Once again, the Big 12 Conference continues to live up to its name as the most exciting conference in America.

That was on full display during the Arizona State-BYU game on Saturday when Sun Devil fans prematurely rushed the field before the game was over. After a 15 minute delay to get fans off the field, BYU had one second on the clock and the ball near midfield. The Cougars needed a Hail Mary to win the game and while the pass was caught, BYU wide receiver Chase Roberts was two yards short of the end zone which gave the Sun Devils a thrilling 28-23 home victory.

The win vaulted ASU into a 4-way tie atop the Big 12 standings with Colorado, BYU and Iowa State. The Sun Devils have the tie-breaker over BYU with the head-to-head win, which means if Arizona State wins on Saturday, they’ll be in the Big 12 title game.

For BYU, the Cougars need to beat Houston on Saturday and then hope either Arizona upsets Arizona State, OR Kansas State beats Iowa State. This is the only way the Cougars can get in.

Iowa State, which came-from behind to beat Utah on the road, just needs to win this weekend to punch their ticket to the Big 12 title game. Due to the tiebreakers, if all four team win, ASU and ISU will meet in Arlington with BYU and Colorado will be on the outside looking in.

The Big 12 Conference got some bad news on Tuesday as the college football playoff committee continues to think very poorly about the conference. Yes, the Big 12 has a league-high 5 teams in the playoff rankings now, however, the highest ranked team is Arizona State at No. 16, followed by Iowa State (No. 18), BYU (No. 19), Kansas State (No. 24) and Colorado (No. 25).

If Tulane and Boise State both win out, there is a chance that the Big 12 conference champion could miss the College Football Playoff entirely. Do I think it happens? No. But with the way things have gone, I also wouldn’t be shocked.

The fact that we even have to talk about this is crazy as the Big 12 conference needs to step up its PR game and get everyone to understand just how good and deep the league is. While the other conferences are very top heavy, the Big 12 is the deepest league in the country. The Big 12’s worst team, Oklahoma State — sorry Cowboy fans — beat Arkansas which beat Tennessee who is now ranked No. 8 in the latest playoff rankings.

Because the Big 12 plays 9 league games, the conference continues to beat itself up while other conferences, like the SEC play 8 conference games, and then schedule cupcake teams to inflate their win/loss record.

As my tweet above shows, three Big 12 teams with two losses are all behind SEC teams with three losses. Explain that? Alabama lost 24-3 to an Oklahoma team (6-5) and dropped six spots. Ole Miss dropped five spots after losing 24-17 to Florida that is also 6-5 on the season. Meanwhile, BYU dropped five spots after losing 28-23 to No. 21 Arizona State in a Top 25 battle on the road and the Cougars were two yards away from winning as well.

It will be interesting to see how everything shakes out this week as nine Big 12 teams have a chance to make the Big 12 title game.

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 14 Power Rankings Big 12 Football Preseason Poll (Media)
1. Arizona State (9-2, 6-2) 1. Utah
2. Iowa State (9-2, 6-2) 2. Kansas State
3. BYU (9-2, 6-2) 3. Oklahoma State
4. Colorado (8-3, 6-2) 4. Kansas
5. Kansas State (8-3, 5-3) 5. Arizona
6. Kansas (5-6, 4-4) 6. Iowa State
7. Baylor (7-4, 5-3) 7. West Virginia
8. Texas Tech (7-4, 5-3) 8. UCF
9. TCU (7-4, 5-3) 9.  Texas Tech
10. West Virginia (6-5, 5-3) 10. TCU
11. Cincinnati (5-6, 3-5) 11. Colorado
12. Houston (4-7, 3-5) 12. Baylor
13. UCF (4-7, 2-6) 13. BYU
14. Utah (4-7, 1-7) 14. Cincinnati
15. Arizona (4-7, 2-6) 15. Houston
16. Oklahoma State (3-8, 0-8) 16. Arizona State

No. 1 Arizona State (9-2, 6-2, Big 12)

Wins: Wyoming (48-7), Mississippi State (30-23), Texas State (31-28), Kansas (35-31), Utah (27-19), Oklahoma State (42-21), UCF (35-31), No. 16 Kansas State (24-14), No. 14 BYU (28-23)

Losses: Texas Tech (22-30), Cincinnati (14-24)

Arizona State moves to the top of the Big 12 power rankings as the Sun Devils knocked off then-No. 16 Kansas State and then-No. 14 BYU in back-to-back weeks. A win this week against rival Arizona will give the Sun Devils a spot in the Big 12 title game.

