Pending something completely unforeseen, what everyone sees in the top two spots of the week seven Big 12 power rankings will remain unchanged for the rest of the season. But, boy howdy, the race for that third spot is going to get spicy. All of the teams from 3-14 are more than capable of winning a game against each other. The latest example of that can be seen in Stillwater last week as Oklahoma State absolutely suffocated Kansas State. Yes, the same Oklahoma State team that got boat raced by South Alabama in Stillwater (South Alabama is currently 3-3). There is a legitimate case to be made that five different teams should occupy that spot. So where do the rest of the teams find themselves in the week seven Big 12 power rankings?
Week Seven Big 12 Power Rankings
14. Houston
The Cougars were on a bye week last week. Dana Holgerson’s team is facing an uphill climb to get its first Big 12 win as Houston hosts West Virginia this week.
13. Baylor
Not only did Baylor lose the “BU-TT” bowl, but it appears its season is also getting flushed down the toilet. No loss has looked that similar. It appears like the moment Dave Aranda gets one area fixed, two more parts break down on him. The comeback against UCF was incredible. It also appears that will be the only highlight of the 2023 season for the Baylor Bears.
12. UCF
For a non-conference schedule that was tracking for one bold prediction to have a chance of coming to fruition, it’s becoming clear that the year-one jump for UCF is not going to be a shiny one. There is no reason to think Gus Malzahn can’t build up a contender. But after getting steamrolled by a Kansas rushing attack and its backup quarterback, the problems the Knights face go beyond a starting quarterback who is trying to get back to 100% health.
11. Cincinnati
The bye week served as a good time to take stock of what the Bearcats have been doing well and where they need to improve this season. This is a team that, if they start converting drives into points, will get dangerous for other Big 12 teams. They get their first crack to do so against Iowa State this week.
10. TCU
TCU’s offense looked very un-TCU-like in its loss to Iowa State. The Horned Frogs also received more bad news as quarterback Chandler Morris is expected to miss multiple weeks due to a knee injury. Currently, they are averaging one less touchdown per game compared to last year’s playoff team. Sonny Dykes’ team has certainly gone through some big swings up and down. Most notably, it is now looking like that opening week showdown with Colorado really was nothing more than two teams looking to claw out six wins this season.
9. Oklahoma State
As is tradition, the moment everyone starts counting out Mike Gundy and his Oklahoma State squad, the Cowboys jump up and bite everyone back. Coming off the bye week, the Pokes looked like the season was spiraling out of control. However, a controlling victory over the defending Big 12 champs was a nice bounce-back for Oklahoma State. It currently boasts a whopping one-point differential between points for and points against in Big 12 play and overall on the season. We saw last year this same program had two very distinct halves of the season. Could it be the inverse this year or will the Cowboys just be a middle-of-the-road team?
8. BYU
Currently, BYU is the only new Big 12 member with a conference victory. However, that came against Cincinnati. The Cougars were on a bye last week. They have an opportunity to secure their first road Big 12 victory as they visit a wounded TCU team in Fort Worth on Saturday.
7. Iowa State
We have now entered the portion of the week seven Big 12 power rankings with a lot of teams that are building some momentum for a second half push. This is also the line of demarcation as all of the remaining teams have at least two Big 12 victories to date. Matt Campbell is seeing his team pull itself off the mat after a very rough September. The Cyclones will continue to rely on its defense to carry the day for them, and that might be good enough to get to a bowl in a down Big 12.
6. Texas Tech
Will the Big 12 finally see the team many picked as a Darkhorse contender for the Big 12 title? The Red Raiders have a very clear established identity on offense, and his name is Tahj Brooks. In addition to feeding one of the top-performing running backs in the country, Texas Tech is also starting to flash evidence of a fast and physical defense. The Red Raiders look to push their winning streak to three against Kansas State on Saturday night in Lubbock.
5. Kansas State
It probably should have been expected for the defending Big 12 champs to take a small step back with some major contributors it lost to the NFL. Still, it was semi-shocking to see the Wildcats lack physicality and sharp execution coming out of a bye week. Stillwater is not an easy place to play, but Kansas State just seemed like it was stuck in first gear the entire game. Another tough road environment awaits the Wildcats this week going to Lubbock. However, Kansas State is looking to make it eight straight victories over Texas Tech.
4. Kansas
The only other 5-1 team in the conference is the only team to beat the Jayhawks. Kansas bounced back after losing to Texas by running all over UCF to the tune of 399 yards on the ground on 51 rushing attempts. Any team that runs that well can have its defensive lineman play quarterback and the result of the game is going to be a victory. The one knock on Lance Leipold’s team might be that it appears to not have nearly as much juice on the road. The Jayhawks will have a chance to dispel that notion as they travel to take on Oklahoma State.
3. West Virginia
Congratulations Neal Brown! Here is the respect no one gave your Mountaineer team in the preseason. Coming off the bye week, West Virginia stands a good chance to keep this spot for another week squaring off against Houston.
This is where a significant gap in the rankings is evident. The drop-off between the second and third spots is very clear.
2. Texas
Texas didn’t play its best game. But it certainly did not play a bad game against Oklahoma. And when an offense gains 527 total yards but turns it over three times against an opponent with equal talent, that will prove to be the difference. The Longhorns acquitted themselves fine in a loss, not that Texas fans are looking to hear that. But there is no reason for this team to panic. The effort Saturday against Oklahoma would beat the rest of the teams on the team’s schedule. Texas is on bye this week.
1. Oklahoma
Making its debut at the top of the week seven Big 12 power rankings, the Oklahoma Sooners officially have announced to the college football world that they are a playoff contender. Their win over the rival Longhorns was not a fluke; they stood toe-to-toe against Texas and did not flinch. Head coach Brent Venables now has a fairly resistance-free path to play for the conference championship. The biggest threat to the Sooners isn’t any opposing team; it is complacency.
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