Big 12 Power Rankings: Oklahoma State defends top spot as Kansas schools creep forward
The chaos theme established in Week 4 continued this weekend, as another series of upsets shakes up our Big 12 Power Rankings yet again. Two of the one-loss powers hanging on near the top were upended, establishing a more clear pecking order in the league.
Oklahoma State firmly established itself as the league leader with a win at Baylor. Unbeaten TCU vaulted up the rankings this week after an upset of Oklahoma, while Kansas remained unbeaten by pulling out a close one on against Iowa State.
So how did those results alter the landscape? Let’s break it down.
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Today we update the Big 12 Power Rankings following Week 5 games.
2022 Big 12 Power Rankings – Week 5
Oklahoma State avenged last year’s Big 12 title game loss to Baylor on Saturday, returning the opening kickoff in the second half 98 yards to build a 20-point lead. A wild third quarter that saw the teams combine for 39 points made it interesting, but the Cowboys came away with a 36-25 win to cement their spot atop the rankings for at least another week.
- Kansas (+2)
In a defensive struggle, Kansas did just enough to survive in a 14-11 win over Iowa State. Now, the Jayhawks definitely needed a little bit of luck in the form of Cyclones kicker Jace Gilbert missing three field goals, including a game-tying attempt from 37 yards out in the final minute. Still, to the victor go the spoils and Kansas will play host to ESPN’s College GameDay this week as unbeaten TCU comes to town.
The Wildcats followed up an impressive win over Oklahoma with an equally impressive victory over Texas Tech, winning 37-28. It was the Martinez-Vaughn show again, with quarterback Adrian Martinez rushing for 171 yards and three scores and throwing for 116 yards and another, while running back Deuce Vaughn added 170 yards on the ground. After a road trip to Iowa State and a bye week on Oct. 15, Kansas State’s schedule really gets tough in the second half of the season.
- TCU (+5)
We’d been saying for a couple weeks that TCU was tough to place in the Big 12 Power Rankings given the lack of quality opponents in the first three games (though a road win at SMU was nice), and sure enough the Horned Frogs move way up after really proving themselves against Oklahoma. The Sooners were demolished 55-24, setting up a showdown of unbeatens between Kansas and TCU this week in front of the GameDay crew in Lawrence, Kan.
- Baylor (-3)
Baylor has two “good losses” now, having fallen to ranked BYU and Oklahoma State teams. And the Bears only have one conference loss, so they’re not out of the Big 12 title race, though the College Football Playoffs look out of reach now. Still, Baylor came into the season with high hopes and a 3-2 start following Saturday’s 36-25 loss to Oklahoma State stings.
- Texas (+1)
After a narrow road loss at Texas Tech in the previous week, Texas bounced back ahead of the Red River Rivalry with Oklahoma by beating West Virginia 38-20. The Longhorns raced to an early 28-0 lead and never looked back, as quarterback Hudson Card threw three touchdown passes. Quinn Ewers could return soon, which would make Texas’ decision on what to do at quarterback quite interesting.
- Oklahoma (-2)
The Sooners saw their chances go south in a hurry on Saturday against TCU, and a pair of scary injuries overshadowed the 55-24 loss. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel was knocked out of the game in the second quarter, before defensive back Damond Harmon was carted off after being immobilized. From a football standpoint, Oklahoma has Texas up next followed by unbeaten Kansas. Coach Brent Venables has his work cut out for him salvaging Year 1.
- Texas Tech (-2)
The Red Raiders had a five-game stretch against ranked opponents that began in Week 2 against then-No. 25 Houston. They’re now at 2-2 in that stretch, losing to Kansas State 37-28 on Saturday with a trip to Oklahoma State looming. The Red Raiders outgained the Wildcats 473 yards to 459 but had no answers for Kansas State’s ground game. Four turnovers by Texas Tech were killer.
- Iowa State (-1)
Iowa State had its chances to win but missed three field goals in a 14-11 defeat at Kansas, including a 37-yarder that would have tied it in the final minute of the game. The Cyclones have two narrow losses the last two weeks. Next up is No. 20 Kansas State at home, followed by a road trip to Texas and then a bye week.
The Mountaineers couldn’t find a way to stop the Longhorns or quarterback Hudson Card, who threw for three touchdowns on Saturday as Texas won 38-20. Texas came out hot and jumped out to a 28-0 lead in a game that was never really all that contested. West Virginia scored 13 in the fourth quarter to make it a touch more respectable. No. 22 Baylor comes to Morgantown next.
Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Week 4 Big 12 Power Rankings here!