Big 12 Power Rankings After a Chaotic Week Eight

The eighth week of the college football season is in the books. The top of the Big 12 saw a major shakeup when Texas Tech lost to Arizona State on the road. The weekend also saw no. 15 BYU take down no. 23 Utah to improve to 4-0 in conference play. BYU is now the only undefeated team in the Big 12.

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

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 the Cougars have two underrated conference road wins at Colorado and at Arizona.

BYU is now 19-2 in its last 21 games and 11-2 in its last 13 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 Iowa State, at Cincinnati, and at Texas Tech.

2. Texas Tech

Texas Tech maintains a top two spot despite losing on the road to Arizona State. The Red Raiders 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 now 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 Baylor, Utah, Arizona, BYU, and TCU.

4. Utah

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.

5. Arizona State

ASU without Sam Leavitt is one bottom five teams in the league. If Leavitt is healthy, however, the Sun Devils are capable of winning a lot of games.

ASU took down Texas Tech over the weekend, putting themselves back in the conference title hunt after an embarrassing performance against Utah.

6. Houston

Houston has a solid defense once again and their offense is improving. The Cougars don't look like legitimate Big 12 contenders at this point, but they are capable of finishing in the top half of the standings.

7. Iowa State

Iowa State got bullied by the Cincinnati offense. before losing to Colorado. Have the Cyclones lost their fast ball now that their two star cornerbacks are out for the season?

The Cyclones had a bye week to regroup before hosting BYU this weekend.

8. 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.

9. TCU

Perhaps no team in the league is harder to gauge than TCU. The Horned Frogs bounced back from a loss to Kansas State by beating Baylor. However, the Horned Frogs are destined for a mediocre season unless they can fix their rushing attack.

10. Baylor

Baylor's conference title hopes are on life support. The Bears need to beat Cincinnati on the road this week to remain in contention for the title. Sawyer Robertson is unbelievable, but the Baylor defense is terrible.

11. 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.

12. Arizona

Arizona 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.

13. Colorado

Colorado got a nice bounce-back win against a ranked Iowa State team. The Buffaloes have been competitive in every game except the one where they prematurely benched their starting cornerback. They are another team with the potential to be the Kansas of last season and disrupt the standings. They are set to face Arizona State and Utah.

14. UCF

UCF beat WVU in a battle of two Big 12 bottom-dwellers. The Knights are now 1-3 in the league.

15. West Virginia

West Virginia has turned into a mess in year one under Rich Rod. They still have more questions than answers at the quarterback position.

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.