Look: Big 12 Trending Up in Latest FPI Update
After one of the best weekends of Big 12 football that we’ve seen in recent memory, the conference race has two frontrunners with a host of contenders just one game back.
Heading into Week 11, Texas and Oklahoma State have grabbed the lead at 5-1 in conference play and have manageable schedules in the back end that should help them get to Arlington.
Meanwhile, a five-team scrum of Kansas, Oklahoma, Kansas State, West Virginia, and Iowa State are all at 4-2 in conference play and can hop right back in the mix if either the Longhorns or Cowboys slip up.
After Week 10, ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) has changed a bit and, for the Big 12, is starting to show just how challenging this conference can be.
Take a look at the latest FPI rankings in the Big 12.
| TEAM | FPI | RANK | TREND |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 21.9 | 8 | ↑ 1 |
| Oklahoma | 21.7 | 9 | ↓ 1 |
| Kansas State | 19.6 | 11 | ↑ 1 |
| Oklahoma State | 9.3 | 27 | ↑ 3 |
| TCU | 9.2 | 29 | ↓ 1 |
| Texas Tech | 7.9 | 32 | ↑ 4 |
| Kansas | 7.5 | 34 | ↑ 1 |
| West Virginia | 7.0 | 36 | ↑ 6 |
| UCF | 7.0 | 37 | — |
| Iowa State | 5.7 | 42 | ↓ 4 |
| Cincinnati | 0.7 | 62 | — |
| Houston | 0.1 | 69 | ↑ 1 |
| BYU | -1.2 | 74 | ↓ 8 |
| Baylor | -3.4 | 81 | ↑ 2 |
Oklahoma State’s 27-24 win over Oklahoma moved the Cowboys up three spots to No. 27 in the FPI, putting them comfortably in the Top 30 heading into Week 11. The loss dropped Oklahoma one spot to No. 9 this week, allowing Texas to take over as the top team in the Big 12 at No. 8.
Kansas State continues to climb after its overtime loss to Texas, up one spot to No. 11 this week. The Wildcats’ loss moves them to 6-3 on the year but doesn’t push them out of the Big 12 title race just yet.
TCU is two spots behind Oklahoma State at No. 29, making them the fourth-highest-ranked Big 12 team in FPI despite being 4-5. Texas Tech (32), Kansas (34), and West Virginia (36) all moved up this week with wins and give the Big 12 eight teams inside the top 36, with UCF (37) just on the outside. Iowa State (42) fell four sports this week, while BYU was the biggest faller, down eight spots to No. 74.
Cincinnati stayed put at No. 62, while Houston moved up a spot to No. 69 with an overtime win over Baylor, who remains the Big 12’s lowest-ranked team at No. 81 this week.
Overall the Big 12 is well represented with nine teams inside the Top 40 and 10 teams inside the Top 50.
In the latest Big 12 Power Rankings, Pete Mundo gives his take on which teams you should watch out for heading into Week 11.
