With nine of the Big 12’s ten teams winning over the weekend you would think that little would change in our weekly power rankings. That’s absolutely not the case as seven of the ten teams are in a different spot than they were a week ago. Texas and Kansas State made strong statements with big wins on Saturday while the struggles of Iowa State and Oklahoma also made statements of their own…but not in a good way.
Holding Steady
Oklahoma and Kansas and TCU were the only two teams not to move in this week’s rankings. The Sooners and Jayhawks both lost their unanimous status which was good for the Jayhawks but not so much for the Sooners.
Moving Up
Kansas State makes the biggest move up this week after the big win over Stanford. The Wildcats are up four spots from a week ago. They are joined by Texas and Texas Tech in heading north in this week’s rankings.
Moving Down
West Virginia was the only Big 12 team to lose over the weekend so naturally they are the team to take the biggest drop. The Mountaineers are down three spots from a week ago after dropping their season opener to Maryland. Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Baylor are also down this week after lackluster performances in Week 1.
2021 Heartland Sports Big 12 Power Rankings
| Ranking | Points |
| 1. Oklahoma | 39 |
| 2. Texas | 36 |
| 3. Iowa State | 32 |
| 4. Kansas State | 27 |
| 5. TCU | 23 |
| 5. Oklahoma State | 23 |
| 7. Texas Tech | 15 |
| 8. West Virginia | 11 |
| 9. Baylor | 9 |
| 10. Kansas | 3 |
Individual Thoughts
Craig
1. Oklahoma | The Sooners looked nothing like the number two team in the country on Saturday. Poor execution, turnovers, and lack of effort hindered Oklahoma. However, the truth is that they are far better than their performance this past weekend indicated. They still belong at the top of the Big 12 rankings.
2. Texas | The Longhorns without a doubt had the most impressive week one performance of any team in the conference. I’m not quite ready to bump them ahead of the Sooners, but I do think Texas has the potential to run the table this year.
3. Iowa State | Iowa State is another team that struggled in week one. But, much like the Sooners I feel like they are much better than they showed. The Cyclones are without a doubt a top three team in the Big 12.
4. Kansas State
5. Oklahoma State
6. TCU
7. Texas Tech
8. West Virginia
9. Baylor | Baylor did get a win on Saturday, I’m just now sure how impressive it was. It’s going to take more than a week to figure out how good this Baylor squad is. But, for now they seem like a bottom tier team.
10. Kansas | The Jayhawks are 1-0! They barely escaped an FCS school, but a win is a win! It will be interesting to see how they do against Coastal Carolina in week two. Can they keep the streak alive?
Zack
1. Oklahoma | The Sooners narrowly escaped upset, and the defense needs some work, but they’re still the best team based on talent alone.
2. Iowa State | The Cyclones struggled, specifically on offense, but the defense looks pretty solid. We’ll have a better idea of just how good they are after they face Iowa this weekend.
3. Texas | The Longhorns might have been the most impressive Big 12 team in opening weekend, but that doesn’t mean they are “back.” Saturday should be a fun future SEC matchup against Arkansas.
4. TCU
5. Oklahoma State
6. Kansas State
7. West Virginia
8. Texas Tech
9. Baylor | The Bears struggled with a weak Texas State team, and the competition doesn’t get much better this weekend as they host Texas Southern.
10. Kansas | The Jayhawks barely beat South Dakota on a Friday night. That’s not exactly a good sign of a turnaround season.
Rich
1. Oklahoma – The reigning Big 12 Champions failed to produce the type of win many expected in the first outing of the season. Yet, a win is a win and this team is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Tulane could very well be the best non-conference opponent the Sooners face this season. I’m not willing to move them down until a loss takes place.
2. Texas Longhorns – Securing a win over a ranked foe goes a long way for Steve Sarkisian and the program in the eyes of many. While it appears as though the coach is getting his players to buy in, this is a team clearly on the rise. That will happen with a Heisman caliber running back carrying the rock. The Longhorns fail to take over the top spot though as this needs to be something on display consistently, not just in week one.
3. Iowa State – Considered an offensive juggernaut, the Cyclones number in the opening week failed to live up to the hype. Playing the weakest opponent of the top three, Brock Purdy and Co. earned a mere six point win…over an FCS team. It’s a crazy start to the season that’s for sure.
4. Kansas State
5. TCU
6. Oklahoma State
7. Texas Tech
8. Baylor
9. Kansas – The Jayhawks did the unexpected and claimed a win in the opener. That’s good enough to climb out of the bottom spot this week. Realistically, it could be the only win of the year though. This may be short lived and KU will eventually fall back to the bottom of the barrel.
10. West Virginia – As the only team to lose this past weekend, the Mountaineer defense looked subpar. Giving up over 300 yards through the air, there is work to be done. While it’s easy to make the statement, “WVU is not the worst team in the league,” their record right now says otherwise.
Matt
1. Texas | I’m going to take some heat here but Oklahoma certainly didn’t look the part of the best team in the Big 12 on Saturday. Meanwhile the Longhorns secured a convincing win at home over a ranked opponent. I don’t like it either but the proof was out there on the field.
2. Oklahoma | The bad news is that the Sooners struggled heavily on Saturday against Tulane. The good news is that they left the field 1-0 on the season and didn’t really show anything that can’t be corrected with some focus to detail.
3. Kansas State | The Longhorns had the Big 12’s best win on Saturday but the Wildcats had the second best win by smashing Stanford 24-7.
4. Iowa State
5. Oklahoma State
6. TCU
7. Texas Tech
8. West Virginia
9. Baylor | The Bears got the road win at Texas State on Saturday evening but it was a battle that ended in a 29-20 decision. Baylor was penalized 11 times in the game. Ouch!
10. Kansas | The Jayhawks won and then stormed the field! I’m legitimately happy for them and excited to see if they can build on that success next week.
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