Halloween is just around the corner. Four teams in the Big 12 week 10 power rankings see nothing but treats in front of them. Meanwhile, three teams at the bottom of these rankings have been riddled with tricks all season. Teams moved up without playing and some others moved up in a loss as well. So as we dump out our trick-or-treat baggy, where do all these teams find themselves scattered across the Big 12 table?
Big 12 Week 10 Power Rankings
16. Oklahoma State (Previous Ranking – 13)
Mike Gundy must be studying Hugh Freeze’s playbook of public relations. After losing to Baylor 38-28, Gundy told the press that his players needed “to do some soul searching.” The Pokes defense is challenging Texas Tech for the worst unit in the Big 12. They committed 12 penalties in the game. Oklahoma State remains the only winless team in Big 12 play and now has to win three of their last four to keep their 18-season bowl streak alive.
15. Utah (Previous Ranking – 11)
Compared to preseason expectations, there is no bigger surprise resident in the basement of the Big 12 week 10 power rankings than the Utah Utes. With a 17-14 loss to Houston, Utah now has a four-game losing streak with their only conference win over the team located just one spot below them. During this four-game losing streak, Utah has not scored more than 19 points in any game. The defense continues to play well but is going to have to find a way to score off a turnover. No reprieve is coming as Utah has BYU, Colorado, and Iowa State over the next three weeks.
14. Arizona (Previous Ranking – 9)
Speaking of a four-game losing streak, the Wildcats have looked uncompetitive in a month of football. They have lost those four games by a combined score of 134-74. The final score against West Virginia suggests this might have been a close game (31-26). However, West Virginia led 24-7 in the third quarter and 31-13 in the fourth quarter. Tetoairoa McMillan tried his best to keep this team in it with 10 receptions for 202 yards and a touchdown. The only good news for Arizona is they take on another team this week with a current longer losing streak than them when they travel to UCF this week.
13. UCF (Previous Ranking – 8)
If it hasn’t become obvious at this point, the teams living at the bottom of the Big 12 week 10 power rankings are on significant losing streaks. UCF actually has the longest one at five straight games after getting mauled by undefeated BYU. The Knights only rank in front of the other three teams because they have had some flashes from the team we saw in September during this slump. On Monday, Gus Malzahn fired defensive coordinator Ted Roof after only coaching this defense for eight games. Their upcoming game against Arizona serves as an unofficial notice to the loser that they will not be bowling this season.
12. Kansas (Previous Ranking – 15)
After winning last week in dominating fashion over Houston, Kansas was more than ready for the showdown with their in-state rival. They held a 27-23 lead going into the fourth quarter looking to end a decade-and-a-half-long losing streak to the Wildcats. But a four-quarter fumble and turnover on downs proved to be too costly. The Jayhawks dropped another winnable game in the fourth quarter and are all but guaranteed to miss bowl season for the first time since Lance Leipold’s first season as head coach.
11. Houston (Previous Ranking – 16)
Will Houston go bowling in Willie Fritz’s first season as Houston’s head coach? While he did earn his 250th head coaching victory with a walk-off field goal over Utah, the postseason likely will still escape this team. The Cougars still have games with Kansas State and BYU on the schedule. However, this team has shown enough that beating Baylor and Arizona to finish with a 5-7 season is very obtainable. For as bad of shape as this roster was left in after a four-win outing in 2023, getting to five wins would be a monumental achievement.
10. Texas Tech (Previous Ranking – 5)
When a team gets blown out, it is “easier” to chalk up that Saturday just not going their way. So Texas Tech had two of those Saturdays in their two losses, with a margin of defeat totaling 45. But it is a real gut punch when they lose a game in the fashion that they lost to TCU. It especially hits hard when a win would have kept the Red Raiders in a firm position to win out and play for a Big 12 title. Texas Tech lost to TCU 35-34 in a game in which they won they forced three TCU turnovers and held a 31-14 lead midway through the third quarter. All of the coaches face some major questions that they need to find answers to in a hurry with a road trip to Iowa State this week.
