Big 12 Power Rankings: Deja Vu

To answer that question quickly: No.  Every top 5 team that played beat their bottom 5 opponent, and no one was really able to move the needle enough to move out of their spot this week.  But all these teams are setting up for the stretch run, and it is still easy to see 4 of these teams making a push for the conference crown.

1. Baylor (Last Week: 1) - Baylor absolutely destroyed a solid West Virginia team, solidifying the hold on the overall number 1 spot.  The defense is starting to show a few cracks here and there, but some of that is to be expected as they get into the meat of their Big 12 schedule.

2. TCU (Last Week: 2) - The Horned Frogs trailed early against Iowa State, but they pitched a shutout after the first quarter.  With all the injuries this year, it is a bit surprisingly that they are still undefeated.  They get a bye week to rest up and plan for the home stretch.

3. Oklahoma State (Last Week: 3) - They are still undefeated, so they don't lose their spot during the idle week.  The Sooners made a statement, but the Cowboys still have the better overall resume.

4. Oklahoma (Last Week: 4) - After an embarrassing loss to the Longhorns, the Sooners put to rest all doubts about their talent level as they completely demolished an overmatched Wildcats squad on the road.  They put up 35 points in the first half, and never let Kansas State get anything going all day.

5. Texas Tech (Last Week: 5) - They won, which is more than any of the teams below them can say, so there isn't any reason to drop them.  But that was a rather poor showing against the worst team in the league.  They had a commanding 20 point lead going into the half, and then promptly let the Jayhawks claw their way back into the game.  They finished the game off by holding off the rally, but they should have won by a lot more

6. West Virginia (Last Week: 6) - The Mountaineers never really seemed to be in the game last week, and they fell to 0-3 in the conference. The season looked promising after the first few weeks, but they've not really been able to build on any of that in conference play.  They only hold this spot because everyone else lost behind them.

7. Kansas State (Last Week: 7) - The Wildcats were utterly embarrassed at home, unable to muster even a shred of offense and letting the Sooners score at will.  It's tempting to drop them behind the Longhorns, but I think at least part of this result was due to the embarrassing loss Oklahoma suffered last week.  They get the Longhorns for rights to the 7th spot this Saturday.

8. Texas (Last Week: 8) - Almost moved them up, but the win over Oklahoma can potentially be explained away by the whole "records don't matter in a rivalry game" saying/excuse.  This team definitely has potential, but given the way they seem to shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly, I'm going to hold off on shooting them up the rankings, especially since they didn't have a game to provide a positive result.

9. Iowa State (Last Week: 9) - They showed signs of life early, but quickly ran out of steam in the track meet that followed the first quarter. This team just doesn't have the talent to stick with the top of the league.

10. Kansas (Last Week: 10) - They were able to mount a bit of a comeback, and they look to have some potential with Ryan Willis at the helm, but that offensive line is still as porous as can be.  I see the Jayhawks having the ability to keep a few games close, but I still don't see a potential win anywhere on the rest of the schedule.