Not only did Oklahoma State’s bye week keep the Cowboys in our top spot but wins by both Iowa State and Kansas State held the top three in check from last week to this week.
As you can imagine, on a limited weekend of conference action only four teams moved spots in our power rankings. TCU and Texas each dropped two spots. Oklahoma took the biggest jump up, moving to #4 this week, and Baylor moved up a spot as well into a tie with Texas at #7.
Below are our consensus rankings and then after that you’ll find the individual rankings from our writers with an explanation for each of the top three and the bottom two as well.
2020 Heartland Sports Week 6 Big 12 Power Rankings
| Ranking | Points |
|---|---|
| 1. Oklahoma State | 50 |
| 2. Iowa State | 44 |
| 3. Kansas State | 41 |
| 4. Oklahoma | 31 |
| 5. West Virginia | 27 |
| 6. TCU | 25 |
| 7. Texas | 21 |
| 8. Baylor | 21 |
| 9. Texas Tech | 10 |
| 10. Kansas | 5 |
Mark
1. Oklahoma State- The last unbeaten in the Big XII. We will hopefully get to see more of this team against Baylor or Spencer Sanders might get another week to heal.
2. Iowa State- The Cyclones beat Texas Tech handedly and cemented their second place ranking. They have a bye week before gearing up to try to take the top spot from the Cowboys.
3. Kansas State- K State had a big time road win at TCU. The Wildcats have a bye week and then host the Jayhawks.
4. TCU
5. Oklahoma
6. West Virginia
7. Texas
8. Baylor
.9 Texas Tech- Texas Tech had another rough weekend with a loss to Iowa State. They get the week off to try to turn around the season before hosting the Mountaineers.
10. Kansas- The Jayhawks had a loss in their bye week with head coach Les Miles contracting COVID. We’ll see how they respond when playing West Virginia.
Rich
1. Oklahoma State Cowboys | The program utilized the week to rest and begin preparations for the rest of the slate. Receiving a second week off after the Baylor game was postponed only allows the coaching staff to work with Illingworth and bring Sanders to a 100% healthy state. As the only undefeated team in the Big XII Conference, it’s hard to place another name at the top of the list. Plus, the defense is the best product on the field of any in the league.
2. Kansas State Wildcats | It’s hard to believe the Wildcats sit at 3-0 in conference play right now given the schedule and the expectations of the year. Needless to say, this is a group that continues to find a way to win even without Skylar Thompson available. With two of those wins coming on the road, this looks like a team ready to compete for the crown.
3. Iowa State Cyclones | The folk in Ames boast a similar situation to the one above. Sitting 3-0 in league play with possibly the best running back in the conference, the Cyclones continue to find ways to win. That’s the sign of a great team. Still, ISU has not played a complete game and it could be scary when they finally put it all together.
4. West Virginia
5. TCU Horned Frogs
6. Oklahoma Sooners
7. Texas Longhorns
8. Baylor Bears | I’m slotting them here until they can field a team.
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders | This looks like a team that is unable to finish after blowing a two-score lead against the Longhorns two weeks ago. Now with a third consecutive loss, it looks to be a long year for the group. One team will finish without a win in Big XII play and the Red Raiders hope it’s not them.
10. Kansas Jayhawks | Even on a bye week, things simply did not go right for the Jayhawks. Les Miles tested positive for COVID-19 as the team seemingly finds a way to lose another battle. Let’s hope no players contract the virus.
Craig
1. Oklahoma State | The Pokes had the week off, but as the only undefeated team in the conference they remain on top. Could this be the year for the Cowboys?
2. Iowa State | The Cyclones handled Texas Tech this week. They looked great on offense, and held a Texas Tech team that averages over 30 points per game to only 15.
3. Kansas State | It certainly wasn’t the prettiest win for the Wildcats over TCU on Saturday, but they got the job done. Picking up their third straight conference win, Kansas State entered the top 25 as well.
4. Oklahoma
5. West Virginia
6. Baylor
7. Texas
8. TCU
9. Texas Tech | I personally thought Texas Tech would play Iowa State close, but I was dead wrong. They have to get the quarterback situation figured out, but even then this team is a long ways away from where they need to be.
10. Kansas | The Jayhawks had the week off as well. But hey, that assured they wouldn’t take a loss!
Zack
1. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys had the week off, so they remain the only undefeated team in the conference; thus, they stay at number 1.
2. Iowa State | The Cyclones never really struggled with Texas Tech on Saturday, so they continue to look solid. October 24th’s matchup against Oklahoma State is going to be a good one.
3. Kansas State | For some reason, the Wildcats were 9-point underdogs against TCU. That was some easy money for somebody.
4. Oklahoma
5. West Virginia
6. Texas
7. TCU
8. Baylor
9. Texas Tech | It’s wild to think they nearly beat Texas as bad as they’ve looked since. Then again, maybe Texas isn’t any good either.
10. Kansas | The week off was the best case scenario for the Jayhawks. They’re already 3 touchdown underdogs ahead of their game against West Virginia on Saturday.
Matt
1. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys were off last weekend and will be again this weekend due to Baylor’s Coronavirus outbreak.
2. Iowa State | The Cyclones did what they needed by taking to care of Texas Tech at home this weekend.
3. Kansas State | No Skylar Thompson, no problem. Kansas State scored the biggest win of the weekend.
4. Baylor
5. Oklahoma
6. TCU
7. Texas
8. West Virginia
9. Texas Tech | Not having Alan Bowman is going to be a problem for the Red Raiders. They need him back…and very soon.
10. Kansas | Jayhawks were off over the weekend and that was probably a good thing.
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