2026 Big 12 Football Power Rankings Ahead of Week 6: Iowa State, Baylor Rising

Iowa State and Baylor took large strides in our Big 12 power rankings for Week 6 of the 2026 college football season.

Oct 3, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones running back Aiden Flora (21) breaks through the West Virginia Mountaineers defense for a touchdown during the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 5 of the 2026 Big 12 football slate began with a bang in Jack Trice Stadium.

Iowa State went back and forth with West Virginia but came out a 45-42 winner, a result critical for launching the Jimmy Rogers era in Ames. The Cyclones and Mountaineers combined for 556 rushing yards in the shootout.

Elsewhere in the early window, Houston was resilient in the second half of its victory against UCF. The Cougars struggled to manufacture scoring drives for the better part of three quarters, but the floodgates opened late in the third quarter of their 27-17 win.

Then there was the rock fight at TCU.

No. 10 BYU didn't have its best offensive night in the dreary conditions but escaped Amon G. Carter Stadium with a 17-10 victory. On the flip side, TCU is careening toward uncomfortable conversations around the future of Sonny Dykes at the program.

Blowouts were a theme across the later games in Week 5. Texas Tech took some time to get going, but it eventually pulled away for a 29-7 victory at Colorado in the night window. In the late night slot, Baylor blasted Arizona State in a 55-19 road win while Arizona stumped Cincinnati 34-7 in the nightcap.

The Week 6 slate opens late Friday night with a battle between an inspired Iowa State team and No. 8 BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

In the noon window on Saturday, No. 18 Oklahoma State hosts UCF in Eric Morris' first Big 12 home game while West Virginia hosts Arizona. In the afternoon slot, Kansas State hopes to score its first conference victory against Houston.

Below, we rank all 16 Big 12 teams entering Week 6 of the 2026 college football season.

16. Kansas

The Jayhawks blanked Middle Tennessee 55-0 in their non-conference finale. Kansas’ offense ended the day with over 700 yards and pulled its starters late in the third quarter, and the Blue Raiders never reached the red zone.

Kansas’ first Big 12 road game is at Utah (10:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN). The Utes are coming off their bye week and hold a 4-0 record.

15. TCU

Oct 3, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Jaden Craig (1) is sacked by BYU Cougars defensive end Nusi Taumoepeau (5) during the first half at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Horned Frogs continued their anemic start to the season in an ugly home loss to No. 10 BYU. Neither team moved the ball well in the rain; TCU’s touchdown drive at the end of the first half was the only time it found the red zone, adding a new chapter to a frustrating season on offense.

TCU gets the rare luxury of a second bye week thanks to its Week 0 game in Ireland. The Horned Frogs head south to Baylor in Week 7.

14. Arizona State

The Sun Devils played from behind all night after surrendering a 63-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of their blowout loss to Baylor. The defense showcased its worst performance of the season, and an interception on an erratic throw by Cutter Boley added gasoline to a raging fire in the second half.

Arizona State attempts to course-correct in its non-conference finale against Hawaii (9:30 p.m. EDT, FS1). The Rainbow Warriors are off to a 1-4 start, although they pushed Stanford to the limit in Week 0.

13. Colorado

Oct 3, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders cornerback Amier Boyd (27) defends the reception by Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Quanell Farrakhan Jr. (14) in the third quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Buffaloes hung tough for three quarters against Texas Tech, but repeated self-inflicted errors caused them to spiral. The offense spotted the Red Raiders 19 consecutive points off turnovers, throwing interceptions on four of its first five possessions in the second half.

Colorado hopes to straighten itself out in the bye week before hosting Utah in Week 7. The Utes defeated the Buffaloes 53-7 in Salt Lake City last season, running the ball for a whopping 422 yards.

12. UCF

The Knights surrendered 27 unanswered points in the final 18 minutes of their loss at Houston. Everything spiraled after the Cougars intercepted a tipped pass to set up a two-yard field; the subsequent score cut UCF’s lead to three, and the offense only converted one first down on its last five possessions.

UCF stays on the road this week with a trip to Oklahoma State (Noon EDT, ESPN2). The Knights held on for a 17-14 win against the Cowboys in their 2025 home finale.

11. Kansas State

Sep 26, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) throws a pass against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Wildcats were on a bye week to start October. Kansas State prevailed in all three of its non-conference games but was unable to slow down Cincinnati’s rushing attack in a 31-26 road loss to open Big 12 play in Week 4.

Kansas State hosts Houston in Week 6 (3:30 p.m. EDT, Fox). The Cougars were a missed two-point conversion away from taking Texas Tech to overtime in their first Big 12 road game.

