Every Big 12 team was in action this past week which added more upsets and thrilling finishes thanks to ‘Big 12 After Dark.’
No. 13 BYU kicked things off with a Friday night contest inside LaVell Edwards Stadium against Oklahoma State. The Pokes were coming off a bye week and BYU was coming off a short week on top of preparing for a quarterback they knew nothing about. Oklahoma State gave BYU all they could handle, but it was the Cougars who kept their undefeated season alive as they scored a last-second touchdown — with 10 seconds left in the game — to escape with a 38-35 victory.
Meanwhile, No. 9 Iowa State followed BYU’s playbook as the Cyclones also got down 21-14 at the half, but mounted a comeback and also scored a touchdown with under a minute to go to also escape with a 38-35 victory at home.
It seems as though both of these unbeaten teams are destined to play in the Big 12 title game as they don’t play each other during the conference season.
In other games, No. 17 Kansas State rolled to a dominating 45-18 road victory over West Virginia. The Wildcats never trailed and continue to add to their resume with their only loss being on the road to No. 13 BYU.
Thrilling showdown: No. 13 BYU edges out Oklahoma State — Reactions pour in
Two other games saw blowouts as Kansas finally picked up its first Big 12 win of the season as the Wildcats dominated Houston 42-14 at home. Colorado, which narrowly lost to Kansas State last week, rebounded by going on the road and thumping Arizona 34-7.
There were several upsets as well as Baylor went on the road and spanked Texas Tech 59-35 to pick up its first conference win of the season. The Bears have played arguably the toughest conference schedule so far, but the rest of the schedule looks to be very manageable as Baylor looks to go bowling this season after missing out last year.
Meanwhile, TCU went into Salt Lake City and upset Utah 13-7 at Rice Eccles Stadium. It was the second consecutive home loss for the Utes which hasn’t happened in years. TCU has now won two of its last three games and significantly improved its bowl chances with the win.
Currently, just like last week, the Big 12 only has three ranked teams (No. 10 Iowa State, No. 11 BYU and No. 16 Kansas State).
The bad news is that the Big 12 Conference does not have any teams that are receiving votes. Both Colorado and Cincinnati are 5-2 and should be getting votes, but unsurprisingly, the media continues to paint the narrative that the Big 12 is weak and isn’t good since Texas and Oklahoma left the conference. Both Colorado and Cincinnati will face off Saturday night at Folsom Field and the winner — at 6-2 — should be in contention for a Top 25 appearance. Let’s hope the media starts paying attention.
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 9 Power Rankings | Big 12 Football Preseason Poll (Media) |
| 1. BYU (7-0, 4-0) | 1. Utah |
| 2. Iowa State (7-0, 4-0) | 2. Kansas State |
| 3. Kansas State (6-1, 3-1) | 3. Oklahoma State |
| 4. Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1) | 4. Kansas |
| 5. Colorado (5-2, 3-1) | 5. Arizona |
| 6. Texas Tech (5-2, 3-1) | 6. Iowa State |
| 7. Arizona State (5-2, 2-2) | 7. West Virginia |
| 8. TCU (4-3, 2-2) | 8. UCF |
| 9. Baylor (3-4, 1-3) | 9. Texas Tech |
| 10. Arizona (3-4, 1-3) | 10. TCU |
| 11. Utah (4-3, 1-3) | 11. Colorado |
| 12. Oklahoma State (3-4, 0-4) | 12. Baylor |
| 13. UCF (3-4, 1-3) | 13. BYU |
| 14. West Virginia (3-4, 2-2) | 14. Cincinnati |
| 15. Kansas (2-5, 1-3) | 15. Houston |
| 16. Houston (2-5, 1-3) | 16. Arizona State |
No. 1 BYU (7-0, 4-0, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 1
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)
Losses: None
BYU has the best resume so far as the Cougars have two wins over current ranked opponents (No. 16 Kansas State and No. 22 SMU). Iowa State’s best win is over rival Iowa which is unranked and 4-3 on the year.
The comeback victory over Oklahoma State at home should serve as a wakeup call for the Cougars who were getting pretty confident with blowout wins. It also didn’t help that the Cougars were playing on a short week while Oklahoma State was coming off a bye.
Next up for BYU is a trip to Orlando to take on UCF which just went to Ames, Iowa and lost to then-No. 9 Iowa State (38-35). The Knights blew a big lead and should have won that game. If the Knights play like they did on Saturday against BYU at home, the Cougars might not come back to Provo undefeated.
Next up: @ UCF (3-4, 1-3)
No. 2 Iowa State (7-0, 4-0, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 2
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)
Losses: None
Iowa State remains No. 2 as BYU has the better resume with wins over two currently ranked opponents. The win over Iowa for the Cyclones is getting worse with every week as the Hawkeyes lost again and are just 4-3 on the year.
