It’s onto Week 5 of the Big 12 football season. Teams are closing out their non-conference schedules, while others are onto and in the thick of league play. Saturday was a huge showcase of what’s to come in the Big 12 Conference this season, with some top-tier match ups that will decide the direction of this conference. A reminder on how I do these rankings: They are based on what you have actually done on the field, not what we think you will do throughout the remainder of the season. So, with that, here’s a look at our Week 5 Big 12 football power rankings for the 2025 season.
1. Texas Tech Red Raiders (Last Week: 7)
I told ya, Tech fans. It was a scheduling issue in Weeks 1 through 3. But a win, heck, a wildly convincing win over Utah, gives the Red Raiders the top spot. And man, this defense is nasty. It’s admittedly difficult to see that Double T logo and think defense. But we all have to start doing it, because as strong as the offense is (and Will Hammond should start going forward), this team may ultimately be led by its defensive unit.
2. TCU Horned Frogs (Last Week: 3)
TCU slides up into the No. 2 slot after handling SMU on Saturday night. That gives the Horned Frogs two Power 4 wins as one of the few teams that play 11 Power 4 games this season. Eric McAlister just caught another ball as I was writing this column. Josh Hoover is a top signal caller in the Big 12, and TCU looks poised to compete atop this conference.
3. Arizona State Sun Devils (Last Week: 12)
Arizona State’s early season was defined by a loss in Starkville, but going on the road and starting league play in Waco is no easy task, and the Sun Devils walked out with a hard-fought road win. Sam Leavitt led this team in the fourth quarter to a huge touchdown and then the walk-off field goal. He needed that after a lackluster non-con.
4. Iowa State Cyclones (Last Week: 1)
The Cyclones were on a bye, but fell to No. 4 through no fault of their own, but more so because of what happened in front of them. Also, their K-State win looks less impressive by the week.
5. BYU Cougars (Last Week: 10)
Welcome to the Top 5, BYU! Winning at East Carolina is no easy task, and BYU made it look easy. This defense is nasty, and Evan Johnson’s two interceptions, including a pick-six, are the kind of great, developmental story that keeps succeeding at BYU. This was also a team I was high on; I just wanted to see more from them, and this road win was that.
6. Utah Utes (Last Week: 2)
Utah falls to No. 6, not just because of their loss to Texas Tech, but also because the rest of their schedule thus far looks less impressive by the week. I still believe in this offensive and defensive line, and think they will play a role in the Big 12 race, but Devon Dampier was mediocre on Saturday, and they can’t win with that offense we saw in SLC.
7. Kansas Jayhawks (Last Week: 9)
Kansas is moving back up after a convincing win over the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday. Jalon Daniels looked like his usual self, while running back Leshon Williams was a beast, having his best game with 129 rushing yards after transferring in from Iowa. A 1-2 punch of Williams and Daniel Hishaw can be dangerous in this league, especially when adding Daniels’ running ability into the mix.
8. Houston Cougars (Last Week: 6)
Houston had a bye week and drops a couple of spots this week, also driven by what happened with the teams ranked in front of them, not due to what happened with the Cougars. Circle October 4th when Houston welcomes Texas Tech!
9. Baylor Bears (Last Week: 5)
Baylor played Arizona State close, but lost the game at home. And while the Bears have a nice win over SMU, they needed a big comeback to make that happen. Otherwise, they have now lost to Auburn and Arizona State, with a win over Samford also on the schedule. Baylor’s defense was solid most of the night, but when the unit needed to make a play on Saturday, it didn’t.
10. Arizona Wildcats (Last Week: 4)
Arizona takes a big dive, once again not because of what they did, but their wins are looking softer with each passing week, and teams in front of them have more impressive resumes so far. But hey, go to Ames this weekend and get a win, and the Wildcats will be a roller coaster team, ping-ponging up and down the Power Rankings.
11. UCF Knights (Last Week: 13)
UCF slides up two spots after a beatdown of UNC, who doesn’t look very good at all. But hey, that was a heckuva win for the Knights, and while I know some UCF fans think I have been too hard on them in the early season, I love being proven wrong on this one and hope there’s more of it to come!
12. West Virginia Mountaineers (Last Week: 8)
WVU had a total letdown after beating Pittsburgh. It looked like the Mountaineers’ minds were still back in Morgantown with the Backyard Brawl. This was an ugly game, and frankly, there could be more of these to come this season for the Mountaineers.
13. Colorado Buffaloes (Last Week: 14)
Colorado needed that convincing win over Wyoming to feel good about themselves in the early season. I’m still not sure what the ceiling is, but I know I’d leave Kaidon Salter in at quarterback until proven otherwise.
14. Cincinnati Bearcats (Last Week: 11)
Cincinnati continues to slide down, mostly because of how its resume continues to look worse. Bowling Green got blown out by Louisville this past weekend, while Nebraska also lost. Cincinnati may ultimately climb these rankings, and I think they can, but they need to get some Big 12 wins under their belt.
15. Kansas State Wildcats (Last Week: 15)
Kansas State couldn’t lose to the bye week. That’s the good news. The bad news is they play this weekend, and they’re a favorite vs. UCF (-5.5). Let’s see if Chris Klieman can turn this season around.
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (Last Week: 16)
Oklahoma State got back on the field and promptly lost against Tulsa on Friday night. Mike Gundy has gone more than 365 days without a Power 4 win. It’s unfathomable, but it may be the beginning of the end in Stillwater.
