Big 12 Football Power Rankings: Week 3

Looking at where each team sits in the Big 12 Conference.

In Week Two, the Big 12 conference teams again went 10-4 in a diverse slate of nonconference games. Baylor, Houston, Iowa State, and Texas Tech had the loss. And the aftermath of those losses shows in this week’s Big 12 Football Power Rankings.

Last week’s big win was the double-digit victory in Tuscaloosa by Texas. And with that win, the Longhorns jumped back into the top spot in this week’s rankings.

For a complete recap of the Week 2 games, click here.

Texas moved up two spots, moving Kansas State and Oklahoma both down one spot. After an impressive Power 5 win, Kansas is now in the conversation and is fourth in this week’s rankings, up two spots. Oklahoma State also moved up two spots. Those two moves shifted other middle-of-the-pack teams down some spots. Houston and Baylor’s losses moved them to the bottom two spots, allowing West Virginia to rise to No. 12.

Week Three brings us the first conference matchup when TCU travels to Houston. Kansas State has a road Power 5 game against neighboring Missouri, giving them a chance to make a statement. West Virginia hosts the return of the Backyard Brawl to Morgantown. Week Four will bring us more conference matchups, so then we will start to see even more shifting of teams.

How Power Rankings Are Determined

Once again, we have brought together a group from across the league to vote each week during the season on the Big 12 Power Rankings.

• 44 Total Participants
• TCU FanNation (KillerFrogs) Editorial Staff (13)
• Not all are TCU homers – fans of teams in the SEC and Big Ten are part of our editorial staff.
• One to two fans from each of the other current schools in the Big 12 (23)
• Currently, we don’t have any fans from Cincinnati. We certainly would like to find 1-2 Bearcats.
• Two fans from each of the 2024 incoming “Four Corners” schools (8)
• Each week, each participant provides their rankings 1-10. Those rankings are compiled, and the average rank is then listed below.

Here's where our panel of voters ranked the teams this week:

Big 12 Power Rankings – Week 3

14. Baylor (0-2, 0-0)

(Last week #13)

Lost to #12 Utah 20-13

Not much more can be said here than what we said last week. So, we will just repeat that.

Ouch. We’ve said before that there’s nothing better in college sports than Baylor Tears. But this one hurt to watch. Are we in for a rough season, or was that game a one-off? Time will tell.

13 Houston (1-1, 0-0)

(Last week #9)

Lost at Rice 43-41 2OT

The Coogs came from down 28-0 to force overtime but still lost to their cross-town rival. Houston has not impressed our voters this season, so they fell the four spots.

12. West Virginia (1-1, 0-0)

(Last week #14)

Beat Duquesne 56-17

The Mountaineers got a big win over an FCS opponent. But thanks to losses by Houston and Baylor, they got to move up two spots. Can they stay or go higher? A win in the Backyard Brawl will help.

11. Iowa State (1-1, 0-0)

(Last week #11)

Lost to Iowa 20-13

They held a now-ranked Iowa team to only a one-possession win. It was enough to keep them right where they were last week.

10. Texas Tech (0-2, 0-0)

(Last week #10)

Lost at #13 Oregon 38-30

The Red Raiders went ahead with just over five minutes left over a ranked Oregon team. Oregon came back and got the win, and yes, Tech suffered their 2nd straight loss, but it was not enough for them to drop.

9. BYU (2-0, 0-0)

(Last week #12)

Beat Southern Utah 41-16

They did what they had to do last week with their FCS opponent. This week, though, they travel into SEC Country. A win over Arkansas would propel them higher next week.

8. TCU (1-1, 0-0)

(Last week #5)

Beat Nicholls State 41-6

It was the win the Frogs needed to get back on track, but with other teams in the league still at 2-0, TCU did drop down a few spots. Hopefully, a solid win over Houston to open conference play will get the Frogs higher in the rankings next week.

7. Cincinnati (2-0, 0-0)

(Last week #8)

Won at Pittsburgh 27-21

The Bearcats have shown signs of promise in two games. This week, they get an in-state rival with Miami (OH) before hosting Oklahoma for their first-ever Big 12 Conference game.

6. UCF (2-0, 0-0)

(Last week #4)

Won at Boise State 18-16

The Knights got the walk-off field goal in Boise, a place hard for opponents to win. But in the process, they lost QB John Rhys Plumlee for at least four weeks. Can they stay strong during his absence? Let’s see what happens.

5. Oklahoma State (2-0, 0-0)

(Last week #7)

Won at Arizona State27-15

The Pokes traveled to the desert, got a late-night win over a future conference foe, and looked good. The jury may still be out on OSU, but they jumped up two spots for the time being.

4. Kansas (2-0, 0-0)

(Last week #6)

Beat Illinois 34-23

Whoa! Here we go again. Are the Jayhawks going to give us another exciting start to their season, as they did last year? Or will they hit their ceiling sometime soon? Sit back and enjoy. This could be fun for them. In the meantime, the win over Illinois moved them up two spots.

3. #19 Oklahoma (2-0, 0-0)

(Last week #2)

Beat SMU 28-11

Oklahoma should be a much-improved team over last year’s. And yes, they are 2-0. But shifting had to happen after Texas’ dominating win over Alabama, so the Sooners dropped one spot. There’s clearly a top three in the league right now, as the gap between OU and KU is the widest in all these rankings.

2. #15 Kansas State (2-0, 0-0)

(Last week #1)

Beat Troy 42-13

We may see Texas and K-State flip-flopping for the top spot until Week Ten, when the two meet in Austin. This week, it’s the Wildcats' turn to get a road win against an SEC team. Maybe that’s enough to get the top spot back.

1. #4 Texas (2-0, 0-0)

(Last week #3)

Won at #3 Alabama 34-24

Is Texas back? Perhaps. Is Alabama not as good of a team as in years past? Perhaps. Either way, it was a huge win for the Longhorns. And a statement win like that bumped them back to the top spot.

Other FanNation Power Rankings

How do other FanNations rank the Big 12? Check them out here:

Kansas – Blue Wings Rising

West Virginia – Mountaineers Now

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Note: Power Rankings are determined by a group of fans representing most schools in the Big 12 Conference.

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