Iowa State pulled a BYU and was playing with fire on Saturday as the Cyclones rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the third quarter to keep its perfect season alive with a 38-35 win over UCF.
With the victory, Iowa State has now matched the 1938 ISU team for the best start in program history. The school has also won four straight conference games to open the season for the first time in program history.
Next up: vs. Bye Week
Thrilling showdown: No. 13 BYU edges out Oklahoma State — Reactions pour in
No. 3 Kansas State (6-1, 3-1, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 3
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)
Losses: BYU (9-38)
Kansas State led from start to finish in a 45-18 road victory over West Virginia. The Wildcats have bounced back nicely from a loss to BYU and are still one of the favorites to play in the Big 12 title game in December.
I expect the winner of the Farmageddon rivalry matchup between the Wildcats and the Cyclones next month to play in the Big 12 title game. If Kansas State slips up before that, Wildcat fans can likely kiss their Big 12 title hopes goodbye.
Next up: vs. Kansas (2-5, 1-3)
No. 4 Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 6
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)
Cincinnati jumped up two spots with a nice victory over Arizona State. The Sun Devils were without their starting quarterback who got injured the prior week. Still, the Bearcats played well on both sides of the ball and now have a big showdown against Colorado.
Both teams are 3-1 in conference play and are in a 4-way tie for third place.
Next up: @ Colorado (5-2, 3-1)
No. 5 Colorado (5-2, 3-1, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 7
Wins: North Dakota State (31-26), Colorado State (28-9), Baylor (38-31), UCF (48-21), Arizona (34-7)
Losses: Nebraska (10-28), No. 18 Kansas State (28-31)
Colorado quickly put the Kansas State loss behind them as they went on the road and spanked a good Arizona team 34-7.
The Buffs now have a big Saturday showdown at home against Cincinnati. Can Colorado keep the offense going? The Buffs are favored and a win would set them up nicely the rest of the way as Colorado has a very manageable schedule the rest of the way. The Bearcats — as of now — appear to be their toughest rest on the schedule.
Next up: vs. Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1)
No. 6 Texas Tech (5-2, 3-1, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 4
Wins: Abilene Christian (52-51), North Texas (66-21), Arizona State (30-22), Cincinnati (44-41), Arizona (28-22)
Losses: Washington State (16-37), Baylor (35-59)
I didn’t see that coming!
I knew there was going to be a lot of offense, but a combined 94 points, and Baylor winning (59-35), is something nobody saw coming.
Texas Tech came in on a four-game winning streak, was playing at home, and even had a bye week to prepare for the Bears. Yet they still got blown out. The Red Raiders now must run the table if they want to get to the Big 12 title game.
And with games against Iowa State and Colorado in back-to-back weeks next month, I’m not sure that’s going to happen.
Next up: @ TCU (4-3, 2-2)
Big 12 Football Midseason Analysis: Separating contenders from pretenders
No. 7 Arizona State (5-2, 2-2, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 5
Wins: Wyoming (48-7), Mississippi State (30-23), Texas State (31-28), Kansas (35-31), Utah (27-19)
Losses: Texas Tech (22-30), Cincinnati (14-24)
Arizona State was playing without its starting QB Sam Leavitt, but they did keep it close against a really good Cincinnati team.
The only good news for the Sun Devils is that they have a bye week this week so Leavitt will have more time to heal and hopefully won’t miss anymore game time.
Next up: Bye Week
No. 8 TCU (4-3, 2-2, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 14
Wins: Stanford (34-27), Long Island University (45-0), Kansas (38-27), Utah (13-7)
Losses: UCF (34-35), SMU (42-66), Houston (19-30)
TCU made the biggest jump this week as the Horned Frogs moved up six spots — thanks to losses from all the teams in the middle of the conference standings.
Coming into last week, TCU hadn’t played Utah since the Mountain West Conference days and they picked up right where they had left off as the Horned Frogs went into Salt Lake City and came away with a 13-7 victory.
TCU will look to keep the momentum going at home against Texas Tech.
Next up: vs. Texas Tech (5-2, 3-1)
No. 9 Baylor (3-4, 1-3, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 13
Wins: Tarleton State (45-3), Air Force (31-3), Texas Tech (59-35)
Losses: Utah (12-23), Colorado (31-38), BYU (28-34), Iowa State (21-43)
Baylor made the second biggest jump of the week as the Bears moved up four spots as the Bears went into Lubbock, Texas, and dominated the Red Raiders, 59-35. Baylor has faced the toughest Big 12 schedule to date, but with a manageable schedule now, the Bears will look to keep the momentum going as they look to make a bowl game after missing out last year.
