Big 12 power rankings: West Virginia falls, Texas sustains success

AMES, IA - OCTOBER 13: Defensive end JaQuan Bailey #3 of the Iowa State Cyclones sacks quarterback Will Grier #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers as he scrambled for yards in the first half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

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AUSTIN, TX – OCTOBER 13: Shane Buechele #7 of the Texas Longhorns runs with the ball defened by Jordan Williams #38 of the Baylor Bears in the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

The latest Big 12 power rankings only produced a handful of results in Week 7, but was it enough to change the conference’s landscape.

Week 7 of Big 12 football produced another interesting slate of games, despite a handful of teams having bye weeks. There was still a conference-rattling upset and a narrow win for one of the elites, so it made everything interesting, as always.

The week was highlighted by West Virginia’s surprise loss to Iowa State, 30-14. This took the Mountaineers out of the top two, but how far did they fall in the rankings? This game also created a change in the middle of the conference. Which teams moved up? Who moved down?

Big 12 power rankings entering Week 8

Kansas had the week off, which they probably needed after three consecutive losses against Baylor, Oklahoma State and West Virginia, respectively. It was an inevitable downfall after a cupcake-filled schedule to open the season. The Jayhawks’ last game against the Mountaineers resulted in a 38-22 defeat, as they were unable to keep up with Heisman contender, Will Grier. That has been the case in most games vs. offensively skilled teams. Texas Tech is next on the schedule on Saturday, Oct. 20. With this vaunted offense on the way, can Kansas keep up?

It was a partial upset special in Week 7, as Kansas State knocked off a struggling Oklahoma State squad, 31-12. The game started as a field goal fest in the first half, but a 28-6 run in the second half catapulted Bill Snyder’s squad into the decisive win. There was not much from the aerial attack, but Alex Barnes sprinted for 184 yards on the ground for four touchdowns. Quarterback Skylar Thompson even added 80 yards to make it interesting. A positive week will take the Wildcats into a bye, before a date with No. 9 Oklahoma arrives on Saturday, Oct. 27. It’s their biggest challenge of the season, and it will be difficult to push the envelope against Kyler Murray and company.

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