Big 12 Football Power Rankings: Week 8: Frogs Now On Top

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

© Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

The TCU Horned Frogs become the fourth team from the league to sit at the top of our weekly Power Rankings after their double overtime win over Oklahoma State last week. After beating Kansas, Oklahoma moved off their spot on the bottom to the middle of the pack. Iowa State moved down to the bottom and Baylor dropped a couple of spots.

Besides that, there weren’t other changes in this week’s rankings.

Seven of the ten teams now have swings of five or more spots from their season-high to season-low in the first seven weeks of the season.

The biggest swing is still Oklahoma, which spent two weeks at the top before plummeting to the bottom for a week. Baylor– another one that held the top spot– now has a seven-spot drop with their appearance at No. 8 this week. Kansas has a six-point swing, starting at the No. 10 spot and making it up to the No. 4 spot before losing two straight.

Four teams have a five-spot swing: TCU (1 to 6), Kansas State (3 to 8), Texas (3 to 8), and Iowa State (5 to 10).

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. There are 26 participants in this group, which consists of the KillerFrogs editorial staff plus one or two fans from each of the other schools in the league. Each week, each participant provides their rankings 1-10. Those rankings are compiled, and the average rank is then listed below.

Here's how our panel of fans ranks the teams in the Big 12:

Power Rankings

10. Iowa State (3-4, 0-4)

Last week: 8

Lost to Texas 24-21

The Cyclones are the only team not to have won at least one conference game. They’ve come close in every game, but until they get a Big 12 W, they probably will stay right here on the bottom or at least close to it. Iowa State has a bye this week, so they aren’t moving up unless something crazy happens with another team.

9. West Virginia (3-3, 1-2)

Last week: 9

Beat Texas Tech 43-40

The Mountaineers got their first conference win in dramatic fashion last Thursday night. Despite beating Baylor and having identical records with the Bears, West Virginia didn’t get as much respect this week from our voters and remains in ninth place, though the margin between them and Baylor is now very thin.

8. Baylor (3-3, 1-2)

Last week: 6

Lost to West Virginia 43-40

Last year’s conference champion is looking anything but that right now. Blake Shapen is questionable due to injury, and if he’s not playing, the Bears may be in for a very long second half of the season. They do host Kansas this weekend and are nearly a double-digit favorite. Look for them to move up at least a little with a win.

7. Texas Tech (3-3, 1-2)

Last week: 7

Bye Week

The bye week didn’t change anything for the Red Raiders in our rankings. Their one win over Texas is what distinguishes them from Baylor and West Virginia, all of which have the same records. Tech hosts WVU this weekend, so there’s not much chance of a big move up unless crazy things happen, which can occur on any given Saturday in this conference.

6. Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3)

Last week: 10

Beat Kansas 52-42

Congratulations, Sooners! You are no longer the bottom dwellers. Are you back to stay in the middle of the pack, or was the win over Kansas just a blip on your season? The Sooners have no defense, but at least their offense showed up to keep them in the game. It could be a quick jump back to the bottom if they don’t keep giving up yards and points like last week. Oklahoma has a bye this week, so they should be around this spot next week.

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

Last week: 5

Lost to Oklahoma 52-42

Jalon Daniels is out. Backup QB Jason Bean kept them in the game, throwing 265 yards and four touchdowns last week. The question is whether the Cinderella season is over, or can the Jayhawks keep up with the competition and get that sixth win to make them bowl-eligible?

4. #20 Texas (5-2, 3-1)

Last week: 4

Beat Iowa State 24-21

Was last week just a potential trap game for the Longhorns, sandwiched between the Red River Showdown and a trip to Stillwater? Or was the three-point win thanks to a late, overturned call over a not-so-good Iowa State team signs of something bigger? For now, let’s just say Texas let the Cyclones get too close. If Texas can pull off the win over OSU this weekend, look for a showdown in Austin on November 12 against TCU to determine if one or both teams headed to Arlington. If they can’t beat OSU, they may remain in the middle of the pack until teams ahead of them drop a couple of games.

3. #17 Kansas State (5-1, 3-0)

Last week: 3

Bye week

K-State had a bye week last week to get some extra rest. They’ll need it when they travel into Fort Worth to take on the explosive Horned Frogs this weekend. Who had both of the league’s purple schools at the top of the Big 12 standings at the halfway mark of the season? Not many! Kansas State has its own explosive players, namely Adrian Martinez and Deuce Vaughn. A big win over TCU this weekend might vault them to the top of next week’s power rankings. With a loss, well, they will likely fall right into the hard-to-define middle of the pack.

2. #11 Oklahoma State (5-1, 2-1)

Last week: 1

Lost to TCU 43-40 2OT

It was a thrilling double-overtime game in Fort Worth last week. TCU won, but OSU still looked like a very formidable team. They simply switched places with the Frogs in this week’s rankings. A win this week at home over Texas will ensure they will stay right here or bounce back to the top, depending on what happens in Fort Worth. If the two teams that played last week both keep playing as they did, look for an OSU/TCU rematch in Arlington.

1. #8 TCU (6-0, 3-0)

Last week: 2

Beat Oklahoma State 43-40 2OT

The Horned Frogs came from behind to get the win last week. This week, they face their fourth-straight ranked opponent, the No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats. The Frogs are one of the most explosive teams in the nation and are now the fourth Big 12 team to sit at the top of these Power Rankings. With wins over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and even Kansas, the Frogs are in the driver’s seat right now for the conference championship.

Other FanNation Power Rankings

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

Baylor – Inside the Bears

Kansas – Blue Wings Rising

Texas – Longhorns Country

Texas Tech – Red Raider Review

West Virginia – Mountaineers Now

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

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