Big 12 Power Rankings - Week 7
Week 6 Results:
Baylor 45, West Virginia 20
No. 6 Oklahoma 55, No. 21 Texas 48
TCU 52, Texas Tech 31
Week 7 Power Rankings (last week's ranking if changed):
1. Oklahoma
For a while, it looked as if the Sooners were going to get run out of the Cotton Bowl in the Red River Rivalry. Lincoln Riley made the change at quarterback replacing Spencer Rattler with Caleb Williams and it lifted the offense immediately. Oklahoma RB Kennedy Brooks ran in a 33-yard touchdown with just three seconds left on the clock. Once again, Oklahoma finds a way to survive.
2. Texas
Look, I know they blew a large lead but it's hard to knock Texas from the two-line. They dominated Oklahoma for nearly three quarters before imploding in the fourth. I'm still a firm believer that Texas is the 2nd best team in the league. Will I still think that by the end of October? Probably not, but we'll see.
3. Iowa State (4)
Bye week, no move.
4. Oklahoma State (5)
Bye week, no move.
5. Baylor (3)
Baylor is taking many by surprise, myself included. We all knew Dave Aranda would have the defense playing at a high level mainly because that's his background. What we didn't know was how good QB Gerry Bohanon is. He's not a star by any means but he takes extreme care of the football (zero interceptions) and plays within the system. As long as he does that, Baylor will have a chance to finish in the top three or four.
6. TCU (7)
They still can't stop anyone but boy, can they score. Gary Patterson is probably irate with how bad the defense has been as that is the one thing holding this team back from being really good. However, they did beat Texas Tech on the road comfortably which is a good sign.
7. Kansas State (8)
Bye week, no move.
8. Texas Tech (9)
I wasn't fooled by Texas Tech's 4-1 start even after beating a bad West Virginia team. This team is just not all the way there and has dealt with some key injuries this season. I'd like to say Tech would be much better with Tyler Shough under center (or in the gun) but who knows. We didn't see enough of him to really tell.
9. West Virginia (6)
WVU has fallen on hard times in 2021. Three straight losses to open up Big 12 play - two competitive games and one horrible showing at Baylor. There is a lot wrong with the Mountaineers right now and I don't know how much of it is fixable until they reach the offseason.
10. Kansas
Bye week, no move.
Week 6 Matchups (all times eastern)
No. 12 Oklahoma State at No. 25 Texas, 12 p.m. on FOX
No. 19 BYU at Baylor, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
Texas Tech at Kansas, 4 p.m. on Big 12 NOW/ESPN+
TCU at No. 4 Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
Iowa State at Kansas State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
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