Big 12 Week Seven Power Rankings

16. Kansas (Previous Ranking – 15)

The Jayhawks almost did it. They won the turnover battle 2-0. Offensive output was very similar between the two teams with Kansas having 411 yards while Arizona State had 485. Kansas has now lost five straight football games. Hopefully, the bye week has arrived just in time for them to save their season.

15. Oklahoma State (Previous Ranking – 11)

The vibes in Stillwater have hit an all-time low in the last decade. The Pokes looked uncompetitive while getting run out of their stadium by West Virginia. The largest deficit Oklahoma State faced was a 38-7 hole in the fourth quarter. A garbage time score put lipstick on this messy orange and black pig as Oklahoma State lost 38-14. With half the season gone, Oklahoma State and Kansas are battling for the title of biggest disappointment in the Big 12 this year.

14. Baylor (Previous Ranking – 14)

Dave Aranda is 0-4 against Big 12 teams this season. His team’s best win came against a 1-4 Air Force team. The Bears had found an offensive spark with changing to quarterback Sawyer Robertson, but have yet to get a win to show for it. It has been the same story for the last three weeks of Baylor playing two or three-quarters of competitive football, but they have not been able to put it together for a full game. The Bears have the week off before traveling to Lubbock next week.

13. TCU (Previous Ranking – 13)

Outside of Oklahoma State, the most shockingly poor performance of the week came in Fort Worth. In what is becoming a very concerning trend, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes has made comments about his team’s play that suggest he has no feel for his team. After SMU whooped them to claim the Iron Skillet two weeks ago, Dykes told reporters he was “surprised” because of how well his team had practiced that week. After their loss on Friday in front of their home crowd, Dykes described the game as “a total disaster of a football game.” He also added “I’m not quite sure exactly why” his team played that way. Since getting waxed by Georgia in the 2022 national title game, TCU has a combined eight wins (two of which are against FCS opponents). The Horned Frogs have a bye week to try to correct things before taking on Utah.

12. Houston (Previous Ranking – 16)

As bad as things are trending for TCU, kudos to Willie Fritz’s team for putting it on the Horned Frogs in a 30-19 in which, at one point, Houston held a 24-6 lead. After consecutive weeks of scoring zero points in Big 12 play, the Cougars made a change at quarterback to Zeon Chriss who was efficient passing but did even more with his legs. Houston ran for a team total of 207 yards, with Chriss accounting for 97 of those. Everyone expected Fritz’s team to get better, but this was still a bit of a shock to see this drastic of a turnaround given the way the season has played out. But maybe we also should have seen this on Friday night as an appetizer for what chaos ensued the next day.

11. West Virginia (Previous Ranking – 12)

The Mountaineers played the type of game against Oklahoma State that most thought Oklahoma State would play. Neal Brown’s crew ran the ball 65 times for 389 yards as they had their way with Oklahoma State’s front all game. It was the type of rushing game script we saw a lot of last season. They are at their best when they are not asking Garrett Greene to carry the bulk of the offense. It has been quite a roller-coaster season for this team in 2024. They welcome undefeated Iowa State this week to Morgantown.

10. Cincinnati (Previous Ranking – 10)

Cincinnati was on a bye week. They resume play on the road at UCF this week.

9. UCF (Previous Ranking – 8)

UCF’s spot in the Big 12 week seven power rankings is the official notice that all UCF sleeper talk to challenge for the top of the standings is dead. In the last three weeks, the defense has allowed a total of 1,237 yards of offense and 107 points. They also have not been able to run the ball for more than 128 yards in their last two games. In their latest 24-13 defeat against Florida, the offensive line just could not do anything. The Knight look to stop their losing streak at two as they host Cincinnati this week.

8. Arizona (Previous Ranking – 5)

This was the type of game that showed some of the rust of a brand-new coaching staff. After getting a big win in Utah last week, the Wildcats came back home and looked disjointed. In the first half of this game, it appeared a blowout was in the works as Texas Tech held an 18-3 lead at the break. Arizona did fight back in the second half. Stand-out wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan put up some big numbers, but the rest of the Arizona passing attack struggled to do much of anything. They only scored one touchdown despite getting into Texas Tech territory six times in the game. Now they have to travel to undefeated BYU this week.

7. Arizona State (Previous Ranking – 9)

The good vibes and good times of the 2024 season march on for the Sun Devils after their thrilling 35-31 victory over Kansas. Their ground game was cooking to the tune of 313 yards, headlined by Cam Skattebo who had 186 of them. If they gave out a Big 12 coach of the year at the halfway point, it would likely go to Kenny Dillingham. With seven games remaining, Arizona State just needs to win one more to clear their preseason win total set by Vegas. They have a big challenge on a shorter week ahead with Utah coming to town on Friday.

6. Utah (Previous Ranking – 6)

The Utes were on a bye week last week. Cam Rising’s health still remains the biggest question mark for this team. Kyle Whittingham better has his team ready for a stiff challenge from the upstart Sun Devils as they travel down to Tempe.

5. Texas Tech (Previous Ranking – 7)

In the Big 12 week seven power rankings, there is only one team that can boast a 3-0 record at the time of publication in the conference. Joey McGuire’s Red Raiders picked up a big 28-22 victory late into the Tuscon night in large part due to a sterling defensive performance. The defense held Arizona to 3-14 on third down in the game. They were getting pressure on the quarterback and caused three turnovers in the game. Texas Tech now has two weeks to prepare for a struggling Baylor team and try to officially insert itself into conference championship conversations.

4. Colorado (Previous Ranking – 4)

Can Colorado keep the momentum going after its bye week? We will see as they welcome Kansas State to Folsom Field this week.

3. Kansas State (Previous Ranking – 3)

Chris Klieman’s team was off this week. They have a big test this week traveling to Boulder for some late-night football against the Buffalos.

2. Iowa State (Previous Ranking – 2)

In Last Word’s Big 12 week six winners, Iowa State was challenged not to trip up against Baylor. It took about two-and-a-half quarters to get going. Baylor had a 21-19 lead with 11 minutes left in the third quarter. But the Cyclones did finally pull away from the Bears. Matt Campbell’s team pushed to 5-0 with a 43-21 victory. If they are going to stay undefeated, they must clear a tricky trip to Morgantown this week.

1.  BYU (Previous Ranking – 1)

The team atop the Big 12 week seven power rankings won’t lose their spot on a bye week. The Cougars resume play against Arizona this week.