1. Oklahoma State (2-0, last week: 1)
Despite plenty of off-the-field distractions, the Cowboys continue to roll. Another blowout victory has the Pokes opening their Big 12 schedule in Morgantown as the conference favorites. With the trip to Austin in November looking like an easy win at this point, Oklahoma State’s toughest road test will likely come in Lubbock against the Red Raiders.
2. Baylor (2-0, last week: 2)
After a week off, the Bears are primed for one last offensive explosion against Louisiana-Monroe before they get into their conference schedule. With their first four Big 12 games coming against the bottom four teams on this list, expect Baylor to continue to light up the scoreboard.
3. Oklahoma (3-0, last week: 3)
It looks like the Sooners have found their quarterback, even if it took an unfortunate injury to do so. Junior Blake Bell, who started in place of the injured Trevor Knight on Saturday, threw for 413 yards and 4 touchdowns in a win over Tulsa. With a defense that has given up an average of just nine points per game and a solid running attack, Oklahoma appears to be hitting it’s stride.
4. Texas Tech (3-0, last week: 6)
It wasn’t pretty, but the Red Raiders took care of business against TCU in Lubbock on Saturday. While some poor officiating down the stretch certainly helped, Texas Tech’s defense looked strong throughout the game. With four very winnable games ahead of them, don’t be surprised if the Red Raiders head to Norman at 7-0.
5. TCU (1-2, last week: 4)
While TCU’s rough start has been largely overshadowed by the disaster taking place in Austin, the Horned Frogs have been equally disappointing. It appears as though life without quarterback Casey Pachall is proving to be as challenging as expected and now the defense is hurting too. This bye week comes at a good time as TCU looks to right the ship while it still can.
6. Texas (1-2, last week: 5)
After three years of mediocre Longhorns football, this was supposed to be Texas’ year. But just three weeks into the season the program is in shambles. The loss to Ole Miss was the second blowout in as many weeks and Mack Brown’s seat is on fire at this point. Brown’s only saving grace at this point would be a Big 12 championship. That journey starts Saturday against Kansas State.
7. West Virginia (2-1, last week: 7)
Georgia State might not be the toughest of competition, but freshman quarterback Ford Childress looked good on Saturday and appears to have cemented himself as the starter for the Mountaineers. We’ll see how good West Virginia really is over the next few weeks as they take on Maryland, OSU and Baylor.
8. Kansas State (2-1, last week: 8)
Since losing their season opener to an FCS opponent, the Wildcats have looked strong in back-to-back victories. That being said, their schedule has been soft to date. A win in Austin this weekend, which isn’t far fetched given their recent dominance over the Longhorns, would silence the doubters.
9. Kansas (1-1, last week: 9)
The loss to Rice gave us an idea of what to expect from the Jayhawks this year. The defense didn’t look too bad, but the offense was abysmal. If Charlie Weis’ bunch can’t find a way to put up points, it’s going to be a long year in Lawrence.
10. Iowa State (0-2, last week: 10)
The Cyclones remain winless, but did put up a good fight in their annual matchup with Iowa. Nonetheless, the defense looks weak and the offense hasn’t been very impressive either. That combination won’t add up to much in the win column.
