Look: Latest FPI Update Highlights Massive Red River Rivalry Matchup
Week 5 has come and gone, leaving the Big 12 with a few more answers as to who will legitimately contend for the conference crown.
While it is still very early in the year to eliminate anyone, it appears that two teams are really starting to separate themselves from the field in this race. Texas and Oklahoma represented the final remaining undefeated teams in the Big 12, and are set to clash in Dallas on Saturday.
If that weren’t intriguing enough, two of the top four teams in ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) will be on that field Saturday, as OU and Texas have looked as impressive as anyone in the country thus far.
Take a look at how the Big 12 stacks up in the FPI heading into a monsterous Week 6.
| TEAM | FPI | RANK | TREND |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 25.8 | 2 | — |
| Texas | 24.2 | 4 | ↑ 2 |
| Kansas State | 13.7 | 19 | ↑ 2 |
| TCU | 10.2 | 28 | ↓ 2 |
| UCF | 9.0 | 30 | ↓ 5 |
| Texas Tech | 7.5 | 33 | ↑ 4 |
| Cincinnati | 5.7 | 41 | ↓ 2 |
| West Virginia | 4.5 | 42 | ↑ 5 |
| Kansas | 2.4 | 50 | ↑ 1 |
| Iowa State | 2.2 | 51 | ↑ 1 |
| BYU | 1.6 | 55 | ↑ 6 |
| Oklahoma State | 0.2 | 61 | ↑ 2 |
| Baylor | -0.5 | 64 | ↑ 12 |
| Houston | -0.7 | 68 | ↑ 3 |
This week’s biggest risers were Baylor (↑ 12), BYU (↑ 6), and West Virginia (↑ 5), who all picked up wins in Big 12 play this week. Both Baylor and BYU picked up their first conference win, while West Virginia continued its surprising start to move to 2-0 in the Big 12 and 4-1 overall.
Only three Big 12 teams fell in the FPI this week, with TCU (↓ 2), UCF (↓ 5), and Cincinnati (↓ 2) all dropping games to this week’s biggest risers.
Oklahoma held on to the No. 2 overall ranking in the FPI this week after a 50-20 victory over Iowa State this week, while Texas dominated Kansas 40-14 and rose two spots to No. 4. In terms of College Football Playoff implications, there’s not a bigger game this weekend than the Red River Rivalry. Either Oklahoma or Texas will become the Big 12’s best, and perhaps only chance of making the College Football Playoff this season.
In terms of efficiency, Oklahoma is the fourth-most efficient team in the nation (92.8) with the No. 7 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 43 special teams. Texas is the ninth-most efficient (88.3), with the No. 15 offense, No. 2 defense, and the No. 129 special teams unit.
Oklahoma (2), Texas (4), Kansas State (19), TCU (28), and UCF (30) give the Big 12 five of the Top 30 teams in the FPI, while the conference also has the other teams in the Top 50, with Texas Tech (33), Cincinnati (41), West Virginia (42), and Kansas (50).
