ESPN ranks Big 12 Football teams from first to last ahead of Week 6

Heading into Week 6 of the 2025 college football season, ESPN’s Big 12 rankings have once again shifted. The rankings are determined based on the media company’s Football Power Index (FPI).

According to ESPN, The FPI is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.

There’s still four undefeated teams in the Big 12 after five weeks: BYU, Houston, Iowa State and Texas Tech. Two of those teams top ESPN’s FPI rankings, while the other two surprisingly find themselves a bit lower down the list. You can view where they all land, along with the other teams in the conference, below.

1. BYU Cougars (4-0) – 15.5

BYU survived a road scare this past week, escaping Colorado by a score of 24-21 in Boulder. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier tossed for 179 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in addition to leading the team with 98 yards rushing.

With the dual-threat prowess of Bachmeier alongside bellcow running back LJ Martin, the Cougars rank first in the Big 12 and ninth in the country with 251.3 rushing yards per game. They’ve certainly established themselves as one of the early contenders in the conference heading into a matchup against West Virginia in Week 6.

2. Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-0) – 14.5

The Red Raiders secured a statement win in Week 4 with an emphatic 34-10 victory against Utah. Even though starting quarterback Behren Morton went down due to injury, Will Hammond stepped in to throw for 169 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

Texas Tech had a bye this past week, allowing Morton time to recover. On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Morton will start when the Red Raiders face Houston in Week 6. Tech has the top scoring offense (52.0 points per game) and overall offense (573.0 yards per game) in the Big 12.

3. Utah Utes (4-1) – 13.1

Coming off of the loss to Texas Tech, the Utes rebounded with a dominant 48-14 victory against West Virginia this past week. Quarterback Devon Dampier came out with something to prove in that contest, finishing 21-of-26 passing for 237 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.

Not only that, but he also rushed for 33 yards and a touchdown. The Utes looked like the conference title contender we thought they were all along, but they’ll have to continue to play at that level. They have a bye in Week 6 before taking on Arizona State in Week 7.

4. TCU Horned Frogs (3-1) – 11.6

The Horned Frogs suffered their first loss of the season this past week, 27-24 against Arizona State. They actually held a 24-17 lead late in the fourth quarter before giving up a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining.

TCU got the ball back with a chance to drive down the field and win, but fumbled the ball away two plays later. That allowed the Sun Devils to kick the go-ahead field goal, and the Horned Frogs threw an interception on the ensuing drive to end the game. Self-inflicted wounds ended up being their downfall, but ESPN still likes TCU to bounce back going forward.

5. Iowa State Cyclones (5-0) – 10.2

The Cyclones became the first Big 12 team to reach five wins this season with their 39-14 victory against Arizona over the weekend. They scored all five of their touchdowns on the ground, with quarterback Rocco Becht running in three of them.

Iowa State competed for a Big 12 Championship last season and it looks like early on that they could have another chance to do so this year. They’ve got some tough games remaining on their schedule, including against BYU and TCU, so we’ll have to see how it plays out.

6. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-1) – 9.8

The Sun Devils have had back-to-back close calls the past couple of weeks, winning by a field goal in each game. That included a 27-24 victory against TCU in Week 5 in which their defense came up huge, forcing two turnovers in the final two minutes.

Arizona State already has a loss on the season, but it came out of conference against Mississippi State. The Sun Devils are one of just two teams along with BYU to have a 2-0 record in the Big 12 so far. They have a tough schedule left, though, with games against Utah, Texas Tech, Houston and Iowa State on deck in the next month.

7. Kansas Jayhawks (3-2) – 9.7

Despite quarterback Jalon Daniels throwing for 445 yards and four touchdowns, the Jayhawks still lost 37-34 against Cincinnati this past week. It was their first loss in Big 12 play as well as their second of the season.

Daniels, a sixth-year senior, ranks second in the Big 12 with 1,262 yards passing and 16 touchdowns to only two interceptions. He should still keep KU competitive in most games, but right now it looks to be a step behind some of the other contenders in the league.

8. Cincinnati Bearcats (3-1) – 7.4

Following a narrow 20-17 loss against Nebraska to open the season, the Bearcats have reeled off three straight victories. Of course, those wins came against Bowling Green, Northwestern State and Kansas, so who knows what that really means.

In large part due to the 70 points it scored on Northwestern State, Cincinnati ranks second in the Big 12 with 39.5 points per game this season. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby has thrown for 1,043 yards passing and 10 touchdowns with just one interception and also leads the team with 227 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

9. Baylor Bears (3-2) – 7.2

Baylor did what it was expected to do this past week and walked into Stillwater to hand an Oklahoma State team that just fired Mike Gundy a 45-27 loss. It was an easy way to get back in the win column after falling 27-24 against Arizona State the week prior.

The Bears losses so far this season are against the Sun Devils and Auburn, and the jury is still out on exactly how good this team is. That said, Baylor’s schedule the rest of the season sets it up well, as it will avoid playing any of the remaining unbeaten Big 12 teams.

10. Kansas State Wildcats (2-3) – 5.9

After starting the season No. 17 in the AP Poll and as one of the expected Big 12 contenders, Kansas State has failed to live up to those expectations so far. The Wildcats lost 24-21 against Iowa State to kick off the season and also have losses against Navy and Arizona already.

K-State finally got its first conference win this past week as it defeated UCF by a score of 34-20. Running back Dylan Edwards rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown, and the Wildcats will hope this can be the beginnning of their turnaround.

Rest of the Big 12 in the FPI

11. UCF Knights (3-1) – 4.8
12. Arizona Wildcats (3-1) – 4.6
13. Houston Cougars (4-0) – 4.5
14. Colorado Buffaloes (2-3) – 3.5
15. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-3) – (-4.5)
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-3) – (-10.3)