The 2024 college football season continues to defy expectations, with another chaotic week of results. Our rankings reflect the unpredictability of the season, as well as the Big 12 Conference, as we only agree on Iowa State sitting at the top.
From #2 through #16, there is no consensus among our writers. The conference is wide open, and any of the Top 5 teams could make a move towards the top. Even at the lower end of the rankings, Houston, who was previously considered the bottom team, has shown signs of improvement after their win over TCU.
Let’s dive into the rankings and see how our writers assessed the Big 12 teams this week.
2024 Heartland Sports Big 12 Power Rankings, Week 7
| Ranking | Points |
| 1. Iowa State | 64 |
| 2. Kansas State | 55 |
| 3. BYU | 54 |
| 4. Texas Tech | 50 |
| 4. Utah | 50 |
| 6. Colorado | 41 |
| 6. West Virginia | 41 |
| 8. Arizona | 36 |
| 9. Arizona State | 30 |
| 10. UCF | 28 |
| 11. Oklahoma State | 22 |
| 12. Cincinnati | 21 |
| 13. Houston | 18 |
| 13. TCU | 16 |
| 15. Baylor | 10 |
| 16. Kansas | 8 |
Individual Thoughts
Caleb
1. Iowa State | ISU continues to look good. Both sides of the ball are playing great complimentary football. With a trip to WVU coming up I see ISU continues to roll and gets a big W on the road.
2 BYU | BYU has shocked a lot of football fans. Thought to be one of the bottom teams in the big 12 they find themselves as one of the only undefeated teams left. Jake Retzlaff has this team playing at a higher standard than most teams thought they would be playing at.
3. Texas Tech | Texas Tech has been another one of those sneaky good teams this year. After a big road win against Arizona they find themselves at the top of the big 12.
4. Utah
5. Kansas State
6. Colorado
7. Arizona
8. West Virginia
9. Arizona State
10. Houston
11. Cincinnati
12. UCF
13. TCU
14. OSU
15. Baylor | Baylor continues to struggle in big 12 play. Their offense is good enough to win them games, but it’s the other side of the ball who is keeping them out.
16. Kansas | Kansas went from a team who most people had a shot at the big 12 to trying to fight for more than 3 wins.
Craig
1. Iowa State | The Cyclones put up a dominant performance this weekend and finally showed signs of having an offense. They’ll have another test this weekend as they travel to Morgantown.
2. BYU | No game this week for the Cougars so they stay at the number two spot.
3. Kansas State | Kansas State also had a bye week so they’ll stay put. They’ve got a major test coming up having to travel to Boulder.
4. Texas Tech
5. Colorado
6. Arizona
7. Utah
8. Arizona State
9. West Virginia
10. UCF
11. TCU
12. Cincinnati
13. Oklahoma State
14. Houston
15. Baylor | The Bears have potential to move up the rankings this season. They just haven’t been able to execute in the big games to get the job done. Hard to put an 0-3 team any higher in my rankings.
16. Kansas | Are we back to the Kansas football we all know and love? They’ve got Houston this week, maybe that can get them back on track.
Matt
1. Iowa State | Rocco Becht continues the steady climb as the top quarterback in the Big 12, and the emergence of Jaylon Jackson has provided the type of running game that provides balance.
2. Kansas State | No movement for the Wildcats after the bye week.
3. Utah | Bye week for the Utes as well, so no movement.
4. Texas Tech
5. West Virginia
6. Arizona State
7. UCF
8. BYU
9. Oklahoma State
10. Colorado
11. Arizona
12. Kansas
13. Houston
14. TCU
15. Cincinnati | I’ve got Cincinnati in the same spot as last week. Too much crazy to move a team on a bye week.
16. Baylor | What’s going on in Waco?
Zack
1. Iowa State | Another slow start for the Cyclones—this time against Baylor—but another convincing win means they stay at the top of my rankings.
2. BYU | No game means no movement for the Cougars. Now they host an Arizona team in need of a bounceback win.
3. Kansas State | A bye week leaves the Wildcats right where I had them last week. The extra time to prepare for the road trip to Colorado should serve them well.
4. Utah
5. West Virginia
6. Colorado
7. Texas Tech
8. Arizona
9. Cincinnati
10. Oklahoma State
11. UCF
12. Baylor
13. Houston
14. TCU
15. Arizona State | The Sun Devils actually won a game, but I’m not moving because it was a close one against Kansas, who now looks like the worst team in the conference.
16. Kansas | The Jayhawks entered the season as a dark horse pick to win the Big 12. Now it’s looking like they’re not even going to make a bowl game.
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