Big 12 Football Power Rankings: 10.27.2022

For the third week in a row, the Jayhawks lost. This week the song had a similar refrain. No matter if it was during the early wins or the recent losses, KU got off to a slow start and fell behind by multiple touchdowns before remembering the game had started. This time it took the Jayhawks a little longer to turn the page and start playing like they knew there was a game to be contested. It was not until the second half this week that KU seemed to wake up and play better football. Some of the better play may have been Baylor feeling comfortable with their lead and not playing as intensely, or maybe it was the absence of brutal turnovers and shanked punts that allowed both sides of the ball to execute better. Whatever the reason, after being beaten down 28-3 in the first half, the Jayhawks showed some life in the second half, outscoring the Bears 20-7. KU needs the week off that they get now as they look at how they will beat at least one of the foes left on their schedule.

The next team they face is Oklahoma State. The Cowboys outlasted the Longhorns in Stillwater. Despite 140 yards rushing from Bijan Robinson and 319 yards passing from Quin Ewers, the Longhorns could not overcome 3 interceptions and 13 penalties compared to the Cowboys’ 1 interception and 0 penalties. What more can be said except that with 10 losses in a season and half the Sark Longhorns may not be the Sark Longhorns much longer?

The game most KU fans view as the Jayhawks’ best chance at getting their sixth win is on the road again Texas Tech. The Red Raiders did not treat the Mountaineers very well when they came to town. Texas Tech jumped on West Virginia early and the Mountaineers were never able to recover. As the game progressed and the drubbing continued, the Mountaineers took their fifth 25+ point road loss in the four-year Neal Brown era and their fourth straight loss to the Red Raiders.

In a battle for purple pride, the Horned Frogs continued to do what they do, face teams playing without their starting quarterback. This week’s game marked the third time in four games that TCU’s opponent needed to rely on their backup quarterback to try to beat the Horned Frogs. The Wildcats, like the others, were not up to the task. Despite losing Martinez early in the game, the Wildcats had a 28-17 lead at halftime, but they were not able to score again and TCU scored 21 second-half points to continue their undefeated run into November.

The game this past weekend did not really provide much in the way of surprises, except maybe by how Tech beat West Virginia, as a result, there was little movement in the ranking this week.

1. TCU: And the beat goes on.
2. OSU: Instead of holding on to win, they powered through for the win.
3. K-State: Lost Martinez early, and lost the game late.
4. Texas: A 7-point 4th-quarter lead was not enough against the Cowboys.
5. OU: Bye week stagnation.
6. Baylor: Like OU, looked much better against KU.
7. Texas Tech: At home for the first time in a month and coming off a bye, easy win.
8. KU: Third straight loss. Can the Jayhawks start play from the opening kick?
9. West Virginia: The long trip to Lubbock was not kind.
10. Iowa St: Bye week makes it hard to move out of the basement.