Going into the second to last week of the season, all Big 12 teams still had a path to bowl eligibility. However, when the dust settled on week 12 action, two teams were eliminated from bowl eligibility. That said, with 80% of the league bowl eligible, the Big 12 has the highest percentage of bowl-eligible teams out of all Power five conferences. The depth of this conference has stressed the top team in the Big 12 week 13 power rankings all year, but no one has been able to dethrone them. And while the top spot is unquestioned, where do the rest of the teams stand with only one week left in the season?
Big 12 Week 13 Power Rankings
10. Iowa State (Last Week: 10)
Cyclone fans have to be wondering which one of the football gods they upset for the 2022 season. Much like their in-state rival, if they fielded just a below-average offense, this is probably an eight-to-nine-win team. Instead, head coach Matt Campbell finds his Cyclones at the bottom of the conference standings and the Big 12 week 13 power rankings. With their loss to Texas Tech, it snaps Iowa State’s bowl streak at five consecutive seasons (which was a program record). All that said, they have an opportunity to play spoiler in their season-finale against TCU.
9. West Virginia (Last Week: 8)
The writing appears to be on the wall for head coach Neal Brown after their latest defeat at the hands of Kansas State. A 48-31 defeat in Morgantown officially knocked them out of bowl contention. This comes just a week after athletic director Shane Lyons was relieved of his duties at the university. A visit to Stillwater is not a friendly way to end this season. But regardless of the results, it all but seems inevitable changes are coming to West Virginia after the season ends.
8. Oklahoma State (Last Week: 3)
When Mike Gundy and his Cowboys woke up on October 23rd, just one month ago, they were ranked ninth in the polls and sat at 6-1. Countless injuries later, and plenty of dreadful performances, Oklahoma State has now lost three of its last four. The combined score of those three losses has been 113-29. Even in their lone victory (which, with hindsight, was incorrectly assessed in the last week’s power rankings), the offense was only to able cobble together 20 points (their highest output in the last four games). A loss to their soon-to-be former in-state rival by the score of 28-13 really doesn’t accurately reflect how one-sided the game was. They need to avoid yet another letdown against West Virginia in order to avoid their worst regular season since 2018.
7. Kansas (Last Week: 7)
Simply put, Kansas has looked like the Kansas we all have grown to know for the last 15 years. With a humbling loss to Texas by the score of 55-14 this past week, the Jayhawks have now lost their last five of six. It appears the lack of real depth is finally catching up to Kansas. However, it has been an extremely successful season in Lance Leipold’s second season as Kansas’ head coach. The Jayhawks are going bowling and the upcoming battle for the Sunflower State is the most anticipated one since 2008. But they still have a tough climb if they want to end a 13-game losing streak to the Wildcats.
6. Oklahoma (Last Week: 9)
In a way, Oklahoma’s win over Oklahoma State was a microcosm of the entire season. Oklahoma’s on-paper talent shined in the first quarter as they raced out to a 28-point lead. The rout was on, and Sooner fans were going to say, “Finally, we put it all together this year.” But then, they just stopped scoring. Literally. Brent Venables’s team scored exactly zero points in the remaining three quarters. And while a victory in a rivalry game will always feel good, it still has a taste of bitterness. It was just another reminder that the Sooners still have a lot of work to do to put the pieces back together if they expect to compete for playoff births.
5. Texas Tech (Last Week: 6)
No one is going to mistake the football played in Ames, Iowa this previous Saturday was chock-full of highlight-worthy plays. In fact, the best plays in this game came on a couple of fourth-down stops by Texas Tech securing a 14-10 victory. Head Coach Joey McGuire’s first year at a Big 12 job is going to be (rightfully) overshadowed by another coach. But McGuire’s impact on the trajectory of this program pointing up. Now, Texas Tech has an opportunity to do something this week they have never done in the program’s history. That would be to beat both Texas and Oklahoma in the same season.
4. Baylor (Last Week: 5)
The Bears were this close to ending TCU’s undefeated season. On Baylor’s last possession, it appeared quarterback Blake Shapen had a wide-open receiver for a sure first down. Instead, Shapen decided to tuck and run, getting tackled a few yards short. The rest, as they say, was history. Baylor played better for most of the game, but couldn’t make the winning plays down the stretch. This team has been inconsistent all season, and missing this moment is going to sting. Dave Arranda now must get his team turned around to close out the season in Austin.
3. Texas (Last Week: 4)
The Texas Longhorns took care of business against Kansas, keeping their Big 12 title hopes alive. This team has had plenty of games that showed what the ceiling of this team can be. Luckily, this one came in a winning effort. When this offense gets humming, it is hard for anyone to stop it. Unfortunately, it appears often it is Texas’ own coaching staff that knee-caps itself more than adjustments made by the opponent. Nonetheless, Texas has taken a step forward in Steve Sarkisian’s second season as head coach.
2. Kansas State (Last Week: 2)
The Wildcats are in control of their own destiny. A 14th consecutive win over Kansas will send the Wildcats to Arlington on December 3rd for an all-purple Big 12 championship game. A win would also give Kansas State its first nine-win season since 2016. It would be its first nine-win regular season since 2012. The trendy pre-season darkhorse pick to win the conference has shown all season it has been the second most consistent team all year. For as much talk as Leipold has got for plenty of job openings, especially for the Nebraska job, the chatter around Chris Klieman has been minimal. Yet all Klieman has done in four seasons is win eight games in three of those seasons (the only one without was a shortened 2020 season).
1. TCU (Last Week: 1)
And now we come to the part of the Big 12 week 13 power rankings with the least suspense. Quite frankly, it has been that way for over a month now. TCU will not go away on its own. This team is extremely well-coached by Sonny Dykes and his staff. This was no more evidenced by their perfectly executed fire drill kick to take down Baylor at the buzzer. Now, the Horned Frogs are just two victories away from a birth in the college football playoff.
