Big 12 Power Rankings: Are the main powers of the league starting to emerge?

The top four spots in the Big 12 power rankings were unchanged after Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State all won over the weekend.

Oklahoma, the unanimous No. 1 in voting by 14 beat writers that regularly cover the Big 12, had to stop a two-point conversion in the closing minutes to escape upset-minded UCF. Texas narrowly beat Houston, while Oklahoma State staged a fourth-quarter comeback to beat West Virginia. Kansas State had the easiest weekend of the bunch, crushing TCU 41-3.

1. Oklahoma

Previous ranking: 1

Points: 196 (14 first-place votes)

Record: 7-0 (4-0 Big 12)

Last week: defeated UCF, 31-29

This week: at Kansas

Comment: Oklahoma had to rally from a fourth-quarter deficit for the second time in as many contests when UCF grabbed a 23-17 lead. The Sooners eventually would have to stop a potential game-tying two-point conversion in the final two minutes to preserve the victory.

Did you know? Wide receiver Nic Anderson has 16 receptions this season with eight of those resulting in touchdowns. He is one shy of equaling Marvin Mims’ freshman TD record set in 2020. — Eric Bailey, Tulsa World

2. Texas

Previous ranking: 2

Points: 182

Record: 6-1 (3-1 Big 12)

Last week: defeated Houston, 31-24

This week: vs. BYU

Comment: Maalik Murphy will likely get his first career start at quarterback in place of Quinn Ewers, who is “week to week” with a sprained shoulder suffered Saturday against Houston, according to Texas coach Steve Sarkisian. A redshirt freshman who missed the 2022 season while recovering from an injury, Murphy has thrown for 47 yards on 4-of-8 passing this season.

Did you know? Sarkisian played quarterback for BYU in 1995 and 1996. One of six BYU quarterbacks to pass for 4,000 yards in a season, Sarkisian won one of the program’s seven Sammy Baugh trophies. He still ranks No. 2 in the BYU record books for career completion percentage. In 1996, he led BYU to a win in the Cotton Bowl and the first 14-win season in NCAA history. — Thomas Jones, Austin American-Statesman

3. Kansas State

Previous ranking: 3

Points: 163

Record: 5-2 (3-1 Big 12)

Last week: defeated TCU, 41-3

This week: vs. Houston

Comment: The Wildcats are a hard team to judge. Their two losses (at Missouri and Oklahoma State) have aged well, but their five victories (SEMO, Troy, UCF, Texas Tech, TCU) have come against overmatched opponents and backup quarterbacks.

Did you know? The Wildcats now lead the Big 12 in rushing yards with 1,629 on the season? — Kellis Robinett, Wichita Eagle/Kansas City Star

4. Oklahoma State

Previous ranking: 4

Points: 152

Record: 5-2 (3-1 Big 12)

Last week: defeated West Virginia, 48-34

This week: vs. Cincinnati

Comment: Running back Ollie Gordon II leveled up yet again, rushing for 141 yards and three touchdowns — in the fourth quarter. OSU trailed 24-20 at the start of the fourth before Gordon’s takeover. He totaled 282 yards and four TDs as Oklahoma State won its third straight game to further distance itself from an uneven start to the season.

Did you know? Gordon, a sophomore, has played in all 20 games of his career, but had more than nine carries only twice in the first 16. Over the last four games, he’s averaging 176.8 yards and 24.3 attempts per game, good for 7.3 yards per carry. — Scott Wright, The Oklahoman

5. Kansas

Previous ranking: 8

Points: 138

Record: 5-2 (2-2 Big 12)

Last week: Open date

This week: vs. Oklahoma

Comment: After using a bye week to rehab some minor injuries, KU will now welcome to Lawrence the current conference leader, Oklahoma. Kansas will host Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show for the marquee matchup on Saturday, making it just one of five schools to host both “Big Noon” and ESPN’s “College GameDay” over the last two seasons, according to KU Athletics. The school had never hosted either show prior to 2022.

Did you know? OU has beaten KU 18 times in a row, and this will be KU’s last chance to flip the script before the Sooners leave the Big 12. The Jayhawks had OU on the ropes in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium two years ago before then-freshman quarterback Caleb Williams took an impromptu handoff from running back Kennedy Brooks to prevent a fourth-down stop by linebacker Rich Miller. — Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World

6. Iowa State

Previous ranking: 5

Points: 130

Record: 4-3 (3-1 Big 12)

Last week: Open date

This week: at Baylor

Comment: The Cyclones seek to start Big 12 play 4-1 for just the third time in program history but have lost six of their last seven games in Waco.

Did you know? Iowa State leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally in average yards per kick return at 29.5. The Cyclones ranked 118th nationally in the same statistical category last season, eking out a meager 16.6 yards per return. — Rob Gray, Cedar Rapids Gazette

7. West Virginia

Previous ranking: 7

Points: 104

Record: 4-3 (2-2 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Oklahoma State, 48-34

This week: at UCF

Comment: WVU suffered an absolute collapse in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma State. Leading 24-20 entering the fourth, OSU scored four touchdown and won 48-34. The Mountaineers are left picking up the pieces and now a once-favorable looking schedule looms large over the coming weeks.

