Big 12 power rankings: Conference up for grabs after Oklahoma State, Kansas State upset

The Big 12 is wide open again after Oklahoma State and Kansas State lost.

There is good news and bad news after Oklahoma State went down against Texas. The good news is now six out of the ten teams in the Big 12 are within one game of first place. Right now, Kansas State and Iowa State share claim on the top of the division, with OK State a half-game back, then Texas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia nipping at their heels. The bad news is the Cowboys’ loss likely takes the entire conference out of College Football Playoff contention. Even if a team like Clemson or Notre Dame losses, that loss will look better nationally than what happened to Oklahoma State. Also, with the Pac 12 joining the fray eventually, it was a long shot the Big 12 could ever survive a loss.

That means the entire conference is shooting for that pivotal championship. That includes the Oklahoma Sooners, who won every Big 12 Championship Game since it returned in 2017. They’ve faced a different opponent each season (TCU, Texas, and Baylor), and there is a good chance a new opponent could make it again. There are four games left in the Big 12 regular season for most teams (five for Oklahoma State and Baylor), but there are so many questions still surrounding all these teams.

As for power rankings, upsets make it harder than any week this season. There is only one guarantee, and that’s having Kansas at the bottom.

Big 12 power rankings entering Week 10

It’s another huge loss for Kansas. The defense is just atrocious. Every week, a winless season becomes more and more apparent. A 30-point loss to Iowa State had very little to highlight. They had a few good plays, including a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. That doesn’t take the sting out of allowing 185 yards and two touchdowns to Wichita native Breece Hall.

Baylor went down 30-0 in the first half against TCU before mounting something of a comeback. The defense only allowed one field goal in the second half, and they scored 16-straight points to end the game. It wasn’t nearly enough, as TCU was never really sweating the final score. Charlie Brewer came up extremely small when it mattered, and the defense allowed TCU to hold onto the ball for more than six minutes on their final drive to end any hopes for the Bears. It’s been a disaster of a first season for Dave Aranda, but things will get better next season. That can’t come soon enough for Baylor fans.

A win versus WVU is quickly looking like a fluke for Texas Tech. They got destroyed by the Sooners on Saturday, After the Red Raiders scored on their opening drive, they allowed 42 unanswered points. It was so bad, that Oklahoma scored a touchdown on six-straight drives. The Red Raiders had no answer for Spencer Rattler on defense. Texas Tech is another bad team, but they at least can win some games unlike the previous two teams on the list.

TCU put another win on their record after racing out to a huge lead to the Baylor Bears. They clearly took the foot off the gas in the second half, but going into the break with a 23-point lead affords that luxury. A final drive that lasted 6:24 to end the game was incredibly impressive. Max Duggan ran for a first down twice to extend the drive, and Gary Patterson chose to go for it on fourth and 1 on the Baylor 13 to end the game. It’s the type of moves a coach makes when trying to save his season. TCU’s defense should be better, but five-star running back Zach Evans finally broke out, with 11.6 yards per carry. There is hope here, even if it’s faint for this season specifically.

The top six in the Big 12 can go many different ways, and West Virginia probably deserves a little more respect after destroying a ranked team in Kansas State, but this is the first time the Mountaineers put everything together outside of a win versus Kansas. In their other four games, the offense was putrid at times and scary good at others. The inconsistency with Jarret Doege looked like it was fixed against KSU, but he needs to play this way for the rest of the season for the Mountaineers to make noise. The defense is the best in the Big 12. It might be one of the better units in the country. They can shut down just about anyone. This week, they proved what they can do when they aren’t constantly forced back on the field being asked to save the offense.

After buying into everything Kansas State was selling, this team immediately gets destroyed by WVU. It was never really close, Will Howard was just terrible, the defense could not stop Doege or Leddie Brown, and everything went wrong for the Wildcats on Saturday. As a team, Kansas State averaged 1.8 yards per carry against West Virginia. They have a great defense, but that’s still pretty pathetic. Unfortunately, Skylar Thompson is not coming back. This is the Kansas State team that’s playing the rest of the season. Howard has to be better or they could fall even further down the rankings.

The Texas Longhorns played another exciting game, taking Oklahoma State to overtime before knocking off the best team in the conference. It was their third overtime game of the season. They came very close to blowing it at the end but forced the Cowboys to kick a field goal with five seconds left on the Texas 17-yard line. Sam Ehlinger was mediocre but played well when it mattered. He hit Joshua Moore in overtime after a pass interference penalty earlier in the drive kept them from kicking a field goal. A sack on fourth down ended the game and gave Texas its biggest win of the season.

Iowa State is definitely a top-four team in the Big 12. It’s hard to tell how much further up the list they deserve to go after a dominant win against Kansas. Technically, they are tied for first place in the conference, and if the season ended today they would be heading to AT&T Stadium for the Big 12 Championship Game. Unfortunately for them, there’s still a month’s worth of season left to play. Brock Purdy will have to step up beyond what he’s done this season to carry the Cyclones through the last four games. It looks like Iowa State will get to bowl eligibility, but how much higher is up to this offense.

Oklahoma had one goal this week; destroy Texas Tech. Mission accomplished. Spencer Rattler finally looked like the Heisman Trophy candidate he was supposed to be before the season. The defense forced four fumbles (despite only recovering one) and caught two interceptions. It was one of the best all-around wins in all of the Big 12 this season. The Sooners get the nod as the second-best team because their stumbles seem to be in the rearview mirror. The other teams in the Big 12 need to desperately try to keep them out of the title game because they’ve proven in the past that if they make it there they are winning that game.

One loss a season does not ruin. At least, that’s the poetry Oklahoma State is likely spewing inside the locker room. The Cowboys lost a heartbreaker to the Texas Longhorns. Some real issues need to be addressed. Chuba Hubbard did not look good. He averaged 2.9 yards per carry in this game. It was by far his worst game of the season, despite scoring a receiving touchdown. Special teams need to play better.

The offense has to stop turning the ball over. It’s not fair on the defense to ask them to stop Texas when they keep getting the ball in plus territory. Spencer Sanders fumbled three times and lost each one. The offense turned the ball over a total of five times. It’s a miracle they even made it to overtime. However, they are still the best team in this conference. They have plenty of chances to redeem themselves (Kansas State and Oklahoma in back-to-back weeks), but it’s likely the National Championship dreams have been crushed. The best they can do is their second-ever Big 12 Championship.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion, and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.