Big 12 Rankings: Kansas State ascends to title game positioning

Kansas State ripped off their third straight win by three scores or more this past weekend. It was a dominant performance against Houston. They have now played nine quarters straight without allowing a touchdown.

In addition to K-State starting to come back into form, Oklahoma had a loss that set them back. Here is how our KSO panel views the Big 12 heading into the final four games of the year.

1. TEXAS LONGHORNS

Mason: 1
DY: 1
Drew: 1

The Longhorns have reclaimed the top spot thanks to the failure of their rival. Texas dominated BYU over the weekend and even left some points out there. Maalik Murphy wasn’t asked to do too much but proved he can still get the dynamic receivers involved. Jonathon Brooks is one of the country’s best running backs and the Texas defense can make plays every which way. Despite the last-second loss to Oklahoma, it is now clear that the Longhorns are the best team in the Big 12 just before hosting Kansas State.
Next game: vs K-State, 11:00 AM FOX

2. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS

Mason: 2
DY: 2
Drew: 2

Back-to-back blowout wins have the Wildcats back on track and in position to fight back to Arlington. They just have to get past the roadblock that is Texas this Saturday. It feels like K-State has put their poor performance against Oklahoma State far behind them. Each element of the game is clicking at the right time.
Next game: at Texas, 11:00 AM FOX

3. OKLAHOMA SOONERS

Mason: 3
DY: 4
Drew: 3

They are who we thought they were. It turns out that Brent Venables had us all fooled again. He just has a slightly better team and a quarterback that was available to play in Red River this year. Oklahoma hasn’t faced the toughest schedule and their win against Texas can be easily summed up by looking at the series history and just how many times the better team came out a loser in that rivalry. Their loss to Kansas proved they are still poorly coached and have some issues to address.
Next game: at Oklahoma State, 2:30 PM ABC

4. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS

Mason: 4
DY: 3
Drew: 4

I still don’t believe my eyes when I see Oklahoma State winning games left and right and scoring at will. But it is happening with the 2023 version of the Cowboys. They obliterated Cincinnati on Saturday in prep for their last crack at rival Oklahoma for a while. Alan Bowman has eliminated making mistakes and Ollie Gordon is the leading rusher in the country, going for 200 yards at will it seems. Bedlam is going to be a lot more entertaining than originally thought this year and a win gives Oklahoma State the easiest path to Arlington.
Next game: vs Oklahoma, 2:30 PM ABC

5. IOWA STATE CYCLONES

Mason: 5
DY: 5
Drew: 5

The Cyclones are the fifth team in the first-place tie. They are products of one of the easiest first month-plus schedules in the Big 12. But things start to get tougher this weekend when Top 25 Kansas comes to town. Iowa State will finish its season with three of four games against Kansas, Texas, and Kansas State.
Next game: vs Kansas, 6:00 PM ESPN

6. KANSAS JAYHAWKS

Mason: 6
DY: 6
Drew: 6

Completing the clearly defined top six of the Big 12 is Kansas. All six schools at the top of the league play each other this weekend and the Jayhawks are in an important spot. They just got the program-defining win under Lance Leipold by taking down Oklahoma at home. Now they have to back it up and “prove it” with their game at Iowa State.
Next game: at Iowa State, 6:00 PM ESPN

7. WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

Mason: 7
DY: 7
Drew: 7

Head coach Neal Brown won’t go down without a fight. Many assumed that UCF would take down West Virginia this weekend. The Knights were seven-point favorites. That didn’t happen though! The Mountaineers forced plenty of picks from John Rhys Plumlee and comfortably won the game. Now West Virginia is a hail-mary loss away from being in the logjam for first place and they get to greet their fellow mountain men in BYU this weekend where they should be favored to become bowl-eligible.
Next game: vs BYU, 6:00 PM FS1

8. TCU HORNED FROGS

Mason: 8
DY: 8
Drew: 10

A bye probably did wonders for the Horned Frogs who were searching for answers after the loss to K-State. Sonny Dykes repeatedly said after the loss he “didn’t see that coming.” It is a loser leaves town game as TCU takes on Texas Tech. Whoever loses will be seriously sweating out bowl eligibility this season.
Next game: Thursday at Texas Tech, 6:00 PM FS1

9. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS

Mason: 10
DY: 9
Drew: 8

The concern level in Lubbock has been high for a while. But now there is zero room for error for Texas Tech to not totally collapse in 2023. Sitting at five losses currently, if they lose to TCU this Thursday they will have to win out to reach a bowl game. They still have road trips to Lawrence and Austin on the schedule. This is a lost year and for some reason us KSO guys can’t quit the Red Raiders.
Next game: Thursday vs TCU, 6:00 PM FS1

10. BYU COUGARS

Mason: 9
DY: 10
Drew: 9

The Cougars showed zero offensive fight against Texas last weekend. They play their second straight road game with West Virginia on the schedule. This is probably a disgusting game to watch, but could end up being close. BYU just isn’t that good, but they fall in the column of TCU. They can beat the bottom feeders, and will get their lunch eaten by the top dogs.
Next game: at West Virginia, 6:00 PM FS1

11. HOUSTON COUGARS

Mason: 11
DY: 11
Drew: 12

Houston ran into some serious roadblocks this past weekend against Kansas State. Number one, it was easily the coldest game of the season they will play. It looked like they quit early in the game and Dana Holgorsen seemed to admit defeat before the game even started. In addition to a strong opponent and cold weather, Houston was coming off an emotionally taxing stretch. They had their Thursday night thriller against West Virginia that they won, followed by a near-upset win over in-state foe Texas at home. It was just too much to overcome in Manhattan. Houston isn’t as bad as they were in Manhattan, but they still aren’t good or ready to be on a Big 12 field consistently.
Next game: at Baylor, 2:30 PM ESPN+

12. BAYLOR BEARS

Mason: 12
DY: 12
Drew: 11

All that needs to be said about Baylor is that they are playing their third straight game on ESPN+ this week.
Next game: vs Houston, 2:30 PM ESPN+

13. UCF KNIGHTS

Mason: 13
DY: 13
Drew: 13

Similar to Texas Tech, UCF is just not going to be good unlike what some thought before the season started. Their disappointing performance against West Virginia confirmed this.
Next game: at Cincinnati, 2:30 PM FS1

14. CINCINNATI BEARCATS

Mason: 14
DY: 14
Drew: 14

Cincinnati’s run defense was its saving grace this season. But even that was bad on Saturday night in Stillwater when Ollie Gordon ran for over 200 yards and Oklahoma State put up over 40 points on the Bearcat defense. Scott Satterfield might be the caboose of the Big 12 for years to come. My vote is that weather cancels their game this weekend and neither UCF nor Cincinnati can get a Big 12 win because neither team deserves it.
Next game: vs UCF, 2:30 PM FS1