Big 12 Power Rankings: TCU's run to the top complete after double-OT win

On3 imageby:On3 Staff Report•10/17/22

What’s left to say about the Big 12 at this point? Every week there’s more madness at the top and it’s still perfectly unclear whether there is actually a dominant team in the league as our Big 12 Power Rankings continue to adjust.

Of course, TCU gets to hold that mantle for this week, all the way up from No. 9 in our rankings just three weeks ago. How long the Horned Frogs will remain atop their perch remains to be seen; most other contenders atop the rankings haven’t lasted long.

Anyway, let’s dive into the Big 12 action from the weekend.

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Today we update the Big 12 Power Rankings following Week 7 games.

2022 Big 12 Power Rankings – Week 7

  1. TCU (+1)

As we noted earlier in TCU’s schedule, the Horned Frogs would have ammo to move up once they started accumulating some quality wins. Well, Sonny Dykes and company have done just that. Saturday’s 43-40 double-overtime win over Oklahoma State showed some serious heart, with quarterback Max Duggan powering TCU to the win in a big comeback. Next up is a Kansas State squad that just got an extra week to prepare.

  1. Oklahoma State (-1)

Oklahoma State took a big early lead, racing ahead 24-7 before allowing TCU to get back into the game. Quarterback Spencer Sanders and the offense stalled out after the early fireworks; Sanders finished the game just 16-of-36 passing for 245 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. The Cowboys just left too many plays out there against a quality opponent.

  1. Kansas State

The Wildcats were on a bye week, getting a great chance to scout TCU in a competitive matchup. With the loss to Tulane now well in the rearview mirror, it’ll be interesting to see if Kansas State can put together a second-half surge in 2022. The run game is dynamic and hard to stop, but did the Wildcats find answers in other areas during the bye week?

  1. Texas

The Longhorns struggled at home against Iowa State but managed to pull ahead in the final five minutes, holding on to win 24-21. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was clutch when it counted and the defense forced a fumble that ended the threat from Iowa State down the stretch. All things considered, simply surviving another week is a win in the Big 12 at this point. Up next: at Oklahoma State, at Kansas State, vs. TCU, at Kansas. Let’s find out just how ‘back’ Texas is.

  1. Oklahoma (+3)

Speaking of surviving, how about the job Oklahoma did picking itself up off the mat after three straight losses? Sure, Kansas was without starting quarterback Jalon Daniels and Oklahoma had Dillon Gabriel back again following a concussion. Still, the 52-42 win was a good sign that Brent Venables hasn’t lost control. Now Venables gets a bye week to really work on some fixes for that defense. If they don’t come this current bump up the Big 12 Power Rankings will likely be pretty temporary.

  1. Kansas (-1)

The Jayhawks battled without Daniels, and backup quarterback Jason Bean has looked plenty competent in his stead the last two weeks. But you won’t win many games when you give up 701 yards of offense like Kansas did on Saturday. Kansas’ road isn’t going to get any easier, either. Up next is a road trip to Baylor.

  1. Baylor (-1)

Baylor had its chances to win on Saturday, even after starting quarterback Blake Shapen left the game following a helmet-to-helmet hit in the third quarter. But West Virginia’s defense came up with some timely plays when it needed to and a game-winning field goal with 33 seconds left led to a 43-40 win. Baylor has now dropped two straight and will host Kansas, hoping to get Shapen back in time.

  1. Texas Tech (-1)

Texas Tech was off this weekend following back-to-back competitive losses against Kansas State and Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders have a similar resume as West Virginia at this point, and you could rank either team in this spot and get away with it. Both have three reasonably ‘good’ losses, while having one to two solid wins. They’ll square off next week to determine who should be ahead.

  1. West Virginia (+1)

The Mountaineers have weathered a tough start and have now won three of their last four, with a loss at Texas the lone blip in that span. Impressively, West Virginia topped Baylor without starting running back CJ Donaldson on Saturday. Like TCU earlier in the season, there will be plenty of juice to move up the rankings the next couple weeks.

  1. Iowa State (-1)

The Cyclones have been competitive in each of their last four games. They’ve lost each by one score, with the last three games decided by a field goal or less. On Saturday Texas did just enough to eke out the win 24-21, sending the Cyclones to 0-4 in Big 12 play. Iowa State’s a tough out for anyone and no one is going to relish playing the Cyclones, but you have to produce results at some point.

Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Week 6 Big 12 Power Rankings here!