Big 12 Power Rankings updated after Week 12 of college football

With Week 12 in the books, the race for the Big 12 Championship is heating up. Big 12 Power Rankings have 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.

With that in mind, here is a look at how the teams in the Big 12 currently stack up:

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

The magical run for the BYU Cougars came to an end and they dropped their first game. It was an upset loss against Kansas, with the Jayhawks holding the Cougars to just 13 points. Only three of those came in the second half and none came in the fourth quarter. After several close games, BYU has its first loss.

Despite that, the season isn’t lost. BYU is still in a good spot to make the Big 12 Championship Game. A win there would send BYU into the College Football Playoff. However, the loss did magnify next week’s game against Arizona State.

2. Iowa State Cyclones (8-2, 5-2)

After dropping two games in a row, Iowa State got back to winning with a strong effort over Cincinnati. That should, for the time being, keep Iowa State in the Big 12 race. However, the Cyclones don’t have any room to stumble again.

Iowa State is now tied with Arizona State for third in the Big 12. Those two don’t play head-to-head, so if they were to get to second place together, then tiebreakers would come into effect. That would require either Colorado or BYU to lose again, however, with both those teams sitting with only one conference loss.

3. Kansas State Wildcats (7-3, 4-3)

The Kansas State Wildcats are likely out of the Big 12 race entirely after dropping a third conference game on Saturday. This one came against Arizona State, one of the conference’s better teams, and saw the Wildcats go into halftime trailing 21-0.

Three turnovers as a team, including two interceptions from quarterback Avery Johnson, were particularly harmful for Kansas State in the loss. Now, they’ll look to bounce back and finish the season strong without stumbling again. That starts with playing Cincinnati at home next week.

4. Colorado Buffaloes (8-2, 6-1)

The Colorado Buffaloes control their own destiny at this point. Not only can the Buffaloes make the Big 12 Championship Game by winning out, but a win in the championship game would put them in the College Football Playoff. After winning just four games last season, the Buffaloes are one of the sport’s best stories.

Led by presumptive first round pick Shedeur Sanders at quarterback and Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter as a two-way player, Colorado is coming off a dominant win over Utah. Now, with games against Kansas and Oklahoma State upcoming, the Buffaloes will be favored in every game.

5. Arizona State Sun Devils (8-2, 5-2)

The top of the Big 12 standings is full of surprises. Like BYU and Colorado, Arizona State had a losing record in 2023. This season, the Sun Devils are now up to 8-2 and are in a position to make noise in the Big 12 at the end of the season.

Next week, Arizona State plays BYU. A win there would make a three-way tie for second place in the conference standings. It would also give the Sun Devils the head-to-head tiebreaker. That, in turn, would put Arizona State in a position to go to the conference championship game.

6. Baylor Bears (6-4, 4-3)

After coming into the season on the hot seat, Dave Aranda has earned a vote of confidence and will be returning in 2025. That comes after he has had a remarkable mid-season turnaround, getting Baylor to bowl eligibility by winning four straight games.

In their most recent win, Baylor was dominant on offense against West Virginia, scoring 35 first half points in the win. In particular, quarterback Sawyer Robertson has proven himself a trustworthy option under center. Now the Bears will look to keep rolling against Houston.

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

The TCU Horned Frogs had a bye week after making it to bowl eligibility the week before against Oklahoma State. With that, the Horned Frogs could feel improvement after a frustrating 2023 season and what seemed like it could be a frustrating 2024 season back in September.

Now, TCU will look to finish strong in the final weeks of the season. That starts with a home game against Arizona before hitting the road to play Cincinnati. Both of those are very winnable games.

8. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-5, 4-3)

West Virginia had been gaining momentum, winning two games in a row, before running into a much improved Baylor team. There, the Mountaineers defense gave up 49 points and 7.3 yards per play in a frustrating loss. With that, the Mountaineers failed to get to bowl eligibility.

West Virginia is going to have two more chances to get to bowl eligibility this season. Starting with their final home game of the season against UCF, the Mountaineers will try to find a sixth win. If not then, it will be on the road against Texas Tech.

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

At one point this season, Texas Tech looked like it could compete in the Big 12 at the top of the conference standings. However, after losing three of their last four games, the Red Raiders fell out of realistic contention. With that, the Red Raiders needed their second bye week.

Coming out of that bye week, Texas Tech is going to want to finish strong this season. That starts with a game on the road against Oklahoma State, who is still winless in conference play this season.

10. Kansas Jayhawks (4-6, 3-4)

Coming into the season, Kansas was seen as one of the better teams in the Big 12. That’s not how things played out, though. The Jayhawks dropped six of their first eight games. All six were one-score losses. With that, the wheels appeared to be fully off the tracks.

However, something strange has happened in the past couple of weeks. Kansas has pulled off upsets on Iowa State and BYU. In the process, they’ve thrown a wrench into the top of the Big 12 standings. In the process, they’ve also stayed alive for a bowl if they can manage to win out from here.

Rest of Big 12 Power Rankings

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

The number of teams who have a path to the Big 12 Championship Game is narrowing. With that, the competition is getting that much more important moving forward. That, notably, starts with the Arizona State vs. BYU game in Week 13.