We had a ton of movement with our power rankings this week compared to last week when half of the teams remained still. This week it was only four teams not budging, led by Iowa State at the top. The Cyclones survived a trip to Austin, Texas by a late missed field goal and therefore remained at the top of our weekly poll. Oklahoma (#2), Texas Tech (#7), and Kansas (#10) also remained in the same spot as last week.
Four teams moved up this week. Oklahoma State took advantage of the Texas loss, while beating Texas Tech themselves, and moved into the #3 spot. West Virginia bumped up a spot and is tied with Texas at #4. TCU (#6) also up a spot as is Baylor (#8).
Kansas State took the biggest tumble this week, dropping two spots to tie with Baylor at #8. Texas (#4) was the only other team to move down this week.
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 13 Big 12 Power Rankings
| Ranking | Points |
| 1. Iowa State | 49 |
| 2. Oklahoma | 46 |
| 3. Oklahoma State | 40 |
| 4. Texas | 32 |
| 4. West Virginia | 32 |
| 6. TCU | 23 |
| 7. Texas Tech | 18 |
| 8. Kansas State | 15 |
| 8. Baylor | 15 |
| 10. Kansas | 5 |
Mark
1. Oklahoma- The Sooners had an off week unfortunately due to having internal COVID problems. Hopefully they can be well enough to field a team in the next 2 weeks so they can have a “complete” Big 12 season.
2. Iowa State- The Cyclones pulled out a hard fought win against the Longhorns. They close out their regular season in Ames against a tough Mountaineers squad.
3. Oklahoma State- We’ll start with the positives from the win against Texas Tech. The offense put points on the board, and the run game was effective with 317 yards but still turned the ball over 3 times. The defense forced three turnovers, including a pick-6, but also gave up 639 total yards. It’ll be interesting to see which team shows up this week against TCU.
4. Texas
5. West Virginia
6. Texas Tech
7. TCU
8. Baylor
9. Kansas State- The Wildcats barely lost to Baylor but as of today I think this where they belong. Losing their quarterback has been a huge obstacle for them. They close out their season hosting the disappointed Longhorns.
10. Kansas- The Jayhawks lost big again at home against TCU and now they play a mad Texas Tech team, so I expect it to be ugly.
Craig
1. Iowa State | The Cyclones secured their spot on top of the Big 12 with a win over Texas on Friday. Their only remaining obstacle is a West Virginia team that has been playing good football lately. However, I do not see the Mountaineers being too much of an issue for Iowa State.
2. Oklahoma | The Sooners control their own destiny, but can they get healthy enough to play? Their matchup against West Virginia was postponed until December 12th due to COVID. This leaves no room for another cancellation, so the Sooners better hope they can be eligible to play this week against Baylor.
3. Oklahoma State | The Pokes bounced back from their Bedlam loss with a win over Texas Tech this week. They’ll need some help from Oklahoma and Iowa State, but their Big 12 Championship dreams aren’t completely over just yet.
4. Texas
5. West Virginia
6. Kansas State
7. TCU
8. Baylor
9. Texas Tech | It’s been a rough year for the Red Raiders. They’ve lost some close ones, but they’ve also had their fair share of blowout losses. The good news is that they get to play Kansas for their final game of the season.
10. Kansas | The Jayhawks best chance for a win this year will be this weekend against Texas Tech. After that, they have the Longhorns on the schedule. We are really looking at a team that is going to be 0-10.
Rich
1. Iowa State Cyclones | Collecting a come from behind win over the weekend, the Cyclones basically punched their ticket to the Big XII Championship game. With a single loss in conference and a tie breaking win over the No. 2 team on this list, ISU is the best team on paper right now. The eye test may say otherwise though…
2. Oklahoma Sooners | Sitting out this week, the program’s health remains in question. Still, OU looks like a team on the verge of running the table after suffering two losses according to the eye test. This is not a team I’d want to play at this point of the season.
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys | Crumbling on defense, the Cowboys have surrendered more than 24 points in two consecutive contests…something that only happened once in the previous six games. However, a win is a win and OSU remains in the hunt for the Big XII title. It’s the one factor keeping the Cowboys in the top three this week.
4. Texas Longhorns
5. West Virginia Mountaineers
6. TCU Horned Frogs
7. Texas Tech Red Raiders
8. Baylor Bears
9. Kansas State Wildcats | How the mighty have fallen. Failing to claim a win since October 24, this program is headed in the wrong direction. The loss to Baylor puts this team at the bottom of the heap.
10. Kansas Jayhawks | A winless program…is this team undergoing a culture change with Les Miles at the helm?
Zack
1. Iowa State | The Cyclones keep defying the odds, and they keep on winning. They’re well on their way to the Big 12 Championship game.
2. Oklahoma | The Sooners didn’t play, and it doesn’t really matter. They’re still the 2nd-best team in the conference.
3. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys should have won by quite a bit more at home against Texas Tech, but a win is a win. They still have a chance to sneak into the Big 12 Championship Game, but a couple things have to swing in their favor.
4. West Virginia
5. TCU
6. Texas
7. Kansas State
8. Baylor
9. Texas Tech | The Red Raiders have played a lot of teams close, including Oklahoma State on Saturday, but close doesn’t count when it results in losses.
10. Kansas | Seriously, what else is there to say about Jayhawk football?
Matt
1. Iowa State | The Cyclones maintain the top spot in my rankings after pulling out a 23-20 win at Texas.
2. Oklahoma | COVID was the only thing that could shut the Sooners down in the month of November.
3. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys bounced back this week with a shootout victory over Texas Tech in a game that featured one of the craziest onside kicks we’ve seen this year.
4. West Virginia
5. Texas
6. Texas Tech
7. TCU
8. Baylor
9. Kansas State | Man, the Wildcats have fallen far. This isn’t an indictment against the program though. Losing Skylar Thompson, among others, was just too to overcome. At least they showed some life against Baylor.
10. Kansas | This team keeps getting worse each week.
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