Wildcats, Cowboys atop the Big 12 Power Rankings
Every single year, the biggest debates happen at the beginning of the year, when preseason expectations collide with early game results to create a mesh of achievement and potential that makes ranking teams pretty difficult. But this year takes that dilemma to a brand new level.
What you see below is my first attempt at creating a power rankings for the Big 12 this season. More than any other year, the teams are jumbled from top to bottom, with the teams that everyone expects to lead the conference showing some serious concerns, and the teams that everyone assumed would be at the bottom showing some big strides.
A quick note 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 first edition of the Blue Wings Rising Big 12 Football Power Rankings:
1. Kansas State Wildcats (2-0)
Last Week: 40-12 W vs Missouri
This Week: vs Tulane (2-0)
It pains me to write this, because I'm not a believer in Adrian Martinez. But the thing that has made Kansas State so good this early in the season is their ability to make it so Martinez doesn't HAVE to be the guy. The biggest issue for Martinez at Nebraska was that the Huskers needed him to do things he was not good at. There's no such requirement here.
It still remains to be seen what will happen when a team shuts down Deuce Vaughn, or when the defense has an off day, but right now it's hard to say anyone else is playing better.
2. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-0)
Last Week: 34-17 W vs Arizona State
This Week: vs Arkansas Pine-Bluff (2-0)
The wins haven't been pretty, but the Cowboys have pulled together two solid performances against teams that project to be decent this year. While there are warts to worry about, this team has so far been able to pull enough together from every phase of the game to get two comfortable wins.
3. Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-0)
Last Week: 33-30 W vs Houston (2OT)
This Week: at #16 NC State (2-0)
Joey McGuire has sparked this team to an impressive start of the season, one that I didn't see coming. There are definitely questions for this team, including an injured Tyler Shough and an up and down Donovan Smith at quarterback.
But the difference has been a defense that did just enough against Houston to get the win, and a team that is playing much better than was expected by everyone coming into the year.
4. Kansas Jayhawks (2-0)
Last Week: 55-42 W at West Virginia (OT)
This Week: at Houston (1-1)
Yes, call me a homer. But let's be honest, every single team on this list has some significant problems to worry about, and I can make a credible argument for every single team except West Virginia (and maybe Iowa State) to be at 1 or 2 in these rankings.
Now, as for the ranking, Kansas has shown the ability to pile on the teams that they should, and the offense has shown that they will be a force to reckon with this year. And when the margins here are so close, the fact that they slaughtered their FCS opponent and continued to score against a good (but not great) West Virginia team is enough to push them ahead by the tiniest of margins.
5. TCU Horned Frogs (2-0)
Last Week: 59-17 W vs Tarleton
This Week: BYE
I have to be honest, when I first started typing out this list, I actually just put "Max Duggan" instead of TCU. He's been that impressive, even though he didn't win the starting job coming out of camp. The TCU defense looks re-energized and has been completely destroying opponents. The only knock on this team is that the level of competition has been BAD. Not saying they won't continue to light it up as the competition improves, but I had to use something to rank these teams.
6. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0)
Last Week: 33-3 W vs Kent State
This Week: at Nebraska (1-2)
Yes, this ranking looks ridiculous because it's Oklahoma. But when everyone looks really good to start the year, even the smallest knocks can drop you down. The defense looks good, but the offense has gone through inexplicable lapses against not great opposing defenses.
I have no reason to believe they will continue to struggle, but again, I have to sort on something.
7. Iowa State Cyclones (2-0)
Last Week: 10-7 W at Iowa
This Week: vs Ohio (1-1)
Matt Campbell teams are notoriously slow to start, so it probably shouldn't be a surprise that the offense has struggled. But it has been even worse than I expected, and it took an epically bad performance for Iowa's offense for Iowa State to sneak out with a win.
I have confidence that they will get it turned around to some degree, but with so many other high-performing teams, I can't justify putting them higher.
8. Baylor Bears (1-1)
Last Week: 26-20 L at BYU (OT)
This Week: vs Texas State (1-1)
It's difficult for me to reconcile putting this team this low, especially since there is still a really good chance they can compete for a Big 12 title. But BYU exposed some issues with this offense that could be a problem moving forward, especially with Blake Shapen's tendency to hold the ball too long and the lack of a true feature running back.
This is another team I wouldn't be surprised to see jump up quickly, but right now, they haven't been as impressive.
9. Texas Longhorns (1-1)
Last Week: 20-19 L vs #1 Alabama
This Week: vs UTSA (1-1)
You might think that the defensive performance put on by the Longhorns would justify ranking them higher, and I could listen to the argument. But any look at that defense has to acknowledge uncharacteristic penalties and self-inflicted wounds that Alabama had in this game. It's still a really good defense, but it may not be a "best in the NCAA" type of defense.
And on the other side of the ball, Texas has to really worry about the quarterback position. The offensive line had issues against Alabama (not entirely unexpected), but it's really the uncertainty surrounding that position that puts them this low. Quinn Ewers is out for now, but Hudson Card also suffered an injury in the game, and it's yet to be seen how he will be affected in the next few weeks.
10. West Virginia Mountaineers (0-2)
Last Week: 55-42 L vs Kansas
This Week: vs Towson (2-0)
This one was the only obvious one, but it's not like West Virginia has played abysmally. There have been a couple bad coaching calls, a couple misplays here and there, and a few busted coverages. But they have easily had the toughest two-game slate to start the year, and they easily could have been 2-0 instead of 0-2. That being said, this little things are having big impacts, and unless Neal Brown can get things turned around very quickly, he may find himself out of a job.
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