Big 12 Power Rankings updated after Week 11 of college football

Week 11 is in the books and it was a thrilling one all around college football. In particular, it was an exciting game around the Big 12 with several games coming down to the wire. With that, the Big 12 Power Rankings have, once again, been updated with the help of the On3 Massey Ratings.

The On3 Massey Ratings – which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated high school sports team rankings since 1995 – rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.

Taking all of that into consideration, here’s a look at the Big 12 Power Rankings following Week 11 of action:

1. BYU Cougars (9-0, 6-0)

The BYU Cougars survived an upset-minded Utah team in the Holy War, with a final drive that will go down in the history books for that rivalry. From Utah’s perspective, BYU got several breaks from officials. However, the calls on that drive were generally good ones and the Cougars were able to move the ball down the majority of the field to set up the game-winning field goal. With that, the perfect season for BYU stayed perfect.

At this point, the Cougars aren’t guaranteed a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, but they’re getting close. Only one team, Colorado, has one conference loss of less besides BYU. With three games left, the dream of making the College Football Playoff is within reach.

2. Kansas State Wildcats (7-2, 4-2)

The Kansas State Wildcats are one of several teams that still believes it can win the Big 12. With the head-to-head win over Colorado, a second conference loss for the Buffaloes would put the Wildcats in a good position to do exactly that. However, the Wildcats don’t control their own destiny at this point.

Coming off their last bye week of the season, Kansas State has a challenging schedule to end the season. Arizona State is another one of those teams fighting for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. Then, Cincinnati has been a solid team throughout the season. Finally, the Wildcats will need to beat rival Iowa State, who still has plenty to play for in their own right.

3. Colorado Buffaloes (7-2, 5-1)

The Colorado Buffaloes just keep on winning. Now sitting at three wins in a row and sole possession of second play in the Big 12 after beating Texas Tech, Colorado controls its destiny. Win out and the Buffaloes will be in the conference championship game playing for a chance to go to the College Football Playoff.

From here, the schedule should be manageable. All three remaining teams on Colorado’s schedule are ranked between 12th and 15th in the current Big 12 Power Rankings. In all three cases, they’re talented teams who have had disappointing seasons, so there is talent but it hasn’t come together. That starts with hosting Utah next week.

4. Iowa State Cyclones (7-2, 4-2)

Things are starting to unravel for Iowa State. Since coming from behind to beat UCF in the middle of October, the Cyclones have lost two straight games. The first was a heartbreaker to Texas Tech. They then followed that up with a shocking 45-36 loss to Kansas, and that final score made the game sound closer than it was throughout.

With those losses, Iowa State went from having the inside track on the Big 12 Championship Game to having its back against the wall. Moving forward, Iowa State can’t afford another loss. They’ll also need some help now, with teams ahead of them in the standings losing.

5. Arizona State Sun Devils (7-2, 4-2)

It’s been easy to overlook the Arizona State Sun Devils at times this season. However, at 7-2 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 play, the Sun Devils are a real contender. Like the other two-loss teams, they’ll need help. However, with chances to play Kansas State and BYU upcoming, Arizona State could become impossible to ignore.

In their last game, the Sun Devils survived an upset attempt from UCF. In particular, special teams and the defense both scored touchdowns to swing the game in Arizona State’s favor. That was without Cam Skattebo at running back as he dealt with an injury.

6. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-4, 3-3)

The Cincinnati Bearcats took a loss to West Virginia on Saturday. That was the Bearcats’ second loss in a row and it essentially knocked them out of Big 12 contention. It also kept the Bearcats from getting to bowl eligibility for one more week, at least. However, it should be noted the upcoming schedule is full of challenging matchups.

In the loss to West Virginia, Cincinnati fell down by three scores at one point but made a valiant comeback attempt to nearly come from behind to win. That came in a game where Cincinnati gained 188 more yards on 36 more plays than West Virginia. However, three turnovers were major factors in the loss.

7. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-4, 4-3)

The Texas Tech Red Raiders gave the Colorado Buffaloes in a relatively close game but, ultimately, came up short over the weekend. That was a third loss that put the Red Raiders firmly in the middle of the conference standings at this point in the season. Still, the Red Raiders have been a solid team all season long.

From here, Texas Tech is already bowl-eligible with two games left in the season. Next week, the Red Raiders will be on a bye week. After that, Texas Tech will be on the road to take on Oklahoma State.

8. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-4, 4-2)

The West Virginia Mountaineers have been dealing with some inconsistencies this season and were able to get above .500 overall with their win over Cincinnati. After being up 24-7 at one point, the Bearcats nearly came back to win and it took a late score to hold off Cincinnati. Still, West Virginia got out of Nippert Stadium with the win.

Despite being just one game over .500 overall, West Virginia is one of the Big 12 teams with just two conference losses this season. Those came against Kansas State and Iowa State, which doesn’t help when trying to overcome so many different teams through tiebreakers. However, the Mountaineers are notably not out of the race.

9. Baylor Bears (5-4, 3-3)

The Baylor Bears are now just one win away from bowl eligibility this season. That’s on a season where very little was expected from them and, early in the year, it seemed like the Bears would have some major struggles. However, a three-game winning streak has Baylor set up for a late-season run.

In Week 11, Baylor was on its bye week. They’re going to take that and look to use it as fuel to finish strong. That starts with a road trip against West Virginia before finishing with a pair of very manageable games in the final two weeks.

10. TCU Horned Frogs (6-4, 4-3)

It’s been an up-and-down season for TCU. So, it shouldn’t be a major surprise the Horned Frogs find themselves in the middle of the Big 12 Power Rankings and the conference standings. With two games left, the Horned Frogs have a chance to finish with a healthy record in the regular season.

In Week 11, TCU got back on track after dropping a close game to Baylor in Week 10. They took care of business against Oklahoma State, winning 38-13. Forcing three turnovers was a key piece of that. Another key piece was the 7.2 yards per play the Horned Frogs had for the game.

Rest of Big 12 Power Rankings

11. UCF Knights (4-6, 2-5)
12. Kansas Jayhawks (3-6, 2-4)
13. Houston Cougars (4-5, 3-3)
14. Utah Utes (4-5, 1-5)
15. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-7, 0-7)
16. Arizona Wildcats (3-6, 1-5)

By now, the race for the Big 12 Championship Game is taking plenty of shape. The BYU Cougars control their own destiny while Colorado is in good shape with only one conference loss. However, with four teams currently sitting with two conference losses, all it takes is an upset for chaos to take over the conference again.