Following a weekend that saw Oklahoma State get throttled at home, and Oklahoma nearly upset at home as well, a bit of overreaction is expected. While the safe bet is that neither OU or OSU are as bad as they represented on Saturday, the respective fan bases need time to digest that and move on…and so do our weekly power rankings, where we’re punishing the Sooners for winning and kicking the Cowboys while they’re down.
Week Four – The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
The Good
West Virginia, Texas Tech, and Texas all recorded convincing wins over their opponents in week four. More importantly they were all conference wins.
Iowa State finally notched a mark in the win column as well. Although, the Cyclones are drawing some heat for the narrow margin of victory after pushing Oklahoma a week before.
We’ve got to mention Baylor here as well. We were legitimately thinking that the Bears may move into the bottom spot of the conference and they went out and proved beyond a doubt that position in the rankings belongs to Kansas.
The Bad
TCU and Oklahoma State dropped clunkers. It’s way too early for either team to be out of the conference title hunt just yet, however you have to question TCU now after back-to-back losses.
Oklahoma State is also going to need to prove a few things after getting dominated up front on offense and looking confused multiple time on defense.
It’s been a while since Oklahoma fans have felt this bad following a loss, but that’s what happens when you allow a service academy to take you to the wire.
The Ugly
Oh, Kansas. Just when we were starting to believe in you.
Week 5 Power Rankings
It’s only by one point but the Sooners saw their grip loosen just a little bit this week with West Virginia picking up a first-place vote.
After rising to #2 last week, Oklahoma State dropped to a tie with TCU in the #5 spot this week.
West Virginia solidified themselves at #2 and Texas is rising.
| Heartland Sports Week Five Big 12 Power Rankings | |
| Ranking | Points |
|---|---|
| 1. Oklahoma | 39 |
| 2. West Virginia | 37 |
| 3. Texas | 31 |
| 4. Texas Tech | 29 |
| 5. Oklahoma State | 20 |
| 5. TCU | 20 |
| 7. Iowa State | 16 |
| 8. Kansas State | 12 |
| 9. Baylor | 11 |
| 10. Kansas | 5 |
Zack
1. West Virginia | The Mountaineers dropped last week because they didn’t play, but I move them all the way up to the top this week because of how well they played and how poorly other teams did. Their time at the top may be limited, though, as I think Texas Tech is a potential trap game.
2. Oklahoma | A win is a win, but it wasn’t exactly pretty for the Sooners in their overtime victory against Army. You have to tip your hat to the Black Knights and what they were able to do. Oklahoma will be dangerous moving forward as they will undoubtedly wanted to show why they deserve to be in the College Football Playoff conversation.
3. Texas | I can’t believe it, but the Longhorns proved me wrong for the second week in a row, and I hate to say it, but Texas might be back, or at least close to it. I will not be the least bit surprised if they stumble sometime soon, perhaps even this weekend in Manhattan, but for now, they deserve some respect.
4. Texas Tech
5. Iowa State
6. TCU
7. Oklahoma State
8. Kansas State
9. Baylor | The Bears beat the Jayhawks, but that may be the only win that Baylor gets in conference play. We will see.
10. Kansas | Back to reality for football fans in Lawrence. This week, the Jayhawks play host to Oklahoma State, who should be roaring mad after getting destroyed by Texas Tech in Stillwater.
Craig
1. Oklahoma | The Sooners barely escaped Army last week at home. It wasn’t a very pretty game, but as they say, a win is a win. The only way the Sooners will drop out of the number one spot in my rankings is if they lose a game somewhere down the road. In my opinion, that is deserved after winning the conference three years in a row.
2. West Virginia | West Virginia is a very close second team in my opinion. After having doubts about this team at the beginning of the season, the Mountaineers are looking more and more legit each week. It’s going to be an exciting finish to the season for the top two teams in the Big 12.
3. Texas Tech | The Red Raiders had an impressive 41-17 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday. I don’t think it’s because OSU is a bad team, I think Texas Tech is a legit threat. I don’t think they have any chance of winning the conference, but they will upset some teams this season.
4. Texas
5. Iowa State
6. Oklahoma State
7. TCU
8. Baylor
9. Kansas State | It’s been quite some time since I’ve had the Wildcats this low in the rankings. After four weeks, they’ve not impressed me. I do think they’ll finish higher than ninth, but for now this is where they belong.
10. Kansas | I finally gave Kansas a chance at not being the worst team in the conference last week. That decision led to much disappointment after the Jayhawks were dominated by the Baylor Bears. It’s looking like Kansas will stay at the bottom for the remainder of the season.
Rich
1. Oklahoma | Many fans are quick to criticize the defense after an overtime victory. However, the defense gave the offense ample opportunity to win the game. Tossing an interception and failing to cross the goal line on 4th and 1 were a sight for sore eyes in such a tight contest. Yet, the Sooners walked away with a win in hand. Remaining undefeated, it’s hard to punish a team that sits at the top for winning.
2. West Virginia | Will Grier continues to lead the charge for the Mountaineers behind five touchdowns. Making a legitimate case for the Heisman, this offense remains explosive. Untested at this point in the season, I cannot legitimize a leap into the top spot right now.
3. Texas | The Longhorns are surging with consecutive wins over ranked opponents. Silencing the doubters, this team may finally be on the right track as the culture surrounding the program continues to change.
4. Texas Tech
5. TCU
6. Oklahoma State
7. Baylor
8. Kansas State
9. Kansas | The Jayhawks have been all over the map through four games this season. Securing two wins isn’t enough to tell the whole story. That comes this week with a crack at the OSU Cowboys. Can the KU offense keep pace?
10. Iowa State | The Cyclones may have looked impressive in a loss to Oklahoma two weeks ago but have now returned to form. Lacking the fire power others in the conference possess, ISU got it’s first win of the season. Yet, it wasn’t the blowout I expected.
Matt
1. Oklahoma | Had it not been for my hard rule that you’re #1 until someone knocks you off I would have been more tempted to drop the Sooners this week. Oklahoma is looking back on this game and seeing wasted opportunity, particularly in the second half.
2. West Virginia | The Mountaineers aren’t just doing it with their typical offense, they’re also dominating defensively. Through three games this season West Virginia is holding opponents to an average of 12.3 points per game.
3. Texas | I’m just as surprised as you are to see the Longhorns here but who would you place in front of them at this point? Texas is back in the Top 25 this week and, unlike their preseason ranking, they deserve it this time.
4. Texas Tech
5. Oklahoma State
6. TCU
7. Kansas State
8. Iowa State
9. Baylor | I’m all over the place with the Bears right now. Mostly because I really don’t know where they belong. They could easily be a middle of the pack team but they could also be a bottom tier team. What I do know is that they aren’t the worst team in the Big 12.
10. Kansas | Are the Jayhawks better than their recent seasons? Yes! Are they out of the Big 12 basement? Nope!
Week Five Schedule
#12 West Virginia at #25 Texas Tech
Oklahoma State at Kansas
Baylor at #6 Oklahoma
#18 Texas at Kansas State
Iowa State at TCU
All of you guys are crazy! What is the basis for ISU being higher than No. 10?!? Their “impressive” win over Akron? C’mon now…
And you think they’d lose to Kansas?
It’s possible but these are power rankings, not an attempt to define where each team will finish at the end of the year
Which makes even less sense that KU wouldn’t be last on your list.