Big 12 play is in full swing with seven matchups last week, including a Top 25 showdown between then-No. 20 Oklahoma State at No. 23 Kansas State, as well as Fox’s Big Noon kickoff between UCF and Colorado.
Kansas State bounced back after a blowout loss to BYU and turned around and did the same to Oklahoma State as the Wildcats rolled to a 42-20 victory at home. The Cowboys are now 0-2 in Big 12 play and based on projections, won’t likely make the Big 12 title game at this point.
In Fox’s Big Noon kickoff, Colorado went on the road and blew out UCF, 48-21. The Buffs made a big statement in the win and Travis Hunter cemented himself as one of the top contenders in the Heisman Trophy race.
BYU went on the road and picked up a historic road win over Baylor. It was the fist time in the series that the road team had won. The Cougars jumped out to a 28-7 lead in the first half, before holding on for a thrilling 34-28 victory. Utah, the other previously undefeated team from the Beehive State unexpectedly lost — especially considering it was a night game at Rice-Eccles Stadium which is one of the hardest places to play in all of college football. The Wildcats snapped Utah’s 31-game winning streak in the process against unranked opponents.
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BYU slides up into the No. 1 spot, while Texas Tech moves up two spots. Arizona jumps up up 3 spots and Colorado made the biggest jump this week as the Buffs moved up 4 spots.
Meanwhile, TCU got back on track with a win over a struggling Kansas team that has now lost four consecutive games. Texas Tech held off Cincinnati in a thrilling 44-41 victory at home and then-No. 18 Iowa State shutout Houston 20-0. It was the second consecutive shutout for Houston which lost the previous week 34-0 to Cincinnati.
As of now, the Big 12 just has two teams left that are undefeated: BYU and Iowa State. With regards to poll implications, the Big 12 now has four teams ranked — down from five — as Oklahoma State dropped out of the polls following it’s loss to Kansas State. The Cowboys have now lost two games in a row. The Big 12 Conference also has three teams teams (Arizona, Oklahoma State and Colorado) that are receiving votes. Arizona is currently 26th, and just barley missed out making the Top 25.
So, how does the Big 12 stack up in this week’s power rankings? Let’s take a look.
** As a reminder, rankings are based on what teams have done so far this season. This is NOT a prediction of where they will end up. **
| Big 12 Week 4 Power Rankings | Big 12 Football Preseason Poll (Media) |
| 1. BYU (5-0, 2-0) | 1. Utah |
| 2. Iowa State (4-0, 1-0) | 2. Kansas State |
| 3. Kansas State (4-1, 1-1) | 3. Oklahoma State |
| 4. Utah (4-1, 1-1) | 4. Kansas |
| 5. Texas Tech (4-1, 2-0) | 5. Arizona |
| 6. Arizona (3-1, 1-0) | 6. Iowa State |
| 7. Colorado (4-1, 2-0) | 7. West Virginia |
| 8. UCF (3-1, 1-1) | 8. UCF |
| 9. Oklahoma State (3-2, 0-2) | 9. Texas Tech |
| 10. Cincinnati (3-2, 1-1) | 10. TCU |
| 11. Arizona State (3-1, 0-1) | 11. Colorado |
| 12. West Virginia (2-2, 1-0) | 12. Baylor |
| 13. TCU (3-2, 1-1) | 13. BYU |
| 14. Baylor (2-3, 0-2) | 14. Cincinnati |
| 15. Kansas (1-4, 0-2) | 15. Houston |
| 16. Houston (1-4, 0-2) | 16. Arizona State |
No. 1 BYU (5-0, 2-0, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 2
Wins: Southern Illinois (41-13), SMU (18-15), Wyoming (34-14), No. 13 Kansas State (38-9), Baylor (34-28)
Losses: None
BYU moves to the top of the Big 12 power rankings as the Cougars are the only 5-0 team and have the best resume to show for it as SMU appears to be one of the top contenders in the ACC and the Kansas State win looks better and better as well.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, BYU checks in at No. 2 under strength of record. The next closest team was Iowa State at No. 7.
