Big 12 Power Rankings updated after Week 10 of college football
Week 10 in the Big 12 played an incredibly pivotal role in the conference championship race. After all, it’s crowded at the top and tiebreakers will likely play a key role in the standings at the end of the season.
Among the big games in Week 10 of the season within the Big 12 were the Bedlam game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, Texas’ overtime win over Kansas State, and Kansas’ win over Iowa State. All of those games will have had their say on the conference title race, as well as on the On3 Big 12 Power Rankings.
Notably, the On3 Power Rankings are unique from standings. It’s a list compiled by On3 staff members to show where each team currently stands within the conference at a given moment. It doesn’t predict the future and it’s not designed to regurgitate the standings.
1. Texas Longhorns (8-1, 5-1)
Texas very nearly took a second loss within Big 12 play when the Kansas State Wildcats took the Longhorns into overtime. Ultimately, Texas survived, and that’s what matters in the long run for Texas. At 8-1, the Longhorns are still in a good position to make a deep run in the Big 12 and maybe even make it to the College Football Playoff this season.
At the same time, Texas needs to get healthy at the quarterback position quickly. Maalik Murphy has talent, but his inconsistency nearly cost Texas in the form of a second loss. Arch Manning, apparently, hasn’t proven that he’s ready to go in a game, yet. So, getting Quinn Ewers back is going to be huge.
2. Kansas Jayhawks (7-2, 4-2)
When Jalon Daniels started to miss time with a back injury, it looked like it might derail the Kansas Jayhawks’ season. However, in the weeks since then, backup quarterback Jason Bean has come into his own and Kansas has started to play incredibly well. With two conference losses, a trip to the Big 12 Championship might be a longshot but the Jayhawks are certainly playing some of the best football in the entire conference right now.
Remaining games against Texas Tech and Cincinnati should be manageable. Instead, it’s the Jayhawks’ rivalry game with Kansas State that’s going to get a lot of attention. The winner still has an outside shot at making the conference championship game, but they will need some help from teams around the conference.
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2, 5-1) (+2)
Anything can happen in Bedlam. That includes the Cowboys winning the last Bedlam game for the foreseeable future and the last as members of the Big 12 conference. A massive win for the program’s history and pride, Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma on Saturday and moved into sole possession of second place in the conference race with that.
From here, the Cowboys should be heading to the conference championship game unless they stumble down the stretch. However, the schedule gets easier from here for Oklahoma State. Starting with UCF, Oklahoma State plays three teams with a combined 5-13 record in conference play. All three remaining opponents are new to the Big 12.
4. Oklahoma Sooners (7-1, 4-2) (-1)
The Oklahoma Sooners have suffered back-to-back losses to two talented teams. At the same time, those games were huge blows to Oklahoma, which was in the midst of an excellent bounce-back season ahead of the move to the SEC. In just a few weeks, now, Oklahoma has gone from a trip to the conference championship game to missing it completely.
There is still a chance that Oklahoma makes the Big 12 Championship. However, at this point, the Sooners would need help. The most obvious help would be in the form of a Texas loss. That would give them both two losses but the Sooners would have the tiebreaker between both teams.
5. Kansas State Wildcats (6-3, 4-2) (-1)
Did head coach Chris Kleiman make the right decision to go for it on fourth down in overtime? Obviously, not because the Wildcats didn’t get it. Had they gotten it, he’d be a genius, though. It’s easy to say that with the benefit of hindsight and the logic behind going for it in that spot makes sense. Texas is more talented, so you try to end the game when you can. It just didn’t work out.
Now, Kansas State has three losses on the season, two of which were in Big 12 play. A repeat of the Wildcats’ conference championship is probably out of reach. Still, with three weeks to play, weirder things have happened and the Wildcats are still one of the toughest teams in the conference.
6. West Virginia Mountaineers (6-3, 4-2) (+3)
Coming into the season, Neal Brown was firmly on the hot seat. Now, bowl eligible and still with an outside shot to make the conference championship, Brown can probably come off the list of coaches who need to be worried about their futures. It’s been a really strong, bounce-back season for the Mountaineers.
Most recently, West Virginia dominated BYU to the tune of a 37-7 win. The Cougars aren’t the stiffest competition in the world, but this is a sign that West Virginia is finally doing something it hasn’t for a while, beating the teams that it’s supposed to beat. Next up, the Oklahoma Sooners.
7. Iowa State Cyclones (5-4, 4-2) (-1)
Head coach Matt Campbell deserves a lot of credit for this season in Ames. Most people had forgotten about Iowa State and written off the Cyclones overall after a tough loss to Ohio. Add a blowout loss to Oklahoma and Iowa State looked like it was in trouble moving forward. Still, the Cyclones quietly put themselves in the Big 12 title race.
