Big 12 Power Rankings: Cowboys hog-tie the top spot

1. Oklahoma State (Last Week: 1) - With a complete demolition of one of the top contenders in the conference, the Cowboys made a big statement, and made a corresponding big jump in the CFP standings.  The Big 12 got the scheduling perfect this season, with the 4 top contenders all playing each other in the final few weeks of the season.

2. Oklahoma (Last Week: 2) - That loss to Texas ruined what could have been an awesome end to the season, the one where all 4 main contenders were undefeated going into the round-robin and the winner was an automatic shoo-in to the playoff.  Now we just have to hope that if the Sooners win out, they do it impressively enough that they can make the playoff as a 1 loss team.

3. Baylor (Last Week: 4) - I'm still getting criticized for dropping Baylor too early, but despite winning the game, I think the matchup with the Wildcats last Thursday kind of showed that the lack of depth is starting to get to that team.  Of course, me just saying that means they are going to blow through the rest of their schedule just to prove me wrong.

4. TCU (Last Week: 3) - The injuries finally caught up with them.  They looked completely worn out and overmatched this week in Stillwater.  Trevone Boykin had been showing signs of wearing down for weeks and Oklahoma State finally pressed on the weak spots enough to make the whole thing come tumbling down.  TCU gets an easy week to rebuild and get ready to try and salvage a spot at the title.

5. West Virginia (Last Week: 7) - They must have heard what I said last week, and used it as a wake up call.  Sure, Texas Tech's defense can cure a lot of offensive ills, but the defense showed a lot of toughness in limiting what had been a free-scoring offense.  They still have 4 games left to show what they can do now that the Big 12 monkey is off their back.

6. Texas Tech (Last Week: 5) - I really don't know what to make of this team.  I mean, I think they should beat any team below them, but I would have said the same thing last week and that game wasn't really particularly close.  This team is puzzling.

7. Iowa State (Last Week: 6) - As expected, the Sooners didn't really give the Cyclones a chance to build on that win against Texas.  I didn't really want to drop them since we could all see that coming, but that was still a pretty bad beatdown.  Hopefully they can stay somewhat close against the Cowboys.

8. Texas (Last Week: 8) - It was a big win for the Longhorns, but the game was still a lot closer than it should have been.  The Jayhawks actually still seemed to have a chance in this one at the half, and it really shouldn't have even been that close.

9. Kansas State (Last Week: 9) - I'm not sure what changed at halftime, but this team finally showed some life again.  It's been a rough season in Manhattan, but at least they haven't had it as bad as their Kansas brethren in Lawrence.

10. Kansas (Last Week: 10) - As we've come to expect, this team just doesn't have what it takes to compete for a full 60 minutes. Ryan Willis is still hope for the future, but that offensive line has to make sure he doesn't get killed first.  I'm not so sure that they will be able to get the job done.