The Big 12 had an underwhelming week compared to its expectations. The conference has several big risers and fallers.
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-1)
Last week’s rank 16
Oklahoma State got dominated by Oregon, which is considered to be one of the best teams in the country. That is not a surprise, as the Cowboys are expected to be bad. The Cowboys have an off week this week.
15. Kansas State Wildcats (1-2, 0-1 Big 12)
Last week’s rank 7
Kansas State was the most disappointing team this week as it lost to an Army team that dropped a game to FCS Tarleton State. The Wildcats lost a game they should have cruised to victory. This, along with a few other losses, hurt the Big 12’s overall standing. The Wildcats head to Arizona for an in-conference matchup that does not count toward the Big 12 conference record.
14. West Virginia Mountaineers (1-1)
Last week’s rank 13
West Virginia lost to Ohio last Saturday, which was not expected. The Mountaineers' loss is not surprising, as they are in murky waters as a program, unlike Kansas State. They host their old rival, Pitt, in the Backyard Brawl, in a game where they are expected to lose.
13. Colorado Buffaloes (1-1)
Last week’s rank 15
Colorado beat Delaware last weekend as expected. The Buffaloes get their first Big 12 game of the year at Houston, where they are projected to lose.
12. Arizona Wildcats (2-0)
Last week’s rank 14
Arizona beat FCS Weber State last week as expected. The Wildcats draw Kansas State in a non-conference game this week. This is a game that could go either way, and we might know how good these teams are. Arizona is expected to win according to ESPN analytics.
11. Cincinnati Bearcats (1-1)
Last week’s rank 12
Cincinnati beat in-state rival Bowling Green last weekend as expected. The Bearcats face FCS Northwestern State this weekend and should dominate.
10. Houston Cougars (2-0)
Last week’s rank 11
Houston dominated Rice last weekend in Rice Stadium. The Cougars host Colorado for the second Big 12 game of the season. They should win the game, but it will show some good information on both of these teams.
9. UCF Knights (2-0)
Last week’s rank 10
Central Florida dominated FCS North Carolina A&T last week. The Knights are off this weekend, like a handful of other Big 12 teams.
8. Kansas Jayhawks (2-1)
Last week’s rank 5
Unlike the other two teams that lost last week, Kansas’ loss was expected. However, the Jayhawks put up a good fight in their rivalry game at Missouri. Kansas is off this week.
7. Arizona State Sun Devils (1-1)
Last week’s rank 2
Arizona State had a heartbreaking loss to Mississippi State in a game they should have won. The Sun Devils face Texas State at home this week, so they should record a win.
6. Baylor Bears (1-1)
Last week’s rank 9
Baylor is the most perplexing team. The Bears lost to Auburn at home, but then beat SMU on the road the following week, which was the opposite of what I expected. Is Auburn just better than we thought? Is SMU worse than we thought? Is Baylor just inconsistent? Baylor plays FCS Samford this week, which should be an easy win.
5. Utah Utes (2-0)
Last week’s rank 8
Utah is one of the two teams rising three spots. Utah beat FCS Cal Poly last weekend. The Utes visit Wyoming this weekend and should win.
4. BYU Cougars (2-0)
Last week’s rank 6
The other Utah team, BYU, also rose three spots. The Cougars beat Stanford last week and have yet to allow a touchdown this season. They are one of the handful of teams off this weekend.
3. Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-0)
Last week’s rank 4
Texas Tech beat Kent State last weekend as predicted. They host Oregon State this weekend and should be 3-0.
2. Iowa State Cyclones (3-0, 1-0 Big 12)
Last week’s rank 3
Iowa State beat rival Iowa this week as expected. The Cyclones are the 1B of the Big 12, compared to a true number two role. They go to Arkansas State this weekend and should be 4-0.
1. TCU Horned Frogs (1-0)
Last week’s rank 1
TCU was off last week. This week, the Horned Frogs play FCS Albeline Christian, a game they should dominate.
The Big 12 has two losses to group of five teams, tied for the most among power four conferences with the Big 10 (Northwestern and UCLA losing to Tulane, and UNLV, respectively), whereas the ACC (Stanford to Hawaii) and SEC (Florida to South Florida) each have one loss to group of five teams. The Big 12’s losses are arguably the worst.
The conference has to win the rest of its group of five opponents, and it needs a few upsets among power four opponents for it to be a multi-bid league in the College Football Playoff.