With Week Four in the books, the Big 12 power rankings saw a bit of a shake up after Texas' 31-16 upset over then-No.17 TCU. Texas Tech also entered the AP Top 25 with an impressive victory over then-No. 15 Oklahoma State. Here's how the conference shapes up heading into Week Five.
No. 1, West Virginia
There’s a new king in the Big 12 power rankings, and it is the West Virginia Mountaineers. Led by Will Grier, the Mountaineers have risen to No. 12 in the AP Top 25 and have absolutely dominated each of their three opponents. West Virginia has beat its opponents by an average of 30 points per game, and that likely won’t stop anytime soon.
No. 2, Oklahoma
Any matchup with a triple-option offense provides a mismatch for the opposing team and that’s exactly what Army gave Oklahoma last Saturday. Despite a low scoring output, little blame can be placed on Kyler Murray and the Sooner offense for putting 28 points on the board. The main takeaway is the OU defense visibly struggled getting off the field on key downs, something other teams could be exploited in weeks to come.
No. 3, Texas
Two straight wins against ranked teams gives Texas fans reason to believe the Longhorns are moving in the right direction. It’s clear Todd Orlando’s defense is the backbone of this Texas team after only allowing a combined three points in the second half of the TCU and USC games.
No. 4, Texas Tech
Texas Tech’s meeting in Stillwater this past week was expected to be an old-fashioned shootout, however, the Tech defense allowed just 17 points and improved to 3–1 on the season. Though it wasn’t a massive performance for the offense, the Red Raiders still rank No. 1 in the country in total yards per game.
No. 5, Oklahoma State
Despite the loss to Texas Tech, the Cowboys are still one of the better teams in the Big 12 and should be treated as such. The nation’s 11th-ranked offense will return next week against Kansas. The loss to Texas Tech certainly hurts, which is why the Cowboys fell out of the AP Top 25 and why they come in at No. 5 in the Big 12 power rankings.
No. 6, Baylor
There is reason for optimism in Waco — Baylor is 3–1 this season. But the Bears need to pump the breaks. Baylor has yet to defeat a team of relevance, with Kansas taking over the spot for their best victory.
No. 7, TCU
The loss to Ohio State stung, but the loss to Texas hurt, and it hurt bad. TCU looked like it was going to score with ease against the Longhorns’ defense early on, but the Horned Frogs appeared to abandon their game plan rather early in the game. TCU seemed dejected in the fourth quarter, and it now looks to rebound against Iowa State.
No. 8, Iowa State
Put a “one” in the win column for the Cyclones. Granted, the victory did come against Akron. Nonetheless, a win is a win. Iowa State should not be taken lightly moving forward. The Cyclones’ losses to Oklahoma and Iowa were both tightly contested, which proves the Cyclones can hang with the big dogs of the Big 12.
No. 9, Kansas
Kansas looked like the Kansas we all know and love in last week’s loss to Baylor. The Jayhawks scored just seven points in their worst performance of the season, explaining why there was little investment into their 55-14 victory over Rutgers. Although there was success early in the season, Kansas likely won’t experience much more from this point forward.
No. 10, Kansas State
Kansas State has been blown out in each of its Power 5 matchups. A 35-6 beating at the hands of West Virginia is very uncommon for any team led by head coach Bill Snyder. The Longhorns head to Manhattan this weekend with all sorts of momentum on their side.
