We’re now multiple games into conference play, the bigger picture within the Big 12 is starting to get a lot clearer.
After an eventful week of play, let’s follow up on our previous power rankings to see where things stand now. Who are the top dogs in the Big 12? Who are the botttom dwellers? Where do the Buffs land? Let’s find out!
16: Oklahoma State (1-4)
The ‘Pokes have been and will continue to be the conference’s bottom dwellers for the foreseeable future. They have no head coach, a mass exodus of talent to the portal,
and no identity. Until OSU can find a suitable head coach in the offseason, opponents can pencil the Cowboys in as an easy win for the rest of the year.
15: West Virginia (2-4)
The Backyard Brawl was really fun, and WVU fans can be happy that they were able to escape with an upset win against their biggest rival. Unfortunately, the Mounaineers just aren’t very good at football this year. Losing running back Jahiem White has greatly hurt the offense’s ability to move the football, as they’ve only scored a total of 38 points combined in their last two games.
14: UCF (3-2)
The Knights handled business in their non-conference slate, including an absolute beatdown of Bill Belichick’s UNC team, but have gotten a reality check so far in Big 12 play after falling to K-State and Kansas in back-to-back weeks. Running back Miles Montgomery has emerged as a legit threat, but Scott Frost’s squad is still lacking top-end talent and depth outside of that.
13: Colorado (2-4)
The Buffs team seemingly refuses to find its footing. They’ve had both BYU and TCU on the ropes with early leads in back-to-back weeks, but mistakes and poor execution have cost Colorado signature wins. This CU team has plenty of talent on its roster to rise up this ranking, but until they pick up a conference win, they’ll stay near the bottom.
12: Kansas State (2-4)
The Wildcats are the best of the Big 12’s bad teams. After their disastrous start, K-State has made some progress in the right direction. They managed to beat UCF handily and gave Baylor just about all they could handle. They’ve got a conference record of 1-2, but still have the talent to bounce back if the defense can string together stops and quarterback Avery Johnson can protect the football and make the right reads downfield.
11: Houston (4-1)
Just like Kansas State is the best of the Big 12’s bad teams, the Cougars are the worst of the Big 12’s good teams. Their Willie Fritz-coached defense is stout, and the offense is more than capable of moving the ball via both the ground game and the short passing game. The Coogs are a team to fear, but shouldn’t make a run at the Big 12.
10: Arizona (4-1)
This Arizona team is much better than last year’s, largely due to their ability to pivot to what they do best: run the damn ball. Ismail Mahdi has emerged as one of the conference’s most underrated running backs and quarterback Noah Fifita looks to be returning to his 2023 form, throwing for 376 yards and five touchdowns against Oklahoma State.
9: Baylor (4-2)
The same remains true for our last power rankings: this team can only go as far as quarterback Sawyer Robertson takes them. Robertson is one of the most electric signal callers in the country, but doesn’t have the top-end talent around him to elevate this Bears team to the next level. On their best day, Baylor can hang in with everyone in the Big 12.
8: Kansas (4-2)
KU’s loss to Cincinnati at home looked pretty brutal last weekend, but the Bearcats are seemingly much better than we gave them credit for. After dispatching UCF in Orlando on Saturday, this Jayhawks team is back in business. Quarterback Jalon Daniels is still as dangerous as ever, and KU lacks any clear weaknesses. They’re the epitome of a Big 12 team: good at everything, but great at nothing.
7: TCU (4-1)
The Horned Frogs had a tough trip down to Tempe, blowing a 17-0 lead to the Sun Devils. They managed to bounce back against Colorado, beating the Buffs 35-21 in a nail-biter in Fort Worth. With Josh Hoover under center and one of the most underrated secondaries in the country, the Frogs have what it takes to go far in the Big 12, but they need a signature win first.
6: Utah (4-1)
Utah got smacked around by Texas Tech a few weeks back, but it’s becoming increasingly more evident that the Red Raiders are one of the scariest teams in the nation. Quarterback Devon Dampier has continued his impressive campaign by leading the Utes in their walloping of WVU. Now, Utah will face another tough test in Arizona State this weekend. If they can pull off the upset, expect their stock to soar once again.
5: Iowa State (5-1)
After a rough morning in Cincinnati on Saturday, the Bearcats might have provided other Big 12 teams with a blueprint to beat the Cyclones. If your offensive line can make space for your RBs to roam against ISU, the ‘Clones might have some serious trouble stopping them. Still, this Cyclones team is extremely well-coached and isn’t easy to beat with an elite game manager like Rocco Becht under center.
4: BYU (5-0)
The Cougars have had a relatively easy schedule, but they have handled business, so you can’t really knock them for that. True freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier has looked impressive, and BYU’s defensive line is once again proving to be one of the conference’s best. It’ll be fun to see the Cougs play a more competitive opponent in Arizona on Saturday.
3: Cincinnati (4-1)
The Bearcats were last weekend’s big winners after knocking off #14 Iowa State. UC’s running backs cooked Iowa State’s defense, and quarterback Brendan Sorsby has seemingly finally made a step to become one of the conference’s best. If Cincy’s offense remains this explosive, they very well could win the Big 12.
2: Arizona State (4-1)
The Arizona State team we knew from 2024 is seemingly back, after the Sun Devils managed to scrap out an impressive comeback victory over TCU two weekends ago. Quarterback Sam Leavitt remains as elusive as ever, former Buff Jordyn Tyson still looks like the Big 12’s best receiver and head coach Kenny Dillingham has the entire Phoenix metro area ready to run through a brick wall for this program. While they’re certainly missing Cam Skattebo in the run game, this Sun Devils team is going to be a legit playoff contender again this year.
1: Texas Tech (5-0)
Although I’m tempted to knock Tech down a few stops for their recently announced dreadfully boring rebrand, the Red Raiders are simply just too good at football to put them anywhere but #1. This is a legitimate top ten team in the national we are talking about here. They’re phenomenal in both trenches, have the skill position guys they need to create big plays, and two quarterbacks that can go toe-to-toe with anyone. Thank the lord that the Buffs dodge this Red Raiders team in 2025.
