Big 12 Power Rankings updated after Week 1

College football didn’t disappoint in its opening slate of games, with multiple upsets shaking up the landscape of the sport. Several of those upsets saw Big 12 teams fall to unranked opponents. Despite those losses, it was a good week for the conference, which won the majority of its games and saw four new programs begin play within the conference.

Taking a snapshot of the season where it stands right now, the On3 staff came together in a collaborative process to power rank the schools in the Big 12. That way, there is some idea about where every team stands as of now while also giving fans something to debate.

Importantly, power rankings aren’t predictions of the future. Instead, they’re a description of where teams are, in this case after one game. So, here are the Big 12 power rankings:

1. Texas Longhorns (1-0)

The Texas Longhorns came into the 2023 season as the favorites to win the Big 12. After all, in head coach Steve Sarkisian’s third season, Texas has an incredibly talented roster. Through one week, at least, it doesn’t seem like there’s any reason for that to change.

The Longhorns opened up with a relatively easy 37-10 win over Rice. That’s what everyone expected to happen. It’s Week 2 when Texas is more likely to be challenged with the Longhorns traveling to Tuscaloosa and taking on Alabama. A win in that game could propel the Longhorns forward this season. A loss won’t impact their Big 12 odds, at least.

2. Oklahoma Sooners (1-0)

2022, which was head coach Brent Venables’ first season with the Oklahoma Sooners, was undeniably a disappointment for the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners finished with a 6-7 record. For Venables, that meant he had more than a few questions to answer entering the season.

In Week 1, Oklahoma did its best to answer all of those questions. The Sooners destroyed Arkansas State by a score of 73-0. It’s hard to imagine Oklahoma keeps up either that offensive or defensive success. However, it is a good start in what the Sooners expect to be a bounce back season.

3. Kansas State Wildcats (1-0)

The Kansas State Wildcats are the defending Big 12 Champions. That’s a title that the Wildcats would like to retain this season, and many experts think that they have a pretty good shot of doing just that. The biggest challenge for Kansas State in getting back to that place coming into the season was replacing running back Deuce Vaughn.

With a 45-0 win against Southeast Missouri State out of the FCS, it was a good start to the season for Kansas State. Seven different Wildcats ran the football in the win, including DJ Giddens, who averaged 8.5 yards per carry for 128 yards. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, that’s a good day.

4. UCF Knights (1-0)

UCF got its season going on Thursday night against Kent State. For the Knights, it was their first ever game as a member of the Big 12, making them the youngest Power Five program in the country. UCF, as a school, was founded in 1963 and the program was still in Division II as recently as 1995.

Led by head coach Gus Malzahn, it was an easy 56-6 win against an outmatched Kent State. Close to the end of the game, a rocket launch could be seen from the stadium. UCF fans will hope it’s a metaphor for their time in the Big 12.

5. Cincinnati Bearcats (1-0)

For Cincinnati, the 2023 season is the start of a new era in more ways than one. Luke Fickell, who led the team to the College Football Playoff and was head coach when the Bearcats earned their Big 12 bid, left for the Wisconsin job. So, the Bearcats opened both their Big 12 era and the Scott Satterfield era on Saturday.

The game itself was an easy win. Cincinnati beat Eastern Kentucky 66-13. It was an impressive first performance of the season against an FCS opponent.

6. Kansas Jayhawks (1-0)

In past seasons, seeing the Kansas Jayhawks ranked this high in a Big 12 power ranking would be a shock. Under head coach Lance Leipold, it’s almost starting to become expected. That should show how good of a job Leipold has done to this point.

On the field, the Jayhawks opened with a win over FCS Missouri State. It was an easy 48-17 win. Importantly, Jalon Daniels didn’t play quarterback in the game. Instead, Jason Bean got the nod with Daniels expected to return in Week 2 against Illinois.

7. Iowa State Cyclones (1-0)

During Matt Campbell’s time at Iowa State, he has largely had the Cyclones playing at better than their historic level. So, many people expect that 2022’s 4-8 record was just an outlier. Certainly, in Week 1, it looked like Iowa State had figured a few things out.