Next up: Bye Week
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No. 2 Iowa State (4-0, 1-0, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 3
Wins: North Dakota (21-3), No. 21 Iowa (20-19), Arkansas State (52-7), Houston (20-0)
Losses: None
Like BYU, Iowa State moved up a spot following Utah’s loss to Arizona. The Cyclones took care of business against Houston in a 20-0 shutout victory, however, the game was closer than many expected as the Cyclones took a lot longer to put Houston away. Iowa State was up 10-0 to start the fourth quarter.
That win over Iowa looks nice, but that will be put to the test as the Hawkeyes will face Ohio State this week. A win for Iowa would be monumental for Iowa State.
Next up: vs. Baylor (2-3)
No. 3 Kansas State (4-1, 1-1, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 6
Wins: UT Martin (41-6), Tulane (34-27), No. 20 Arizona (31-7), No. 20 Oklahoma State (42-20)
Losses: BYU (9-38)
Kansas State bounced back with a big 42-20 victory over then-No. 20 Oklahoma State. The game was what many expected out of the Wildcats all season long, however, perhaps BYU really is that good.
Next up: Bye Week
No. 4 Utah (4-1, 1-1, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 1
Wins: Southern Utah (49-0), Baylor (23-12), Utah State (38-21), No. 14 Oklahoma State (22-19)
Losses: Arizona (10-23)
So much for the road win over Oklahoma State. The Utes followed it up with a very disappointing loss to Arizona at Rice-Eccles Stadium — one of the hardest places to play in all of college football. The Wildcats snapped Utah’s 31-game winning streak in the process against unranked opponents.
This week the Utes have a bye before heading out to face Arizona State on Oct. 12. Ute fans everyone are hoping the break will allow Cam Rising to finally come back.
Next up: Bye Week
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No. 5 Texas Tech (4-1, 2-0, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 7
Wins: Abilene Christian (52-51), North Texas (66-21), Arizona State (30-22), Cincinnati (44-41)
Losses: Washington State (16-37)
Texas Tech moved up two spots in this week’s power rankings as the Raid Raiders have now won three games in a row. The Raid Raiders will put that winning streak on the line when they travel to face a really good Arizona team.
So far, the only loss for Texas Tech is to Washington State (4-1) which just lost it’s first game of the season last week to Boise State.
Next up: @ Arizona (3-1)
No. 6 Arizona (3-1, 1-0, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 9
Wins: New Mexico (61-39), Northern Arizona (22-10), Utah (23-10)
Losses: No. 14 Kansas Sate (7-31)
After a big upset on the road to Utah, Arizona will look to keep it going as it hosts a good Texas Tech team. The Wildcats win inside Rice-Eccles Stadium was very impressive but a loss this weekend would throw all that away.
Next up: vs. Texas Tech (4-1)
No. 7 Colorado (4-1, 2-0, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 11
Wins: North Dakota State (31-26), Colorado State (28-9), Baylor (38-31), UCF (48-21)
Losses: Nebraska (10-28)
Despite being a two-touchdown underdog on the road, Colorado went in and crushed UCF 48-21. The Buffs look much better this year than where they were a season ago. The Buffs are trending up and the Heisman pose from Travis Hunter last week was well deserved.
Next up: Bye Week
No. 8 UCF (3-1, 1-1, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 4
Wins: New Hampshire (57-3), Sam Houston (45-0), TCU (35-34)
Losses: Colorado (21-48)
Despite being a two-touchdown favorite, UCF got embarrassed in a 48-21 home loss to Colorado. The Buffs revealed significant weaknesses in UCF’s game in which the Knights couldn’t cover anyone in the secondary, as well as the lack of a pass rush. Unfortunately for the Knights, time is not on their side as they face a crucial non-conference showdown against the Florida Gators in The Swamp. They’ll return to Big 12 play with tough games against No. 16 Iowa State and No. 17 BYU in the middle of October.