9. West Virginia (Previous Ranking – 14)
Neal Brown’s team did exactly what it has done all season. It has not played down to lesser competition and got a much-needed road win against Arizona. This team has a chance to put together a solid run to close out the season. No opponent remaining on their schedule has more than five wins on the season as of this publication. All possibilities between finishing 4-8 and 8-4 are within grasp for this Mountaineer team. This means they are destined for a 6-6 unsatisfying finish to the season.
8. Baylor (Previous Ranking – 12)
Speaking of teams that can make a run, watch out for Dave Aranda’s Bears in the last month of the season. Finding themselves sitting at 2-4, Baylor has now won consecutive games for the first time all season with a very convincing win against struggling Oklahoma State. Baylor will not face a top-25 team for the rest of the season. Aranda’s seat is still plenty warm but can cool his seat off with a late-season winning streak capped off with a bowl game. It would be quite the turnaround for Baylor heading into the offseason.
7. TCU (Previous Ranking – 10)
TCU might look back at that UCF loss the same way Texas Tech might look at their loss to this Horned Frog team. Sonny Dykes has experienced quite the swings in positive and negative emotions in 2024. Their game Saturday against the Red Raiders was a microcosm for the season. It was all but officially over mid-way through the third quarter for the home team. But they mounted a furious comeback and found themselves in a position to make a late-season push to the Big 12 championship game. They will need help as the four teams in front of them are not on TCU’s schedule. But it also means finishing 9-3 still has life for TCU.
6. Arizona State (Previous Ranking – 7)
The Sun Devils were off last week. They resume play this week with Oklahoma State.
5. Cincinnati (Previous Ranking – 6)
Cincinnati didn’t necessarily play a bad game against Colorado. They had zero turnovers in the game. But the offense was limited and, like most teams, they did not have an answer for Travis Hunter. The Bearcats don’t have anything to feel bad about after losing to Colorado 34-23. Year two under Scott Satterfield has been much improved and there is still potential for more success this season for the Bearcats. They go into the bye week hoping to finish strong over the last four games of the season.
4. Colorado (Previous Ranking – 4)
Paul Brown was an MLB player in the 1960s who famously once said, “When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.” Has Deion Sanders morphed this into “when we know we are bad, talk more, and when we win, run and hide from the press?” Colorado has already secured bowl eligibility before November. They will go into a bye week prepping for the last month of the season where a 10-2 season now actually seems more likely than not at this point. The only real question is will any of the top three teams in front of them stumble and let Colorado sneak into the Big 12 championship game?
3. Kansas State (Previous Ranking – 3)
Chris Klieman’s team had to make it interesting against the Jayhawks. But with very little margin for error, I’m sure the Wildcat fans would like to not have to sweat out any more fourth-quarter comebacks. However, this likely won’t be the last one. After Houston this week, Kansas State will have its final bye week before games against Arizona State, Cincinnati, and Iowa State. Farmegedon is tracking to be a play-in game for the Big 12 title, but Kansas State will have to fight to keep those stakes in place.
2. Iowa State (Previous Ranking – 2)
Matt Campbell’s team took its second bye week and now jumps back into play with a struggling Texas Tech team in Ames.
1. BYU (Previous Ranking – 1)
AP poll voters, come in closely, please. BYU has been sitting atop the Big 12 standings all season and has a stranglehold on the top spot in the Big 12 week 10 power rankings. Why are they not in front of a Notre Dame team that lost at home to Northern Illinois? Or in front of Tennesse, who lost to an Arkansas team that three-win Oklahoma State beat and only has one win over a top 20 team? The Cougars have a win over currently ranked #20 SMU in Dallas and a 29-point victory over #13 Kansas State. Kalani Sitake’s team still is undefeated after rolling through Orlando and cruising to its eighth victory on the season. This team deserves more national respect for handling their business the way they have all season.
