As it should be in the final week of the season, the picture across the Big 12 is clearer than it’s been all year. We’re fully aligned at both ends of the rankings, unanimous that Texas Tech, BYU, and Utah make up the conference’s Top 3, and just as united in slotting Colorado and Oklahoma State at the bottom. Texas Tech separated itself as the class of the league with dominance start to finish, BYU earned its championship shot with consistency and resilience, and Utah closed the year as the league’s most physically imposing team down the stretch. At the other end, Colorado and Oklahoma State never found solid footing in conference play, and while there were flashes, neither did enough to escape the basement.
Between those extremes, there’s far more agreement than disagreement — and no ties for the first time in weeks. We’re tightly grouped on teams like Arizona and Iowa State, both of whom landed near the top half of every ballot, and there’s similar alignment around programs like TCU and Cincinnati, who lived in the middle lane for most of the season. The biggest discrepancies came with teams like Arizona State and Houston, who were seen either as credible upper-tier challengers or as part of a crowded middle depending on the ballot. Still, the fact that we’re clear 1 through 16 without a single tie tells the story best: after months of chaos, the Big 12 hierarchy finally makes sense — and our final rankings reflect it.
2025 Heartland Sports Big 12 Power Rankings – Week 15
| Ranking | Points |
| 1. Texas Tech | 64 |
| 2. BYU | 60 |
| 3. Utah | 56 |
| 4. Arizona | 50 |
| 5. TCU | 49 |
| 6. Arizona State | 47 |
| 7. Iowa State | 44 |
| 8. Kansas State | 35 |
| 9. Cincinnati | 34 |
| 10. Houston | 31 |
| 11. Baylor | 23 |
| 12. Kansas | 20 |
| 13. West Virginia | 15 |
| 14. UCF | 14 |
| 15. Colorado | 8 |
| 16. Oklahoma State | 4 |
Comparing Our First Set Of Rankings To The Final
Our Week 1 rankings got the top of the league more right than wrong — just not in the order we imagined. We correctly identified Texas Tech as the class of the Big 12 from the start, and the Red Raiders only validated that belief on their way to finishing No. 1. We were also early on the legitimacy of BYU and Utah, even if we underestimated just how high their ceilings were. BYU’s move from ninth to second is the biggest statement of the season, and Utah’s climb from sixth to third confirmed that talent plus physicality still wins in November. We were also close — even if not perfect — with teams like Arizona State, Iowa State, Kansas State, and TCU, all of whom remained in the league’s upper half, just reshuffled by wins, injuries, and inconsistency.
Where we flat-out whiffed was at the bottom and middle. Arizona was our biggest miss early, buried at 13th before storming all the way into fourth by season’s end. Houston and Baylor were clear misreads — both started as mid-tier teams and slid into the bottom half once conference play revealed their flaws. On the flip side, UCF and Colorado were overvalued in different ways — UCF never climbed out of the basement and Colorado fell further than expected as the season unraveled. And then there’s Oklahoma State, who managed to stay exactly where we had them… just not in the way anyone hoped. While the league didn’t turn out clean or linear, our final list shows how much the picture sharpened by November — preseason belief gave way to performance, and reputation gave way to reality.
Week 15 Individual Ballots
Caleb
1. Texas Tech | The Red Raiders have dominated just about everyone on their schedule as they look to make the Big 12 championship.
2. BYU | The Cougars took care of business with a 20 point victory over UCF as they punched their ticket to the Big 12 championship game.
3. Utah | The Utes closed out the season strong with 5 straight wins.
4. Arizona
5. TCU
6.Arizona State
7. Cincinnati
8. Iowa State
9. Kansas State
10. Houston
11. Kansas
12. Baylor
13. West Virginia
14. UCF
15. Colorado | A 3-9, 1-8 Big 12 play season was definitely a disappointment for Colorado fans.
16. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys lost their 19th straight Big12 game.
Craig
1. Texas Tech | The Red Raiders finished their regular season with a dominating performance against West Virginia. The Red Raiders without a doubt have been the best team in the Big 12 this season.
2. BYU | The Cougars are in the Big 12 Championship game and will have a chance to avenge their only loss of the season to Texas Tech. And by winning they can secure a spot in the playoffs.
3. Utah | The Utes had a disappointing season a year ago. They turned things around by having a 10 win season this year. All around great season from Utah.
4. Arizona
5. Arizona State
6. Iowa State
7. Kansas State
8. Houston
9. TCU
10. Cincinnati
11. Baylor
12. UCF
13. Kansas
14. West Virginia
15. Colorado | A disappointing season for the Buffaloes comes to an end. There’s always next year, right?
16. Oklahoma State | The Pokes have gone back to back seasons without a conference win. The good news is that the program got a great hire in Eric Morris.
Matt
1. Texas Tech | A 49–0 demolition of West Virginia was the most dominant performance in the league this weekend and only strengthened Tech’s claim as the conference’s best team.
2. BYU | A controlled, professional 41–21 win over UCF is exactly what a top-tier team should do against an inferior opponent.
3. Utah | Utah didn’t dazzle against Kansas, but winning on the road in November still matters. They handled business.
4. Arizona State
5. Iowa State
6. Arizona
7. TCU
8. Cincinnati
9. Houston
10. Kansas State
11. Kansas
12. Baylor
13. West Virginia
14. UCF
15. Colorado | Still outmatched against competent competition.
16. Oklahoma State | Another loss, another week in the basement.
Zack
1. Texas Tech | The Red Raiders rolled over West Virginia, and now the Red Raiders are heading to the Big 12 Championship.
2. BYU | The Cougars rallied to beat UCF, and now they get a shot at a rematch with Texas Tech.
3. Utah | The Utes weren’t able to get into the Big 12 Championship, but they finished the regular season strong with a win at Kansas.
4. Arizona
5. Iowa State
6. Arizona State
7. Kansas State
8. TCU
9. Cincinnati
10. Houston
11. Baylor
12. Kansas
13. West Virginia
14. UCF
15. Colorado | The Buffs put up a fight, but they weren’t able to end the season with a win after dropping another 10-point decision to Kansas State.
16. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys tried so hard to get their first conference win, but they came up short once again against Iowa State. At least now they have their head coach for next season.
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