A full slate of games on Saturday brings our power rankings back with a vengeance this week. Oklahoma State’s win over Iowa State keeps the Cowboys at the top of our rankings once more but also brings us a new #2. The Cyclones dropped a spot to #3 this week. They were one of four teams to take a tumble, from our last set of rankings, with TCU taking the biggest drop from #6 to #8.
Kansas State moved up one spot to #2 with Texas and Texas Tech each climbing two spots to #5 and #7 respectively.
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 8 Big 12 Power Rankings
| Ranking | Points |
|---|---|
| 1. Oklahoma State | 50 |
| 2. Kansas State | 45 |
| 3. Iowa State | 40 |
| 4. Oklahoma | 35 |
| 5. Texas | 29 |
| 6. West Virginia | 20 |
| 7. Texas Tech | 18 |
| 8. TCU | 17 |
| 9. Baylor | 16 |
| 10. Kansas | 5 |
Craig
1. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys put together another dominant performance on Saturday. This time against #17 Iowa State. The Pokes have a solid defense, and their offense is bound to improve each week.
2. Kansas State | Kansas State did exactly what they needed to do this week. They took care of a lesser opponent in Kansas and did so in impressive fashion.
3. Iowa State | The Cyclones didn’t do enough on Saturday to come out on top over Oklahoma State. That being said, they are still one of the best teams in this conference. If they win out, they’ll have another shot against OSU in the Big 12 Championship game.
4. Oklahoma
5. Texas
6. Baylor
7. West Virginia
8. Texas Tech
9. TCU | I believe the Horned Frogs are a lot better than their record shows. They’ve played arguably the toughest schedule in the conference so far. They’ll have a few easier games in the coming weeks to work their way up the rankings.
10. Kansas | Somehow Kansas is worse than they were a year ago. At this point, they’ll be lucky to win a game this season.
Mark
1. Oklahoma State- The Cowboys had a great win at home against Iowa State solidifying themselves as Big 12 favorites. They better stay focused with the Longhorns coming to town.
2. Kansas State- The Wildcats were ready to play and took care of business against the Jayhawks. They have a tougher test going to Morgantown before hosting the Cowboys the following week.
3. Iowa State
4. Oklahoma
5. Texas
6. TCU
7. Texas Tech
8. West Virginia
9. Baylor- I’m not really sure where to put the Bears with all the COVID problems but with their only win against the Jayhawks, this made the most sense to me.
10. Kansas- Having Pooka Williams opt for family reasons was a tough loss for the Jayhawks. Unfortunately, things don’t get any easier with an angry Iowa State team coming to town.
Rich
1. Oklahoma State Cowboys | In a game that was quite close at the end, the Cowboys prevailed despite not having played football in weeks. Remaining the only undefeated team in the conference, it’s hard to imagine any other name at the top of this list. That isn’t to say OSU is without issues. The offensive line continues to struggle and must be a point of focus for the remainder of the year. Reintroducing Spencer Sanders to the equation resulted in an accurate but mistake-prone day from the quarterback position. Could we see a two QB system once again?
2. Kansas State Wildcats | Continuing to run over and through conference opponents, the Wildcats look like the surprise contender for the Big XII Title. Currently, it doesn’t matter who the quarterback is as long as Duece Vaughn is producing at a high level. Scoring a 55-14 win in a rival pairing isn’t necessarily that impressive. But knowing it comes without Skylar Thompson is the reason I’m impressed. The rest of the conference has been put on notice.
3. Iowa State Cyclones | Playing some of the best football at the moment, the Cyclones had every opportunity to win on the road against the No. 6 team in the country. Failing to convert two field-goal attempts eventually led to a loss. One instance can completely change the game and that’s the case this week for ISU. The Cyclones are well-coached and are starting to execute more efficiently. This is a team that isn’t out of the race just yet.
4. Oklahoma Sooners
5. West Virginia Mountaineers
6. Texas Longhorns
7. Texas Tech Red Raiders
8. TCU Horned Frogs
9. Baylor Bears | The fall has been quite drastic this season for the COVID-19 stricken program. Having played only three games this season, the Bears are riding a two-game losing streak. It’s hard to get a grasp on the identity of this team given the circumstance. Right now, the only thing keeping them out of the bottom spot is a single win.
10. Kansas Jayhawks | A winless season sits on the horizon for Les Miles and the group.
Zack
1. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys pulled out another close win, but this weekend’s performance against Iowa State was perhaps their best one of the season. The offense still needs some improvement, but Spencer Sanders looked good in his return, and the defense is continually looking more and more like the best in the conference.
2. Kansas State | The Wildcats throttled Kansas, which isn’t entirely surprising, but they’re tied with Oklahoma State in terms of conference play, so they deserve to be here at number 2.
3. Iowa State | The Cyclones played it close in Stillwater, but they’re still nothing more than a solid all-around team. They don’t really have any true stars, but Breece Hall could be one in the very near future.
4. Oklahoma
5. Texas
6. TCU
7. West Virginia
8. Texas Tech
9. Baylor | The Bears’ only conference win so far came against Kansas, and I’m not entirely sure they’ll get another one for the rest of the season. Serves them right for not handling their COVID-19 protocol properly.
10. Kansas | Not even in 2020 can the Jayhawk football team do something wild enough to pull themselves out of the bottom spot of the Big 12 Power Rankings.
Matt
10. Oklahoma State | Huge win for the Cowboys last weekend! They are firmly sitting in the driver’s seat for the conference title now.
2. Kansas State | I keep thinking the Wildcats are going to fold at some point and all they do is keep winning. This team has been super impressive.
3. Iowa State | The Cyclones still control their own destiny but the margin of error has become more narrow.
4. Oklahoma
5. Texas
6. Baylor
7. Texas Tech
8. West Virginia
9. TCU | I want to say that TCU’s offensive woes last weekend were completely due to Oklahoma having a dominant defensive performance. I think we all know that isn’t true.
10. Kansas | Wow! How much worse can things get in Lawrence? The Jayhawks are looking in the face of an 0-10 season.
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