The Big 12 has not helped its case for the College Football Playoff so far. Through five weeks there are only two undefeated teams. Yet, Baylor and West Virginia (only undefeated teams) have not earned much respect nationally either. The front runners at the beginning of the season which were Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Baylor, have mostly fizzled out to some degree. The Sooners have not lost a conference game yet, but they’re out of the playoff picture pretty much for good. The Cowboys are definitely out of the playoff picture. And TCU has struggled through almost every game they’ve played so far. Now, lets take a look at the Big 12 mid-season power rankings.
Big 12 Mid-Season Power Rankings
1. Baylor
The Bears are the clear cut favorite to win the conference right now. They passed their first big test of the season two weeks ago against Oklahoma State. Iowa State did pose a threat to Baylor’s undefeated season, but the Bears walked away with the victory 45-42.
2. Oklahoma
The Sooners have had an up and down season so far. At 2-2, it’s easy to make the argument that the Sooners don’t belong at number two. However, after beating TCU, they have proven they’re still in the thick of the Big 12 title race. And their only two losses are to bonafide top 10 teams.
3. West Virginia
It’s difficult to gauge just how good West Virginia is. They’re undefeated with a few quality victories, including a win in their conference opener against Kansas State. Quarterback Skyler Howard has been clutch so far this season, winning multiple games by three points or less.
4. Oklahoma State
The Cowboys got their first conference victory of the season against Texas yesterday. However, they have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the conference this season. They’ll have a chance to get their fourth win of the season against Iowa State this week.
5. TCU
There has not been any team more disappointing than TCU, in the Big 12 so far. Even though they almost made a dramatic comeback yesterday in a 52-46 loss against Oklahoma, it has been a struggle for them in almost every game this season. The defense has not played as expected and quarterback Kenny Hill has been inconsistent.
6. Texas
The Longhorns have lost two games in a row since their upset of Notre Dame in the first week of the season. An 18 point loss to Oklahoma State puts Charlie Strong in a tough spot heading into the Red River Showdown against Oklahoma. The offense looks much improved, but the defense has let up more than 47 points in three of their four games this season.
7. Texas Tech
The Red Raiders have been largely untested up to this point. They dominated Kansas to a 55-19 victory last week. However, a 68-55 loss to Arizona State does not look good. Especially after the Sun Devils got dominated by a 1-3 USC team. The defense has struggled and quarterback Patrick Mahomes has looked very good. Yet a shoulder injury last week has Mahomes’ timetable for a return unknown.
8. Kansas State
The Wildcats are a hard team to figure out right now. They blew a lead to West Virginia yesterday en route to a 17-16 loss. Sitting at 2-2, the Wildcats do not have an impressive victory on their schedule. They will have a good chance to get their first conference win against Texas Tech this week.
9. Iowa State
New head coach Matt Campbell and the Cyclones got off to a rough start this season. After starting 0-3 (including a loss to Northern Iowa out of the FCS), the Cyclones have looked much improved the last two games. A 34 point victory against San Jose State and a near upset of Baylor have Iowa State fans a little more optimistic. An important road game against Oklahoma State is waiting for them this week.
10. Kansas
The Jayhawks do have a win this year. That’s really the only positive thing to say about them right now. It looks like it could be another season without a conference win. Since winning their opener against Rhode Island, they are 0-3 losing by a margin of 88 points.
