Big 12 Power Rankings updated after Week 12 of college football
Following Week 12 and with only rivalry week remaining in the regular season, the On3 Big 12 Power Rankings have been updated to reflect where every team in the conference currently stands.
Going into the final week of the regular season, Texas sits atop the conference for the Big 12 Championship Game. Win and the Longhorns are in. Then, amid confusion about how tiebreakers work within a conference where not every team plays one another, there are still three other teams with a shot to make the championship game. If it were up to the Longhorns, they’d see the Oklahoma Sooners in that game to try and make up for their previous loss in Red River.
The On3 Big 12 Power Rankings aren’t designed to reflect the conference’s standings. They’re also not predictions for the future. Instead, they’re designed to show where each team stands within the conference in a given moment.
1. Texas Longhorns (10-1, 7-1)
At this point, the Texas Longhorns are in the Big 12 Championship Game with a win on Friday. However, if they lose, then Texas needs at least two of the three two-loss Big 12 teams to lose. Amid all of that, the Longhorns have dreams of more than just the conference championship game. Texas thinks it can still make the College Football Playoff.
To do that, the Longhorns need to win out. It would also help the Longhorns to get a couple of convincing wins in their final two games before the final CFP rankings come out after conference championship week. It would especially help to get a shot at Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game to avenge Red River.
2. Oklahoma Sooners (9-2, 6-2)
After winning Red River, Oklahoma struggled to get going again. UCF nearly pulled off an upset in Norman before the Sooners dropped games to Kansas and Oklahoma State. Since then, Oklahoma got back on track, though, beating West Virginia easily before winning on a sloppy field against BYU.
Unfortunately, Oklahoma lost quarterback Dillon Gabriel for that game and his status for the regular season finale is now in doubt. In his place, Jackson Arnold stepped in and was solid while lacking the same explosiveness that Gabriel provides. To make the Big 12 Championship Game, Oklahoma will need to beat TCU on Black Friday while getting help in the form of a couple of upsets.
3. Kansas State Wildcats (8-3, 6-2)
With two Big 12 losses, Kansas State isn’t promised anything when it comes to the conference championship game. However, the Wildcats are alive in their attempt to defend last season’s conference championship. They’ll just need a lot of help to get in. That starts with both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State losing in the last week of the season.
Before Kansas State can worry about all of that, the Wildcats can’t overlook Iowa State. The Cyclones are coming off a tough loss to Texas that eliminated Iowa State from Big 12 title contention. The Cyclones make for a tough opponent in this situation and should be giving the Wildcats all that they can handle and more.
4. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-3, 6-2) (+1)
As far as the Big 12 Championship Game is concerned, Oklahoma State is in as good of a position as anyone. Win this weekend against BYU and the Cowboys are in the championship game. However, a loss would muddy the waters and likely cost Oklahoma State its shot to win the Big 12.
The reason why Oklahoma State isn’t in already is its blowout loss to UCF in Orlando. For a while against Houston, it looked like UCF might beat the Cowboys twice. However, Oklahoma State woke up and ended up taking care of business. The Cowboys need to keep taking care of business against a BYU team trying to get bowl eligible now.
5. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-4, 5-3) (+2)
The West Virginia Mountaineers won’t be playing for the Big 12 Championship, but it has still been a phenomenal season. Most people expected West Virginia to be among the conference’s worst teams and had head coach Neal Brown on the hot seat. However, with a chance to win eight regular season games, it’s been anything but that disaster that many people expected.
Most recently, West Virginia dominated Cincinnati by a score of 42-21. In many ways, it was proof that the Mountaineers can find success and excitement under Brown, especially on the ground. The Mountaineers rushed for 424 yards in a dominant performance. With Baylor next week, there is a good opportunity to repeat that success.
6. Kansas Jayhawks (7-4, 4-4) (-2)
Kansas dropped its rivalry game against Kansas State over the weekend, marking the 15th straight season the Jayhawks have lost to the Wildcats. For all the strides that Kansas has made under head coach Lance Leipold, that’s still a hurdle that they’ve been unable to clear. Because of it, Kansas has fallen to a pedestrian 4-4 in Big 12 play.
Issues at the quarterback position with injuries have plagued Kansas this season. That was true for the game against Kansas State too, with the Jayhawks down to their third string quarterback in Cole Ballard. His two interceptions proved costly and Kansas will look to bounce back next week against Cincinnati.
7. Iowa State Cyclones (6-5, 5-3) (+1)
After how the season started, it’s hard to believe that Iowa State was still in the Big 12 Championship going into last week. However, playing against an overwhelming Texas team, the Cyclones were never able to truly scare the Longhorns. Instead, they kept it close enough to be interesting before dropping the game.
