Big 12 Power Rankings - Week 3

Checking in on the hierarchy of the conference after three weeks of action.

It's hard not to be disappointed with the results so far for the Big 12 nationally, as way too many teams have suffered very disappointing defeats and others have barely scraped by when they shouldn't have. But no matter how you feel about the overall strength of the conference, there are still going to be good teams and bad teams. So let's run through the newest edition of the Power Rankings.

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.

You can take a look at last week's rankings here.

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

Last Week: 31-10 Win vs Wyoming
Up Next: at Baylor (1-2)

It looked a little dicey against Wyoming at the half, but a strong second half allowed them to press the huge advantages they had to put the game well out of reach. But the Alabama win lost some shine, and they can't afford to let the better teams in the Big 12 hang around for too long if they want to avoid upsets. However, there is no question right now who the best team is.

2. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0, LW: 5, High 2)

Last Week: 66-17 Win at Tulsa
Up Next: at Cincinnati (2-1)

The Sooners may be the team that is playing the best at this moment, but a lot of that probably has to do with the caliber of opponent. The fact that they have blown out opponents is good for them, but I still wonder about the fact that they struggled with SMU for a majority of that game. But you can't ignore their results, especially when nearly  everyone else has a mediocre week.

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

Last Week: 31-24 Win at Nevada
Up Next: vs BYU (3-0)

The Jayhawks struggled on the road with Nevada. However, it's difficult to figure out what you can actually take from that game. Kansas played for the first time in two decades in the Pacific time zone, in an extremely late game. They were without two important defenders in the first half and there were some undisclosed injuries on offense that may have affected the flow. Plus, it's not often that you force five turnovers but recover NONE of them.

We'll get a big test this weekend against BYU, which should let us know if we are looking at an actual contender or if it will be a struggle to get much past bowl eligibility.

4. Kansas State Wildcats (2-1, Last Week: 2, High: 1)

Last Week: 30-27 Loss at Missouri
Up Next: vs UCF (3-0)

This was a weird game, and I'm not sure what to do with it. Kansas State showed some significant warts against a Missouri team that isn't expected to be good this year. And it was pretty clear that Will Howard was struggling with an injury, but Collin Klein and the offensive staff weren't comfortable moving away from him for the healthy guy. I still think they can bounce back, but the cracks are starting to show.

5. UCF Knights (3-0, LW: 6, High 5)

Last Week: 48-14 Win vs Villanova
Up Next: at Kansas State (2-1)

A huge win against an overmatched team, but the health of starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee is going to be the biggest factor on if they can keep up the good performances. UCF doesn't have the defense to stop a lot of conference foes, so it will be important for the offense to keep it going.

6. BYU Cougars (3-0, LW: 8, High 6)

Last Week: 38-31 Win at Arkansas
Up Next: at Kansas (3-0)

In what was probably the best win for the conference, Kedon Slovis and the Cougars were able to come back from double-digit deficits twice and get a huge road win. But there are still questions about the quality of the defense, and the offense is very streaky. Can they settle in this week and score a huge road win in their first conference game?.

7. TCU Horned Frogs (2-1, LW: 7, High 3)

Last Week: 36-13 Win at Houston
Up Next: vs SMU (2-1)

A huge start to the conference season, and you probably couldn't have asked for a better opponent than a struggling Houston squad. TCU has plenty of things to figure out, but the early loss to Colorado doesn't look nearly as bad now. I might be underrating the Horned Frogs a bit, but I'm having a hard time putting them above any of the 3-0 teams..

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-2, LW: 10, High 5)

Last Week: 41-3 Win vs Tarleton State
Up Next: at West Virginia (2-1)

Bouncing back to dominate a Tarleton State team is a good start, but all the questions we had about this team haven't been answered. Even in the blowout, Behren Morton made a strong case to be the starter instead of Tyler Shough. I'm not sure what Joey McGuire is going to do, but I can't wait to see the drama.

9. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-1, LW: 12, High 9)

Last Week: 17-6 Win vs Pittsburgh
Up Next: vs Texas Tech (1-2)

A big win in the Backyard Brawl (trust me) has West Virginia about where I thought they should be this year. The tests are going to come early, and luckily they get Texas Tech before things are settled and at home. It hurts that Garrett Greene left the game last week with a big injury, and it may be too much to ask the backup to get them a few wins in the beginning of conference play. But Neal Brown NEEDS this..

10. Cincinnati Bearcats (2-1, LW: 4 High 4)

Last Week: 31-24 Loss vs Miami (OH)
Up Next: vs Oklahoma (3-0)

What a drop! Many of us were waiting for the shoe to drop for Scott Satterfield in year 1, and it seems like it hit with a sickening thud. This team is better than Miami (OH) and should have won that game. They missed a huge opportunity for a fantastic showcase game against Oklahoma. They'll still have the showcase, but I don't think anyone expects them to be in this game after halftime. How quickly can they stop the bleeding?

11. Iowa State Cyclones (1-2, LW: 11, High 9)

Last Week: 10-7 Loss at Ohio
Up Next: vs Oklahoma State (2-1)

Yuck. The offense was abysmal. The defense made uncharacteristic mistakes. Matt Campbell went after a fan for suggesting he was on the hot seat. And I'm starting to wonder how long Campbell has before a change is seriously considered.

It's hard to find a single good thing on offense, but at least the defense is still an elite unit.

12. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-1, LW: 9, High 9)

Last Week: 33-7 Loss vs South Alabama
Up Next: at Iowa State (1-2)

You can miss me with all the talk about how solid the South Alabama defense is. Oklahoma State shouldn't have let this one stay close, and yet they got dominated from start to finish. That just can't happen. I thought the defense was going to be good this year to keep them in games, but I'm even questioning that now. 

13. Baylor Bears (1-2, LW: 13, High 8)

Last Week: 30-7 Win vs Long Island University
Up Next: vs Texas (3-0)

I struggled here, because I really wanted to put Baylor up over Oklahoma State. But I do want to see the Bears put together two solid weeks before making them start climbing. Unfortunately, Texas comes to town and they will need a miracle.

14. Houston Cougars (1-2, LW: 14, High 10)

Last Week: 36-13 Loss vs TCU
Up Next: vs Sam Houston (0-2)

Held without a touchdown on offense. Dana Holgorsen seems to have lost the sideline and locker room. This is getting ugly really fast. They might be able to right the ship a bit this week, but it's hard imagining they compete with anyone in conference except maybe Baylor and Oklahoma State. It's a long season to get there though.

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