ASU is favored by 10 points and looks to get revenge against the Wildcats who dominated last year in a 59-23 blowout victory.

Next up: @ Arizona (4-7, 2-6)

No. 2 Iowa State (9-2, 6-2, Big 12)

Wins: North Dakota (21-3), No. 21 Iowa (20-19), Arkansas State (52-7), Houston (20-0), Baylor (43-21), West Virginia (28-16), UCF (38-35), Cincinnati (34-17), Utah (31-28)

Losses: Texas Tech (22-23), Kansas (36-45)

Down 28-24 late in the fourth quarter, Iowa State dove into its bag of tricks as Carson Hansen set up the go-ahead touchdown thanks to a 26-yard halfback pass to Gabe Burkle on 3rd-and-1 at the Utah 29-yard line. The Cyclones would punch it in on the next play as Hansen ran in for the 3-yard touchdown to give the Cyclones a 31-28 come-from behind victory.

The win kept its hopes of reaching the Big 12 title game alive with a second straight win. Next up is a showdown against Kansas State and if the Cyclone win, they’ll go to the Big 12 title game due to how all the tiebreakers work out.

Next up: vs. Kansas State (8-3, 5-3)

No. 3 BYU (9-2, 6-2, Big 12)

Wins: Southern Illinois (41-13), SMU (18-15), Wyoming (34-14), No. 13 Kansas State (38-9), Baylor (34-28), Arizona (41-19), Oklahoma State (38-35), UCF (37-24), Utah 22-21)

Losses: Kansas (17-13), No. 21 Arizona State (23-28)

Two weeks ago, BYU had a two-game cushion and looked well on its way to the Big 12 title game, with a shot at getting an at-large berth if they didn’t win the conference championship too. Then Kansas and Arizona State came along and dashed those dreams.

Once atop the conference, the Cougars may not even make the Big 12 title game now due to the way the tiebreakers fall. BYU needs Iowa State or Arizona State to lose, combined with a win over Houston Saturday night to get a spot.

I don’t see Arizona State losing, so it will be up to Kansas State to help the Cougars make it to the title game. Considering all the donations that Cougar fans gave to Avery Johnson’s fundraiser (more than $40,000), it would be a nice gift in return if the Wildcats can pull off the upset in Ames against the Cyclones.

Next up: vs. Houston (4-7, 3-5) 

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No. 4 Colorado (8-3, 6-2, Big 12)

Wins: North Dakota State (31-26), Colorado State (28-9), Baylor (38-31), UCF (48-21), Arizona (34-7), Cincinnati (34-23), Texas Tech (41-27)

Losses: Nebraska (10-28), No. 18 Kansas State (28-31), Kansas (21-37)

Yikes! After playing well and with a favorable schedule, Colorado looked well on its way to finishing the regular season at 10-2 and playing in the Big 12 title game. Then Kansas came along and ruined everything in a 37-21 victory at home over the Buffs.

With so many upsets on Saturday, if Colorado would have won, they would have likely been knocking on the Top 10 door thanks to star power and the duo of Sanders and Hunter. The ACC looks to get two teams in now and the Big 12 could have done the same with all the SEC losses.

Next up: vs. Oklahoma State (3-8, 0-8)

No. 5 Kansas State (8-3, 5-3, Big 12)

Wins: UT Martin (41-6), Tulane (34-27), No. 20 Arizona (31-7), No. 20 Oklahoma State (42-20), Colorado (31-28), West Virginia (45-18), Kansas (29-27), Cincinnati (41-15)

Losses: BYU (9-38), Houston (19-24), Arizona State (14-24)

Last month, it seemed like a lock that whoever won the Farmageddon matchup between the Wildcats and the Cyclones next month would play BYU in the Big 12 title game. As Lee Corso would say, ‘not so fast my friend.’

With the unexpected loss to Houston, Kansas State does not control its own destiny and is going to need some help from BYU and Colorado if they want to make it back to the Big 12 title game.

Up next for Kansas State is the battle of 7-2 teams as the Wildcats host an Arizona State team that has won four of their last five games.

Next up: vs. Arizona State (7-2, 4-2)

No. 6 Kansas (5-6, 4-4, Big 12)

Wins: Lindenwood (48-3), Houston (42-14), No. 17 Iowa State (45-36), No. 17 Iowa State (45-36), No. 6 BYU (17-13), No. 16 Colorado (37-21)

Losses: Illinois (17-23), UNLV (20-23), West Virginia (28-32), TCU (27-38), Arizona State (31-35), Kansas State (27-29)

There might not be a hotter team than Kansas as they took down another ranked opponent for the third consecutive week. The Jayhawks became the first team in FBS history to have a losing record and beat three straight teams in the AP Top 25. The way the Jayhawks are playing is how everyone thought they would play the entire season and why many expected them to challenge for the Big 12 title.

