Big 12 Power Rankings - 9/22/14

There wasn't really a lot of movement this week, thanks to over half the conference sitting out the weekend to prepare for the start of conference play.  We'll go with the more traditional order this week, so read on below to see where the Jayhawks stand.

1. Baylor (Previous Ranking: 1)

Idle last week, so all the things we said about them previously are still true.  They are putting up video-game-like numbers, and it doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon.  They face an Iowa State team that is looking better and better by the week, but unless they sleep-walk through the first half, I'm not sure enough can happen to push them out of the top spot next week.

2. Oklahoma (PR: 2)

While they still ended up winning handily, Oklahoma had a hard enough time against West Virginia that instead of the top being 1a and 1b, they are clearly behind Baylor at this point.  However, the gap between the Sooners and #3 is so large right now, that it would take a couple losses to make it a discussion again.

3. Oklahoma State (PR: 3)

As if now the best of the second tier, but only because they were idle.  They are still living off the fact that they looked good in their games without actually getting the big result.  They should have a simple task on Thursday with Texas Tech, and then get a long week to prepare for the Cyclones.  With no one in this next group of 3 having any highly-rated opponents the next 3 weeks, they are in survive and hold steady mode.

4. Kansas State (PR: 4)

What a wasted opportunity.  The storyline of this game should have been about how Kansas State kept Auburn from playing there game and rode the defense to a victory, but instead we are talking about how bad the offense was at holding onto the ball.  There were way too many miscues and unforced errors by the Wildcats.  The scary part is the the defense appears to be there, and if they can get the offense to hold on to the ball, they could make a serious run in the conference this year.

5. West Virginia (PR: 6)

Even in defeat, West Virginia was impressive against arguably one of the best teams in the country.  The fact that they were able to hang with Oklahoma for most of the game speaks volumes about how wrongly they were pegged at the beginning of the year.  They have the bye week before welcoming the Jayhawks into Morgantown.

6. TCU (PR: 5)

Having already completed 2 of their 3 bye weeks this year, TCU is still holding this spot with their preseason expectations.  They lost ground to the surging Mountaineers, and would be jumped if Iowa State somehow pulls off the upset of Baylor this week, even if they absolutely destroy SMU.  But after that, they quickly get into the meat of their schedule, with a good chance to quickly climb the rankings.

7. Iowa State (PR: 9)

They had a bye, and so did the two teams they jumped over.  So why the change?  A couple reasons, but the first one being that Iowa is looking a lot better after their win over Pittsburgh last week.  With a loss to the best team in FCS, the one that routinely knocks off FBS teams, a close loss to the 3rd or 4th best team in the league, and a gritty road victory over a decent Iowa team, it's hard to keep them below anyone further down on the list.

8. Texas (PR: 8)

Nothing changed over the bye week, but they get the chance to get back on the right track when they travel to Lawrence to play the Jayhawks this week.  While they have a worse record, they have also played much better competition, and appear to be the better team going into the weekend, although it really is a lot closer than you would think at first glance.

9. Texas Tech (PR: 7)

I'll admit, I was wrong about them last week.  Even though they didn't play last week, reevaluating their schedule shows that they barely squeaked by two mediocre teams, and got blown out by the one decent team they played.  It doesn't look to get much better for them this week either when they welcome Oklahoma State to town on Thursday.

10. Kansas (PR: 10)

Despite the win, Kansas easily has the worst resume of the group, and the pasting they got at Duke is still too recent to be overshadowed by a win at home against a middle of the road MAC team that was missing its two best players on offense, especially when they couldn't get their own offense going for stretches of the game.  Beat Texas this week, and the cellar is no longer for you.