Look: Nine Big 12 Teams Featured in FPI Top 35
Well, folks, the penultimate week of the regular season has come and gone and we’ve got just one more week of action before the 2023 Big 12 Championship.
Heading into Week 13, Texas stands alone at 7-1 in conference play and has Texas Tech standing between them and a Big 12 Championship berth.
However, behind the Longhorns is a three-way tie for second place with Oklahoma State holding the edge with wins over both Oklahoma and Kansas State, meaning a win over BYU would send them to Arlington.
After Week 12, ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) has changed a bit and, for the Big 12, it shows just how tough the conference is from top to bottom.
Take a look at the latest FPI rankings in the Big 12.
| TEAM | FPI | RANK | TREND |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 22.2 | 7 | — |
| Texas | 21.3 | 9 | ↑ 1 |
| Kansas State | 20.3 | 12 | ↓ 2 |
| TCU | 10.0 | 27 | ↑ 2 |
| UCF | 9.8 | 28 | ↓ 1 |
| Texas Tech | 8.0 | 32 | ↓ 1 |
| Kansas | 7.7 | 33 | ↑ 2 |
| Iowa State | 7.7 | 34 | ↓ 2 |
| Oklahoma State | 7.6 | 35 | ↑ 1 |
| West Virginia | 6.3 | 40 | ↑ 3 |
| Cincinnati | 0.8 | 61 | ↓ 8 |
| Houston | -1.6 | 74 | ↓ 1 |
| BYU | -2.2 | 77 | ↑ 3 |
| Baylor | -4.7 | 86 | ↓ 6 |
Oklahoma went into Provo as a 25-point favorite but had to finish the contest with Dillon Gabriel, who went down with a head injury, leaving five-star freshman Jackson Arnold to step in on the road. He did just that, leading the Sooners to a 31-24 victory. As a result, OU remains No. 7 in the FPI, just one spot ahead of their arch-rival, Texas.
The Longhorns went to Ames and took care of business, beating Iowa State 26-16 and moving up one spot to No. 8 in this week’s FPI. Now 10-1, Texas is in great position to make the Big 12 Championship and with a win there, would be a prime candidate to make the College Football Playoff.
Kansas State toppled Kansas 31-27 in the Sunflower Showdown but fell two spots to No. 12 despite the victory. Sitting at 8-3 on the year, K-State is still in the Big 12 title race but needs some help to get to Arlington.
TCU comes in at No. 27 after a 42-17 shellacking of Baylor in the freshly coined Bluebonnet Battle, and with the win, keeps its bowl hopes alive. One spot behind the Horned Frog at No. 28 is UCF, who lost at Texas Tech, 24-23, after a blocked PAT in the fourth quarter.
Texas Tech (32), Kansas (33), Iowa State (34), and Oklahoma State (35) give the Big 12 four schools ranked between 30 and 35 in FPI and a total of nine teams in the Top 35.
Cincinnati is this week’s biggest faller, dropping eight spots to No. 61 after its 42-21 loss at West Virginia (40), while Houston (74), BYU (77), and Baylor (86) remain the bottom teams in the conference.