Next up: vs. Florida (2-2)
No. 9 Oklahoma State (3-2, 0-2, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 5
Wins: South Dakota State (44-20), Arkansas (39-31, 2OT), Tulsa (45-10)
Losses: No. 10 Utah (19-22), No. 23 Kansas State (20-42)
Here’s a crazy stat. For the first time since 2005, Oklahoma State is 0-2 in Big 12 play. Back-to-back losses to Utah and Kansas State isn’t surprising, it’s the lack of competitiveness from the Cowboys that’s concerning as quarterback Alan Bowman continues to struggle throwing the ball and running back Ollie Gordon — last year’s Doak Walker award winner has failed to rush for 100 yards against an FBS opponent this year.
Next up: vs. West Virginia (2-2)
ESPN Analyst Praises BYU’s 5-0 Start, ‘Biggest Surprise Of The Season’
No. 10 Cincinnati (3-2, 1-1, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 10
Wins: Towson (38-20), Miami OH (27-16), Houston (34-0)
Losses: Pittsburgh (27-28), Texas Tech (41-44)
Cincinnati lost, but the game went down to the wire against Texas Tech in the 44-41 road loss. The Bearcats look much improved from last year and have already equaled their win total from last season. Next up for Cincinnati is a a bye week before taking on UCF.
Next up: Bye Week
No. 11 Arizona State (3-1, 0-1, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 8
Wins: Wyoming (48-7), Mississippi State (30-23), Texas State (31-28)
Losses: Texas Tech (22-30)
Arizona State will be back in action following a bye week last week. The Sun Devils are ready to put the Texas Tech loss behind them. As of right now, playing Kansas is just what the doctor ordered as the Jayhawks are one of the two worst teams in the conference at the moment.
Next up: vs. Kansas (1-4)
No. 12 West Virginia (2-2, 1-0, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 13
Wins: UAlbany (49-14), Kansas (32-28)
Losses: No. 8 Penn State (12-34), Pittsburgh (34-38)
West Virginia is coming off a bye week as the Mountaineers look to stay in the Big 12 title chase. To do so, they’ll need to go on the road and beat an Oklahoma State team that has lost two consecutive games.
Next up: @ Oklahoma State (3-2)
No. 13 TCU (3-2, 1-1, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 14
Wins: Stanford (34-27), Long Island University (45-0), Kansas (38-27)
Losses: UCF (34-35), SMU (42-66)
It was another great offense performance for TCU as the Horned Frogs took down Kansas 38-27. The problem is the defense continues to get shredded.
Luckily TCU is facing Houston as that’s just what the doctored ordered as Houston hasn’t scored any points in the past two weeks, Can the Horned Frogs keep that going?
Next up: vs. Houston (1-4)
No. 14 Baylor (2-3, 0-2, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 12
Wins: Tarleton State (45-3), Air Force (31-3)
Losses: Utah (12-23), Colorado (31-38), BYU (28-34)
Facing two of the top teams right out of the gate in Utah and BYU certainly doesn’t help, but at least the Bears were competitive in those games. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any better as Baylor now has to go on the road to face No. 16 Iowa State.
Next up: @ No. 16 Iowa State (4-0)
No. 15 Kansas (1-4, 0-2, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 15
Wins: Lindenwood (48-3)
Losses: Illinois (17-23), UNLV (20-23), West Virginia (28-32), TCU (27-38)
If Kansas wants to go to a bowl game this season the Jayhawks are going to have to get a win this weekend.
Next up: @ Arizona State (3-1)
No. 16 Houston (1-4, 0-2, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 16
Wins: Rice (33-7)
Losses: UNLV (7-27), Oklahoma (12-16), Cincinnati (0-34), Iowa State (0-20)
Houston hasn’t scored in two games! Will the Cougars finally score some points in Big 12 play? for the sake of the conference, let’s sure hope so.
Next up: at TCU (3-2)
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ESPN Analyst Praises BYU’s 5-0 Start, ‘Biggest Surprise Of The Season’
