A couple big jumps, but overall stability in the Week 7 Big 12 Power Rankings
The conference slate was pretty wild this weekend, with big matchups and huge results for the conference standings. But only one game had significant implications on today's update of the power rankings, and a lot of that has to do with accounting for injuries and a team suddenly playing more like we expected.
A quick reminder on how I intend to do this power ranking. It is NOT just going to be restating the standings. It is entirely possible that a team that has a worse record lands higher on the list, especially if they are playing really well as of late. Similarly, it is also not going to be a "who's hottest" list. Instead, it will be a subjective mix of which team is playing better and which team I think IS better, with a tiebreaker going to teams that have significantly outperformed my expectations.
Previous Power Rankings:
So with that, here are the Blue Wings Rising Big 12 Football Power Rankings after Week 7:
1. TCU Horned Frogs (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) (LW: 1 High: 1)
Last Week: 43-40 W vs #8 Oklahoma State (2OT)
This Week: vs #17 Kansas State (5-1, 3-0 Big 12)
I don't think there is any denying that this is the team that has been performing the best so far this season. An undefeated record and a victory over one of the other main contenders will cement that status for you.
Max Duggan has been fantastic this year, and Quentin Johnson is arguably the best receiver in the nation. The offense has been electric, and the defense has been able to use its speed to do enough to keep the team undefeated. While it is fair to question if the defense can hold up without the offense going crazy each week, they were able to shut down the Kansas offense for an entire half. That makes me think they could handle it if needed.
2. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) (LW: 2, High: 1)
Last Week: 43-40 L at #13 TCU (2OT)
This Week: vs #20 Texas (5-5, 3-1 Big 12)
It was a rough loss for the Cowboys on the road to TCU, but they played well enough that it is tough to drop them. Spencer Sanders was efficient and only had one big mistake. Unfortunately it came when the Cowboys were trying to drive down to ice the game.
There have been times this season where you wonder how anyone else is going to stack up against this combination of offensive weapons and solid defensive play, but TCU exposed the inconsistencies that are just serious enough to keep them from having the top spot here.
3. Kansas State Wildcats (5-1, 3-0 Big 12) (LW: 4 High: 1)
Last Week: BYE
This Week: at #8 TCU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12)
Kansas State benefitted from the Kansas drop, but both Oklahoma State and TCU played well enough to stay ahead of them, and I might have considered moving both of them ahead if they weren't already there.
Adrian Martinez has done his damage in the running game, but the Wildcats are going to have to be able to get the passing game going this week if they want to take down the Horned Frogs. Do that and it would be impossible to keep them from retaking the top spot.
4. Texas Longhorns (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) (LW: 5 High: 5)
Last Week: 24-21 W vs Iowa State
This Week: at #11 Oklahoma State (5-1, 2-1 Big 12)
There is no getting around it: the Texas Longhorns benefitted from some very friendly officiating, as Hunter Dekkers should have been protected with a targeting call on his final run of the game. Instead, Texas escaped with a win in a game where the supposedly rejuvenated offense couldn't stop making mistakes.
And while there is an argument to be made that Iowa State has somewhat improved their offense and seem to be figuring things out, this was a disappointing effort from a defense that was being billed as one of the best in the nation.
To put it simply, this doesn't feel like a Top 4 team in the conference, but it's impossible to justify putting any of the other teams below them up in this spot instead.
5. Oklahoma Sooners (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) (LW: 10, High 3)
Last Week: 52-42 W vs Kansas
This Week: BYE
Oklahoma bounced back in a big way against the Jayhawks, using their size advantage to dictate the pace and negate the depth of the Kansas defensive line. Dillon Gabriel had a phenomenal performance, seemingly showing no ill effects of the concussion that knocked him out of the last game and a half.
The defense was able to do enough to disrupt Kansas early, but eventually the Jayhawks were able to break through. There is still a good question about how this defense would fare against an offense at full strength. Ultimately, the Sooners are playing more like the team we expected them to be, so they get the big jump this week.
6. Kansas Jayhawks (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) (LW: 3, High: 1)
Last Week: 52-42 L at Oklahoma
This Week: at Baylor (3-3, 1-2 Big 12)
I talked about this in the takeaways article, but Kansas really needs to get healthy. Bean has been a good fill-in for Jalon Daniels, but this offense has a different gear when Daniels is running the show. The loss of Daniel Hishaw has made the running game less dynamic and easier to defend. And the loss of Cobee Bryant in the first half severely weakened the secondary. Add in that Lonnie Phelps came in to the game banged up and couldn't play the whole time, and Kansas is really hurting. They appear to be better than every team below them, but injuries could be the equalizer.
7. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) (LW: 6 High: 3)
Last Week: BYE
This Week: vs West Virginia (3-3, 1-2 Big 12)
The last action for the Red Raiders was against Oklahoma State, where Behren Morton made an impressive debut, especially since he was injured for most of the second half.
It will be interesting to see how this team responds after the bye. They have more talent than many thought, and Joey McGuire has his team playing well, but they need to get wins in the next two in order to feel good about going bowling this season.
8. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) (LW: 8 High: 8)
Last Week: 43-40 W vs Baylor
This Week: at Texas Tech (3-3, 1-2 Big 12)
That was a huge win for the Mountaineers against Baylor, but that win alone wasn't enough to say that the season has turned around. JT Daniels played well in this game, but a crucial mistake after his defense got him the ball back could have been the undoing for this team.
Instead, Tony Mathis Jr rushed all over the Bears and the West Virginia defense came up huge down the stretch. This team is not nearly as bad as many thought after their opening stretch, but they have a lot of work to do and a difficult schedule to try and get to bowl eligibility.
9. Baylor Bears (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) (LW: 7 High: 6)
Last Week: 43-40 L at West Virginia
This Week: vs Kansas (5-2, 2-2 Big 12)
That was a really bad collapse for Baylor on Thursday. And unfortunately, it doesn't get any easier. With the timeline for Blake Shapen's return unknown, the Bears will likely rely on Kyron Drones to try and get them back on track against the Jayhawks.
Unfortunately, this defense has had issues with consistency this season. While it's not entirely fair to absolve the offense from blame here, it is impossible to deny that the defense has not been able to get stops in crucial situations. They have plenty of opportunities coming up, but the rest of the season is full of explosive teams that will be difficult to shut down.
10. Iowa State Cyclones (3-4, 0-4 Big 12) (LW: 9 High: 5)
Last Week: 24-21 L at #22 Texas
This Week: BYE
Iowa State has the right to feel like the officials have directly led to two different losses, both on questionable targeting decisions. Yes, the Cyclones should have been able to overcome the loss of Beau Freyler in the Baylor game. But the fumble by Hunter Dekkers that didn't get the targeting call everyone was expecting ended a drive where Iowa State was pushing for the win.
The improvement for the Cyclones has been encouraging, but there is some question if that was more Texas being inconsistent or true improvement. Right now, it's a positive sign, but not enough to get them up past anyone else in the conference.
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