2026 Big 12 Power Rankings Ahead of Week 10: Utah Holds No. 1 Spot Heading Into Holy War

Utah maintains the No. 1 spot in our power rankings ahead of its matchup with BYU in Week 10.

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier (4) throws a pass in the second quarter of the Big 12 game between Cincinnati Bearcats and Utah Utes at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, October 31, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Compelling finishes inundated the Big 12 football landscape in Week 9.

Two rocky head coaching situations narrowly avoided their boiling points on Saturday afternoon. A Charlie Williams touchdown catch secured a 27-24 overtime win for Colorado against Kansas State, and TCU came from 13 points down to defeat Kansas 22-16 at home.

The conference's lone ranked matchup of the weekend lived up to the hype. No. 13 Texas Tech rallied after falling behind by 10 points late in the first half, utilizing the option with Tommy Castellanos to defeat No. 22 Arizona 34-26.

The nightcap was far and away the most compelling watch of the weekend and reminiscent of the Big 12's reputation in the 2010s. Iowa State walked off No. 24 Oklahoma State 51-49 on a game-winning field goal on a night where the Cyclones and Cowboys combined for 1,124 total yards.

The Big 12 once again plays in a Friday night slot in Week 10. TCU travels west to take on No. 24 Arizona late that night, a matchup that features two of the league's most productive passers in Jaden Craig and Noah Fifita.

The most impactful Big 12 result of the season will be determined in the early window of Week 10. No. 7 BYU travels to No. 3 Utah for the 98th installment of the Holy War, a highly consequential matchup in the conference championship and College Football Playoff pictures.

Three different Big 12 teams can put an end to postseason droughts with a Week 10 win. Victories for Baylor and West Virginia would send them to their first bowl since the 2024 season, and a win for Oklahoma State would result in its first postseason appearance since it went to the 2023 Texas Bowl.

Below, we power rank all 16 Big 12 teams entering Week 10 of the 2026 college football season.

16. Kansas State

Oct 31, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Kansas State Wildcats tight end Garrett Oakley (86) reacts to his fourth quarter touchdown against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Wildcats gave it all they had with a third-string quarterback in their road loss to Colorado. Blake Barnett connected with Garrett Oakley for an 8-yard touchdown with two seconds in regulation, but a pair of incompletions in the overtime possession forced Kansas State to kick a 25-yard field goal and put the game in the hands of the defense. 

Kansas State is at home for the first time in three weeks for a meeting with Oklahoma State (1 p.m. EST, TNT). With Avery Johnson expected to miss an indefinite number of games, the future has become grim for the Wildcats.

15. Colorado

The Buffaloes ran for a season-high 222 yards and sacked Blake Barnett five times, yet they needed overtime to get through Kansas State. Colorado’s offense couldn’t move the ball past its 25-yard line on its final three possessions of regulation, and the defense allowed the Wildcats to hit on a pair of explosive pass plays to set up a game-tying touchdown in the final minute.

Colorado travels down to Arizona State in Week 10 (7:30 p.m. EST, ESPN2). Like Kansas State, the Sun Devils are also working through quarterback injuries and may be down to their third option again this week.

14. Kansas

Oct 17, 2026; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks running back Dylan Edwards (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

An unlucky pick six in the third quarter began a downward spiral for Kansas against TCU. The Jayhawks allowed the Horned Frogs march down the field in three plays to take their first lead at the end of the quarter, and the offense never found the end zone in the second half despite crossing the 50-yard line four times.

November begins with a matchup against UCF in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (3:45 p.m. EST, ESPN2). The Knights haven’t won a game on the road yet, suffering a 12-7 loss at Pittsburgh in Week 2 and losses by double digits at Houston and Oklahoma State in October.

13. Arizona State

The Sun Devils were knotted at 17 with BYU late in the third quarter. A costly penalty on the kickoff after the game-tying touchdown gave the Cougars a head start to their go-ahead field goal drive; Arizona State punted near midfield on its first possession of the fourth quarter and allowed BYU to drive the whole length of the field for its final touchdown in the 27-20 loss.

Arizona State heads back to Mountain America Stadium for a meeting with Colorado (7:30 p.m. EST, ESPN2). The Buffaloes own two Power Four wins on the season, both of which they eked out by a field goal or less.

12. UCF

Oct 30, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Central Florida Knights quarterback Keyone Jenkins (12) looks to pass during the first quarter against the Baylor Bears at Acrisure Bounce House. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A week after stunning a second-ranked BYU team, UCF fell flat on its face in a 41-9 loss against Baylor. The defense surrendered 519 yards to the Bears, which is a season-worst for a declining unit. 10 of the Knights’ 15 offensive possessions went for three yards or less, and starting quarterback Keyone Jenkins left the game with an injury.

The Knights are at Kansas for their first road test in almost a month this week (3:45 p.m. EST, ESPN2). UCF needs two wins in November for bowl eligibility.

11. Baylor

Joe Klanderman’s interim tenure is off to a sweltering start with Baylor’s triumph at UCF. DJ Lagway and the offense eclipsed 500 yards for the second time in Big 12 play while the defense forced a pair of turnovers and sacked the Knights’ quarterbacks seven times.

The Bears return to McLane Stadium to take on a struggling Iowa State team this week (Noon EST). Despite losing their head coach in October, a win against the Cyclones grants Baylor bowl eligibility.

