Non-conference play for Big 12 teams provided results, both good and bad, for the perception of the conference as a whole. Now, all teams (with the exception of Iowa State) open up Big 12 play this week. In the Big 12 week four power rankings, which teams are in prime position to compete for the conference title?
Big 12 Week Four Power Rankings
16. Cincinnati (Previous Ranking – 16)
The Bearcats deserve to celebrate their 27-16 victory over their instate rival Miami (OH). After all, they fought to take back the Victory Bell back from the Redhawks. But the end-of-game celebration speaks to the current state of the program. A Cincinnati player was photographed “planting” a Cincinnati flag at the 50-yard line in Yager stadium. Before last year, a Big 12 team who had won 16 straight over this MAC team was planting its flag like Baker Mayfield did at Ohio State. A non-dominating victory over the MAC won’t get Cincy out of the basement of the Big 12 week four power rankings.
15. Kansas (Previous Ranking – 7)
Maybe the loss of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is much larger than we thought. Against Illinois and UNLV, Kansas scored less than 21 points in each game. While still flashing his play-making ability, quarterback Jalon Daniels has not developed consistency in the offense. UNLV now has the inside track to be the G5 representative in the playoff. But Kansas, who is now 1-2 after losing 23-20, is trending in the wrong direction.
14. West Virginia (Previous Ranking – 10)
The Penn State loss hurt because it showed how far West Virginia is from playoff contention. However, Neal Brown immediately coached himself back onto the hot seat after blowing a 10-point lead with 4:55 left in the game against Pitt. The defense has struggled all season to make plays and it showed again in the late comeback by the rival Panthers. If they can’t get it right against a turnover-prone Jayhawk team this week, last year might as well not have happened from a “will Brown keep his job” standpoint.
13. Baylor (Previous Ranking – 13)
For a half, it looked like a service academy was going to give Baylor all of the fits. Somehow, the Bears led 6-3 at halftime despite three lost fumbles and another possession ending on downs. But Dave Aranda’s guys rallied at the half and pulled away to a 31-3 victory. They did a great job of squashing the Air Force rushing attack, limiting them to under 200 yards rushing. That is a defensive win against a service academy. A trip to Colorado will be an interesting litmus test for this team this week.
12. Texas Tech (Previous Ranking – 15)
North Texas ran into an angry team in Lubbock. The Red Raiders had failed to put together a complete game early in the season and have sputtered to a 1-1 start. But Joey McGuire saw his team play their most complete game in his short tenure as their head coach. A 66-21 beat down of the Mean Green was the exact momentum shift this team needed with Arizona State coming to town in week four.
11. TCU (Previous Ranking – 11)
This one is going to sting for a little while. In an uber-competitive conference, missing out on W’s in which you led 31-13 late into the third quarter will be hard to digest. The Horned Frog offense did its job but sputtered down the stretch and the defense did not close the door. This week, we will see if TCU can bounce back against SMU with the skillet on the line.
10. Houston (Previous Ranking – 12)
The Cougars, who looked spunky last week against Oklahoma, got a big win over Rice. Willie Fritz likey won’t see a ton of wins out of his team this season. So to not trip up in one of the few winnable games they have this season was big. However, a road trip to Cincinnati this week does not appear so daunting to this Houston team anymore.
9. Colorado (Previous Ranking – 14)
Don’t panic, but Colorado appeared to handle its rivalry game with Colorado State in a very business-like fashion. The 28-9 victory comes on the heels of Colorado State players talking all of the trash leading into the game and having nothing to show for it on the field. The Buffs were able to run the ball a little bit and that helped give Shedeur Sanders some easy completions. Colorado State isn’t a very good team, but Colorado needs to be given credit for looking very polished after Nebraska dismantled them one week ago.
8. Arizona (Previous Ranking – 4)
Arizona had an impressive opening touchdown drive that covered 73 yards in 14 plays against Kansas State. After that drive, the Wildcats only had 251 yards of offense and zero points. Tetairoa McMillian is still appointment television as he had one of the quietest 11 receptions for 138 yards game possible. But Arizona looked to be in a lower-weight class compared to Kansas State on Friday night. After the 31-7 defeat it is clear Arizona, who can still have a successful season, won’t be a true threat for the Big 12 crown.
7. BYU (Previous Ranking – 9)
Is it time for BYU to be taken seriously? We aren’t there just yet (like the next team in these Big 12 week four power rankings), but all signs are trending up. After starting their game against Wyoming by throwing an interception, BYU controlled the rest of the game en route to a 34-14 victory. BYU hasn’t exactly played a murders-row schedule, but they are 3-0. We will find out quickly if they are for real as Kansas State comes to Provo this week.
6. Arizona State (Previous Ranking – 8)
It is time to believe in Kenny Dillingham’s Sun Devils. Most of the time, a road win over a Sun Belt team by a P4 team doesn’t move the needle. But Arizona State played a fun and hard-fought game against one of the best G5 teams on Thursday night. Texas State appeared to be cooling the Sun Devils’ hot start. However, Texas State made the key mistakes that allowed Arizona State to rally to a 31-28 win and remain perfect.
5. Iowa State (Previous Ranking – 5)
Iowa State was on a bye week in week three. They take on Arkansas State this week as the other non-conference matchup in the Big 12.
4. UCF (Previous Ranking – 6)
When you are the only team with a Big 12 win, and are 3-0 on the season, you are guaranteed to move up in the Big 12 week for power rankings. For about two-and-a-half quarters, it was looking pretty rough for the Knights against TCU. The 35-34 victory of TCU was far from perfect. But that type of resilience and belief can carry a team a long way. Just like RJ Harvey can carry the rushing attack for UCF. The Knights get to collect their breath this week as they are on a bye.
3. Utah (Previous Ranking – 1)
Utah quarterback Cam Rising did not play in this one, and it was looking like 2023 early on. Utah State was within a touchdown going into the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the Utes pulled away in the end and avoided the trap game. After seeing how Utah handled news surrounding Rising’s injury status last year, there is no idea if he is playing this week. But, it was noteworthy he did take part in pre-game warm-ups in full pads before this one, suggesting that the injury will not keep him out long.
2. Oklahoma State (Previous Ranking – 2)
The Utes will need Rising back for two reasons. One, the college football nation cannot be deprived of a quarterback matchup between players who both wear the number seven and are in their seventh season of college football. But more importantly, Oklahoma State is a really good football team right now. A trip to Tulsa smelled like a classic let-down spot. Instead, the Pokes shellacked the Golden Hurricanes by a score of 45-10 (Tulsa didn’t score until the fourth quarter). Quarterback Alan Bowman, at least for this week, appeared up to the challenge if teams are going to sell out against the run.
1. Kansas State (Previous Ranking – 3)
Kansas State hardly broke a sweat against Arizona on Friday night. Chris Klieman’s team was solid in all three phases of the game and never made any glaring mistakes. Quarterback Avery Johnson was poised and executed the offense in a workman-esque fashion. Johnson had a total of 266 yards of offense (110 rushing) and two touchdowns. Kansas State, and stop us if this sounds familiar, is going to make teams play their best game to beat them. These Wildcats will not beat themselves.
