Big 12 Football Power Rankings: Week 8

It’s Sooners, Longhorns, then everyone else

With the season nearly two-thirds complete, where the Big 12 teams stand in our weekly Big 12 Football Power Rankings is a hot mess. Sure, Oklahoma and Texas are at the top. The “newbies” plus Baylor keep rotating positions for the bottom five. Then, the other seven in the middle also keep switching positions.

After TCU's decisive 44-11 win over BYU in Week 7, TCU moved up five spots in our weekly Big 12 Football Power Rankings while BYU dropped five spots.  :: Brian McLean, On Assignment Photo/KillerFrogs

This week, we did see lots of movement, thanks to some unexpected outcomes in the Week 7 games. Oklahoma is clearly in the top position, but not unanimously. Texas is second. The gap between them and the rest is significant. Kansas State (+3) and TCU (+4) had the big jumps to put them back towards the top. Kansas (-2), OSU (+4), and Iowa State (+1) round out the top half of the rankings.

West Virginia (-4), Texas Tech (-2), and BYU (-5) are the next group. Then there’s another significant drop to the bottom four, which did have some changes over last week. This group is Houston (+3), UCF (no change), Cincinnati (-2), and then Baylor (-1) at the bottom. However, the difference between Nos. 13-14 is just one point.

We have six games on the Big 12 slate this week, and two teams have bye weeks. What will the rankings look like next? Stay tuned!

For a complete recap of the Week 7 games, click here.

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)
• 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 8

14. Baylor (2-4, 1-2)

(Last week #13)

Week 7 Bye

The bye week was not kind to the Bears, as they moved back to the bottom of the rankings after not playing in Week 7. This week, they play at Cincinnati. So, win or lose, the Bears aren’t moving far, if at all.

13. Cincinnati (2-4, 0-3)

(Last week #11)

Lost to Iowa State 30-10

The wait for a Big 12 conference win continues for the Bearcats. They may, just may, get one this week when they host Baylor. Otherwise, as we said above, they aren’t moving far either way.

12. UCF (3-3, 0-3)

(Last week #12)

Week 7 Bye

I hope the Knights got some rest on their bye week. Unlike others around them, they did not move up or down last week. And now they travel to Norman in Week 8. The race for the bottom may add more members next week.

11 Houston (3-3, 1-2)

(Last week #14)

Beat West Virginia 41-39

It was the Hail Mary heard around the conference. The Coogs got their first Big 12 conference win and became the first of the “newbies” to get a win over a legacy Big 12 member. It was enough to move them up, for the moment. But now they host Texas. Expect a big blowout. And if so, they may drop back down next week.

10. BYU (4-2, 1-2)

(Last week #5)

Lost to TCU 44-11

The Frogs just destroyed BYU last week. The Cougars’ defense could not get to TCU’s Hoover. And their offense sputtered most of the day as well. This week, they are back home and get a struggling Tech team. The rollercoaster ride for both of those teams continues.

9. Texas Tech (3-4, 2-2)

(Last week #7)

Lost to Kansas State 38-21

The Red Raiders had a two-game winning streak, but those wins were over Baylor and Houston. They did host a struggling K-State team, and night games in Lubbock are always interesting. But not last week. Besides allowing Cats freshman QB Avery Johnson to rush for five touchdowns, Tech didn’t do much else. Now they travel to Provo, and who knows what to expect of this team?

8. West Virginia (4-2, 2-1)

(Last week #4)

Lost to Houston 41-39

Ouch. That walk-off Hail Mary by Houston may have revealed West Virginia’s true capabilities in this league. They had been riding high after starting the season with two big conference wins. But they could not put Houston away. It was a game that went back and forth, especially in the second half. It was enough to drop them four spots. They need a good win over Oklahoma State to climb back up in the rankings.

7. Iowa State (4-3, 3-1)

(Last week #8)

Beat Cincinnati 30-10

The Cyclones are 3-1 in conference play with some unexpected wins. They get a bye in Week 8. If they keep playing like they are doing, they, perhaps, might have a say in who makes it to Arlington.

6. Oklahoma State (4-2, 2-1)

(Last week #10)

Beat Kansas 39-32

In the last two weeks, OSU has hosted both teams from the Sunflower State. And beat them both. Just when all thought the Pokes’ season was dead and Mike Gundy might be fighting for his job, they are showing great signs of life. They jumped up four spots and are back in the top half of the rankings. They get West Virginia this week for a game that could be an interesting determination of conference standings.

5. #23 Kansas (5-2, 2-2)

(Last week #3)

Lost to Oklahoma State 39-32

In Week 6, the Jayhawks showed they could do well without Jalon Daniels. In Week 7, they showed that they needed him as their QB. They suffered their second loss, but it only dropped them to No. 5. This is perhaps because the bottom half of the conference is just a mess. Kansas gets a bye this week, which should be good for Daniels to heal. They still have a lot of football to play and need him to get that elusive sixth win to go bowling again.

4. TCU (4-3, 2-2)

(Last week #9)

Beat BYU 44-11

It was the most complete game from TCU all season. The Josh Hoover Era officially began last week, and what a week he had. Hoover threw 58 times for 439 yards. PFF had him as the highest-ranked QB in the nation after that performance. It was enough to move the Frogs up five spots. Now, they must face K-State, who also had a phenomenal freshman QB do fantastic things last week.

3. Kansas State (4-2, 2-1)

(Last week #6)

Beat Texas Tech 38-21

Read above under Texas Tech to see what happened in Lubbock. K-State’s freshman QB was amazing running the ball. It was enough to move the Cats up three spots and back into the top 3. Now, the defending conference champions face a TCU squad that may have figured things out at QB. One freshman can throw, and the other can run. It should make for an interesting game on Saturday.

2. #8 Texas (5-1, 2-1)

(Last week #2)

Week 7 Bye

The Longhorns had a bye last week. They take one Houston this week and are 23.5-point favorites. It should be a blowout. And it shouldn’t change the rankings unless UCF somehow pulls off a miracle in Norman.

1. #6 Oklahoma (6-0, 3-0)

(Last week #1)

Week 7 Bye

Like Texas, the Sooners had a bye last week and play one of the “newbies” this weekend. Their spread, though, is only 17.5 points. Oklahoma should have no problem with UCF and remain in the top spot next week.

Other FanNation Power Rankings

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

BYU – Cougs Daily

Oklahoma State – All Pokes

West Virginia – Mountaineers Now

Big 12 Football Week 8: Which Games Should You Watch?

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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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