It was another wild week of action in the Big 12, and the conference race has taken several interesting turns. This week's power rankings see lots of movement from last week's list, especially up at the top, as Arizona State continues to drop. Let's dive in.
#1: West Virginia Mountaineers 30-4 (10-3)
Last week's rank: 2nd
This week's record: 3-0
It was a perfect week for the Mountaineers, albeit a protracted one after their Tuesday bout with Penn State was canceled. Still, West Virginia has now won 10 straight and they sit in first place in the Big 12. The second longest win streak in the conference belongs to TCU at just three games, an indicator of how strong West Virginia is playing right now.
#2: Arizona Wildcats 25-10 (10-5)
Last week's rank: 1st
This week's record: 3-1
All in all, the Wildcats had a solid week. They won on Tuesday and won their weekend series, so why do they drop a spot? Simply put, Arizona narrowly edged out West Virginia last week in these rankings, and their close wins over New Mexico State and Oklahoma State, as well as losing to the Cowboys once, was enough to warrant this slight fall.
#3: TCU Horned Frogs 28-9 (11-4)
Last week's rank: 5th
This week's record: 3-1
The Horned Frogs are officially back. They dropped Tuesday's game to UT Arlington, but then proceeded to sweep a surging Kansas squad. They're now 14-3 since their conference opening series loss to the Sun Devils, and few teams look hotter right now.
#4: Kansas Jayhawks 27-10 (9-6)
Last week's rank: 3rd
This week's record: 0-4
Speaking of the Jayhawks, they had a disastrous turn of events. They lost a close one to Nebraska on Tuesday before getting swept by TCU, taking the air out of what had been a strong run for Kansas. Now, they're tied for fifth in the conference and have given themselves a really low margin for error.
#5: Kansas State Wildcats 23-12 (10-5)
Last week's rank: 6th
This week's record: 3-1
Kansas State had their own dismal run two weeks ago, but they responded well this past week. They beat Missouri State on the run-rule and took the weekend series against UCF 2-1, looking great in the final two games. As we approach the final stretch of the regular season, the Wildcats are in a good spot, with a pivotal series this week against the Jayhawks.
#6: Arizona State Sun Devils 23-14 (9-6)
Last week's rank: 4th
This week's record: 2-3
Things are in danger of coming off the rails in Tempe. After dropping a huge series to Arizona, the Sun Devils dropped this weekend's series to Cincinnati, losing the deciding Game 3 on a walk-off in extra innings. The next day, they lost to Big Ten cellar dweller Purdue in the same fashion. Arizona State is falling down the standings very fast.
#7: Cincinnati Bearcats 21-14 (8-7)
Last week's rank: 8th
This week's record: 2-2
Speaking of the Bearcats, they've made a very gradual climb up the standings in recent weeks. Much of it came with wins over the Big 12's weaker programs, but Cincinnati earned a gritty series win against Arizona State. Were it not for their Tuesday loss to Wright State, they'd have leapfrogged the Sun Devils, but Cincinnati should still be feeling good right now.
#8: Baylor Bears 22-13 (6-9)
Last week's rank: 7th
This week's record: 1-3
Baylor continues their downward spiral with another disappointing week. They lost to Texas State earlier in the week and then fell 2-1 over the weekend to lowly Texas Tech. The Bears started out the year strong but have quickly wilted in the face of Big 12 play.
#9: Oklahoma State Cowboys 16-17 (5-8)
Last week's rank: 11th
This week's record: 1-3
The record won't show it, but Oklahoma State bounced back a bit. They lost on Tuesday to a really good Oral Roberts team and then fell 1-2 to Arizona, but taking a game against the Wildcats is impressive. Beyond that, they nearly won the series in Game 3, falling by one run.
#10: Texas Tech Red Raiders 11-21 (7-8)
Last week's rank: 12th
This week's record: 2-2
Similar to Oklahoma State, Texas Tech put up some good - not great - ball this week. Their series win over Baylor was a pleasant surprise, though their Tuesday loss to New Mexico - which saw the run-rule invoked - reminded that the Red Raiders aren't real contenders in the Big 12.
#11: BYU Cougars 17-16 (5-10)
Last week's rank: 9th
This week's record: 2-2
BYU took a tumble this week. They lost their weekend series to Utah, who's worked hard all year to keep themselves at the bottom of the Big 12 standings. The Cougars have spent most of this year being a team good enough to beat bad teams and make good teams nervous, but losing to Utah sends a warning signal in Provo.
#12: UCF Knights 19-16 (4-11)
Last week's rank: 10th
This week's record: 1-3
The Knights continue to completely fall apart, and they've now tumbled all the way down to a tie for last place in the Big 12. At one point, UCF looked like the strongest team in the conference, but Big 12 play has proven deadly for them.
#13: Houston Cougars 19-17 (5-10)
Last week's rank: 13th
This week's record: 1-4
Houston made a really good case for dropping down to last place after this week, not only getting swept by West Virginia but also falling to McNeese in extra innings. The decision to keep them at 13 ultimately came down to the overall body of work, but it was close.
#14: Utah Utes 15-17 (4-11)
Last week's rank: 14th
This week's record: 2-1
The Utes had a light schedule this week, only playing a series against BYU. It seemed to agree with them, as they won the final two games for their second conference series win of the year. It's a brief sign of life for Utah, but not enough on its own to take them out of the basement.