Big 12 Power Rankings: Texas Jumps, But Not High Enough

The Longhorns are moving up the rankings, but aren't the No. 1 team just yet.

Preseason polls are stupid. Yeah, I said it. Come at if you disagree. 

College football fans clamor into a stadium with aspirations of being a College Football Playoff contender right away because the rankings have them top five. The next week, they're screaming for the head coach to be fired for barely pulling out a win over an FCS program. 

We've all been there before, right? 

Four teams inside the preseason top 25 were all upset to kick off Week 1 of the 2021 season. Wisconsin saw Graham Mertz throw a critical interception late to fall against Penn State. Ed Oregon is now 0-2 against UCLA after talking trash with LSU. North Carolina might have been a one-year wonder and Washington looked lost against FCS Montana. 

Yes, college football is back.

The Big 12 had its own share of games mixed with pros and cons. Texas has a Heisman front-runner, Oklahoma still can't play defense, Texas Tech lived up to the Red Raider shootout title and West Virginia heads to the country roads 0-1. 

It's early and anything can change, however. For now, the overreaction of the Big 12 entering Week 2 is alive and well. 

Longhorns Country every week will be ranking all 10 teams after their performances and see where they sit entering a new week. And yes, we can all agree to disagree here.  

WATCH: Texas QB Hudson Card's First Career TD Pass As A Longhorn

1. Oklahoma (1-0)

Maybe the circumstances gave Tulane Hulk-like strength to march into Norman and make things interesting late. The Green Waves were forced to evacuate their city due to Hurricane Ida, sleep in hotels in Birmingham, Ala., and travel to Tuscaloosa to use Alabama's indoor practice facility to practice Tuesday afternoon. 

Maybe we're underselling Tulane and Willie Fritz this season? 

The Spencer Rattler Heisman left the station and is going to be working uphill entering Week 2. He threw for over 300 yards but also had two interceptions. Alex Grinch's defense looked like Mike Stoops' style of play as the Green Wave dropped nearly 400 yards of offense against them. 

Thank goodness the Sooners have Western Carolina next week. They should be 2-0 by halftime. 

2. Texas (1-0)

The Longhorns are good. They're not College Football Playoff good just yet, but it was clear that Steve Sarkisian has his players buying into the system. Hudson Card proved to be the right answer at QB1, and Pete Kwiatkowski's 4-2-5 system had Levi Lewis under pressure for most of the second and third quarter. 

Bijan Robinson has entered the Heisman front-runner chat and should be a favorite for Week 2. Last year, Tom Herman allowed the Tucson native to carry the rock 15-plus times once. Sarkisian gave him 20 carries and it paid off big time. 

A 176-yard outing and two total touchdowns? Place your bets now on Robinson heading to the Big Apple for the Heisman trophy ceremony now before the odds become too low. 

3. Iowa State (1-0)

It's not clear what went wrong in Ames yesterday. Brock Purdy went 21-of-26 passing and didn't commit a turnover. The Cyclones rushed 34 times and averaged four yards per run. Heck, the defense had two turnovers and caused a pair of fumbles. 

So, why did FCS Northern Iowa only lose by six? Corey Dunn finished with the most yards on the day, punting six times for 223 yards. The Cyclones College Football Playoff dreams could be over next week against No. 18 Iowa. 

WATCH: Texas QB Hudson Card's First Career TD Pass As A Longhorn

4. Kansas State (1-0)

Surprised? You shouldn't be. Chris Kleinman is a damn good coach and Skylar Thompson runs this offense like a master conductor controlling a symphony. Thompson finished with 177 yards and two touchdowns while Deuce Vaughn averaged 9.5 yards per carry. 

In 2018, Kleinman shocked the Big 12 with quality defensive play and Thompson's dual-threat ability. A third-place finish isn't too far-fetched again. 

5. TCU (1-0) 

There wasn't anything special from the Horned Frogs' 45-3 victory over Duquesne. Max Duggan now has 4,000 passing yards all-time with the team and the defense allowed just 137 total yards on the evening. 

That's likely not going to be the case against California. 

READ MORE: Recapping the Texas Longhorns Defense in Win Over Louisiana

6. Oklahoma State (1-0)

This might be unfair since Spencer Sanders was out due to COVID, but FCS Missouri kept it close. Shane Illingworth threw for over 300 yards, but Jason Shelly of MSU threw for 235. 

A late touchdown kept the score close at 23-16, and the Cowboys' defense did enough to stop the Grizzlies on fourth down twice, but the offense has to be better. The good news is Tulsa lost to FCS UC Davis, so their confidence has to be shot. 

7. West Virginia (0-1)

Remember that No. 1 secondary from 2020? Can someone find it for next week? 

Taulia Tagovailoa torched the Mountaineers with three touchdowns and over 300 yards passing. Jarret Doege had a pair of interceptions, and the run game deteriorated. 

Take away the two turnovers and maybe Neal Brown walks away with a win. 

READ MORE: Sark's Choice: Hudson Card's Career At Texas Is About To Take Off

8. Texas Tech (1-0)  

Football is a tale of two halves. After taking a 21-7 lead at halftime, Kirby Hocutt would have been in his right mind to find Matt Wells. In the second half, he'll probably give a raise. 

Tyler Shough led three touchdown drives and Houston's Clayton Tune threw three interceptions, one of which was returned for Red Raiders touchdowns. A win is a win, right? 

9. Baylor (1-0)

Dave Aranda is a great coach, but a head coach? Let's wait on that. Texas State played back and forth for the first half before Abram Smith scored a 13-yard touchdown to put the Bears up by 10. 

The game ended closer than people thought, but then again, is anyone expecting that much from Baylor? 

10. Kansas (1-0)

Kansas is going to the national championship. Book it. 

Ok, I got your attention, they won a game. I wrote earlier this year that Lance Leipold was going to be the reason Kansas contended for bowl games in the future. I stand by that.

A 1-11 season, here we come. 

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