Big 12 Football Power Rankings And Bowl Projections: Week 9
As we move into the home stretch of the college football season, the Big 12 teams have finally started separating themselves into three tiers of teams. It took a few weeks to get there, but for the first time all season, there was not too much change week over week – at least with the top and bottom tiers. The middle tier continues to be a week-over-week shake-up.
Here's how our tiers are currently looking:
- The Contenders (Two of these teams likely will meet again in Arlington in December)– TCU, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas
- The Disrupters (These teams could still get big wins over the contenders to disrupt the standings while continuing to disrupt the rankings amongst themselves) – Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Kansas
- The Cellar Dwellers (Upset are still possible, but for the most part, put a fork in them as they are done) – West Virginia, Iowa State
Once again, we have brought together a group from across the league to vote each week during the season on the Big 12 Power Rankings. There are 26 participants in this group, which consists of the KillerFrogs editorial staff plus one or two fans from each of the other schools in the league. Each week, each participant provides their rankings 1-10. Those rankings are compiled, and the average rank is then listed below.
Here's how our panel of fans ranks the teams in the Big 12:
Power Rankings
10. Iowa State (3-4, 0-4)
(Last week #10)
Bye Week
A week off didn’t do anything to move the Cyclones off the bottom. They host a struggling Oklahoma team this week. All of Iowa State’s losses have all been by a touchdown or less. Could this be the week they finally get the win and move up in these rankings?
9. West Virginia (3-4, 1-3)
(Last week #9)
Lost to Texas Tech 48-10
It was a blowout last week on the South Plains. West Virginia has been on a rollercoaster ride all season, but that was their biggest dip yet. Now they must face the No. 7 Horned Frogs this weekend. The only glimmer of hope for WVU is that TCU has only won two games in Morgantown, which was by a total of two points.
8. Kansas (5-3, 2-3)
(Last week #5)
Lost to Baylor 35-23
It is, in fact, Pumpkin Season. And it looks like that midnight has struck, and Cinderella’s season has come to a screeching halt. That 5-0 start for the Jayhawks has now turned into a pumpkin. Good news, Kansas fans – hoops season starts soon!
7. Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3)
(Last week #6)
Bye Week
Only a struggling Sooners team could slide down the rankings with a bye week. Thanks to two good wins by Tech and Baylor, the Sooners find themselves back towards the bottom this week. Now they travel to Ames for a showdown with our No. 10 team. A win there might not do much to move the needle.
6. Texas Tech (4-3, 2-2)
(Last week #7)
Beat West Virginia 48-10
Don’t count the Red Raiders out, especially in Lubbock. They rolled over West Virginia last week. They host the BU-TT Bowl this week. They will need a win over the Bears to keep their season moving forward.
5. Baylor (4-3, 2-2)
(Last week #8)
Beat Kansas 35-23
Kansas tried to keep it close last week, but Baylor got a late touchdown to put the game away. Baylor now plays Tech this weekend. Both teams have identical season and conference records, and neither is going in the direction it had hoped. It should be an exciting matchup this weekend, but not one that will do much to move the needle on these rankings. Both teams may be looking ahead to ending TCU’s dream season in the weeks ahead.
4. Texas (5-3, 3-2)
(Last week #4)
Lost to Oklahoma State 41-34
It was a great battle in Stillwater last weekend. Texas had a lead at halftime and into the fourth quarter. In the end, penalties (14 for 119 yards for Texas) and a defense that gave up 535 yards of offense (after only giving up an average of 347.4 coming into the game) did it in for Texas. They played a good OSU team. And the loss didn’t drop them from these rankings. Texas could still cause trouble in the standings and very well could still end up in the championship game.
3. #22 Kansas State (5-2, 3-1)
(Last week #3)
The Wildcats lost their starter, Adrian Martinez, on Saturday night’s opening drive. Backup Will Howard stepped in, and K-State was cruising to an upset victory in Fort Worth. But the Frogs fought back and scored 28 unanswered points. K-State suffered its first conference loss. They now must shake it off and host Oklahoma State this weekend in a game that will go a long way to determine one of the teams playing in Arlington.
2. #9 Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-1)
(Last week #2)
Beat Texas 41-34
The grind doesn’t get any easier for the Pokes. After losing in double overtime to TCU two weeks ago, they came from behind to beat Texas this past weekend. Now, they travel to the Little Apple for another matchup with a team at the top of the standings. Spencer Sanders is on fire, despite not being completely healthy. The Cowboys are one of the league’s top teams and could very well end up in a second-straight championship appearance.
1. #7 TCU (7-0, 4-0)
(Last week #1)
Another come-from-behind win put the Horned Frogs solely at the top of the Big 12 standings. They travel to Morgantown this weekend, a place that hasn’t been kind to the Frogs of late. Since the two teams joined the league in 2012, TCU has only won there twice by a combined difference of two points. And the last win for the Frogs in Morgantown was in 2014. But until the Frogs lose, they will remain at the top of these rankings.
Big 12 Bowl Projections
These bowl projections are based upon the above rankings, listed in order of bowl selection. Since the College Football Playoff committee has not yet announced their rankings (that starts next week), we have not placed any team in a CFP semifinal game. Based upon the above rankings, here are this week’s projections,
Allstate Sugar Bowl
December 31 - New Orleans
TCU vs. Tennessee
Valero Alamo Bowl
December 29 – San Antonio
Oklahoma State vs. UCLA
Cheez-It Bowl
December 29 – Orlando
Kansas State* vs. Syracuse
TaxAct Texas Bowl
December 28 – Houston
Texas* vs. Arkansas*
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
December 28 – Memphis
Baylor* vs. South Carolina*
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
December 27 – Phoenix
Texas Tech* vs. Wisconsin*
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
December 22 – Fort Worth
Oklahoma* vs. SMU*
SERVPRO First Responders Bowl
December 27 – University Park, Texas
Kansas* vs. Tulsa*
*Team is not yet bowl eligible
Other FanNation Power Rankings
How do other FanNations rank the Big 12? Check them out here:
Baylor – Inside the Bears
Texas – Longhorns Country
Texas Tech – Red Raider Review
West Virginia – Mountaineers Now
Note: Power Rankings are determined by a group of fans representing all ten schools currently in the Big 12 Conference.
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