Big 12 Rankings: Kansas State rises, plus another change at No. 1

Just one week remains in the Big 12 regular season, and almost half of the league is still alive for a berth in the Big 12 Championship. Kansas State had a blowout victory to get back on track as well. Let’s rank’em!

1. ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (+2)

Mason: 1
DY: 1
Fan: 1
Drew: 1
Mason Voth: I was higher than most on Arizona State entering the season. But that doesn’t really mean much, because I thought maybe they could win six or seven games. Instead, the Sun Devils control their own destiny this weekend to play for the title. They may not be the best team, but they are one of them and they are hot at the right time.

2. IOWA STATE CYCLONES (+2)

Mason: 2
DY: 3
Fan: 2
Drew: 2
Derek Young: My concerns about them are that they peaked too soon. They are not playing good football at the moment. 

3. COLORADO BUFFALOES (-2)

Mason: 5
DY: 2
Fan: 4
Drew: 3
MV: Colorado got some of the best schedule luck in the league this season. But what they have shown is that their overwhelming talent gap will beat teams with poor coaching, but against superior coaches, Deion Sanders is outmatched. That is why the Buffs have lost to Kansas State and Kansas, but no one else.

4. BYU COUGARS (-2)

Mason: 4
DY: 5
Fan: 3
Drew: 5
MV: I still think BYU is good, but they were due for some losses at some point. Kansas is playing to their preseason potential and a one-score loss where you had a chance at the end on the road in Tempe shouldn’t hurt you too much.

5. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (0)

Mason: 3
DY: 6
Fan: 5
Drew: 4
DY: Technically, as an opponent, I’d rather play BYU than the Wildcats. I’m not going to even pretend. But K-State has screwed up enough this year to warrant this ranking.

6. BAYLOR BEARS (0)

Mason: 6
DY: 4
Fan: 7
Drew: 6
DY: They’re hot enough to where they could sneak into a Big 12 title spot. 

7. KANSAS JAYHAWKS (+1)

Mason: 7
DY: 8
Fan: 6
Drew: 9
MV: It was fun when we got to rank the Jayhawks dead last again. But they have earned most of their respect back and could somehow be bowl-eligible if they win in Waco this weekend. Everybody reading this should be very thankful Kansas State got them one final time before the heater got going.

8. TCU HORNED FROGS (+1)

Mason: 9
DY: 10
Fan: 8
Drew: 7
DY: If you switched jerseys, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between TCU and Texas Tech. Neither is great. Neither cares about defense. Neither was ever a threat to win the Big 12. 

9. WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (+1)

Mason: 8
DY: 7
Fan: 10
Drew: 10
DY: Although not good enough to take down anyone good, the Mountaineers do typically care of business this year.

10. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (-3)

Mason: 10
DY: 9
Fan: 9
Drew: 8
MV: What a tough crowd! Texas Tech won last weekend and dropped three spots. But when you give up 48 points to a true freshman quarterback against Oklahoma State and only win by one score, you earn it.

11. CINCINNATI BEARCATS (0)

Mason: 11
DY: 12
Fan: 12
Drew: 11
MV: Kansas State got an up close and personal look at how bad this team is on Saturday. How any defense made Brendan Sorsby look good is beyond me. They also didn’t look like they cared one lick. They host TCU this weekend needing a W for bowl-eligibility.

12. HOUSTON COUGARS (+2)

Mason: 12
DY: 11
Fan: 15
Drew: 12
DY: We were all right about Willie Fritz. He won’t coach for much longer but long enough to wish he was your coach. 

13. UCF KNIGHTS (-1)

Mason: 13
DY: 14
Fan: 11
Drew: 14
DY:  Is Gus Malzahn the right leader? I’m not convinced.

14. ARIZONA WILDCATS (-1)

Mason: 15
DY: 13
Fan: 13
Drew: 13
DY: They have a win over Utah.

15. UTAH UTES (0)

Mason: 14
DY: 15
Fan: 14
Drew: 15
MV: They beat Oklahoma State.

16. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (0)

Mason: 16
DY: 16
Fan: 16
Drew: 16
MV: They lost to everybody, including Kansas State. But, there is no way that Mike Gundy can go a full Big 12 season without a win, right? Watch out Deion!