Look: UCF, Iowa State Skyrocket, OSU Plummets in Latest FPI Update
Week 11 in the Big 12 was as wild and wacky a weekend as we’ve seen all season long. Just one week after we’d thought the Big 12 title picture had become clear, we’re now left more confused than ever.
Heading into Week 12, Texas stands alone at 6-1 in conference play and has Iowa State and Texas Tech standing between them and a guaranteed Big 12 Championship berth.
However, behind the Longhorns is a four-way tie for second place, and somehow, K-State is currently in the best spot to come out as the second team in the title game.
After Week 11, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 22.7 | 7 | ↑ 2 |
| Texas | 21.3 | 9 | ↓ 1 |
| Kansas State | 20.3 | 10 | ↑ 1 |
| UCF | 9.5 | 27 | ↑ 10 |
| TCU | 9.4 | 29 | — |
| Texas Tech | 7.9 | 31 | ↑ 1 |
| Iowa State | 7.6 | 32 | ↑ 10 |
| Kansas | 7.2 | 35 | ↓ 1 |
| Oklahoma State | 7.0 | 36 | ↓ 9 |
| West Virginia | 5.2 | 43 | ↓ 7 |
| Cincinnati | 1.7 | 53 | ↑ 9 |
| Houston | -0.9 | 73 | ↓ 4 |
| BYU | -3.2 | 80 | ↓ 6 |
| Baylor | -3.5 | 81 | — |
After a 45-3 shellacking of Oklahoma State in Orlando this weekend, the UCF Knights moved up a whopping 10 spots in the FPI, all the way up to No. 27 nationally. The Knights now rank as the fourth-best team in the conference by this metric and look like they could finish the year with a bowl game based on recent play. Iowa State matched UCF as the biggest riser in the conference after Week 11, moving up 10 spots to No. 32 after their 45-13 win over BYU. The Cyclones are now bowl-eligible and will host Texas in a massive night game this week.
Cincinnati managed its first Big 12 win of the season this week against Houston and managed to move up nine spots to No. 53 in the FPI this week after taking down the Cougars 24-14. Getting to a bowl is out of the question, but closing out on a high note would be a good trend for Scott Satterfield and company.
Oklahoma regained the top spot in the Big 12 after a 59-20 beatdown of West Virginia, hopping Texas and moving two spots to No. 7 this week. The Longhorns fell one spot to No. 8 after a 29-26 win over TCU. Meanwhile, K-State has entered the top 10 after moving to 7-3 on the year with a 59-25 win over the hapless Baylor Bears.
TCU stayed firm at No. 29, making them the fifth-highest-ranked Big 12 team in FPI despite being 4-6. Texas Tech (31), Kansas (35), and Oklahoma State (36), who fell nine spots after their embarrassing loss, give the Big 12 nine teams inside the top 40, with West Virginia (43) just on the outside.
Houston (73), BYU (80), and Baylor (81) really hurt the conference’s average as they continue to weigh down what is otherwise a very tough conference.
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.
