Big 12 Power Rankings updated after Week 8 of college football
Week 8 has come and gone and with that, there are teams who haven’t had a bye week yet and have already played as much as two-thirds of their schedule because of that. At this point, it’s relatively easy to see where teams are in comparison to their peers. In particular, the Big 12 is taking shape better and better with each passing week.
The On3 Big 12 Power Rankings are back following Week 8, with very few changes to the top of the league’s rankings as the schools at the top of the conference managed to consistently win. Of course, they were able to win but not without both Oklahoma and Texas being put on upset alert by UCF and Houston respectfully. However, in the middle and end of the Big 12 Power Rankings, there continue to be changes as teams are battling for position in the second half of the season.
Notably, the Big 12 Power Rankings are not the same as standings. They’re also not predictions for where teams will finish at the end of the season. Instead, they’re the product of several On3 staff members who ranked the teams to show how well the teams are playing as of right now.
1. Oklahoma Sooners (7-0, 4-0)
Oklahoma had a bye week following the Sooners’ massive win in Red River over Texas to regroup. Despite that, the Sooners still came out and nearly were upset at home against a UCF team that has yet to win a Big 12 game this season. Still, Oklahoma survived and likely got a much needed wake up call for the second half of the regular season.
For now, Oklahoma is still in the driver’s seat of the Big 12 this season as the only team unbeaten in conference play and the tiebreaker over Texas. Because of that, the Sooners do look like they’ll be playing in the conference championship game unless a disaster happens. However, that really doesn’t seem likely at this point.
2. Texas Longhorns (6-1, 3-1)
Texas went on the road to play the Houston Cougars. For Houston, it was one of the biggest home games in the program’s history and the Cougars played like it, nearly upsetting the Longhorns. That wasn’t great for Texas, but the Longhorns did win the game and are still in a great spot as a team moving forward. However, Quinn Ewers was injured, which is going to be a much bigger issue than anything else for the Longhorns.
Ewers has an AC joint injury and he’s going to miss some time because of it. Behind him are two very talented but inexperienced quarterbacks in Maalik Murphy and Arch Manning. Murphy replaced him against Houston, only throwing the ball twice. So, the Longhorns are going to need to figure things out at quarterback for the next few weeks.
3. Kansas State Wildcats (5-2, 3-1)
Chris Klieman and the Kansas State coaching staff have a decision to make at the quarterback position. Do the Wildcats stick with the veteran Will Howard, who is the leader of the team, or the high-upside young quarterback in Avery Johnson? For now, Kansas State is having the two split time at the quarterback position, but that likely won’t last forever.
Kansas State just dominated the TCU Horned Frogs by a score of 41-3. With that, the defending Big 12 Champions have helped to establish themselves as a very real threat for the conference championship game. An early November road trip to Texas will likely end up being the deciding factor in that race.
4. Kansas Jayhawks (5-2, 2-2)
Kansas is coming off a tough loss against Oklahoma State. With that, the Jayhawks have fallen to 2-2 in Big 12 play and many fans are going to be wondering what could have been if Jalon Daniels never got injured. That isn’t to say that Jason Bean hasn’t been good. He has, but the offense is clearly missing its starting quarterback.
The Jayhawks still have time this season to make a run this season and create havoc in the Big 12, though. Games against Oklahoma and Kansas State could lead to chaos and potentially reshape the conference title race. However, it would be much easier to create that chaos if Daniels was the quarterback under center.
5. BYU Cougars (5-2, 2-2)
To this point, BYU has established itself as the most successful of the four new Big 12 teams. That’s because the Cougars have two conference wins, which is double what Houston, UCF, and Cincinnati have combined to this point in the season. Most recently, BYU got a win over Texas Tech.
Now, the Cougars are just one win away from bowl eligibility this season. They’ll look to get that sixth win in upset fashion next week against Texas. If not, then BYU will have its chances throughout the month of November against a tough slate of Big 12 opponents.
6. Iowa State Cyclones (4-3, 3-1)
Iowa State struggled in non-conference plays this season. After that, not many people expected much from the Cyclones. However, to this point, Iowa State has been able to prove the doubters wrong with a 3-1 record in Big 12 play to this point in the season.
In Week 8, the Cyclones had a bye week after beating Cincinnati the week before. Now, Iowa State is looking to finish the season strong. The Cyclones have five more games, all of which are against conference opponents. Four of those five opponents are currently ranked higher than Iowa State in the On3 Big 12 Power Rankings, so nothing will be given through the end of the season.
7. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-2, 3-1) (+2)
Just like Iowa State, the Oklahoma State Cowboys have also bounced back after struggling early in the season. A big piece of that was, seemingly, finding a quarterback in Alan Bowman. He hasn’t been phenomenal but he has been consistent and given the Cowboys stability at the position, which Oklahoma State badly needed.
