Week 4 of the college football season brought us our first Big 12 conference games. Texas took a step forward in remaining in the conference title race and West Virginia made their move towards staying out of the basement.
In the middle of those two are a bunch of teams that we really don’t know what to do with yet. In our Week 5 rankings we only found consensus in Oklahoma at the top, Texas as #2, and Kansas at #10. Obviously that leaves the door open for a lot of discussion.
| Heartland Sports Week 5 Big 12 Power Rankings |
| Ranking | Points |
|---|---|
| 1. Oklahoma | 50 |
| 2. Texas | 45 |
| 3. Kansas State | 38 |
| 4. Oklahoma State | 34 |
| 5. Baylor | 29 |
| 6. Iowa State | 27 |
| 7. TCU | 22 |
| 8. Texas Tech | 14 |
| 9. West Virginia | 11 |
| 10. Kansas | 5 |
Mark
1. Oklahoma | The Sooners are coming off the bye week and will face the Red Raiders who will be without their starting QB. I am looking forward to seeing what this defense looks like against a Big 12 offense.
2. Texas | Texas beat Oklahoma State 36-30 at home to keep them as a favorite to return to the Big 12 championship game. They have a bye week this week then head to West Virginia.
3. Kansas State | Kansas State follows up their bye week with a trip to Stillwater. We’ll see if they can get another impressive road win.
4. Oklahoma State
5. Baylor
6. Iowa State
7. TCU
8. Texas Tech
9. West Virginia | West Virginia beat Kansas 29-24 and are now going into a bye week to get ready for Texas.
10. Kansas | The Jayhawks lost to the team I thought they had the best chance to beat in conference play but they still may sneak up on someone if not taken seriously. They go to TCU who just lost to SMU.
Rich
1. Oklahoma | The Sooners welcomed a week of rest and will join in the conference race this upcoming weekend. Regardless, OU will continue to hold down the top spot until another program proves worthy of dethroning the reigning champs.
2. Texas | It’s clear that the Longhorns lack a quality rushing attack. Combined with a hobbled defense, Texas appears to be in for their fair share of struggles. During a high scoring affair, Tom Herman escaped with a win in Austin but fail to look a head above the competition. Behind the win, UT clings narrowly to No. 2 in this week’s edition of the rankings.
3. Oklahoma State | Spencer Sanders is the future of the Cowboys football team! On the road, the youngster remained poised despite a few mistakes. With numerous opportunities to win, the coaching staff simply failed to produce the desired result. OSU is in a much better place than I initially thought. With growing confidence, it’s not a team I’d want to face. Still, the best teams find a way to win and this offensive line must continue to improve if O-State hopes to continue an upward trend.
4. Kansas State
5. Baylor
6. Iowa State
7. TCU
8. West Virginia
9. Texas Tech | With the week off, I’ve dropped the Red Raiders simply because the ‘Eers received their wake up call weeks ago. In a turn of events WVU has beaten two consecutive power 5 members which seemed improbable after a loss to Mizzou. Standing 2-1 on the year, that’s not a claim TTU can make. With Alan Bowman out for the season as well, the season outlook remains bleak for the Red Raiders moving forward.
10. Kansas – A loss to another cellar dweller in conference play cemented the Jayhawks position in the bottom. It’ll be a miracle if KU pulls out of the 10th spot this year now.
Zack
1. Oklahoma | The Sooners had the week off. They’re still the best team in the Big 12.
2. Texas | A close win over the Cowboys keeps the Longhorns at no. 2 for me. That secondary is super suspect though. I’m not sure how they’re going to fare as conference play continues.
3. Kansas State | I had the Wildcats pegged as a part of the preseason bottom of the Big 12 barrel, but they have impressed so far. They have not yet been truly tested, but Mississippi State was a solid win. This weekend in Stillwater will likely lock down the true no. 3 in the conference.
4. Oklahoma State
5. Iowa State
6. TCU
7. Baylor
8. Texas Tech
9. West Virginia | The Mountaineers defeated the Jayhawks in Lawrence. Good for them. They might not win another game the rest of the season.
10. Kansas | The Jayhawks had one GOOD chance at winning a conference game, and they blew it. If they cannot beat West Virginia at home, don’t count on them to do it against anyone.
Craig
1. Oklahoma | The Sooners were off on a bye week, but remain at the top of the rankings. It’ll be interesting to see their first conference matchup against Texas Tech this week.
2. Texas | The Longhorns pulled off an ugly win against Oklahoma State at home this weekend. Although they had a sloppy performance, the win is all that counts. I still believe Texas is the only real threat to the Sooners.
3. Kansas State | The Wildcats have been by far the most impressive Big 12 team. They also have the best win of any team in the conference. We will find out just how legit they are this weekend when they face Oklahoma State.
4. Iowa State
5. Oklahoma State
6. Baylor
7. TCU
8. Texas Tech
9. West Virginia | The Mountaineers won the battle of the worst teams with a 29-24 win over Kansas. One week after ranking them dead last, I have no choice but to bump them to the ninth spot.
10. Kansas | The Jayhawks are back where they’ve been for a very long time. However, I’m not giving up on them just yet. I still think they will surprise some teams this season.
Matt
1. Oklahoma | Bye Week
2. Texas | The Longhorns are better offensively than expected but they seem to have significant struggles on the defensive side of the ball.
3. Baylor | TCU’s loss was Baylor’s gain in this week’s rankings. A less than impressive 21-13 win over Rice has me extremely skeptical though.
4. Kansas State
5. Oklahoma State
6. TCU
7. Iowa State
8. Texas Tech
9. West Virginia | The Mountaineers did exactly what they needed to do by beating Kansas. That most likely keeps them out of the basement for the remainder of the season.
10. Kansas | Yes, the Jayhawks are better than year’s past. Yes, they’re still just the 10th best team in the Big 12.
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