10. Cincinnati

The Bearcats’ rushing attack was stifled in their blowout loss at Arizona in Week 5. Cincinnati’s defense stopped the Wildcats on three consecutive first half possessions and received no incentive because of the offense’s perpetual failure.

Cincinnati is another team on a bye in the Big 12 this week. The Bearcats clash with West Virginia in Week 7 in a battle of fantastic run offenses.

9. West Virginia

Iowa State safety Micah Harper (4) attempts to tackle West Virginia running back Cam Cook (4) as he carries the ball during the fourth quarter of a Big 12 Conference football game on Oct. 3, 2026, at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

DJ Epps lost a fumble on a would-be game winning drive in the final minute of West Virginia’s loss at Iowa State. The tandem of Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook combined for 291 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, but the run also happened to be the Mountaineers’ worst enemy on defense.

West Virginia returns to Milan Puskar Stadium to host Arizona this week (Noon EDT, TNT). The Mountaineers hope to stay hot on the ground against a run defense that excelled in Week 5.

8. Iowa State

Running back Aiden Flora was the hero in Iowa State’s win over West Virginia. He ran for 212 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in addition to throwing a pair of touchdowns to Cody Jackson and Vince Benetti.

The Cyclones encounter one of their toughest tests of the season at BYU on Friday (10:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN). The Cougars are among the trio of unbeatens left in the Big 12, holding on in competitive victories against Arizona and TCU.

7. Baylor

Oct 3, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback DJ Lagway (2) throws the ball against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the first half at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bears unlocked their offensive potential with a 564-yard outburst in their Week 5 road win over Arizona State. Baylor capitalized in the middle eight minutes of the game, hitting a field goal to take an 11-point lead into the half and scoring a touchdown on its first possession of the second half to stretch it to 31-13.

Baylor takes its 4-1 overall record into the bye week. The Bears are looking for their first win against TCU in two seasons in Week 7.

6. Arizona

The Wildcats never trailed in their trouncing of Cincinnati last week. Arizona’s offense got in a rhythm in the second half while the defense played impressively all night, holding Cincinnati to a season-low 74 rush yards.

Arizona heads east to West Virginia for its Week 6 matchup (Noon EDT, TNT). The Wildcats are once again tasked with slowing down a run-heavy offense.

5. Oklahoma State

Sep 26, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver Wyatt Young (10) celebrates after a first down during the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cowboys are coming off their bye week. Despite suffering a rough loss at Tulsa in Week 1, Oklahoma State rebounded with a 39-31 home win against a ranked Oregon team in Week 2, and it was victorious in its conference opener at West Virginia (41-24) in Week 4.

Oklahoma State’s Big 12 home opener is against UCF (Noon EDT, ESPN2). The Knights are off to a slow start on offense against Power Four competition and have yet to meet an offense of the Cowboys' caliber.

4. Houston

The Cougars came up empty in the red zone thrice in the second quarter of their win over UCF. Conner Weigman’s 19-yard touchdown run galvanized the offense late in the third quarter, and Latreveon McCutchin’s 17-yard interception return began a dominant end to the game for Houston’s defense.

Houston continues its Big 12 schedule at Kansas State this weekend (3:30 p.m. EDT, Fox). The Wildcats are in search of their first Power Four win of 2026.

3. Texas Tech

Oct 3, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders running back Quinten Joyner (0) celebrates his touchdown with tight end Matt Ludwig (5) in the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Red Raiders couldn’t distance themselves from Colorado until the fourth quarter. The defense came away with momentum-shifting interceptions throughout the second half, but fourth-and-1 mishaps coupled with general stagnance created for a disjointed start on offense.

Texas Tech hopes to work out some of its offensive inconsistencies during the bye week. The Red Raiders host a struggling Arizona State team in Week 7.

2. Utah

The Utes’ open date was in Week 5. Utah is off to a 4-0 start, one that features a 43-10 home trouncing of Arkansas in Week 2 and a comfortable 31-17 road triumph at Iowa State in Week 5.

Utah hosts Kansas for its Big 12 home opener this week (10:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN). The Jayhawks are 2-2 and suffered losses in each of their first two games against Power Four competition.

1. BYU

Oct 3, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; BYU Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) carries the ball against the TCU Horned Frogs during the second half at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The defense stepped up for the Cougars in rainy conditions in their win at TCU. BYU sacked Jaden Craig four times, and a Faletau Satuala interception set up the offense with a 16-yard field for the first of its two touchdown drives.

BYU returns home to face Iowa State on Friday night (10:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN). The Cyclones posted an inconsistent 2-2 mark in September but exploded for 45 points in a win over West Virginia in Week 5.