serious strides forward. And I put them above the Mountaineers because if this offense was in place when they played earlier, there is no way they would have lost that game.

10 – West Virginia Mountaineers (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) (LW - 9)

Last Week: Lost 52-14 at #5 Oklahoma
This Week: BYE

It’s almost a little unfair to drop them after playing Oklahoma. But this team has been struggling recently anyway. The bye week won’t give them any chances to make up some ground, but they could benefit from another Kansas loss.