As we enter Week 4 of the college football season, the conference landscape continues to shape up. Once again there is some significant movement in our power rankings, as we’re very much trying to figure out the order between the top and bottom teams in the Big 12.
Houston’s Struggles Continue
Houston was our consensus worst team heading into Week 4, despite picking up their first win of the season. Our crew unanimously voted the Cougars to the bottom of the rankings, highlighting their ongoing struggles and inconsistencies.
Utah Reigns Supreme
Utah maintains its position at the top of the rankings, earning unanimous votes from our experts. The Utes have impressed with their dominant performances and look to be a strong contender for the Big 12 title.
Significant Movement
There has been significant movement throughout the rankings this week, with 11 teams changing positions from last week.
2024 Heartland Sports Big 12 Power Rankings, Week 4
| Ranking | Points |
| 1. Utah | 64 |
| 2. Oklahoma State | 59 |
| 3. Kansas State | 57 |
| 4. Iowa State | 51 |
| 5. Arizona | 46 |
| 6. UCF | 40 |
| 7. BYU | 35 |
| 8. TCU | 37 |
| 9. Baylor | 32 |
| 10. Arizona State | 28 |
| 11. Kansas | 27 |
| 12. Texas Tech | 26 |
| 13. West Virginia | 17 |
| 14. Cincinnati | 15 |
| 15. Colorado | 12 |
| 16. Houston | 4 |
Individual Thoughts
Caleb
1. Utah | Utah looked a bit shaky without Rising but he should be back next week.
2 . Kansas State | Avery Johnson is trying his best to become the best QB in the big 12. The defense stepped up and really shut down an explosive Arizona offense.
3. Oklahoma State | Bowman had a big bounce back game. With big 12 play starting up they really need to get Ollie going.
4. Iowa State
5. Arizona
6. TCU
7. BYU
8. Arizona State
9. Kansas
10. UCF
11. Texas Tech
12. Baylor
13. West Virginia
14. Cincinnati
15. Colorado | Colorado gets the win Saturday but it’s against Colorado State. I’m just not convinced this is a good football team.
16. Houston | Houston gets their first win of the season, but just like Colorado I just don’t expect much from this team.
Craig
1. Utah | No Cam Rising? No problem for the Utes. Utah went on the road and
came out with an impressive victory. Backup QB Isaac Wilson played a fantastic game.
2. Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State dominated Tulsa and continues to look like one of the best teams in the conference. They’ll take on Utah this weekend to determine who really sits at the top of the Big 12.
3. Kansas State | The Wildcats had the most impressive win of the weekend with a nearly flawless victory over Arizona. Keep your eye out for Kansas State as the season progresses.
4. Iowa State
5. Arizona
6. Baylor
7. Arizona State
8. UCF
9. TCU
10. BYU
11. Texas Tech
12. Colorado
13. Cincinnati
14. West Virginia
15. Kansas | I think the Jayhawks will bounce back as the season goes on. But, as of now they are one of three teams with a 1-2 record. Kansas has looked unprepared for two weeks in a row. Can they turn it around as we enter conference play?
16. Houston | The Cougars picked up their first win last week with a victory over Rice. It’s still not enough to make me believe that they aren’t the worst team in the Big 12.
Matt
1. Utah | The Ute defense bailed out a slow-starting offense, forcing two first-half turnovers that prevented Utah State from gaining a larger lead.
2. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys quickly showed they weren’t overlooking Tulsa, despite their struggles against Arkansas last week. Despite limited production from Ollie Gordon, they were able to score points early in the game.
3. Kansas State | Kansas State bounced back from their defensive struggles against Tulane a week ago, limiting Arizona to just 324 total yards of offense.
4. UCF
5. Iowa State
6. BYU
7. Arizona
8. Kansas
9. Texas Tech
10. Baylor
11. Arizona State
12. West Virginia
13. TCU
14. Colorado
15. Cincinnati | The Bearcats were able to limit Miami’s rushing attack to just 24 yards, despite allowing some big plays in the passing game.
16. Houston | Houston’s offense finally found its rhythm after struggling to score in their first two games. However, the Cougars were hampered by five penalties that cost them 64 yards.
Zack
1. Utah | The Utes struggled with Utah State early, but finished strong for an easy win, and that was all without quarterback Cameron Rising, who should return this weekend for a big matchup in Stillwater.
2. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys dominated from start to finish in their first road game at Tulsa, but the Golden Hurricane aren’t very good. The defense looked a lot better than previous weeks, but Ollie Gordon wasn’t able to get much done due to a lack of push from the offensive line. A true test comes up this weekend as they host Utah on Saturday.
3. Kansas State | The Wildcats looked about as good as anybody in the Big 12 this weekend as they dominated Arizona Friday night. They have another chance to prove they deserve to be in the Big 12 champion discussion as they travel to Provo on Saturday night for a meeting with unbeaten BYU.
4. Iowa State
5. Arizona
6. UCF
7. TCU
8. Baylor
9. Kansas
10. BYU
11. Cincinnati
12. West Virginia
13. Texas Tech
14. Arizona State
15. Colorado | I know it looks like I’m just hating on Coach Prime and the Buffaloes by not moving them up after beating Colorado State, but they didn’t look good early, and there are teams ahead of them that either had better wins or simply looked better to me. Time will tell if Colorado is worthy of moving up.
16. Houston | The Cougars finally got a win, but it was against Rice. Houston is looking a little better than expected, but I’d still like to see more of them before I consider pulling them out of last place.
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