Despite the 1-5 start with so many close losses and blown leads late in the fourth quarter, Kansas can still make a bowl game for a third straight season if they beat Baylor this week. If so, it would be the first time in school history to have that happen.

Next up: @ Baylor (7-4, 5-3)

No. 7 Baylor (7-4, 5-3, Big 12)

Wins: Tarleton State (45-3), Air Force (31-3), Texas Tech (59-35), Oklahoma State (38-28), TCU (37-34), West Virginia (49-35), Houston (20-10)

Losses: Utah (12-23), Colorado (31-38), BYU (28-34), Iowa State (21-43)

Other than Kansas, Baylor is the next hottest team in the Big 12 right now as the Bears have won five consecutive games. Like I’ve mentioned several times before (see here and here), I noted Baylor had a front loaded schedule and that it wouldn’t be surprising if they went on a big winning streak to end the year.

They can push the winning streak to six games if they can take down a Kansas team that has been one of the most impressive teams the last few weeks.

Next up: vs. Kansas (5-6, 4-4)

No. 8 Texas Tech (7-4, 5-3, Big 12)

Wins: Abilene Christian (52-51), North Texas (66-21), Arizona State (30-22), Cincinnati (44-41), Arizona (28-22), No. 11 Iowa State (23-22), Oklahoma State (56-48)

Losses: Washington State (16-37), Baylor (35-59), TCU (34-35), Colorado (27-41)

It was an old fashioned barn burner last week as Texas Tech hung on for a thrilling 56-48 victory over Oklahoma State. Both teams had more than 500 yards of total offense as the Red Raiders kept Oklahoma State winless in Big 12 play.

Texas Tech is one of five teams (TCU, Baylor, Kansas State, West Virginia) that still has a shot in the Big 12 title game. They just need to win, and have three of the four teams currently in a tie for first place lose (BYU, Colorado, Iowa State, Colorado).

Next up: vs. West Virginia (6-5, 5-3)

No. 9 TCU (7-4, 5-3, Big 12)

Wins: Stanford (34-27), Long Island University (45-0), Kansas (38-27), Utah (13-7), Texas Tech (35-34), Oklahoma State (38-13), Arizona (49-28)

Losses: UCF (34-35), SMU (42-66), Houston (19-30), Baylor (34-37)

In its final home game of the season, TCU rolled to a dominating 49-28 victory over Arizona to win its second consecutive game and four of its last five.

TCU is one of five teams (Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas State, West Virginia) that still has a shot to play in the Big 12 title game. They just need to win, and have three of the four teams currently in a tie for first place lose (BYU, Colorado, Iowa State, Colorado).

Next up: @ Cincinnati (5-6, 3-5)

No. 10 West Virginia (6-5, 5-3, Big 12)

Wins: UAlbany (49-14), Kansas (32-28), Oklahoma State (38-14), Arizona (31-26), Cincinnati (31-24), UCF (31-21)

Losses: No. 8 Penn State (12-34), Pittsburgh (34-38), No. 11 Iowa State (16-28), No. 17 Kansas State (18-45), Baylor (35-49)

West Virginia got back to its winning ways with a 31-21 home victory over UCF. It was just the third victory at home for the Mountaineers and first since Sept. 21. West Virginia also avoided losing for their fifth game at home — something that hasn’t happened since 1990. Whether the win was enough for embattled coach Neal Brown to keep his job remains to be seen. Brown is 37-34 in six seasons.

Despite all of that, West Virginia is still one of five teams (Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas State, TCU) that has a shot to play in the Big 12 title game. They just need to win, and have three of the four teams currently in a tie for first place lose (BYU, Colorado, Iowa State, Colorado).

Next up: @ Texas Tech (7-4, 5-3)

No. 11 Cincinnati (5-6, 3-5, Big 12)

Wins: Towson (38-20), Miami OH (27-16), Houston (34-0), UCF (19-13), Arizona State (24-14)

Losses: Pittsburgh (27-28), Texas Tech (41-44), Colorado (23-34), West Virginia (24-31), Iowa State (17-34), Kansas State (15-41)

If Cincinnati wants to go to a bowl game this year, the Bearcats will need to win on Saturday against TCU. The Horned Frogs have a lot to play for as well as there is still a slim chance that they could make it into the Big 12 title game.