Iowa State beat Northern Iowa, a good FCS program, 30-9. The defense, in particular, took care of business. With the game against Iowa coming up, Iowa State has a good chance to start its season on the right foot before Big 12 play.

8. Houston Cougars (1-0)

Houston Cougars head coach Dana Holgorsen reintroduced himself to the Big 12 by taking a shot at other Texas schools, most notably the Longhorns. After that, the Cougars opened up against an up-and-coming Group of Five school in the state, UTSA. Somewhat surprisingly, that game turned into a defensive battle.

Houston beat UTSA 17-14. Normally known for his explosive offenses, this score raised a few eyebrows around the conference. However, if Holgorsen can add a solid defense to his normally explosive offense then the Cougars should be in good shape.

9. Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-0)

The Oklahoma State Cowboys came into the 2023 season under the radar. Through their first game, nothing has really changed for the Cowboys. They beat a team that they should beat, but many people wanted them to look more impressive doing it.

In a 27-13 win over FCS Central Arkansas, Oklahoma State played three different quarterbacks. All of them showed some highs and a few lows. However, this is a battle that Oklahoma State needs to figure out sooner than later.

10. TCU Horned Frogs (0-1)

No team lost more publicly in Week 1 than the TCU Horned Frogs. After playing for a national championship last season, TCU had to deal with turnover at positions like quarterback and offensive coordinator. The Horned Frogs also had to deal with Deion Sanders and Colorado.

In an exciting game that could preview Big 12 matchups for years to come, Colorado beat TCU 45-42. There were obvious issues that TCU needs to correct. However, the Horned Frogs are also falling victim to the small sample size while it’s difficult to figure out how good Colorado is this season.

11. BYU Cougars (1-0)

The BYU Cougars around rounding out the new programs to the Big 12 this season. Despite winning their opening game, the Cougars really weren’t impressive in the win. That’s enough to give some experts concerns about the team as it enters conference play.

BYU beat Sam Houston State 14-0. A win is a win, but this was Sam Houston State’s first ever FBS game. So, as a newly minted Power Five program, BYU was expected to take care of business and look a little bit better doing it.

12. Texas Tech Red Raiders (0-1)

Coming into this season, Texas Tech was a dark horse candidate to win the Big 12. Week 1 had no impact on the Red Raiders’ chances to win the Big 12, of course. However, it did change the way most people are looking at this Texas Tech team ahead of its next 11 games.

Texas Tech took a road trip to Laramie to take on a tough Wyoming team. After taking a 17-0 lead, the Red Raiders stumbled, missing three field goals while letting the Cowboys storm back and force overtime. It was there that Wyoming won 35-33 in two overtimes.

13. West Virginia Mountaineers (0-1)

Coming into this season, it looked like it might be a long and difficult season for West Virginia with head coach Neal Brown on the hot seat. It didn’t help matters that the Mountaineers started the season in Happy Valley, taking on Penn State. In a season where West Virginia needs every win it can get, that’s a difficult start to the season.

West Virginia lost 38-15 after the Nittany Lions failed to finish a couple of drives and let the Mountaineers hang around for a little while. Ultimately, Penn State did pull away, scoring late to add an exclamation point on the game.

14. Baylor Bears (0-1)

Perhaps no team suffered a worse opening week loss than the Baylor Bears. It’s a loss that some think may have even put head coach Dave Aranda on the hot seat. On Saturday, Baylor lost to Texas State out of the Sun Belt.

Upsets do happen and they can be forgiven. However, the Bobcats were just 4-8 last season and it’s the first year for head coach GJ Kinne. On top of that, Texas State didn’t just beat Baylor, the Bobcats beat Baylor by multiple scores. So, for now, Baylor is at the bottom of the Big 12 rankings.

These Big 12 power rankings are going to change throughout the season. Early in the year, in particular, a single statement win or loss can cause rapid movement on these rankings. Across the Big 12, there are going to be several exciting games. The most notable is, of course, the Texas-Alabama game. However, Iowa State also plays rival Iowa while Texas Tech hosts Oregon in other marquee games.