Look: Major Shakeup in Big 12 FPI at Halfway Point of 2023 Season
We’ve reached Week 7 of the 2023 season, meaning we’ve somehow already arrived at the halfway point of the college football season.
There’ve been some pretty surprising results to this point in the year, like Texas Tech falling on its face out the gate and West Virginia clawing its way to a 4-1 start. Meanwhile, Oklahoma and Texas have looked like two of the best teams in the country through six weeks, and head into their bye weeks ranked fifth and ninth nationally.
This week saw some major changes in the Big 12’s standing according to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), and what has been a pretty volatile conference continues to be just that.
Take a look at how the Big 12 stacks up in the FPI heading into Week 7 of the action.
| TEAM | FPI | RANK | TREND |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 26.3 | 2 | — |
| Texas | 24.0 | 6 | ↓ 2 |
| Kansas State | 11.8 | 22 | ↓ 3 |
| Texas Tech | 9.5 | 27 | ↑ 6 |
| TCU | 8.6 | 31 | ↓ 3 |
| Cincinnati | 6.1 | 39 | ↑ 2 |
| UCF | 5.8 | 40 | ↓ 10 |
| Kansas | 5.1 | 42 | ↑ 8 |
| West Virginia | 4.5 | 43 | ↓ 1 |
| Iowa State | 4.3 | 44 | ↑ 7 |
| Oklahoma State | 2.5 | 52 | ↑ 9 |
| BYU | 2.2 | 53 | ↑ 2 |
| Houston | -0.6 | 70 | ↓ 2 |
| Baylor | -2.8 | 79 | ↓ 15 |
This week’s biggest risers were Oklahoma State (↑ 9), Kansas (↑ 8), Iowa State (↑ 7), and Texas Tech (↑ 6), who all picked up wins in Big 12 play this week. Oklahoma State and Iowa State picked up wins in Big 12 play as home underdogs, while Kansas and Texas Tech dominated UCF and Baylor with overwhelming offensive performances.
Only two teams fell more than three spots in this week’s FPI, but when they fell, they fell hard. Baylor is this week’s biggest faller, plummeting 15 spots to No. 79 overall, the lowest rank in the Big 12. UCF also fell double-digit spots, down 10 spots to No. 40 after their 51-22 loss in Lawrence.
Oklahoma held on to the No. 2 overall ranking in the FPI this week after a 34-30 win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry. The Longhorns fell just two spots to No. 6 overall after the loss, maintaining themselves as one of the best teams in the nation.
The win gives Oklahoma the best resume in the country to this point, with the No. 1 strength of record, No. 2 ranking in FPI, No. 5 ranking in the AP Poll, and No. 30 strength of schedule.
Ten of the 14 teams in the Big 12 are ranked inside the top 50 of the FPI, with Oklahoma (2), Texas (6), Kansas State (22), Texas Tech (27), TCU (31), Cincinnati (39), UCF (40), Kansas (42), West Virginia (43), and Iowa State (44). Oklahoma State (52) and BYU (53) are also very close to getting into that group, which would give the conference 12 teams in that group, while Houston (70) and Baylor (79) are still a ways back.
