The first full weekend of the 2023 college football season gave plenty of Big 12 fans a lot to cheer, and to be hopeful, for. Then again, it also provided frustration and confusion for some fanbases. Cincinnati, Kansas State, Oklahoma, and UCF all won in convincing fashion, while BYU, Houston, Oklahoma State, and Texas looked unimpressive in their respective wins. Then there were the shocking losses by Baylor, TCU, and Texas Tech that are going to be a struggle to explain away. We saw just enough action in Week 1 to be slightly confused in regards to who belongs where in the Big 12 pecking order going into Week 2.
2023 Heartland Sports Big 12 Power Rankings, Week 2
| Ranking | Points |
| 1. Texas | 39 |
| 1. Oklahoma | 39 |
| 3. Kansas State | 38 |
| 4. Kansas | 34 |
| 5. UCF | 29 |
| 6. TCU | 29 |
| 7. Texas Tech | 19 |
| 7. Oklahoma State | 19 |
| 9. Cincinnati | 18 |
| 10. BYU | 16 |
| 11. Houston | 15 |
| 12. Iowa State | 13 |
| 13. Baylor | 6 |
| 14. West Virginia | 4 |
Holding Steady
BYU, Kansas State, Texas, and West Virginia all remained in the same spot that they were in for Week 1. Texas remains at the top of our rankings, although they are tied with Oklahoma now, and West Virginia sits at the bottom for another week.
Moving Up
Oklahoma’s smashing of Arkansas State was impressive, but it was actually the unimpressive way that Texas beat Rice that moved the Sooners into a tie at the top spot. Ironically, we voted across the board for OU to be ranked #2 but Zack also placed Texas as his #4 which put the Sooners and Longhorns in a tie at the top with an equal 39 points each.
Other teams moving up this week were Cincinnati, Kansas, Houston, Oklahoma State and UCF.
Dropping
Baylor took the biggest fall this week. We had the Bears at #7 a week ago and now they’re nearly all the way to the bottom at #13. Other teams that dropped this week were Iowa State, despite winning on Saturday, TCU, and Texas Tech.
Individual Thoughts
Craig
1. Texas | The Longhorns certainly got off to a slow start but at one point led 37-3 before Rice scored a meaningless touchdown. I’m sure Texas fans would’ve loved a more “flashy” opener from their Horns, but in my opinion they did enough to stay as the top dog in the Big 12.
2. Oklahoma | The Sooners had one of their more impressive openers in recent times. I get it, it was just Arkansas State. But, the point here is that Oklahoma looked exactly how they should have looked against an inferior opponent. This team showed more speed and physicality than we saw in all of 2022.
3. Kansas State | Much like the other teams here at the top the Wildcats did exactly what they needed to do to start the season. Will Howard did look a little a shaky at times, but Kansas State will be just fine.
4. Kansas
5. UCF
6. TCU
7. Texas Tech
8. Iowa State
9. Oklahoma State
10. BYU
11. Cincinnati
12. Houston
13. Baylor | Baylor was a 27.5 point favorite over Texas State. Yet they managed to lose by 11 points. This is one of the biggest upsets in the modern era. If the Bears can’t turn things around quickly it could be a very long season.
14. West Virginia | West Virginia is exactly what we thought they were, not very good. I will cut them a little slack considering they played on the road at Penn State. That being said, this team just has no offense. It’s going to be hard to win games in the Big 12 with no offense.
Zack
1. Kansas State | The Wildcats picked up a solid win against a bad team, and that’s enough for them to remain at the top of my rankings. They host Troy this weekend, which could pose a threat as an upset.
2. Oklahoma | The Sooners might have looked the best out of any Big 12 team in opening weekend, but they played literally one of the weakest opponents in FBS football. Still, wracking up 73 points while pitching a shutout is pretty dang impressive.
3. Kansas | I can’t believe I have the Jayhawks this high, but I think they might actually be a dark horse this season.
4. Texas
5. UCF
6. Cincinnati
7. Houston
8. TCU
9. Oklahoma State
10. BYU
11. Iowa State
12. Texas Tech
13. West Virginia | The Mountaineers managed to not get utterly destroyed by Penn State, but they didn’t really stand a chance. They should get a win in Week 2, though, as they host Duquesne.
14. Baylor | The Bears lost to Texas State, one of the three current FBS teams that has never been to a bowl game. That’s bad.
Matt
1. Texas | It wasn’t impressive but it was a win. The real story for the Longhorns will be told next week when they travel to Alabama. A win there should make the our unanimous #1. A loss will most likely mean that a new team will sit alone at the top.
2. Oklahoma | The Sooners were dominant in every facet of the game on Saturday. It was as impressive of a season opener in Norman as there ever has been.
3. Kansas State | For better or worse, you have to play the teams that the athletic department places on your schedule. The Wildcats won’t get much in the strength of schedule department, but they’ll certainly get some style points for that performance.
4. Kansas
5. TCU
6. UCF
7. Texas Tech
8. Oklahoma State
9. BYU
10. Cincinnati
11. Houston
12. Baylor
13. Iowa State | I’m still not a believer in the Cyclones following their win over Northern Iowa. I will move them out of the basement though.
14. West Virginia | The Mountaineers’ game at Penn State pretty much went the way we expected it to. That lands West Virginia in the bottom spot of my rankings this week.
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