Oklahoma’s offense performed well against Baylor one week after struggling at times against Army, and Oklahoma State bounced back from the loss to Texas Tech last week with a convincing win against Kansas, but the rest of the Big 12 played it close.

West Virginia, Texas, and TCU all squeaked by with wins over Texas Tech, Kansas State, and Iowa State, so teams are starting to settle in closer to their final destinations as we approach midseason.

Week Five – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

Oklahoma’s offense was in tip-top shape as they put 66 points against Baylor. Kyler Murray was impressive and should be considered one of the favorites to win the Heisman.

Oklahoma State Taylor Cornelius rebounded after an awful performance against the Red Raiders as he threw 15/20 for 312 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.

The Bad

The Big 12 is known for high-scoring offenses, but right now, barely half of the conference is holding up their end of the bargain.

Texas (T-72nd, 28.8 PPG), Kansas (T-72nd, 28.8 PPG), Kansas State (119th, 19.6 PPG), and Iowa State (123rd, 17.5 PPG) all rank in the bottom half of FBS teams in scoring offense, and this last weekend was no outlier as all four of those teams failed to score 30-plus points.

The Ugly

One season after going 8-5, knocking off the Sooners in Norman, and finishing fourth in the Big 12, Iowa State is off to a 1-3 start, and their chances of making bowl are diminishing quickly. Now they have to take on the Cowboys in Stillwater. It’s rough right now for Cyclones fans.

Week 6 Power Rankings

Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Texas hold strong at 1-3 as Texas Tech drops a few spots. Kansas reigns supreme at the bottom.

Heartland Sports Week Six Big 12 Power Rankings
Ranking	Points
1. Oklahoma	40
2. West Virginia	36
3. Texas	32
4. TCU	26
5. Oklahoma State	24
6. Texas Tech	22
7. Baylor	14
8. Iowa State	11
9. Kansas State	10
10. Kansas	5

Zack

1. Oklahoma | The Sooners are back at #1 for me after a convincing win over Baylor. The defense gave up 33 points, which isn’t great, but Kyler Murray should probably the frontrunner for the Heisman, and this offense is going to slow down any time soon.

2. West Virginia | Narrow win over Texas Tech or not, the Mountaineers are solid. The offense isn’t quite as dangerous as the Sooners, but the defense isn’t quite as bad as they could have been, so they very well could be in the Big 12 Championship Game come season’s end.

3. Texas | Is Texas back? I still can’t tell. I can’t believe I have them in my top 3, but it’s Red River Rivalry Week, so why not? As long as they don’t get murdered in Dallas (I think they might), then they may stick around near the top of my rankings for a while.

4. TCU

5. Texas Tech

6. Oklahoma State

7. Baylor

8. Iowa State

9. Kansas State | It’s bad in Manhattan. With all due respect to Bill Snyder, it’s probably time for him to hang it up. Their only win has come against lowly UTSA, and their matchup with Baylor this weekend might be their only chance to get another until they play Kansas next month.

10. Kansas | The Jayhawks were able to score some points on Oklahoma State, but they’re still just bad. At least basketball season starts soon.

Craig

1. Oklahoma | The Sooners had an impressive offensive showing against the Bears last weekend. Sure, the defense wasn’t great, but if you’re going to score 66 points, does it really matter? Oklahoma will have their first real test of the year this coming Saturday against Texas. Looks like we will be finding out if the Sooners are the real deal or not.

2. West Virginia | The Mountaineers are the only other team in the Big 12 still undefeated besides the Sooners. They look pretty legit to this point in the season. Despite almost allowing Texas Tech to make a 25-point comeback, they’ve still looked nearly flawless. Will Grier has looked phenomenal, and the defense for West Virginia might be a bit better than we thought.

3. Texas | I hate to admit it, but I think the Longhorns are legit. It seems like things are finally trending in the right direction in Austin. Everyone knows that Texas shows up every year for the Red River Rivalry, even on their down years. That being said, Texas fans have to be feeling pretty confident going into this weekend. The Horns have a chance to jump to the number one spot with a win over Oklahoma.

4. Oklahoma State

5. TCU

6. Texas Tech

7. Baylor

8. Iowa State

9. Kansas State | It’s definitely been quite some time since the Wildcats have been at the bottom of the Big 12. I still think there’s a chance they can turn this season around. However, they’ve not been impressive at all this season. A win against Baylor this weekend would work wonders for this team heading into the last half of the season. Hopefully Snyder can rally his troops to get back to the top of the Big 12 before the season ends.

10. Kansas | I gave the Jayhawks a chance at not being the worst team in the Big 12 a week ago. Guess what? They let me down. It really looked like Kansas might be heading in the right direction, but that proved to be not true. Things aren’t getting better this week as they have to travel to West Virginia. Looks like yet another tough season for Kansas.

Rich

1. Oklahoma | The offense remains explosive with big yardage plays in every quarter. Possessing a top twenty-five rushing defense also bodes well moving forward despite a few struggles in the secondary. Regardless, the Big 12 still belongs to Oklahoma

2. West Virginia | The Mountaineers continue to answer questions concerning the defense. With a high-flying offense, WVU appears to be the best shot to spoil the Sooners chances of repeated as conference champs. Therefore, the ‘Eers will hold down the second spot until something changes.

3. Texas | Possessing an opportunity to shake up the top ten this week, the Longhorns squeaked out a win in Manhattan last week — something that hasn’t happened in nearly two decades. One mishap earlier in the season continues to hold this team back. Still I’m not sure the offense can keep pace with some others in the Big 12.

4. Oklahoma State

5. TCU

6. Texas Tech

7. Baylor

8. Kansas State

9. Kansas | The Jayhawks are making an attempt at becoming relevant. However, the talent level continues to showcase the discrepancies between KU and the rest of the conference.

10. Iowa State | After saying that the Cyclones were not the worst team in the conference, I’m slowly changing my mind. The defense may provide ample opportunity to win games, but the offense continues to struggle. Until something changes, ISU belongs at the bottom of the power rankings.

Matt

1. Oklahoma | It’s amazing how much different this team looks when the offense actually gets on the field. It’s also crazy to think that Kyler Murray is five touchdowns ahead of Baker Mayfield’s pace through five games last season.

2. West Virginia | It’s tough to play on the road in conference. That said, the Mountaineers showed some potential weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball against Texas Tech.

3. Texas | Their 19-14 win at Kansas State was about as ugly as it gets. Ask the Sooners though, an ugly win is better than a loss any day.

4. TCU

5. Texas Tech

6. Oklahoma State

7. Iowa State

8. Kansas State

9. Baylor | The Bears showed some offensive promise against Oklahoma on Saturday but their defense remains one of the worst in the Big 12.

10. Kansas | Basketball practice has officially started in Lawrence!