Next up: vs. Oklahoma State (3-4, 0-4)
No. 10 Arizona (3-4, 1-3, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 8
Wins: New Mexico (61-39), Northern Arizona (22-10), Utah (23-10)
Losses: No. 14 Kansas State (7-31), Texas Tech (22-28), No. 14 BYU (19-41), Colorado (7-34)
Arizona continues to fall as the Wildcats have now lost 3 consecutive games, including back-to-back blowout losses to BYU and Colorado. If Arizona wants to go to a bowl game, it’s likely going to need a win this weekend against West Virginia as the Wildcats still have some tough opponents left to play, including in-state rival Arizona State.
Next up: vs. West Virginia (3-4, 2-2)
No. 11 Utah (4-3, 1-3, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 10
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)
With Cam Rising done for the year, it seemed that would give Utah’s offense a spark as they didn’t have to play quarterback musical chairs. The team knows who is starting under center (Isaac Wilson) and the freshman would get all the first-team reps as well instead of sharing them with Rising.
But that spark didn’t happen. Utah’s offense was horrible all night as the Utes lost 13-7, and lost consecutive home games for the first time in what seems like forever. Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig also resigned Sunday night the school announced.
With games still against BYU, Iowa State and Colorado, Utah will likely need a win against Houston if they want to go to a bowl game this year.
Next up: @ Houston (2-5, 1-3)
Big 12 Football Midseason Analysis: Separating contenders from pretenders
No. 12 Oklahoma State (3-4, 0-4, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 11
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)
Coming off a bye week, Oklahoma State showed up to Provo, Utah and gave BYU all they could handle in one of the best college football games this season.
This Oklahoma State team looked like the team we were waiting to see all year. It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys can keep it going, or if the BYU game was a combination of the bye week + their Super Bowl against Top 15 BYU.
Next up: @ Baylor (3-4, 1-3)
No. 13 UCF (3-4, 1-3, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 12
Wins: New Hampshire (57-3), Sam Houston (45-0), TCU (35-34)
Losses: Colorado (21-48), Florida (13-24), Cincinnati (13-19), No. 9 Iowa State (35-38)
UCF can’t get out of its own way.
The Knights lost their fourth consecutive game and should have knocked off Iowa State. UCF led by two touchdowns in the second half and nearly had a second pick-6 on the night, except the ball was dropped on the one-yard line.
Surprisingly, Iowa State had one of the top defenses in the country coming into the game, and yet the Knights racked up 354 yards rushing, led by running back RJ Harvey (196) and quarterback Jacurri Brown (154).
The schedule doesn’t get any easier as UCF welcomes No. 11 BYU to Orlando. If the Knights want to win, they’ll need another rushing performance against BYU similar to the one they did against Iowa State. If not, BYU could quickly turn the game into a blowout — similar to the last time they played the Knights in the Sunshine State (49-23).
Next up: vs. BYU (7-0, 4-0)
Big 12 Football Midseason Analysis: Separating contenders from pretenders
No. 14 West Virginia (3-4, 2-2, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 9
Wins: UAlbany (49-14), Kansas (32-28), Oklahoma State (38-14)
Losses: No. 8 Penn State (12-34), Pittsburgh (34-38), No. 11 Iowa State (16-28), No. 17 Kansas State (18-45)
For the first time this season, West Virginia is on a two-game losing streak after back-to-back losses to Iowa State and Kansas State.
The Mountaineers will look to regroup and bounce back this week as the team travels west to take on the Arizona Wildcats — a team that is currently on a 3-game losing streak.
Somebody’s losing streak will end on Saturday!
Next up: @ Arizona (3-4, 1-3)
No. 15 Kansas (2-5, 1-3, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 16
Wins: Lindenwood (48-3), Houston (42-14)
Losses: Illinois (17-23), UNLV (20-23), West Virginia (28-32), TCU (27-38), Arizona State (31-35)
Houston is just what the doctor ordered.
Kansas led from start to finish as they rolled past Houston 42-14, in the battle of the Big 12 cellar dwellers. The Jayhawks will look to build upon that momentum as they go on the road to face in-state rival No. 16 Kansas State.
With only five games remaining, Kansas needs to win four out of the last 5 in order to make it to a bowl game.
Next up: @ Kansas State (6-1, 3-1)
No. 16 Houston (2-5, 1-3, Big 12)
Last Week Ranking: No. 15
Wins: Rice (33-7), TCU (30-19)
Losses: UNLV (7-27), Oklahoma (12-16), Cincinnati (0-34), Iowa State (0-20), Kansas (14-42)
Well, that didn’t take very long. Houston is back at the bottom of the Big 12 after a blowout loss to Kansas. Life doesn’t get much easier as the Cougars have to face Utah, and then tough games against Kansas State and BYU in November.
Next up: vs. Utah (4-3, 1-3)
Big 12 Football Midseason Analysis: Separating contenders from pretenders