10. TCU

Oct 17, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Jaden Craig (1) looks to pass against the Baylor Bears during the second half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Max Carroll kickstarted a TCU surge with a pick six late in the third quarter to cut its deficit to six against Kansas. Jaden Craig’s 36-yard completion to Kari Ashley set up a 28-yard Ace Theus go-ahead touchdown run at the end of the quarter, and Craig later scampered for 17 yards on what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.

TCU heads west for a Friday night battle with Arizona to kick off its November schedule (10:15 p.m. EST, ESPN). The Horned Frogs’ secondary takes on its toughest challenge of the season in Noah Fifita, whose production has steadily increased against Big 12 foes.

9. Cincinnati

The Bearcats never stood a chance in their 49-25 loss to No. 6 Utah. Even though the offense moved the ball respectably in the first half, it never found the end zone and committed catastrophic, game-altering turnovers. The defense surrendered a touchdown every time it took the field in the opening half, and every drive was 75 yards or more in length.

A trip to former American Conference foe Houston is on deck for Cincinnati (3:30 p.m. EST, Fox). Barring overnight surges from West Virginia and Baylor, the Cougars should be the last ranked test of the season for the Bearcats.

8. West Virginia

Oct 10, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Cam Cook (4) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Arizona Wildcats at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Mountaineers enjoyed their Halloween weekend on a bye. West Virginia enters November at 5-3 overall with consecutive tight wins against Cincinnati and TCU, and its backfield duo of Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook is as explosive as it was advertised before the season.

West Virginia returns to the Lone Star State to take on Texas Tech this weekend (9:30 p.m. EST, ESPN). The Red Raiders eclipsed 300 yards rushing with Tommy Castellanos at quarterback last week, so defending the quarterback run is integral for both sides.

7. Oklahoma State

Defensive and special teams issues were the story in Oklahoma State’s shootout loss at Iowa State. The defense allowed the Cyclones to accrue 581 total yards, and the possessions stolen from the Cowboys on an onside kick recovery and muffed punt in the second quarter forced them to play from behind for much of the night.

A matchup at Kansas State is the next order of business for Oklahoma State (1 p.m. EST, TNT). The Cowboys haven’t won a game in front of a capacity crowd at Bill Snyder Family Stadium since 2016.

6. Iowa State

Iowa State kicker Kyle Konrardy (97) celebrates with teammates after kicking the game-winning field goal against Oklahoma State on Oct. 31, 2026, at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune, USA TODAY Network) | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Running back Aiden Flora rattled off 221 yards and two touchdowns on the ground against Oklahoma State, one of which was a season-long dash of 75 yards. In the air, Jaylen Raynor threw for a season-high 309 yards, connecting with Jamal Polite Jr. for 171 of them.

Iowa State heads south to take on Baylor this weekend (Noon EST). The Cyclones don’t play a ranked opponent the rest of the regular season after suffering four losses to top-25 teams in the first two months.

5. Arizona

The Wildcats suffered their second ranked road loss of the season at Texas Tech. Chunk run plays tore apart Arizona’s defense in the second half, and what had been a hot offense failed to reach the end zone for the final 20 minutes of game time due to struggles to run the ball and protect Noah Fifita.

Arizona heads home for a Friday night contest with TCU in Week 10 (10:15 p.m. EST, ESPN). The Horned Frogs are fielding one of the Big 12’s stronger defenses despite their 4-4 record.

4. Houston

Oct 24, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) hands the ball off to Houston Cougars running back Makhi Hughes (21) during the third quarter against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cougars stumbled into their bye week with a close road loss at Utah. Houston owns a 6-2 overall record and boasts one of the more capable offenses in the Big 12, and it had the ball with chances to tie late in both of its losses.

Houston returns to TDECU Stadium for the first time in three weeks to host Cincinnati (3:30 p.m. EST, Fox). The Cougars are in search of their first win over the Bearcats in a decade.

3. Texas Tech

The Red Raiders picked up their second ranked win of the season against Arizona last week. Tommy Castellanos and J’Koby Williams combined for 292 rush yards, and the defense eliminated Arizona’s run game and sacked Noah Fifita five times.

Texas Tech hosts West Virginia to begin the final month of the season (9:30 p.m. EST, ESPN). The combination of Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook should present the Red Raiders’ mostly-sound run defense with one of its most challenging tests of the year.

2. BYU

Oct 31, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars running back Sione Moa (middle) runs the ball against Arizona State Sun Devils defensive lineman Blazen Lono-Wong (97) during the first half at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It needed a wake-up call in the final frame, but BYU controlled Arizona State for the better part of three quarters. The Cougar defensive front got after Jake Fette early but couldn’t replicate that intensity in the second half, so Bear Bachmeier and the offense countered with a six minute, 95-yard touchdown drive to put the game out of reach in the final two minutes.

A trip to Utah for the Holy War should be the last ranked matchup of the regular season for BYU (Noon EST, ABC). A win improves the Cougars’ status in the Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff races.

1. Utah

The Utes held a 42-6 halftime lead in their win at Cincinnati last week. In addition to the barrage Devon Dampier, Wayshawn Parker and the offense put on the Bearcats, Rabbit Evans and Elijah Davis added lengthy defensive touchdowns to the first half scoring frenzy.

Utah returns to Rice-Eccles Stadium for the Holy War this week (Noon EST, ABC). The Utes are searching for their first win in the 102-year old rivalry since 2019.