Both teams will be amped up to play and the game will likely be a toss up. TCU is favored by three, however, the Bearcats will be playing at home and with a bowl game on the line.

Next up: vs. TCU (7-4, 5-3)

No. 12 Houston (4-7, 3-5, Big 12)

Wins: Rice (33-7), TCU (30-19), Utah (17-14), No. 17 Kansas State (24-19)

Losses: UNLV (7-27), Oklahoma (12-16), Cincinnati (0-34), Iowa State (0-20), Kansas (14-42), Arizona (3-27), Baylor (10-20)

After consecutive wins for the first time this year, the Houston Cougars looked to have turned a corner at the start of November. However, that didn’t last long as the Cougars have now lost two games in a row, including the home finale against Baylor (20-10) last week.

Houston ended up firing offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay ahead of its regular-season finale against BYU. Shawn Bell, Houston’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, will serve as interim offensive coordinator and playcaller. Why the switch? The Cougars (4-7, 3-5) rank last in the FBS in scoring offense at 13.6 points per game and last in the Big 12 in total offense, passing offense and yards per play.

Next up: @ Arizona (3-6, 1-5)

No. 13 UCF (4-7, 2-6, Big 12)

Wins: New Hampshire (57-3), Sam Houston (45-0), TCU (35-34), Arizona (56-12)

Losses: Colorado (21-48), Florida (13-24), Cincinnati (13-19), No. 9 Iowa State (35-38), Arizona State (31-35), West Virginia (21-31)

Back-to-back losses the past two weeks have knocked UCF from a bowl game. The Knights came up short again in a 31-21 loss to West Virginia on the road. Despite beating the Mountaineers in almost every category, a costly turnover ended up being the difference as it allowed West Virginia to go up 14-0, a hole that UCF couldn’t dig itself out of.

The Knights will look to make the most of their final game on Friday against Utah. The game will be nationally televised on FOX.

Next up: vs. Utah (4-7, 1-7)

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No. 14 Utah (4-7, 1-7, Big 12)

Wins: Southern Utah (49-0), Baylor (23-12), Utah State (38-21), No. 14 Oklahoma State (22-19)

Losses: Arizona (10-23), Arizona State (19-27), TCU (7-13), Houston (14-17), BYU (21-22)

Utah was two minutes away from upsetting No. 22 Iowa State Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium. However, the Cyclones pulled off a late touchdown to escape with a 31-28 victory. This gave Utah its seventh consecutive loss, which is the longest losing streak in 38 years for the Utes.

The loss also meant that the Utes won’t go to a bowl game for the first time since 2013. Both UCF and Utah will have their ‘Super Bowl’ this Friday in a game that will be nationally televised on FOX.

Next up: @ UCF  (4-7, 2-6)

No. 15 Arizona (4-7, 2-6, Big 12)

Wins: New Mexico (61-39), Northern Arizona (22-10), Utah (23-10), Houston (27-3)

Losses: No. 14 Kansas Sate (7-31), Texas Tech (22-28), No. 14 BYU (19-41), Colorado (7-34), West Virginia (26-31), UCF (12-56), TCU (28-49)

On the first play of the game last week against TCU, Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita’s pass was intercepted. That summed up the season for the Wildcats who went from being one of the favorites to win the Big 12, to now staying near the bottom of the conference each and every week. Despite missing a bowl game now, the Wildcats still have a lot to play for this week as not only is it the season finale, but they look to upset their rival No. 16 Arizona State at home.

If the Sun Devils win, they’ll play in the Big 12 title game. The Wildcats would love nothing more than to beat their rivals and knock them out of the conference championship game.

Next up: vs. Arizona State (9-2, 6-2)

No. 16 Oklahoma State (3-8, 0-8, Big 12)

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), West Virginia (14-38), BYU (35-38), Baylor (28-38), Arizona State (21-42), TCU (13-38), Texas Tech (48-56)

With the heartbreaking 56-48 loss last week, Oklahoma State has yet to win a conference game this year as they dropped to 0-8 in league play. They’ll need to beat Colorado this week to avoid going winless in conference for the first time since 1994.

Asked whether he will return next year to OSU next season despite the Cowboys’ first eight-loss season in his 20 seasons at the helm, coach Mike Gundy said he is motivated to keep coaching the Cowboys. “I have as much energy now as I did when I took this job. And most of you guys think I’m crazy, which I am. And even though we’re in a really tough situation here that we haven’t been in 18 years, I’m excited to come to work tomorrow and try to find a way to beat Colorado.”

Next up: @Colorado (8-3, 6-2)  

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