It’s onto Week 6 of the Big 12 football season. Teams are closing out their non-conference schedules, while everyone is now full steam ahead on conference play. Saturday had one non-conference game, while the rest of the games were in league play, and we had some upsets and surprises around the 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 6 Big 12 football power rankings for the 2025 season.
1. Texas Tech Red Raiders (Last Week: 1)
Texas Tech had a bye, but they keep the No. 1 slot. In fact, Utah’s performance in Morgantown just solidified that the Red Raiders deserve the top spot in the conference Power Rankings, until proven otherwise.
2. Arizona State Sun Devils (Last Week: 3)
Arizona State had to storm back from 17-0 down to beat TCU on Friday night, but Sam Leavitt proved that if you need a quarterback to dig you out of a hole or make a play in a big spot, he’s the dude for that in the Big 12. The defensive line also was fantastic against TCU, and the Horned Frogs running game was non-existent. It’s been two close games in Big 12 play, but ASU is now 2-0 in the league.
3. Iowa State Cyclones (Last Week: 4)
Iowa State climbs back up one slot after blasting Arizona on Saturday in a game that was never close. The Cyclones look poised to compete again atop the Big 12, but right now, it’s fair to bring up injury concerns with this team, as Jeremiah Cooper is the latest to go down, and the star cornerback is officially out for the rest of the season.
4. TCU Horned Frogs (Last Week: 2)
TCU built up a 17-0 lead at Arizona State, but then blew the game. They had mistakes from veterans like QB Josh Hoover, and could never get the running game going. Overall, I thought the defense held it’s own, but the offensive went cold after building a big lead. That was one that TCU has to feel like it let slip away.
5. BYU Cougars (Last Week: 5)
The BYU Cougars found themselves in a surprising 14-0 hole at Colorado on Saturday, but they came back to win a hard-fought road game by three, led by a freshman quarterback in Bear Bachmeier. But the Cougars deserve this top five ranking, because going on the road and coming back the way they did, while seeing this defense step up in a big way after an early deficit, is not easy to do. Oh, and that East Carolina road win looks better after ECU just rolled Army (who beat K-State) 28-6 this past weekend.
6. Utah Utes (Last Week: 6)
Utah stays at No. 6 after going on the road and blasting West Virginia. It’s a solid bounce-back win, but may also say just as much about how much WVU is going to struggle this season. That remains to be seen. But Devon Dampier looked like the guy who I think he’s capable of being and the offensive line had its way against the Mountaineers, which helps make the quarterback look good.
Related: Big 12 Football Week 5: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
7. Cincinnati Bearcats (Last Week: 14)
Cincinnati moves up several spots after going on the road as an underdog and getting an outright win, something that has only happened once in 2+ seasons under Scott Satterfield in the Big 12. This was a huge win for Cincinnati, who had multiple touchdowns negated due to penalties. They racked up 600 yards of offense and won this game without their best defensive player. Huge win all around.
8. Houston Cougars (Last Week: 8)
Houston had to wake up, literally, in a late-night Friday night game in the fourth quarter to come back against a winless Oregon State team and beat the Beavers in overtime. Were the Cougars caught looking ahead to Tech next week? I don’t know, but thankfully, it doesn’t matter. But if UH plays like that on Saturday, it will get ugly fast vs. the Red Raiders.
9. Baylor Bears (Last Week: 9)
Baylor went to Stillwater and handled an Oklahoma State team coaching without Mike Gundy on the sideline as an assistant or head coach for the first time in 25 years. But the Bears got it done, although the defense is still a point of concern if they’re going to compete atop the Big 12 Conference.
10. Arizona Wildcats (Last Week: 10)
Arizona stays at No. 10 after their loss in Ames on Saturday. I can’t move them below K-State just yet, since they have the head-to-head win over the Wildcats from two weeks ago. But if Saturday’s performance is what we are going to seen more of from Arizona, they will be plummeting down these Power Rankings very quickly.
11. Kansas State Wildcats (Last Week: 15)
The Wildcats got back Dylan Edwards at full health, and the running back piled up 166 rushing yards and the offense looked much improved alongside Avery Johnson. And the defense came out swinging, looking nasty, especially in the first half against UCF. This is much more like the team we expected this season, and while it’s been an ugly start, they’re 1-1 in the Big 12 and have plenty of opportunity ahead of them.
12. Kansas Jayhawks (Last Week: 7)
Kansas put up a dud of a performance in front of the home crowd on Saturday against Cincinnati. The defense couldn’t get a stop to save its life, and the offense even had some issues, despite a big box score. Kansas is better than No. 12, but at this point, their best win is… Fresno State? Sorry. I can’t justify having them any higher right now.
13. UCF Knights (Last Week: 11)
UCF slides a couple of spots after going to Manhattan and losing to the Wildcats. I still see a program that is getting better every week, and believe there is a lot of room to grow this year under Scott Frost. The defensive has been surprisingly solid, and while Big 12 fans remember Alex Grinch getting run out of Norman, Oklahoma, so far, his unit has exceeded expectations.
14. Colorado Buffaloes (Last Week: 13)
Colorado looked like a different team during the first quarter on Saturday night vs. BYU, jumping out to a 14-0 lead. But then, the Buffaloes stalled out and went back to some of their old ways, losing the game to the Cougars. There were signs of optimism on Saturday, but still a lot of work to do for Coach Prime and company.
15. West Virginia Mountaineers (Last Week: 12)
Yikes. West Virginia has now lost its two Big 12 games by a combined 65 points. That is horrendous. Yes, they’re banged up, but that Pittsburgh win feels like a lifetime ago.
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (Last Week: 16)
Oklahoma State played its first game without Mike Gundy on the sidelines in 25 years (assistant and head coach). They actually didn’t play poorly. Doug Meacham had these guys playing hard. But it’s still going to be a long season in Stillwater.
