With only two weeks left to play, here are the latest Big 12 rankings.
No. 1 Texas Longhorns
The No. 7 Longhorns sit atop the Big 12 conference, having the best conference and overall record. Texas’ farewell tour had a bump in the road earlier in the season, but after a road win against the Horned Frogs, the Longhorns are back on track. Texas has won four away games in a row, and as the team faces off against Iowa State this week, they look to keep both their winning streak and national championship hopes alive.
No. 2 Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State has won four out of its last five games with a combined score of 179-49. The Wildcats are tied with three other schools for second place in the Big 12. Kansas State’s remaining two games are split with one at home and one away. At home, the Wildcats have been stellar and are currently unbeaten in Manhattan. On the road, not quite as great. They have one win in four away matchups; however, they are No. 2 because of their recent dominance.
No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State was one of the teams that, coming into the season, had very little expectations placed upon them. Yet the Cowboys have come into the season firing and now have a 7–3 record. The Cowboys are in second place in the conference and have a very notable win against the No. 14-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. The reason they don’t take the second spot is because of their extremely disappointing performance against new conference member UCF. The No.24 ranked Cowboys lost 45-3 on Saturday to the Knights.
No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners are in a battle for second place in the conference, but will need some help if they hope to play for a conference championship. As mentioned before, the Sooners lost to in-state rival Oklahoma State and the week before that, they were knocked off by Kansas on the road. However, after dominating West Virginia, Oklahoma is No. 14 in the nation and faces two unranked opponents, one away and one at home.
No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State sits fourth in the conference and has an overall record of 6–4. The Cyclones have been the same both on the road and at home, posting the same record of 3–2. Recently Iowa State blew out BYU but fell to Kansas at home. This week, the Cyclones host the Longhorns for what could be the final time for a very long time. Iowa State can also challenge for a conference championship but will need some help getting to the big dance.
No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks
The Kansas Jayhawks are currently 7–3 and have notable wins against teams like No. 14-ranked Oklahoma at home and Iowa State on the road. The Jayhawks started off the season strong, winning their first four games before losing to the Longhorns in Austin in a top 25 matchup. Currently, Kansas is 4–3 in conference play, but due to their level of competition and overall record, they rank this high.
No. 7 West Virginia Mountaineers
Another surprise is how well the West Virginia Mountaineers have performed this season. The team and program were going through a rebuild and despite that, they sit at six in the conference rankings. The Mountaineers have a record of 4–3 and an overall record of 6–4. At home they have been a very strong team, winning four out of five games. The Mountaineers have had wins against BYU and UCF but recently lost to No.14 Oklahoma on the road.
No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are on a two-game win streak currently and sit at 7 in the conference rankings. Although they sit at 4–3 in conference play, the Red Raiders are 5–5 overall. The season has been somewhat disappointing for Texas Tech, as many starters and seniors were returning from last year, leading to somewhat of a high expectation. The Red Raiders recently beat Kansas and TCU both on the road and at home.
No. 9 UCF Knights
In their first season as part of the Big 12, the UCF Knights have had themselves a season that although hasn’t been stellar,is something to take pride in. Currently the Knights are 5–5 and are on a two-game win streak, which includes their dominant performance against No. 24 Oklahoma State. It is not easy to come into a conference and immediately start winning, so it will take some time before UCF challenges for a national championship.
No. 10 Houston Cougars
The Houston Cougars are also one of the newest members of the Big 12 Conference. They currently sit at 4–6 on the season. In conference play, the Cougars are at 2–5 and have struggled to win on the road. Nonetheless, a recent win against Baylor and a strong fight against Texas show that the Cougars will eventually be able to hold their own in the Big 12.
