Big 12 Power Rankings: Week 2

How do the teams in the conference stack up after two weeks of action?

It's still extremely early in the season, but we are starting to learn more about the relative strengths of the Big 12 teams so far. Every team still has a question that needs to be answered for the year, but there are some clear frontrunners already. After that is one of the most chaotic groups of teams I've ever seen in this conference, which is really saying something.

Don't think of this as my definitive prediction for the final Big 12 standings, but more of an educated guess about the relative strengths of the teams, without accounting for potential injuries or additional development/regression between now and when the games are played.

1. #4 Texas Longhorns (2-0, LW: 3, High 1)

Last Week: 34-24 Win at #3 Alabama
Up Next: vs Wyoming (2-0), Saturday, Sept 16 at 7:00pm on LHN

Talk about stepping up in a big moment. The Longhorns actually look the part of a team that deserves to be in CFP contention. Even though last year's close game didn't turn into a conference championship, going on the road and winning this definitively is something that deserves some respect in the Power Rankings.

2. #15 Kansas State Wildcats (2-0, Last Week: 1, High: 1)

Last Week: 42-13 Win vs Troy
Up Next: at Missouri (2-0), Saturday, Sept 16 at 11:00am on SECN

The Wildcats fell not because they did anything wrong, but because Texas was impressive in their win over Alabama. This is probably as close to 1A/1B as I could get, but this early in the season, taking care of two solid but overmatched opponents isn't enough keep a truly impressive performance from jumping over you.

3. Kansas Jayhawks (2-0, LW: 4, High 3)

Last Week: 34-23 Win vs Illinois
Up Next: at Nevada (0-2), Saturday, Sept 16 at 9:30pm on CBSSN

The return of Jalon Daniels went as well as you could have hoped for, and it's easy to see why the Heisman hype last year was real. But the big reason for the continued rise is how dominant that defense was against a stout offensive line. The Jayhawks got pressure all game long, tallying six sacks and two interceptions. We'll have to see if they can do the same against teams that run the hurry-up, but it's impressive to say the least.

4. Cincinnati Bearcats (2-0, LW: 6 High 4)

Last Week: 27-21 Win at Pittsburgh
Up Next: vs Miami (OH) (1-1), Saturday, Sept 16 at 6:00pm on ESPN+

So much for needing time to get everything to gel. Cincinnati looks like they have gotten right back to CFP form. There are still questions about sustaining their success into conference play, but I can't pre-emptively punish them for things that MAY happen when we haven't actually seen anything to support it yet.

5. #18 Oklahoma Sooners (2-0, LW: 2, High 2)

Last Week: 28-11 Win vs Southern Methodist
Up Next: at Tulsa (1-1), Saturday, Sept 16 at 2:30pm on ESPN2

The Sooners had no business allowing that game to be as close as it was, especially against a defense that is decent at best. Top-end Oklahoma could be a force to be reckoned with, but I have less confidence that we will routinely see top-end performances after that game.

6. UCF Knights (2-0, LW: 5, High 5)

Last Week: 18-16 Win at Boise State
Up Next: vs Villanova (2-0), Saturday, Sept 16 at 5:30pm on ESPN+

Could dropping UCF after a tough road win maybe be a little unfair? Probably. But this is less about the Knights and more about how well the Bearcats have played.  UCF is still a good team, but struggling with a decent Boise State team doesn't scream out for respect the same way that winning on the road against Pitt does. They'll have plenty of time to push their way higher in the power rankings if they truly deserve it.

7. TCU Horned Frogs (1-1, LW: 7, High 3)

Last Week: 41-6 Win vs Nicholls
Up Next: at Houston (1-1), Saturday, Sept 16 at 7:00pm on FOX

This is the type of win that TCU needed, even if there are still some questions about this team. But they also benefit from Colorado's demolition of Nebraska, as it makes their loss last week a bit more understandable. But it's clear this is still not the same team that made it to the CFP Championship game last year, and they haven't benefitted from the kind of luck they got last year either.

8. BYU Cougars (2-0, LW: 8, High 8)

Last Week: 41-16 Win vs Southern Utah
Up Next: at Arkansas (2-0), Saturday, Sept 16 at 6:30pm on ESPN2

This was the type of performance that we were expecting to see, even though the first quarter seemed to be a bit worrisome. But Kedon Slovis busted out in the second quarter and the game wasn't close again. They'll get a great test this week on the road in Fayettville, so I expect a big jump one way or another.

9. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-0, LW: 13, High 9)

Last Week: 27-15 Win vs Arizona State
Up Next: vs South Alabama (1-1), Saturday, Sept 16 at 6:00pm on ESPN+

This is the most uninspiring 2-0 record I've seen in a long time. The defense has done enough to keep them in the lead for most of each game, but the offense has some serious problems. I can actually evaluate the offense once I know who the quarterback is going to be. Currently, the pace is so disjointed that it's not fair to evaluate any of these quarterbacks by the little bit we are seeing of each.

10. Texas Tech Red Raiders (0-2, LW: 12, High 5)

Last Week: 38-30 Loss to #13 Oregon
Up Next: vs Tarleton State (2-0), Saturday, Sept 16 at 6:00pm on ESPN+

Last week was painful, this week was absolutely devastating. Texas Tech looked to have this game in hand but let the Ducks come storming back. And the pick-6 by Tyler Shough was especially brutal. The early performance has fans wondering if the issues are quarterback related, scheme related, or strategy related. The fact that there are so many potential explanations means it might be that much harder to fix.

11. Iowa State Cyclones (1-1, LW: 9, High 9)

Last Week: 20-13 Loss vs Iowa
Up Next: at Ohio (2-1), Saturday, Sept 16 at 11:00am on ESPNU

Regardless of whether Matt Campbell was right about how this performance ranks in their history of this rivalry, his comments came across as completely tone-deaf and has turned a huge number of Iowa State fans against him. The offense really needs to figure out what they are doing, or it's possible that the coaching staff may not make it to the start of next season.

12. West Virginia Mountaineers (1-1, LW: 11, High 11)

Last Week: 56-17 Win vs Duquesne
Up Next: vs Pittsburgh (1-1), Saturday, Sept 16 at 6:30pm on ABC

That was the type of performance you expect against this opponent, but it unfortunately didn't provide the level of competition needed to properly evaluate what happened last week and if it will be a problem all season long. Instead, we get to look at the Backyard Brawl to provide a barometer for this team the rest of the season.

13. Baylor Bears (0-2, LW: 14, High 8)

Last Week: 20-13 Loss vs #12 Utah
Up Next: vs Long Island University (0-2), Saturday, Sept 16 at 11:00am on ESPN+

Unlike the Texas Tech loss to Oregon, this game felt much more like two teams struggling to play good football instead of two decent teams trading blows back and forth. Injuries are going to be a problem for this team, and I don't know they have enough on the bench to play well the rest of the season.

14. Houston Cougars (1-1, LW: 10, High 10)

Last Week: 43-14 (2OT) Loss vs Rice
Up Next: vs TCU (1-1), Saturday, Sept 16 at 7:00pm on FOX

All the goodwill that the Cougars mustered in their win last week went down the toilet with the way they played here. They had no business getting down 28-0 early in the 2nd quarter, and were very fortunate to be able to tie it up to send it into overtime. But the execution and playcalling was poor, and Houston suffered a loss that puts Dana Holgorsen squarely on the hot seat. 

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