Iowa State is getting ready to play a Kansas State that still does have Big 12 title aspirations. In a sense, it seems unfair. Kansas State is favored to win and has more to play for. A loss would drop Iowa State to 6-6 on the season, but that final record wouldn’t reflect just how good and promising Iowa State is.
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-5, 5-3)
Coming into this season, there were people predicting Texas Tech would be in the Big 12 Championship Game. That isn’t happening, but after a very slow start, the Red Raiders have won three straight to get bowl eligible. That latest win came in a close game against UCF.
Ultimately, Texas Tech was able to take advantage of a UCF turnover and a couple of other mistakes that helped the Red Raiders win. At the end of the game, it came down to Texas Tech’s impossible to tackle running back, Tahj Brooks. He ran for 182 yards and UCF couldn’t get him down when trying to get a final stop and give its offense another shot.
9. TCU Horned Frogs (5-6, 3-5) (+2)
This isn’t the season TCU wanted or expected. The Horned Frogs played for a national championship last season. Regardless of the result of that championship game, the Horned Frogs expected to compete in the Big 12 this season. That simply hasn’t happened and the Horned Frogs have done more losing than winning.
Over the weekend, TCU beat Baylor with ease, though. That earned the Horned Frogs a fifth win and put bowl eligibility back on the table. The only thing standing in their way is an Oklahoma team that needs a win to try and keep its Big 12 hopes alive.
10. UCF Knights (5-6, 2-6) (-1)
UCF had a chance to get bowl eligible on the road against Texas Tech. However, the Knights lost 24-23, the difference being a missed extra point by the typically reliable Colton Boomer. In total, it was a game marred by the same issues UCF has had all season. The Knights couldn’t convert drives in the red zone, made silly penalties, and couldn’t stop the run.
Now, the Knights have a chance to get bowl eligible at home against Houston in the final week of the season. It’s a very winnable game that would be huge for a young Knights team that’s trying to get ready for its long-term future in the Big 12, especially as the conference is ready to expand again.
11. BYU Cougars (5-6, 2-6) (-1)
For a while, it looked like BYU was the best of the new teams in the Big 12. There’s still an argument that the Cougars are the best of those four teams. However, it’s hard not to notice how the Cougars have struggled down the stretch, with depth seeming like an issue.
BYU has now lost four games in a row and five of its last six. Most recently, Oklahoma won a relatively close game in Provo. The Sooners were able to do that with a backup quarterback playing a large chunk of the game. One win away from bowl eligibility, BYU needs to find a way to beat Oklahoma State in Stillwater to end the season.
12. Houston Cougars (4-7, 2-6) (+1)
It’s been a long season in the Big 12 for Dana Holgorsen and the Houston Cougars. That spilled over after blowing a lead to Oklahoma State over the weekend, with video seeming to show Holgorsen yelling back and forth with fans after the game. It was that game that made it impossible for Houston to qualify for a bowl game.
While Houston can’t get bowl eligible in the final week of the season, the Cougars can ruin UCF’s shot at a bowl game. The Cougars will need to settle for that spoiler role. Otherwise, it’s possibly going to be a long day in Orlando for Houston.
13. Cincinnati Bearcats (3-8, 1-7) (-1)
In his first season at Cincinnati, things have been a disaster for Scott Satterfield. The transition to the Big 12 has seen Cincinnati win a single conference game, and even that was only against one of the other transitioning AAC teams. Now, it seems almost guaranteed the Bearcats will finish last in Big 12 out of 14 teams this season.
The Bearcats will get a shot to win another Big 12 game against a banged up Kansas team on Saturday. The hope for Cincinnati is that between Kansas’ injuries and the point of the season they’re in, that the Bearcats might be easy to overlook. However, it doesn’t seem likely at this point.
14. Baylor Bears (3-8, 2-6)
Some kind of changes are likely coming to Baylor, at least on the offensive side of the ball. This has been far too frustrating of a season for fans and the school itself. It’s been four straight losses, with the last two games not even being competitive. Meanwhile, both of Baylor’s conference wins were against new Big 12 teams, and even in one of those games the Bears probably should have lost.
Ending the season at home against West Virginia, it could become an ugly scene. It’s doubtful too many fans come out to the game and the Mountaineers have been on a roll since then. So, there’s a good chance that Baylor struggles in that game as well.
With one week left in the season, there are still four teams who could win the Big 12. All things considered, that’s relatively wide open in what has been a parity-filled conference. Week 13 is going to have several vital games to that conference championship race, including two games on Black Friday with the remaining five on Saturday. Along with those four teams competing for a championship, another three are seeking bowl eligibility.