Oklahoma State has won three games in a row and will become bowl eligible this season with one more win. Next up is a home game against the Cincinnati Bearcats, which should be a winnable game given how the season has gone to this point for the Bearcats.
8. TCU Horned Frogs (4-4, 2-3) (-1)
After going unbeaten in head coach Sonny Dykes‘ first regular season as the head coach at TCU, the Horned Frogs are just 5-6 in their next 11 games. That includes the Big 12 Championship Game, a College Football Playoff win, and the loss to Georgia. This season, TCU is just .500 and finds itself stumbling into the bye week.
TCU will have a bye week to regroup after losing to Kansas State 41-3. It was an embarrassing loss but the season isn’t necessarily over at this point. A bowl game is still on the table, and with games against Texas and Oklahoma, the Horned Frogs have the chance to create chaos. At the same time, it’s hard not to be frustrated with how the season has gone.
9. West Virginia Mountaineers (4-3, 2-2) (-1)
West Virginia got off to a 4-1 start this season, playing much better than anyone expected them to be able to with Neal Brown on the hot seat. Then, the Mountaineers lost a game in the final seconds on a Hail Mary against Houston and followed that up with a loss to Oklahoma State. Now, Brown and the Mountaineers need to find a way to steady the ship.
Luckily for West Virginia, the schedule is relatively manageable from this point forward. Oklahoma looms, but in the other four remaining games, the Mountaineers are playing three of the new teams to the Big 12 that have struggled in their transition, as well as Baylor. So, as long as West Virginia can win the games it’s supposed to win, then the Mountaineers should go bowling and end with a better than expected season.
10. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-5, 2-3)
The Texas Tech Red Raiders came into the 2023 season with high hopes. Now, the Red Raiders are fighting for bowl eligibility. It’s hard not to be let down by how things are going for Joey McGuire in his second season. Still, with a bye week to regroup, Texas Tech is confident it can get things sorted quickly.
The Red Raiders were struggling even before starting quarterback Tyler Shough was injured this season. However, since his injury, things have started to spiral for Texas Tech. It seems that there isn’t another quarterback who is currently ready to run the offense and the Red Raiders have struggled to find consistency in the wake of Shough’s injury.
11. UCF Knights (3-4, 0-4) (+1)
UCF did something very few people expected, the Knights gave Oklahoma a scare. For much of the second half, UCF actually led the Sooners and with less than two minutes left, the Knights had a chance to tie the game but came up short on a failed two-point try. That was a play call that worked for the Knights in the past but failed here and has been highly criticized since then.
This game was coming off a bye week for UCF. So, the hope if you’re rooting for the Knights is that they were able to figure something out during the bye week. Depth, especially in the trenches will remain an issue. However, with the schedule getting easier in the back half, there is hope that head coach Gus Malzahn figured something out and the Knights will turn things around.
12. Houston Cougars (3-4, 1-3) (+1)
In back-to-back weeks, Houston hosted incredibly emotional games. The first saw the Cougars beat West Virginia on Hail Mary. That ending, with how the season has gone to this point and the fact that it’s head coach Dana Holgorsen‘s former team, was incredibly emotional. Then, Houston hosted one of the most important home games in program history against Texas.
Houston lost to Texas, as was expected, but it was a much closer game than anyone expected. That gave the Cougars a losing record to this point in the season and was a sign that their Big 12 issues are going to continue. Now, Holgorsen and Houston need to find wins quickly. However, with only five games left, getting bowl eligible may be difficult.
13. Baylor Bears (3-4, 2-2) (+1)
Baylor earned its first win in Big 12 play outside of a wild comeback against UCF when the Bears beat Cincinnati last Saturday. That was a big win for the Bears as they look to make a second half push for bowl eligibility and to end the season stronger than they started it. Still, Baylor clearly has issues this season that make the Bears one of the bottom half teams in the conference.
That win over Cincinnati came off a bye week. So, perhaps Dave Aranda and the coaching staff figured something out for the back half of the season. That’s a back half of the schedule with several very winnable games that give the Bears a chance to go on a late run and push to make it to a bowl game.
14. Cincinnati Bearcats (2-5, 0-4) (-3)
It’s hard to say if a team made a bad hire before a full season is over, but things don’t look good for Cincinnati and Scott Satterfield. Most recently, Cincinnati lost to Baylor 32-29. With that, the Bearcats fell to just 2-5 on the season. Within Nippert Stadium, fans voiced their obvious anger over the team’s performance, which even in a transition year to the Big 12 has been poor.
The Bearcats have five games left this season to turn things around and build momentum going into the offseason. Two of those games are against former AAC foes UCF and Houston. Finding a way to earn wins in the back half is going to be incredibly important for Satterfield and Cincinnati.
At this point, the Big 12 Championship will likely be played between Oklahoma and Texas. However, last season’s champion, Kansas State, is still alive, along with Iowa State and Oklahoma State who both only have one loss in conference play. In Week 9, there will be six Big 12 games played, which could once again shake up the conference’s power rankings.