An Upper Tier Has Emerged in the Latest Big 12 Power Rankings

The ninth week of the college football season is in the books. The real conference contenders are starting to emerge in the Big 12. Only four teams have one loss or less and there is one two-loss team that is clearly the best of the two-loss teams.

In this article, we'll unveil the BYU On SI Big 12 power rankings after week nine.

1. BYU

BYU deserves the top spot in the power rankings. At the end of the day, winning matters most in college football. It hasn't always been pretty, but BYU has now taken down a very solid Utah team and they pulled out an impressive road win at Iowa State.

After Iowa State took a 24-10 lead late in the second quarter, BYU went on a 31-3 run to close out the game. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier is getting better and better, meaning BYU could be playing its best ball in November. However, all eyes will be on injured RB LJ Martin. Without Martin in the lineup, BYU's offense is not the same.

BYU is now 19-2 in its last 21 games and 12-2 in its last 14 Big 12 games. BYU is also the last undefeated team standing in the league for the second consecutive season.

BYU is going to be a tough out for any team in the league this season. However, the Cougars face major tests in the next month at Cincinnati and at Texas Tech.

2. Texas Tech

Texas Tech maintains a top two spot despite losing on the road to Arizona State last week. The Red Raiders dominated Oklahoma State and they will hit the road to take on a much improved Kansas State team. Tech still have a pretty clear path to the conference championship game, but they have to win out to avoid a potential tiebreaker scenario in late November, especially since ASU owns a tiebreaker over Texas Tech.

3. Cincinnati

Cincinnati is the only other team besides BYU to be undefeated in conference play. The Bearcats are about to get tested with games against Utah, Arizona, BYU, and TCU. They took care of business in a win over Baylor on Saturday.

4. Utah

Nobody in the conference is capable of blowing out teams to the degree that Utah can. The Utes absolutely embarrassed Colorado on Saturday night.

Utah is a good team, but for two consecutive years now, they have not been able to win close games in a league that features a lot of close games. The Utes aren't out of it yet, but they need a lot of help to get to the conference championship game.

Utah is by far the best two-loss team in the conference.

5. Houston

It's time to start talking about Houston in the Big 12 title race. After beating Arizona State, the Cougars are 7-1 and 4-1 in conference play.

The Cougars have the easiest path to the championship this year, and they might be taking advantage of it. Houston doesn't have to play BYU, Cincinnati, or Utah. The only real contender they have played is Texas Tech and they got blown out.

Their remaining schedule looks incredibly advantageous with games against WVU, UCF, Baylor, and TCU. They don't play a single team in November that is in the top half of our power rankings.

If Houston wins out, they could steal a spot in the championship gave over a, frankly, more qualified team. That's the downside of a 16-team league.

FPI ranked Houston as the 14th best team in the league prior to their win at Arizona State. Despite their easy remaining schedule, FPI gives them just a 4% chance to win out. The data suggests Houston isn't really a contender in this race, but until they suffer a second or third loss, they can't be counted out.

6. Kansas State

No Big 12 team had been more disappointing than Kansas State in 2025. The Wildcats were falling well short of the preseason top 25 expectations.

However, the Wildcats have started to find some stability on offense and have started to look a lot more competitive. They could play the role that Kansas did in 2024 and spoil some conference title hopes for other teams. They are scheduled to face Texas Tech and Utah.

7. Arizona State

ASU is one of the most confusing teams in the league. The Sun Devils got embarassed by Utah before beating front-runner Texas Tech. Then they laid an egg against Houston. Kenny Dillingham has not been able to get his team to play consistent football this season without Cam Skattebo.

ASU isn't out of the title race yet, but they are one loss away from being out. They have to travel to Iowa State next week, but the rest of their schedule is manageable.

8. Iowa State

Iowa State looked much improved after a week off in the first half against BYU. Then the wheels came off. BYU outscored Iowa State 31-3 to end the game.

Still, Iowa State is a tough team to beat with Rocco Becht under center.

9. TCU

TCU narrowly beat a terrible WVU team 23-17. The Horned Frogs are 6-2, but they definitely don't look like a real contender in this league. However, the Horned Frogs could do BYU some favors in November. They are scheduled to take on Cincinnati and Houston.

10. Arizona

Arizona was off this week. The Wildcats nearly pulled off the road comeback at Houston. Instead, the Wildcats are now out of the conference title race. Arizona is an example of how slim the margins can be in this league. They are a few plays away from being 3-1 and firmly in the title race.

11. Baylor

Baylor is out of the title race after suffering their third conference loss. Sawyer Robertson is very good, but the Baylor defense is terrible.

12. Kansas

Kansas looks like they did last year: dangerous and capable of disrupting the standings, but not good enough to compete for a Big 12 championship. They Jayhawks were handled by rival Kansas State.

13. UCF

UCF was off this week after beating WVU the week before. They are 1-3 in league play.

14. Colorado

What on earth was that performance by the Buffs against Utah? They trailed the Utes 43-0 at halftime. The wheels could come off for Colorado in November.

15. West Virginia

West Virginia has turned into a mess in year one under Rich Rod. The Mountaineers put up at least a little bit of a fight against TCU in a 23-17 loss.

16. Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State has been an embarrassment to the league so far this season. The Cowboys were laughed off the field against Oregon, and they lost to Tulsa for the first time since the 1950's.

Oklahoma State legendary head coach Mike Gundy was fired and the Cowboys will be in full rebuild mode for the forseeable future.