Big 12 Football Power Rankings And Bowl Projections: Week 11
With three weeks to play in the regular season, a lot of football is still to be played. Six of the league's ten teams are still in contention for a ticket to Arlington on December 3.
They say it’s the games in November that you will remember. Well, it’s November, and Week 11 has matchups that will impact our weekly Power Rankings in these final weeks, including a matchup in Austin featuring the top two teams in this week’s rankings.
Four of those six teams have a good chance, mainly because there’s a three-way tie for second place in the league’s standings. TCU remains at the top, followed by Texas, Baylor, and Kansas State. Oklahoma State and Kansas are still in contention, but barely. The other four teams are done in the Big 12 title chase but can still become bowl eligible with one or two more wins.
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.
From Week 10 to Week 11, OSU fell some more; Texas and Baylor jumped up a few spots; and WVU is back at the bottom.
Power Rankings
10. West Virginia (3-6, 1-6)
(Last week #9)
Lost to Iowa State 31-14
In the battle of the two teams at the bottom of the league standings, Iowa State came out on top, so West Virginia moved to the bottom. Thank you for beating Baylor on that one Thursday night. The rest of the conference appreciates that! But that may be it for the Mountaineers. Neal Brown’s seat has moved from lukewarm to flaming hot. As our WVU voter said this week, “For the love of God, throw in the Brown towel.”
9. Iowa State (4-5, 1-5)
(Last week #10)
Beat West Virginia 31-14
Congratulations! You beat another bad team. But hey, Iowa State got their first conference win of the season. It was also the first win for the Cyclones since September 17 against Ohio. ISU can still get to a bowl with two more wins and play spoiler along the way. One team they still must face is Tech which also needs two wins to be bowl eligible. Iowa State ends the season in Fort Worth. If the Frogs are undefeated going into Week 13, imagine what happens if they stumble at home to the Cyclones?
8. Texas Tech (4-5, 2-4)
(Last week #8)
The Cacti people did a lot of chirping last week but not much else. Sure, the first half and into the third was a close game last week. Then Max Duggan and the Horned Frogs scored three straight 4th quarter touchdowns to seal the deal. Joey McGuire had infamously said the road to the Big 12 must go through Lubbock. How’s that going so far, Coach?
7. Oklahoma (5-4, 2-4)
(Last week #6)
Lost to Baylor 38-35
You’d like to say, “put a fork in them; they are done.” However, the Sooners are just one win away from being bowl eligible. And they still have Bedlam in a couple of weeks. Both teams are struggling, so that game has lost its luster. But imagine a season in which an Oklahoma team can’t even become bowl eligible. How very 2021 Texas of them.
6. Oklahoma State (6-3, 3-3)
(Last week #4)
Lost to Kansas 37-14
Spencer Sanders is this team. Without him, they are nothing. And last week showed that. Now, they face a one-conference-win team Iowa State in Stillwater, yet the Cyclones are the favorite. Sanders is doubtful to play again this week. The Poke Plummet, or the Poke Choke, looks to continue until Sanders can come back and save the day.
5. Kansas (6-3, 3-3)
(Last week #7)
Beat Oklahoma State 37-16
Look at you, Jayhawks. For a team that started at the unanimous No. 10 spot in this poll, they are back up to No. 5. This marks the fourth week this season for them to be No. 5. They also spent one week at No. 4. They are going bowling for the first time 14 years. And since the pressure is off them, they can play spoiler in every remaining game. First, they could keep Tech from becoming eligible. Then they could keep both Texas and K-State out of the Big 12 championship game.
4. Baylor (6-3, 4-2)
(Last week #5)
Beat Oklahoma 38-35
And they are back. The Bears started the season as our top team before dropping as low as No. 8 in Week 8. After a couple of big wins, they are back in the title game picture. They are tied for second in the league standings with K-State and Texas. And look at the teams left on their schedule – KSU, TCU, and Texas. They can win out and cause all sorts of conference chaos. Or they could lose all three and be happy in their yo-yo season; they at least get to go bowling.
3. #19 Kansas State (6-3, 4-2)
(Last week #2)
Lost to Texas 34-27
The Wildcats destroyed Oklahoma State in Week 9. Then fell behind Texas in Week 10 and just couldn’t catch up with the Longhorns. They are still in contention. And a win over Baylor this week will get them one step closer to Arlington.
2. #18 Texas (6-3, 4-2)
(Last week #3)
Beat Kansas State 34-27
Texas lost a close one to Oklahoma State, then got a great road win over K-State. It doesn’t get any easier for them. This week, they host No. 4 TCU. ESPN College GameDay will be there for the second time this season. But as host Rece Davis said this week on the CFP Ranking show, “Yes, we are going to Texas. We love Austin. But that’s not why we are there. We are following the TCU story.”
1. #4 TCU (9-0, 9-0)
(Last week #1)
Speaking of “following the TCU story,’ the Horned Frogs remain undefeated and thus get the top spot in these rankings until they aren’t. TCU is in contention not only for the Big 12 Championship game, but if they win out, they could play in their first-ever CFP semifinal.
Big 12 Bowl Projections
These bowl projections are based upon the above rankings, listed in order of bowl selection. With the second College Football Playoff committee rankings released this week, TCU was No. 4, thus putting them in the playoffs. That means the conference runner-up (in this scenario, Texas) gets the league’s spot in the Sugar Bowl. Big 12 placements below are based on the above rankings. Currently, all ten teams in the Big 12 have a chance at becoming bowl eligible. Here are this week’s projections,
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl – CFP Semifinal
December 31 - Atlanta
#4 TCU vs. #1 Georgia
Allstate Sugar Bowl
December 31 - New Orleans
Texas vs. LSU
Valero Alamo Bowl
December 29 – San Antonio
Kansas State vs. UCLA
Cheez-It Bowl
December 29 – Orlando
Baylor vs. North Carolina
TaxAct Texas Bowl
December 28 – Houston
Kansas vs. Arkansas*
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
December 28 – Memphis
Oklahoma State vs. Missouri*
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
December 27 – Phoenix
Oklahoma* vs. Iowa*
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
December 22 – Fort Worth
Texas Tech* vs. SMU*
SERVPRO First Responders Bowl
December 27 – University Park, Texas
Iowa State* vs. UNLV*
*Team is not yet bowl eligible
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
Note: Power Rankings are determined by a group of fans representing all ten schools currently in the Big 12 Conference.
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