No. 1: Oklahoma
So far, the Sooners are doing what great teams do: beating up on weaker opponents. This time, it was South Dakota that was tasked with stopping senior quarterback Jalen Hurts’ outstanding start to the season as Oklahoma hung 70 points on the Coyotes.
No. 2: Texas
There’s no reason to drop Texas in the rankings or after the heartbreaking loss to LSU. The Longhorns showed they can battle back from a deficit when needed, and junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger settled in nicely to throw for a career-high 401 yards. The secondary might want to rethink the DBU shirts, however.
No. 3: Baylor
The Bears are one of just two teams this week to make a jump in the rankings. For those unaware, junior quarterback Charlie Brewer is the real deal. Baylor rolled UTSA 63-14 to move to 2–0, and it looks like this may be the first year since the Art Briles era that the team is truly a contender in this conference.
No. 4: TCU
There’s a chance that the Horned Frogs head into their Week Eight date with Texas with zero losses. Their only big test before the matchup will come in Ames, Iowa, against the Cyclones. Until then, it may be smooth sailing for a reloaded TCU team that is trying to fight its way back to Big 12 relevance.
No. 5: Iowa State
There wasn’t an opportunity last weekend for the Cyclones to prove that their Week One near-debacle was an outlier, but this week brings a true test. No. 19 Iowa comes to Ames, and Iowa State will get a chance to vault themselves back into the conference championship conversation with a win over the Hawkeyes.
No. 6: Oklahoma State
It was another solid week for the Cowboys. Freshman quarterback Spencer Sanders led the team in both rushing and passing yards against FCS McNeese State, amassing 301 total yards and three touchdowns in a 56-14 win. But again, Oklahoma State will need to prove its talent once conference play rolls around.
No. 7: Kansas State
The Wildcats pitched a shutout in a 52-0 win over Bowling Green on Saturday. It’s a good step in the right direction for first-year head coach Chris Klieman, but the cakewalk is over. Mississippi State is up next, followed by Oklahoma State and Baylor to start the conference schedule.
No. 8: Texas Tech
Just like many other teams in the conference, the Red Raiders have taken advantage of a light schedule early on. Tech took on UTEP, ranked dead last out of 130 teams in SB Nation’s S&P+ projections, and won handily 38-3 — but there will be more to prove in the coming weeks.
No. 9: West Virginia
It’s going to be a long year for the folks from Morgantown, West Virginia, maybe even longer than expected. The Mountaineers went to Columbus, Missouri, and got absolutely walloped by the Tigers, losing 38-7. Junior transfer quarterback Austin Kendall was supposed to fill the hole left by Will Grier, but he doesn’t look the part so far as he threw two interceptions and completed just 60% of his passes in the loss.
No. 10: Kansas
It didn’t look like it could get much worse for a Big 12 team after West Virginia’s performance, but Kansas takes the cake. Les Miles’ Jayhawks fell to the Sun Belt’s Coastal Carolina 12-7, showing that their place as the conference’s bottom dweller may be secure for quite some time.