With only two conference losses after dropping another to Kansas, Iowa State definitely took a blow to any long shot title hopes. Still, the Cyclones aren’t completely out of it just yet. They just need some help and losses from teams ahead of them moving forward, especially Oklahoma and Kansas.
8. BYU Cougars (5-4, 2-4) (-1)
BYU has been tricky to figure out and that’s probably why the Cougars are eighth in the Big 12 Power Rankings. Certainly, BYU has been the top performer among the conference’s newcomers, which came as a bit of a surprise to many. However, the Cougars have been inconsistent within conference play this season.
Most recently, BYU was blown out by West Virginia. That was one of several blowout losses that BYU has suffered in conference play this season. At the same time, the Cougars have one of the few wins a new Big 12 school has this season over a previous conference member, when the Cougars beat Texas Tech.
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-5, 3-3) (+1)
It’s hard not to be disappointed with Texas Tech this season. Many thought Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders could compete for the conference championship. However, with three games left, the Red Raiders really don’t have a shot at getting back into a crowded field of teams competing for a spot in the conference championship game.
A bowl game is even up in the air this season for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders will need to win two of their final three games to get to a bowl, and with Kansas and Texas on the schedule, it looks like that’s a longshot. Even UCF has a very legitimate shot at finding a way to beat the Red Raiders in November.
10. UCF Knights (4-5, 1-5) (+1)
UCF should have beaten Baylor. UCF could have beaten Oklahoma. Finally, UCF did beat Cincinnati to earn the program’s first win against a conference opponent as a Big 12 school. It was a long time coming in a season hampered by injuries, depth issues, and inconsistent play amid a transitional season to the Power Five. Now, the goal for Gus Malzahn is going to be building on that first conference win.
UCF has three games to win two and become bowl eligible. That run of games includes a couple very winnable ones but starts with a tough game against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys will be in Orlando on Saturday for the Space Game when UCF embraces its history and will bring the Citronaut mascot out of retirement. It’s an annual game since 2017 and UCF has never lost it.
11. TCU Horned Frogs (4-5, 2-4) (-3)
The hope is that this season won’t overshadow last season. However, it’s hard not to compare Sonny Dykes‘ first two seasons to one another. In one, the Horned Frogs played for a national championship. The next, they’re fighting to get bowl eligible.
In fact, TCU is just 5-7 since the end of the 2022 regular season. That’s a losing record that TCU fans aren’t going to accept long-term. Now, with only a little bit of time left, the Horned Frogs need to turn things around quickly.
12. Houston Cougars (4-5, 2-4)
Head coach Dana Holgorsen led the Houston Cougars back to the Big 12. That was a huge deal for that program and that fanbase. Even in a season where the team has struggled and lacked much consistency, that’s an important thing that he’s going to get praise for. At the same time, it’s been frustrating on the field.
With a bowl game still two wins away, it’s going to be close down the stretch for the Cougars. A close win over Baylor on Saturday certainly went a long way in getting to bowl eligibility. However, two of their final games are against former AAC foes, which have quickly become must win games.
13. Baylor Bears (3-6, 2-4)
After dropping a close game against the Houston Cougars, the Baylor Bears have their backs against the walls now. At 3-6, the Bears need to win out if they want to get back to bowl eligibility. It won’t be easy, but it’s also not impossible, with Kansas State, TCU, and West Virginia remaining.
The question is then what is going to happen in the future for Baylor? Head coach Dave Aranda will likely be back next season, but finishing strong is going to be vital to the program and, moving forward, the team does need to find a way to prevent a season like this from happening again.
14. Cincinnati Bearcats (2-7, 0-6)
It’s been a very long season for the Cincinnati Bearcats. After going to the College Football Playoff in 2021 and winning at least nine games per season over the last five years, it’s hard to swallow a 2-7 record. At the same time, there are legitimate reasons for that record. The Bearcats are a transitional team to the Big 12 and it shows. It also doesn’t help that Luke Fickell left and it’s been a tough transition to Cincinnati for Scott Satterfield.
Still, the Bearcats are the first team this season in the Big 12 who have confirmed their losing record with no chance of a winning one this season. Most recently, the Bearcats lost to a struggling UCF team at home. In that game, Cincinnati outgained the Knights by more than 100 yards but costly turnovers ended up changing the game.
There are three games left in the regular season for Big 12 teams. At this point, there are multiple races. For some, it comes down to whether they can make it to a bowl game. For others, there is the race for the Big 12 Championship. Amid all of that, there are several excellent games next week, like BYU vs. Iowa State and West Virginia vs. Oklahoma.