Big 12 Power Rankings: Texas nearly takes top spot, Kansas State surges

We had no movement in our update following the first week of the season, but the Big 12 Power Rankings for Week 2 definitely sees some shifts after the league played a handful of key games this go-round.

Highlighted by Texas turning in an impressive showing against No. 1 Alabama despite losing quarterback Quinn Ewers, the Big 12 showed it has the potential to boast a title contender or two this year.

Of course, Baylor‘s hopes of being one of those contenders took a significant shot with an overtime loss to BYU.

There are some significant moves this week, so let’s dive right into the analysis.

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Today we update the Big 12 Power Rankings following Week 2 games.

2022 Big 12 Power Rankings – Week 2

1. Oklahoma

The Sooners haven’t been tested yet and though a road trip to Nebraska looms in Week 3, that may be more like a pop quiz at this point. Oklahoma dispatched Kent State 33-3 in a ho-hum affair Saturday in which quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Week 4 against Kansas State is when Oklahoma will really start to be challenged.

2. Texas

Perhaps Alabama isn’t the Alabama we’re accustomed to seeing. Or perhaps Alabama simply isn’t that version just yet. In any case, it’s impossible not to be impressed by Texas going toe-to-toe with college football’s juggernaut despite losing Ewers. Ewers’ status going forward will bear monitoring, but the Longhorns definitely have something going under Steve Sarkisian and if Texas plays with that kind of energy and passion all year it could be a national contender.

3. Kansas State (+2)

The Wildcats secured another lopsided win, this time against SEC opponent Missouri. And it was an all-three-phases effort for Kansas State, which scored on a punt return touchdown and recorded interceptions on four straight Missouri drives at one point. Conditions were ugly, so it’s hard to judge the up-and-down K-State offense too harshly. The run game was great, led by elite tailback Deuce Vaughn, but the Wildcats still left a lot out there on the field with so-so execution elsewhere offensively in the 40-12 win over the Tigers.

4. Oklahoma State

The Cowboys showed significant improvement in Week 2 but still struggled a bit to close the game out sooner, an issue that popped up in Week 1, as well. Arizona State was within three points early in the fourth quarter before Oklahoma State finally pulled away in the 34-17 win. The Cowboys sit ever so slightly behind the Wildcats in this week’s Big 12 Power Rankings, but we should have a more definitive answer in two weeks when Oklahoma State travels to No. 17 Baylor and Kansas State travels to No. 6 Oklahoma.

5. Baylor (-2)

Baylor dropped a tough double-overtime game to a ranked BYU squad in a game that could have gone either way if not for some late kicking miscues both ways. In any case, a penalty-riddled affair proved costly for the Bears. Baylor was flagged 14 times for 117 yards, with a few of them causing drives to stall. This was a significant setback for a team that otherwise might have entertained College Football Playoff hopes.

6. Texas Tech (+2)

There’s little difference between No. 6 and No. 7 in this week’s Big 12 Power Rankings, and in truth we went back and forth a few times. That said, Texas Tech’s double-overtime finish had some semblance of the Red Raiders making plays to win when it mattered, vs. Iowa State sort of winning by virtue to Iowa failing to do that. The 33-30 win over the Cougars came thanks to a game-tying Red Raiders field goal at the end of regulation on a drive that began with only 37 seconds left. That’s making plays to stay alive when you need to.

7. Iowa State

If you looked up the definition for ugly win in the dictionary you’d likely find a reference to the 2022 Iowa-Iowa State game somewhere in there. Iowa’s Spencer Petras has been arguably the least productive Power 5 starting quarterback through two weeks, and he was bad again. Iowa State had three turnovers and a pair of blocked punts yet still managed to survive thanks to a 48-yard Iowa game-tying field goal attempt as time expired going wide left.

8. Kansas (+2)

Kansas narrowly slips past TCU this week thanks to having a better quality win at this point. Saturday’s survival in overtime in a game the Jayhawks were pretty impressive in was a huge step in the right direction for Lance Leipold‘s program. West Virginia tried to stage a comeback after overcoming an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit, but the Jayhawks picked off JT Daniels in overtime and took it to the house to seal an overtime win by an improbable 55-42 score.

9. TCU

TCU hasn’t played anyone with a pulse yet, so it’s hard to know just how good Sonny Dykes‘ first-year squad can be. That said, it’s been back-to-back blowout wins for the Horned Frogs. Max Duggan went 23-of-29 passing for 390 yards and five touchdowns without an interception as TCU blitzed the Tarleton Texans in a 59-17 rout.

10. West Virginia (-4)

The honor of best two-loss team in the country may not be decisively West Virginia’s until we know what in the heck Notre Dame actually is, but the Mountaineers definitely have the most compelling resume of any two-loss team. Narrow defeats to Pittsburgh and now Kansas make you feel like the Mountaineers can hang with most opponents. But so far there’s nothing to show for it, so West Virginia brings up the rear in the Big 12 Power Rankings for Week 2.

Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Week 1 Big 12 Power Rankings here!