Preseason Big 12 power rankings: Is Texas or Oklahoma State the biggest threat to Oklahoma?

Oklahoma has been the class of the Big 12, but entering the 2020 season, is their biggest threat from rival Texas or in-state rival Oklahoma State?

Big 12 football will have a big say in who will contend for a national championship this year.

As one of the three Power 5 conferences still on board to play this fall, the Big 12 will certainly get at least one team into the College Football Playoff, possibly two if the runner-up is a more compelling team than the runner-ups out of the ACC or the SEC. To figure out where we’re going, let’s see how the Big 12 stacks up heading into the 2020 college football season.

Oklahoma football is the hunted but they have a pair of rivals coming for their crown in our preseason Big 12 power rankings.

Despite having one of the best running backs in the Big 12 in Pooka Williams, we have our doubts about the Kansas Jayhawks doing much of anything this year. This will be Les Miles’ second season in Lawrence, but he only won three games last year, and KU played 12 in total. Though Kansas isn’t going winless, the Jayhawks will be lucky to only get a few victories this season.

Though we do like the coaching staff in place under Matt Wells, we’re not entirely sure if the Texas Tech Red Raiders have the talent needed to get out of the bottom tier of the Big 12. Texas Tech is in a group of about three teams in the bottom half that is better than Kansas but shouldn’t even be considered a dark horse contender in the Big 12 in any capacity. Maybe next year, Texas Tech?

As with Wells in Lubbock, this is Neal Brown’s second season in Morgantown leading the West Virginia Mountaineers. What gives Brown a little more of an edge over Wells’ Red Raiders is he has a tad more talent than does Texas Tech. Even though WVU parted ways with defensive coordinator  Vic Koenning this offseason due to racist remarks, Brown may have the ‘Eers pushing for .500.

The Kansas State Wildcats are the best team in the bottom tier of the Big 12. The reason for this is they have the best head coach currently in Chris Klieman. He won at a ridiculous level while leading the North Dakota State Bison in the FCS. In his first year leading K-State post-Bill Snyder for the second time, the Wildcats upset the Oklahoma Sooners. This team could play spoiler.

The first middle-of-the-pack team we’ll touch on in the Big 12 is the Baylor Bears. While they were last year’s runner-up under former head coach Matt Rhule, there will be an adjustment period for first-time head coach Dave Aranda. He may have been the defensive coordinator for the reigning national champion LSU Tigers, but it won’t nearly as smooth sailing as it was a year ago.

Cracking the top five will be Gary Patterson’s TCU Horned Frogs. While this offseason was not without controversy for the Hall-of-Fame-level coach, he did land the best running back in the 2020 recruiting cycle in Zachary Evans. Questions at quarterback after Max Duggan was lost due to a pre-existing health condition makes things a bit tricky for now. But with TCU’s typically stout defense, maybe the Horned Frogs can be this year’s Baylor and force its way into the Big 12 Championship Game conversation?

Now, we’re in the upper crust of who can actually win the Big 12. The least likely team to do it that could is the Iowa State Cyclones. They have a terrific head coach in Matt Campbell, a strong defensive culture and arguably the program’s best quarterback ever in Brock Purdy. If the Cyclones can beat two of the three teams ahead of them and not slip up, they will make it to Arlington.

If we’re talking about dark horse national title contenders, the Oklahoma State Cowboys certainly fit the bill. This could be the best team the Pokes have had since they won the Big 12 back in 2011. With Spencer Sanders at quarterback, Chuba Hubbard at running back and Tylan Wallace at wide receiver, Oklahoma State has the offensive firepower to hang with just about anyone.

Could this be the year the Texas Longhorns are finally back? For them to be back, they must win the Big 12 Championship and reach the College Football Playoff. They have the head coach in Tom Herman and the starting quarterback in Sam Ehlinger to pull this off. Texas will need a few lucky bounces, but the Longhorns have enough talent to win the Big 12, possibly the whole shebang.

Once again, the Oklahoma Sooners are the favorites to win the Big 12. If they don’t win the Big 12 for the sixth year in a row, it would be seen as a massive disappointment in Norman. This team has proven it can win the Big 12 without batting an eye, but winning national semifinal games in the College Football Playoff is a totally different animal. Will this year be any different for them?

Ultimately, more eyes will be on the Big 12 this season because the Big Ten and the Pac-12 aren’t playing. Look for Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler to be the latest Heisman Trophy finalist to star for Lincoln Riley in Norman. The Sooners are expected to face either Iowa State, Oklahoma State or Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington and win going away, but will they?

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