ESPN ranks Big 12 Football teams from first to last ahead of Week 7

ESPN has once again updated its Big 12 football rankings after an exciting Week 6 of college football action. There are only four teams remaining without a conference loss and two teams still without any losses at all.

The rankings are determined based on the media company’s Football Power Index (FPI). According to ESPN, The FPI is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.

Right now, it’s BYU and Texas Tech that top ESPN’s list of BIg 12 football rankings. But a lot can change with plenty of games left and you can see how the rest of the conference is shaping up below.

1. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-0) – 16.4

Texas Tech took down another unbeaten Big 12 team when it handed Houston a 35-11 loss over the weekend. Quarterback Behren Morton returned from injury and tossed for 345 yards and a touchdown in the victory.

He is a big reason why the Red Raiders have been one of the top offenses in the country, ranking second in the FBS with 48.6 points per game. Texas Tech has never played in a Big 12 title game, but it looks like there is a good chance of that changing this season.

2. BYU Cougars (5-0) – 14.5

BYU is the only other Big 12 team without a loss yet so far this season. The Cougars took down West Virginia easily over the weekend by a score of 38-24 behind 90 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns from LJ Martin.

BYU ranks second in the Big 12 and 15th in the country with 234.0 rushing yards per game. They haven’t faced the fiercest of competition yet, but still have matchups against Utah, Iowa State and Texas Tech later this season.

3. Utah Utes (4-1) – 13.8

Utah’s only loss so far this season comes against the current No. 1 team in these rankings, Texas Tech. Since then, the Utes responded with a dominant 48-14 win against West Virginia the following week and spent this past week on a bye.

Dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier has looked like a difference-maker thus far with 1,027 yards passing and 11 touchdowns to only three interceptions along with 258 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Utah faces back-to-back tests the next couple of weeks against Arizona State and BYU.

4. TCU Horned Frogs (4-1) – 11.4

TCU bounced back after suffering its first loss of the season the week before as it beat Colorado by a score of 35-21 over the weekend. The Horned Frogs were tied at 21 in the fourth quarter before reeling off back-to-back touchdowns on their final two drives to pull away.

Quarterback Josh Hoover tossed for four touchdowns in the win, while the TCU defense forced a total of four turnovers. The Horned Frogs will look to keep rolling when they take on Kansas State this weekend.

5. Kansas Jayhawks (4-2) – 10.2

A week after suffering its first Big 12 loss in a narrow 37-34 defeat against Cincinnati, Kansas responded with a 27-20 road win against UCF in Orlando. Running back Leshon Williams scored all three of the team’s touchdowns while rushing for 58 yards.

With a 2-1 conference record, the Jayhawks are still right in the thick of the race to make the conference title game for now. They can get even closer with a win against Texas Tech this weekend.

6. Iowa State Cyclones (5-1) – 9.7

Iowa State dropped its first game of the season against Cincinnati this past weekend by a score of 38-30. The Cyclones trailed as much as 31-7 at one point in the contest before battling back to make things somewhat interesting late.

Obviously, there’s still plenty of time to turn things around for Iowa State, which was last season’s Big 12 runner up. The first opportunity to get back on the right track comes in Week 7 against Colorado.

7. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-1) – 9.2

Arizona State had this past week off after escaping TCU on a last-minute field goal to walk away with a 27-24 victory in Week 5. The Sun Devils are one of only four remaining teams with an unblemished Big 12 record at 2-0.

ASU ranks third in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game (215.4) with Ryleek Brown and dual-threat quarterback Sam Leavitt leading the charge. It is right up there with BYU and Texas Tech as one of the conference’s top teams after winning the Big 12 title last season.

8. Cincinnati Bearcats (4-1) – 8.1

Since suffering a 20-17 loss against Nebraska in Week 1, the Bearcats have reeled off four straight victories. That includes against Iowa State this past week, which marked their first win against a top 25 opponent.

Quarterback Brendan Sorbsy quite honestly looks like one of the better players in the conference to this point. He has thrown for 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns with only one interception and also has 291 yards rushing and five more TDs. Cincinnati might not have entered the season on most people’s radar’s but they’ve got the league’s attention now.

9. Kansas State Wildcats (2-4) – 6.6

Quite honestly, it’s a mystery how Kansas State hasn’t dropped out of ESPN’s top 10 yet. The Wildcats only two wins this season have come against North Dakota and UCF, which have a combined record of 6-4.

K-State had an opportunity to win its second straight game in a row this past week, taking a 31-17 advantage into the fourth quarterback against Baylor. However, they would squander that by allowing the Bears to score two touchdowns and a two-point conversion to take a 32-31 lead. Although the Wildcats answered with a field goal to go back up, Baylor got the last laugh as it kicked the go-ahead field goal with 31 seconds remaining to win, 35-34.

10. Baylor Bears (4-2) – 6.5

Baylor has put together back-to-back victories after a slow start to this season, and still has a chance to make some noise. The Bears’ only conference loss so far comes by a score of 27-24 against Ariona State in a contest that could have easily gone the other way.

They’ve got an experienced quarterback in Sawyer Robertson, who actually leads the FBS right now with 2,058 yards passing and 19 touchdowns to only four interceptions. There’s plenty of opportunity ahead, beginning in Week 8 when Baylor faces TCU coming off of a bye week.

Rest of the Big 12 in the FPI

11. Arizona Wildcats (4-1) – 5.5
12. UCF Knights (3-2) – 3.9
13. Colorado Buffaloes (2-4) – 2.9
14. Houston Cougars (4-1) – 1.7
15. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-4) – (-3.2)
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-4) – (-11.9)