It’s Week Five, folks.
That means that the Big 12’s non-conference slate has now concluded and we’ll jump right into league play. Now that we’ve finally got a good sample size of all 16 Big 12 squads, there’s no better time to check in and see how everyone is doing. It’s power rankings time!
16: Oklahoma State (1-2)
Oklahoma State is a program in shambles. After losing to G5 bottom-dweller Tulsa and going 0-9 in Big 12 play last year, Mike Gundy has been relieved of his duties as the head coach in Stillwater. This will be the first
time in 24 years that Gundy hasn’t been on staff for Oklahoma State. The Pokes have lost their longtime face of the program and will have to start from square one.
We’ll miss Gundy, though. Hope you find your way back into the sport soon, buddy. Those pressers are just too good to not have anymore:
15: Kansas State (1-3)
What the hell is going on in the Little Apple?
This K-State team was supposed to be fighting for a conference title. Instead, they lost to Iowa State, Arizona and Army. Oh, and they very narrowly dodged a loss to FCS North Dakota.
Quarterback Avery Johnson looks fundamentally broken. The defense hasn’t looked great. Chris Klieman needs to figure out what’s going on fast before conference play starts or this year might be a lost cause for the Wildcats.
14: West Virginia (2-2)
This is a West Virginia team under a first year head coach and lots of roster churn. The Mountaineers were never supposed to be good this year.
HOWEVER, they beat Pitt. This year is already a a succcess for WVU. Seriously. The Backyard Brawl is that big of a deal in Morgantown.
With their best player, running back Jahiem White, out for the season after undergoing knee surgery, Big 12 play probably won’t be nice to the Mountaineers, evidenced by their 10-44 smackdown by Kansas last weekend.
Hold onto the Pitt win, WVU fans. That’s gonna need to keep you going for a while
13: UCF (3-0)
Yes, this UCF team is undefeated, but they haven’t really played anyone yet. They crushed North Carolina A&T and Bill Belichick’s UNC team, which we now know is very bad, and very narrowly beat a Jacksonville State team with a first year head coach.
The Knights lost their head coach and all of top talent from last year. By just looking at what personnel UCF is working with, its probably safe to say that Big 12 play probably won’t be very kind to them. Scott Frost, who is in his second stint as the Knights’ head coach, has an uphill battle to fight in establishing this program as worthy of being in a power conference.
Good for UCF for starting 3-0, though. Making a bowl game this year would be huge for this team and program.
12: Cincinnati (2-1)
Head coach Scott Satterfield entered this season on the hot seat, and his seat hasn’t gotten any cooler. Cinci’s defense had Nebraska on the ropes in Week One, but the offense couldn’t finish the job. Since then, they’ve beaten Bowling Green State and Northwestern State handedly.
Satterfield and the Bearcats need to prove they’re going in the right direction in conference play. They have one of the best defensive linemen in the country in Dontay Corleone, and QB Brendan Sorsby is capable of beating teams.
11: Colorado (2-2)
It’s been a rocky first four weeks for the Buffs. They’ve handedly beaten Delaware and Wyoming, but weren’t able to hang in against Georgia Tech and Houston.
It seems like CU’s quarterback controversy is finally settled, as Kaidon Salter will start going forward. Despite being stacked with talent on paper, the defense hasn’t looked great and has getting gashed by every team they’ve played. The Buffs have potential to rise up this list, but they’ve got to figure out their defensive woes and continue forward their positive momentum on offense with Salter.
10: Houston (4-0)
As expected, Houston has taken a big step forward in their second year under head coach Willie Fritz. Texas A&M transfer Conner Weigman has clicked within the Coogs’ offense, and running back Dean Connors and tight end Tanner Koziol have helped to further unlock the team’s potential.
Still, this is a team that has yet to establish their identity as a Big 12 squad and lacks depth. Expect the Coogs to take a step back in Big 12 play, but still be dangerous. They’re capable of beating anyone in this conference if they get a little bit of luck.
9: Arizona (3-0)
After a disastrous 2024, Arizona looks to have bounced back in a big way this season.
QB Noah Fifita has seemingly reverted to his 2023 form, and both lines look like they’ve gotten bigger and more physical. The player who has made the most impact on Arizona might be Texas State transfer Ismail Mahdi, who has 263 yards on 37 carries, averaging 7.1 yards per attempt.
While Arizona technically hasn’t played any conference games (that K-State game was technically non-conference), the Wildcats look promising heading into their Big 12 slate.
8: Baylor (2-2)
This Baylor team will go as far as quarterback Sawyer Robertson can take them.
Robertson is incredibly talented, and so is Baylor’s offensive line, but the Bears haven’t been special outside of those two groups. If Robertson can continue his tear and show the world that he’s a worthy of a first round selection, this Bears team could make some real noise in the Big 12.
7: BYU (3-0)
Admittedly, the seven spot for BYU is might be a bit low. There’s a good reason why they aren’t in the top five, though. They just haven’t played anybody yet, with wins over Portland State, East Carolina and a Stanford team in shambles.
BYU might have the best defense in the country, and running back LJ Martin has looked phenomenal. Colorado has a tough test against this Cougars squad on Saturday night.
6: TCU (3-0)
After two years of mediocrity, this TCU team has finally bounced back to the fully unlock the air raid offense we saw back in 2022.
Sonny Dykes seemingly finally feels comfortable enough with QB Josh Hoover to let him unleash the dragon, and that’s exactly what he’s done, throwing for exactly 1000 yards and 11 touchdowns in only three games. If you have any doubts about your secondary, look out for TCU because Dykes and Hoover will pick you apart.
5: Kansas (3-1)
This is the Kansas team we were promised a year ago.
Jalon Daniels looks like one of the best QBs in the conference, the passing game is firing on all cylinders, the running game hasn’t lost a step since losing Devin Neal, and the defense has looked stout. The Jawhawks are just a fundamentally sound football team with very few weaknesses, which can take you far in this new iteration of the Big 12.
4: Utah (3-1)
Offensive coordinator Jason Beck and quarterback Devon Dampier came to Salt Lake City from New Mexico and immediately revived a Utah team that looked dead in the water for the last two years.
Dampier has been electric, throwing over and running through defenses with ease in Utah’s first few contests. The Utes struggled against Texas Tech, but that Red Raiders team is stacked. With Dampier at the helm, this Utah team should be considered one of the best teams in this conference until proven otherwise.
3: Arizona State (3-1)
The reigning Big 12 champs look to be picking up right where they left off.
Even after losing Cam Skattebo, the Sun Devils retained a ton of talent, keeping guys like Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson. They had a tough night in Starkville, losing to Mississippi State, but bounced back to beat Baylor afterwards. The Sun Devils are one of the top dogs in this conference and there’s no doubt about it.
2: Iowa State (4-0)
Iowa State isn’t flashy, but they’ll suffocate you.
They don’t have the best skill players or secondary, but that doesn’t really matter. They’re great in both trenches, have a fantastic game manager quarterback in Rocco Becht, and are just a fundamentally sound, well coached squad. The Cyclones will give you opportunities to beat them, but give you zero margin for error simultaneously.
1: Texas Tech
All that oil money that Tech threw around this offseason has paid off. They’ve beefed up on both lines, elimited any weaknesses on the squad, and look EXTREMELY scary this year.
They just beat Utah with their backup quarterback, which is insanely impressive. Joey McGuire has got himself a squad down in Lubbock. The Red Raiders should be the team to beat for the forseeable future.
