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College football conference power rankings: Week 13

By Nathaniel Reeves

Nov 19, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Sefo Liufau (13) celebrates a rushing touchdown by running back Phillip Lindsay (23) (background) in the fourth quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Folsom Field. The Buffaloes defeated the Cougars 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA
Nov 19, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Sefo Liufau (13) celebrates a rushing touchdown by running back Phillip Lindsay (23) (background) in the fourth quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Folsom Field. The Buffaloes defeated the Cougars 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA /
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Here’s how the Power Five stacks up heading into Week 13 of the 2016 college football season.

Nov 19, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Sefo Liufau (13) celebrates a rushing touchdown by running back Phillip Lindsay (23) (background) in the fourth quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Folsom Field. The Buffaloes defeated the Cougars 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA
Nov 19, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Sefo Liufau (13) celebrates a rushing touchdown by running back Phillip Lindsay (23) (background) in the fourth quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Folsom Field. The Buffaloes defeated the Cougars 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA /

While Week 12 of the 2016 college football regular season couldn’t match the chaos of the previous Saturday, there were still a few games that made an impact in both playoff and conference title race.

The biggest result of the week came on Thursday night in Houston, where the Cougars wrecked No. 5 Louisville, 36-10. Louisville’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff are now gone, and No. 4 Clemson’s  win over Wake Forest eliminated the Cardinals from the ACC title picture.

In the Big Ten, Ohio State figures to hold on to the No. 2 spot after surviving a major scare from Michigan State. As No. 3 Michigan trudged past Indiana, the stage is set for one of the most hyped games ever in the storied Buckeyes-Wolverines rivalry next week.

Oklahoma is also poised to move up from No. 9 after running all over No. 14 West Virginia. It would take a lot going right ahead of them, but the Sooners are faintly in the playoff picture and will have an opportunity to pick up another quality win against No. 11 Oklahoma State.

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While the next couple of weeks could change the playoff dramatically, the Big Ten has clearly separated itself as the best conference in the land. Here’s how the Power Five conferences grade out heading into rivalry week.

5. Big 12

Oklahoma may be playing like one of the top teams in the nation, but the Big 12 is well behind the rest of the Power Five after another tough week for the middle tier of the conference.

The Sooners jumped out to a 34-0 lead on West Virginia and eventually went on to win 56-28 behind a 316-yard effort on the ground. That result may just say more about the Mountaineers , who have not beaten a team that is this year and lost handily to both the Sooners and Cowboys.

Mike Gundy has quietly done yet another terrific job with a 9-2 Oklahoma State team that will play for the Big 12 title against the Sooners in a huge Bedlam showdown. There’s a huge dropoff after those three, as the next-best team in the conference is Kansas State at 6-4.

The biggest Big 12 news of the week was Texas deciding to fire head coach Charlie Strong following an overtime loss to lowly Kansas. Kilff Kingsbury could follow suit soon after Texas Tech was demolished 66-10 at Iowa State.

New coaching hires at Texas and Baylor could help the Big 12 bounce back quickly soon enough. For now, its trails the rest of the Power Five, and might not be all that far ahead of The American as a whole.

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