Chaos hits the Big 12, shakes up our power rankings
Just like most things in life, just when you think you have it all figured out, the universe throws you the biggest curveball it can find. And the college football universe did just that this week, with two huge upsets in the Big 12 that completely shook up the rankings.
In some ways, these results helped to clarify a few things. Some teams had their questions answered in a way that help figure out what they will be moving forward. Other teams showed the ability to do things differently than they have in the past, for better or for worse. The result is that we have a lot of varying movement from last week's rankings, and a whole new set of questions that we might be able to answer this week.
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.
So with that, here is the Week 4 edition of the Blue Wings Rising Big 12 Football Power Rankings:
1. Kansas Jayhawks (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) (LW: 2, High: 2)
Last Week: 35-27 W vs Duke
This Week: vs Iowa State (3-1)
There really is no question that the Jayhawks have the most dynamic offense in the entire Big 12, with the best quarterback and an offensive playcaller that doesn't seem to be able to do anything wrong at the moment. And while the defense could be better, they have shown enough big play capability that they can be trusted to get at least a couple crucial stops each game.
They may not be up here for long, but there is no doubt that they are the hottest team that is playing like the best team in the conference right now.
2. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) (LW: 1, High: 1)
Last Week: BYE
This Week: at #16 Baylor (3-1)
I don't usually like to move teams down without them even playing, but this is an instance where the questions that I had about Oklahoma State haven't been answered yet. Spencer Sanders has been good but not great, the offense as a whole has been good but not great and the defense has clearly taken a step back, but they are still good (but not great). I don't think this is the most talented team in the Big 12, but they have been one of the most consistent teams, which keeps them up near the top.
3. Kansas State Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) (LW: 9 High: 1)
Last Week: 41-34 W at #6 Oklahoma
This Week: vs Texas Tech (3-1)
The win over Oklahoma was undoubtedly huge, and it vaulted them back up the ranking here. Adrian Martinez did something that I honestly didn't think he could do, which is put the team on his back and be the reason that they won a big game. The only thing keeping this team from being higher is consistency. It's hard to wash the taste of that Tulane loss out of your mouth, so they will need a few more big performances from Martinez and consistent play in wins in order to push any higher (barring a stumble from the teams above them).
4. TCU Horned Frogs (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) (LW: 4 High: 4)
Last Week: 42-34 W at SMU
This Week: vs #18 Oklahoma (3-1)
I still don't know what to think about this team, as Max Duggan has come back to earth a little bit and they haven't gotten into conference play at all. The defense struggled a bit in the second half against the first real opponent that they have played, so it will be interesting to see how they handle an Oklahoma Sooner team that is fired up and looking for a spark.
I easily could have switched them with the Sooners, but they have been consistently good so far, so they'll get the benefit of the doubt for at least one more week.
5. Oklahoma Sooners (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) (LW: 3, High 3)
Last Week: 41-34 L vs Kansas State
This Week: at TCU (3-0)
Oklahoma's offense wasn't the issue here, even though Dillon Gabriel took some time to get things going, and always seemed a step behind his K-State counterpart. But the defense, which was supposed to be fixed under defensive mind Brent Venables, was not good. It displayed all the defensive limitations that we saw under Alex Grinch and Lincoln Riley, which makes you wonder how difficult it will actually be to get this turned around this season.
6. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) (LW: 8 High: 3)
Last Week: 37-34 W vs #22 Texas (OT)
This Week: at #25 Kansas State (3-1)
Credit is definitely due for Texas Tech to hang in this one, but that result was at least as much Texas losing it as it was Tech winning it. That being said, Donovan Smith finally had a productive game that didn't also include multiple turnovers. It will be interesting to see if he will be able to hold on to the starting job when Tyler Shough gets back later this season.
The defense did what it does best, looking for an opponent to make a mistake and then pouncing on it immediately. It served them well here.
7. Baylor Bears (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) (LW: 7 High: 7)
Last Week: 31-24 W at Iowa State
This Week: vs #9 Oklahoma State (3-0)
Baylor fans aren't going to be happy with this ranking, but when you get the gift that was the atrocious officiating on Saturday, and still only win by a touchdown, you don't really deserve a big bump.
Blake Shapen made more plays in this game than previously, but a lot of those were very clear instances of picking on a backup for a guy that was wrongly ejected. Unfortunately, we were robbed by an opportunity to actually see how good these teams were compared to each other, and Saturday's win did nothing to make me feel better about the Baylor offense.
8. Iowa State Cyclones (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) (LW: 5 High: 5)
Last Week: 31-24 L vs #17 Baylor
This Week: at Kansas (4-0)
That was not a great loss, and the fact that they weren't able to overcome a single-digit deficit in the second half even after everything that went against them in first half doesn't bode well for them. But I do have to give them credit for not completely falling apart in that game. One of their best coverage guys gets ejected for a completely bogus reason, and they still manage to muster enough fight to keep it close.
Unfortunately, the offensive mistakes can't be overlooked here. One Hunter Dekkers pass bounced off the hands of the receiver and in to the defender, but the throw was a difficult one at best and probably shouldn't have been thrown. And the offense has questions about how they are going to replace the explosiveness of Breece Hall and the sure hands of Charlie Kolar. And while the defense has played well so far, they still haven't faced a great offense yet, so there are still legitimate questions about how good they are this year.
9. Texas Longhorns (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) (LW: 6 High: 6)
Last Week: 37-34 L at Texas Tech (OT)
This Week: vs West Virginia (2-2)
Man that was ugly. That was a game that they should have won, especially since the big mistake by Hudson Card in the first half didn't prevent them from going into halftime up by two scores.
But the offensive line couldn't hold up in the second half and the defense struggled without much offensive support. Both of the last two weeks have gotten me wondering just how much more of the Alabama performance was the Crimson Tide playing very badly as opposed to Texas being that good.
10. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) (LW: 10 High: 10)
Last Week: 33-10 W at Virginia Tech
This Week: at Texas (2-2)
I was tempted to drop Texas below the Mountaineers, but unfortunately they haven't played anyone yet that gives me confidence that they can compete with the rest of the conference. Sure, JT Daniels looked really good in the second half of this game, but it was very difficult in the first half, and it's hard to understand why they had so much trouble.
But this was clearly a step in the right direction for them. And now they have a Texas team that has been shown to be vulnerable, especially if Quinn Ewers isn't back for another couple weeks.
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