Did you know? Ollie Gordon’s 282 rushing yards were the second-most ever by a single player against the Mountaineers. Kansas’ Khalil Herbert ran for 291 during a game in 2017. — Cody Nespor, Morgantown Dominion Post

8. BYU

Previous ranking: 10

Points: 94

Record: 5-2 (2-2 Big 12)

Last week: defeated Texas Tech, 27-14

This week: at Texas

Comment: BYU continues to find ways to win, even if it isn’t always pretty. The Cougars turned over Texas Tech’s third-string quarterback three times to hang on to a 27-14 win. The offense, however, only gained 78 yards in the second half and were out gained by the Red Raiders by over 100 yards.

Did you know? Saturday was BYU’s first win over a tenured member of the Big 12 this season. — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune

9. TCU

Previous ranking: 6

Points: 87

Record: 4-4 (2-3 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Kansas State, 41-3

This week: Open date

Comment: It was tough sledding for the Horned Frogs as the Wildcats piled up over 200 yards in the first quarter and jumped out to a 21-3 lead and never looked back. The bye week comes at an ideal time for TCU with the program needing to reset after a disappointing result.

Did you know? TCU is 127th in red zone offense. The Horned Frogs have only scored 15 touchdowns in 32 attempts. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

10. Texas Tech

Previous ranking: 9

Points: 58

Record: 3-5 (2-3 Big 12)

Last week: lost to BYU, 27-14

This week: Open date

Comment: Five. Five-turnover. Five-turnover footballll. Not quite as catchy as the $5 footlong jingle, though I think it gets the point across for the Red Raiders. A possible bowl game seems out of reach now.

Did you know? This is the third straight year and the fourth time in the last five years Texas Tech has had to use at least three quarterbacks because of injury. They’ll try to get Behren Morton healed up when they resume action Nov. 2 against TCU. — Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

T11. Baylor

Previous ranking: 12

Points: 53

Record: 3-4 (2-2 Big 12)

Last week: defeated Cincinnati, 32-29

This week: vs. Iowa State

Comment: The Baylor passing offense came alive against Cincinnati. Quarterback Blake Shapen threw for 316 yards and has had more than 300 yards in three of his four starts. Receiver Ketron Jackson, a transfer from Arkansas, set a new career high with 130 yards. The Bears also got a boost from kicker Isaiah Hankins, who tied the program record with four made field goals, including a career-long 54-yard make.

Did You know? Head coach Dave Aranda is 23-20 in his career in Waco. The last time a Baylor coach had a better record through their first 43 games was George Sauer in 1954. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the president, the New York Giants won the World Series and Mr. Sandman was the No. 1 song. — Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald

T11. Houston

Previous ranking: 11

Points: 53

Record: 3-4 (1-3 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Texas, 31-24

This week: at Kansas State

Comment: The Cougars took the eighth-ranked Longhorns to the wire, hurt by a controversial third-down spot at the 10-yard line with about a minute left and a failed fourth-down try. The offense, led by quarterback Donovan Smith, continues to show improvement and the defense showed a new wrinkle with a 3-3-5 scheme that could be part of the plan for the rest of the season. Wide receiver Sam Brown is having a breakout season with a Big 12-best 41 catches for 629 yards.

Did You know? Saturday’s first meeting against Kansas State will be Houston’s first to the Sunflower State since playing Kansas in 1995 and just the eighth overall. UH visited Wichita six times from 1950-59 as co-members of the Missouri Valley Conference. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

13. UCF

Previous ranking: 13

Points: 42

Record: 3-4 (0-4 Big 12)

Last week: lost to No. 6 Oklahoma, 31-29

This week: vs. West Virginia

Comment: UCF nearly pulled off the upset at No. 6 Oklahoma as quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, who shook off flu-like symptoms in his first full start in five weeks after returning from a knee injury, tossed a touchdown to Javon Baker with 1:16 left but the two-point conversion failed to secure the win for the Sooners.

Did you know? Plumlee was among 13 players and coaches hampered by a flu bug that required many to receive IV fluids after pregame warmups. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

14. Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 14

Points: 17

Record: 2-5 (0-4 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Baylor, 32-29

This week: at Oklahoma State

Comment: The Bearcats had two runners eclipse 100 yards with Corey Kiner running for 129 and Myles Montgomery 103 with two touchdowns. Since 2000 they are 38-5 when having two 100-plus-yard rushers, yet two of those losses are this year (Miami University, Baylor).

Did you know? The Bearcats are 1-2 vs. Oklahoma State but the teams haven’t played in 40 years. In 1983, after Cincinnati had one of their biggest upsets to date winning at Penn State 14-3, the Cowboys came to Nippert Stadium and beat the Bearcats 27-17. Mack Brown’s brother Watson was the Cincinnati coach and the Cowboys were led by Jimmy Johnson. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer