The Big 12 was not immune to the chaos of Week 6 in college football. Top teams fell on unranked road trips, fields were stormed, and goalposts went down and into the river.
As we cross the midway point of the season, things are getting tighter. The preseason rankings are so far in the rearview it’s hard to imagine they ever happened. (Remember when the Utah Utes and Kansas Jayhawks were in the top three?)
Going into Week 6, it felt like the Big 12 was set to have a quiet week. As we emerged from it, multiple upsets mixed up our Power Rankings completely.
For some teams, having Week 6 off was actually a benefit. The BYU Cougars left a lasting impression and sit atop the charts. For others, like the Kansas Jayhawks, the more they play the farther they seem to fall.
No. 1 BYU Cougars (5-0, 2-0)
It would have taken some serious leapfrogging for anyone to really get ahead of quarterback Jake Retzlaff and the Cougars. In their bye week, BYU didn’t lose (obviously), but perhaps more importantly they saw their biggest non-conference win (SMU Mustangs) continue to win and earn a spot in the AP Top 25. The Cougs hope to be well-rested and ready for the Arizona Wildcats this weekend.
No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones (5-0, 2-0)
Iowa State eventually took control of their game with the Baylor Bears, and had they dominated it from start to finish (ISU was down 14-3 in the second quarter, but won 43-21) they may have taken the top spot. The Cyclones rode explosive plays from wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, combined with a steady pounding of the rock from Jaylon Jackson.
ISU will see the West Virginia Mountaineers this weekend as they continue to make their case to play at the Big 12 title game in Arlington.
No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats (4-1, 1-1)
Kansas State was off this week, but they remain an impressive Big 12 team with one bad loss to the most impressive Big 12 team. After losing to BYU in Week 4, KSU bounced back in Week 5, and heads to Boulder for a huge matchup with the Colorado Buffaloes in Week 7. If Avery Johnson continues to play as he has for four of their five games, that Week 7 matchup could end up feeling like a playoff game.
No. 4 Colorado Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0)
As the fourth unmoved team in our Big 12 Power Rankings, Colorado also sits pat after a bye in Week 6. Colorado has the best two players in the conference in WR/CB Travis Hunter and Quarterback Shedeur Sanders. They have the most thrilling win (over Baylor Bears in OT), and one of the most dominant (48-21 over UCF Knights) in the conference thus far.
The biggest knock thus far has been a bad loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Had that gone differently, it’s fair to think they would be atop the conference. If they were to knock off Kansas State in Week 7… They may be about to get that chance.
No. 5 Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-1, 3-0)
In the greatest surprise of the Top 5, Texas Tech leaps up two spots from 7th to 5th. The Red Raiders are undefeated in the conference, and Lubbock continues to be one of the most challenging venues to play in. Tech is the only Big 12 team that is 3-0 in conference, but their strength of schedule is up for debate. Beating the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson was strong, and narrowly escaping home contests with the Cincinnati Bearcats and Arizona State Sun Devils. Much like the Buffaloes, a non-conference loss at the Washington State Cougars plagues the Red Raiders’ ranking.
No. 6 Arizona Wildcats (3-2, 1-1)
Arizona is leapfrogged this week by the same Red Raider team that beat them. The third-quarter push made it look like Arizona had some late-night magic in-store… but ultimately the Wildcats couldn’t stay out of their own way. Beating the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City still ranks as one of the best wins in the conference, but the Wildcats will need to have the same mojo as they head to Provo this weekend to propel themselves up the rankings.
No. 7 Utah Utes (4-1, 1-1)
After losing to Arizona, the Utes saw the Red Raiders leap frog past them in the rankings (as Tech beat Arizona). Utah is, on paper, one of the strongest teams in the conference. But until injured quarterback Cam Rising is both playing and back to himself, it’s hard to figure out where this team lands. The Utes boast a strong defense, and the team has high hopes. Getting right with a win over Arizona State this weekend would be a strong start.
No. 8 Arizona State Sun Devils (4-1, 1-1)
The Sun Devils rebounded from their loss to Texas Tech, with an extra week to prepare, by beating last week’s last-placed team in the conference (Kansas Jayhawks). A game-winning drive late helped ASU’s win-loss total and it helped move them up in our Power Rankings. If the Sun Devils can beat Utah they may keep moving up… and if they can’t, they may fall back some.
No. 9 Cincinnati Bearcats (3-2, 1-1)
After starting the year with head coach Scott Satterfield on the hot seat, the Cincinnati Bearcats’ “odd” year of close losses and big wins had an off-week. As Cincy looks to knock off the UCF Knights Saturday, they likely set up the second half of their season to either be a “Bowl Game push” or a “bowl plunge,” as in down the drain. Win or lose, quarterback Brendan Sorsby has been a really strong signal-caller.
No. 10 UCF Knights (3-2, 1-1)
The UCF Knights felt like one of the darlings of the Big 12 heading into Week 5. Then, they lost in blowout fashion to the Colorado Buffaloes. To follow that up? They get throttled by the Florida Gators. UCF isn’t quite in a free fall, but they’re not far.
UCF needs to throw together a string of conference wins in October to make any progress in the rankings, and that will likely require quarterback KJ Jefferson to be a true dual threat.
No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers (3-2, 2-0)
West Virginia is 2-0 in the conference, and their two non-conference losses are to Power 4 opponents (The Penn State Nittany Lions and Pittsburgh Panthers). But we’ve gotten to the point where it’s hard to understand their strength of schedule within the conference. Kansas looks like a bad football team, and WVU beat them, at home, by a score of just 32-28. Oklahoma State opened the year a favorite but is far from it now, and WVU beat them 38-14 last weekend.
If WVU makes a splash with the Iowa State game this weekend, they may have the highest climb in the rankings of any team this year. But until then? Here’s where we are.
No. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-3, 0-3)
The Oklahoma State Cowboys season is in danger of slipping away. Three straight conference losses has Mike Gundy’s crew reeling and, while they have a bye week this week, they have to go to Provo to play BYU later this month and head to Colorado later this year. That’s conceivably five conference losses for a team that, coming off a trip to the title game last year, thought they had a trip to Arlington locked up.
While it would take more upsets, it wouldn’t be impossible for the Cowboys to miss a Bowl Game altogether.
No. 13 Houston Cougars (2-4, 1-2)
The Houston Cougars leap two spots here after securing their first Big 12 win in Ft. Worth over the TCU Horned Frogs. After making the move to Zeon Chriss it appears they have figured out who they want to play quarterback, their defense has been a strength all year, and their running game proved dominant in the contest. Houston’s found a path to victory as they head into a bye week. After the bye week, they get to try to repeat the same success with the Kansas Jayhawks.
No. 14 TCU Horned Frogs (3-3, 1-2)
TCU has a conference win, but they also have a blowout loss to rival SMU, a blown lead to UCF, and now a loss to Houston. TCU is not the same program that played in the national title game in 2023. Their defense can’t stop the run, their offense has talented individuals but lacks cohesion. In the modern Big 12 conference that won’t beat anyone they have left.
No. 15 Baylor Bears (2-4, 0-3)
The Baylor Bears appear to be letting the Dave Aranda experiment run its course. It’s unclear why else they would be keeping him and his staff in Waco for the rest of this season. Baylor is 2-4 presently but has various halves and quarters of games they’ve played where they look like they could be 4-2. Their inconsistency continues to plague them and fixing that may take a very painful off-season.
No. 16 Kansas Jayhawks (1-5, 0-3)
Kansas still has not beaten an FBS team. It is hard to be ranked anything besides last in an FBS conference until you can beat an FBS team. Period.