Who’s ready to get back to a full weekend of conference action in the Big 12? A total of four games over the last two Saturday’s has slowed down our power rankings a bit. However, we feel like we’ve seen enough over the last two weeks to justify another power poll and see some things shift around a bit.
Iowa State remains in the top spot but Oklahoma has jumped to #2 based off its conference leading five-game winning streak. The Sooners are one of three teams moving up from our last set of rankings. Texas (#3) and West Virginia (#5) each moved up a spot.
Half of the teams remained idle from the last poll. TCU (#7), Texas Tech (#8), Baylor (#9), and Kansas (#10) all joined Iowa State (#1) at remaining exactly where they were.
Oklahoma State took the biggest tumble this week. The Pokes dropped two spots to #4 after getting blown out in Bedlam. Kansas State (#6) is the only other team to drop.
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 12 Big 12 Power Rankings
| Ranking | Points |
| 1. Iowa State | 49 |
| 2. Oklahoma | 46 |
| 3. Texas | 39 |
| 4. Oklahoma State | 36 |
| 5. West Virginia | 29 |
| 6. Kansas State | 26 |
| 7. TCU | 19 |
| 8. Texas Tech | 16 |
| 9. Baylor | 10 |
| 10. Kansas | 5 |
Mark
1. Oklahoma | The Sooners have their most impressive win of the season and control their own destiny again to defend the Big 12 title.
2. Iowa State | Had a huge, dominant win against Kansas State to potentially set up a rematch with the Sooners but they need to come out ready to play against the Longhorns this weekend though.
3. Texas | Tom Herman has a lot of pressure this weekend if they want a rematch with OU in Arlington.
4. Oklahoma State
5. West Virginia
6. Kansas State
7. TCU
8. Texas Tech
9. Baylor | This season is not going how the Baylor faithful hoped after the great season they had last year but have 3 more games to play and could be a spoiler starting with Kansas State this weekend.
10. Kansas | It’s been a very disappointing season for the Jayhawks hopefully they can start moving in the right direction soon.
Rich
1. Iowa State Cyclones | Claiming a three game win streak while shutting out a conference opponent over the weekend puts the Cyclones in the driver seat of the Big XII. Leaning on the talents of Breece Hall, this team continues to chug along offensively.
2. Oklahoma Sooners | Playing their best football of the season, the Sooners have dominated on both sides of the ball over the past four weeks. Winning out is a likely scenario for OU and claiming another Big XII Title isn’t out of the question. Of course, there are a few things that fans must live with including the left side of the offensive line and nickelback position.
3. Texas Longhorns | A team that’s out to prove they’re worthy of Big XII Championship contention, the Longhorns are silently racking up wins. It might be close contests but a win is a win nonetheless and it isn’t going unnoticed by all.
4. Oklahoma State Cowboys
5. West Virginia Mountaineers
6. Kansas State Wildcats
7. TCU Horned Frogs
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders
9. Baylor Bears | Owning a single win on the season and lacking an identity on the field, this team remains a perplexing one. Clearly, Dave Aranda has quite the riddle to solve moving forward.
10. Kansas Jayhawks | Still a winless program, the Jayhawks have not impressed on any level this season. I still expect this team to finish without a win as the fanbase quickly shifts its attention toward the hardwood.
Craig
1. Iowa State | The Cyclones control their own destiny after a win over Kansas State this week. Their toughest remaining obstacle will be the Longhorns. I believe that they have been playing good enough football that we will see them in the Big 12 Championship game.
2. Oklahoma | The Sooners absolutely routed Oklahoma State on Saturday proving to still be one of the best teams in the conference. They’ve improved each week on both sides of the football. It looks as if OU will be back in the conference championship.
3. Texas | Texas has slowly climbed their way into the top three again. There are still a lot of question marks surrounding this team. However, if they can rally off a few more wins including a big one over Iowa State, they’ll have another shot at the Sooners in the conference championship.
4. Oklahoma State
5. Kansas State
6. West Virginia
7. TCU
8. Texas Tech
9. Baylor | It’s been a long time since the bottom tier teams in the Big 12 have been this bad. Baylor plays a Kansas State team next that has been struggling. Maybe they’ll surprise us with a win!
10. Kansas | Kansas still gets to play Baylor in a few weeks. That’s their only hope for a win this season!
Zack
1. Iowa State | Their only conference loss was a close one to Oklahoma State, and they continue to improve. They’re not just a mediocre team getting by anymore. They are poised to play in and possibly even the Big 12 Championship.
2. Oklahoma | The Sooners are the hottest team in the Big 12, and after destroying Oklahoma State in Bedlam, they just need to win out to make it into the Big 12 Championship for a potential rematch with Iowa State.
3. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys were embarrassed in Norman yesterday, but they’re still a solid team. The offensive line is still an issue, and the offense still can’t score, but with 3 of the conference’s 4 worst teams remaining on the schedule, Oklahoma State should be able to finish the regular season on a high note.
4. Texas
5. West Virginia
6. Kansas State
7. TCU
8. Texas Tech
9. Baylor | The Bears destroyed Kansas, and sure, they’ve played everybody else so far pretty close, but they’re just not good.
10. Kansas | The Jayhawks are still winless in conference play, but they might have a chance in the next couple weeks as they host TCU before traveling to Lubbock to take on TCU. Don’t get your hopes up, Jayhawk fans.
Matt
10. Iowa State | The Sooners may be the hottest team in the Big 12 but Iowa State still has the better record and a win over Oklahoma. I can’t deny them as the top team in the conference.
2. Oklahoma | There’s no way any Big 12 team can see what the Sooners have done over the last five weeks and not be worried.
3. Texas | Man I really hate to have the Longhorns ranked this high but I can’t deny their body of work. They’ve been really lucky during their current three-game win streak but it’s still a win streak nonetheless.
4. Oklahoma State
5. West Virginia
6. Kansas State
7. Texas Tech
8. TCU
9. Baylor | The Bears are scoring an average of 26.8 points per game and giving up an average of 27.2 points per game. Not good!
10. Kansas | There’s nothing new we can say here.
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