It only took us until Week 2 of the college football season for things to get crazy in our weekly power rankings. I think it’s safe to say that right now the Big 12 is a hot mess where we know that Oklahoma is the best the league has to offer and we’re pretty certain that Kansas is the worst. Beyond that, literally everything seems to be debatable.
Holding Steady
For the second week in a row seven teams were on the move in the rankings. Only Oklahoma (#1), Texas Tech (#7) and Kansas (#10) are in the same spot as last week. Oklahoma did solidify itself once again as the unanimous top team and Kansas is once again unanimous at #10.
Moving Up
Baylor, Oklahoma State, and TCU all moved up two spots this week. OSU and TCU are tied with Kansas State, who moved up one spot, and Texas as the #3 team in the power rankings which creates quite the log jam. Even with a loss somehow Iowa State was able to move up one spot back to #2 in the rankings (I had to do a double check on that one). West Virginia also moved up a spot this week, making a total of six teams that went north in the power rankings after week two.
Moving Down
Texas was the only team to move down this week which is pretty insane and why our rankings are just a mess after Week 2. The Longhorns dropped one spot into the four-way tie at #3. I guess we’ll have to settle that after next weekend.
2021 Heartland Sports Big 12 Power Rankings
| Ranking | Points |
| 1. Oklahoma | 40 |
| 2. Iowa State | 28 |
| 3. Kansas State | 26 |
| 3. Oklahoma State | 26 |
| 3. TCU | 26 |
| 3. Texas | 26 |
| 7. Baylor | 13 |
| 7. Texas Tech | 13 |
| 7. West Virginia | 13 |
| 10. Kansas | 4 |
Individual Thoughts
Craig
1. Oklahoma | The Sooners looked a lot more like the team we expected to see this season during their 76-0 route of Western Carolina. The competition wasn’t great, but Oklahoma still executed in nearly perfect fashion.
2. Iowa State | The Cyclones lost a tough one to Iowa. But, I still believe they are the second best team in the Big 12. Brock Purdy is off to a tough start, but he will get things rolling as the season moves on. Don’t count out Iowa State just yet!
3. Kansas State | Kansas State opened the season with an impressive win over Stanford. That is what makes them a top three team at the moment in my opinion. They struggled against Southern Illinois, but managed to come out on top and improve their record to 2-0.
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma State
6. Baylor
7. TCU
8. West Virginia
9. Texas Tech | The bottom teams are all so close together that it’s hard to decide who goes where. But I’ve got the Red Raiders towards the bottom despite being 2-0. They’ve given up the third most points in the conference, and their offense wasn’t spectacular against SF Austin either.
10. Kansas | The Jayhawks held their own against Coastal Carolina in the first half. And towards the end they even had a chance to cover the spread. Through two weeks Kansas definitely looks better than they were a year ago, but that’s not saying much.
Rich
1. Oklahoma – In a dominant win, the Sooners attempted to answer a few lingering question marks from week one. Unfortunately, it was an FCS opponent and now fans are looking for consistency. At 2-0, the program looks like the strongest team in the league once again though.
2. TCU – Securing a win over a Power 5 opponent, the Horned Frogs are trending upward in the non-conference portion of the schedule. Showcasing the ability to play from behind and come out with a win is the most impressive feature from the weekend for TCU. Also at 2-0, someone has to take the No. 2 spot.
3. Kansas State – A team with a high ceiling continues to show just what they’re capable of on the field. Defensively impressive, all the questions sit at the quarterback position. How healthy will Skylar Thompson be if he plays at all. With the signal caller on the field, this group could land a spot in the Big 12 Title Game.
4. Texas
5. Iowa State
6. Oklahoma State
7. Texas Tech
8. West Virginia
9. Baylor – The Bears take a tumble here for me simply because the program has yet to play an FBS opponent. Sure, the numbers may be impressive and BU sits undefeated. But, it’s a skewed 2-0 at the moment. We’ll know more about this team later.
10. Kansas – The Jayhawks were embarrassed on national television with Power 5 level talent on the roster. Losing by 27 is not ideal but it’s also not indicative of this team. With one win in the bag, can KU squeeze out another one? My bet is a yes right now.
Zack
1. Oklahoma | The Sooners played literally one of the worst teams in the history of the football program, but they still managed to impress with a complete performance against Western Carolina. Nebraska shouldn’t be too tough of an opponent, but this weekend will be fun for nostalgia’s sake.
2. Iowa State | The Cyclones lost (again) to in-state rival Iowa, but the Big 12 just didn’t impress this weekend, so Iowa State stays at no. 2 in my rankings.
3. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys end up here by default, basically. Texas wet the bed against Arkansas, and TCU narrowly edged California, but a 21-point fourth quarter from Oklahoma State might be a sign of a turnaround in Stillwater.
4. TCU
5. Kansas State
6. West Virginia
7. Texas
8. Baylor
9. Texas Tech | The Red Raiders didn’t do anything wrong to drop to no. 9, but they haven’t done anything to impress just yet. A 6-point win over Stephen F. Austin isn’t doing much for me.
10. Kansas | The Jayhawks lost to no. 17 Coastal Carolina by ONLY 27 points. It could’ve been a lot worse, right?
Matt
1. Oklahoma – It was only Western Carolina but it appears as if the Sooners have found their mojo again. Huge game this weekend against Nebraska as far as national perception goes.
2. Kansas State – I hate this because the Wildcats are sure to fall without Skylar Thompson to lead the offense.
3. Texas – After securing the Big 12’s best win in Week 1, Texas got embarrassed in Week 2. Would the real Longhorns please stand up.
4. Oklahoma State
5. TCU
6. Texas Tech
7. Iowa State
8. Baylor
9. West Virginia | The Mountaineers got what they needed in terms of a blowout win over Long Island and a date with Virginia Tech this weekend provides ample opportunity to move up in my rankings.
10. Kansas | I will say this about Kansas, they are better than I thought they would be. Still a bad team though.
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