It’s onto Week 12 of the Big 12 football season. Week 11 was highlighted by the game of the week in college football, along with several teams on a bye week. So with that, let’s dive into this week’s Big 12 football power rankings. 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 12 Big 12 football power rankings for the 2025 season.
1. Texas Tech Red Raiders (Last Week: 2)
Congratulations to Texas Tech, who has worked its way back into the No. 1 spot in our Big 12 Power Rankings after a dominant win against BYU on Saturday. The defense is just unbelievable, and it’s hard to see how an offense is going to have much success against this unit going forward. Bu they are back in the driver’s seat of the Big 12 title race.
2. BYU Cougars (Last Week: 1)
BYU‘s first loss came on Saturday in Lubbock, where they were overwhelmed by Texas Tech. Bear Bachmeier finally looked like a freshman, but in fairness, most quarterbacks will look like freshman vs. Tech. However, BYU still has a great chance to make a College Football Playoff, but they need to win out in the regular season vs. TCU, Cincinnati and UCF.
3. Utah Utes (Last Week: 3)
The Utah Utes remain at No. 3 after a bye week. This team is one of the best two-loss teams in the country based on advanced analytics. Now, they get ready for a road trip to Baylor, who last time out finally put together a complete game against UCF.
4. Cincinnati Bearcats (Last Week: No. 4)
Cincinnati was on a bye after a blowout loss at Utah. Hopefully they cleaned up some of their mistakes and if they want to stay in the Big 12 hunt, they have to likely win out vs. Arizona, BYU and TCU. It won’t be easy.
5. Houston Cougars (Last Week: 6)
Houston went on the road in the Space Game, which they have historically struggled in (8-3 going into Friday) and came back to win the game, overcoming multiple turnovers and another pick six from Connor Weigman. This defense locked down in the second half and led the team to a win as they stay in the Big 12 Championship Game race.
6. Arizona State (Last Week: 5)
Arizona State was on a bye week, but falls one slot just because of what happened in front of them, plus, before Houston’s awful loss to West Virginia, they had a win over Arizona State.
7. Iowa State Cyclones (Last Week: No. 9)
Iowa State snapped a four-game losing streak with their win at TCU, which considering how many players, especially on defense, this team was missing, it was arguably their best performance of the year. Special teams finally had a positive moment for the Cyclones as well. Enjoy the bye week and let’s see if this team can finish strong.
8. Kansas State Wildcats (Last Week: 7)
Kansas State is coming off a bye week following their loss to Texas Tech. They’re 4-5 overall, but still have games vs. Oklahoma State and Colorado, along with a road trip to Utah. 6-6 is looking most likely, which is not what the expectations were this season.
9. TCU Horned Frogs (Last Week: 8)
TCU was playing with fire in recent weeks, and on Saturday, Iowa State came back from 11 down in the final quarter to win in Fort Worth. This team is too talented to have a third-straight mediocre season, but it’s looking like that’s where things are heading in 2025.
10. Arizona Wildcats (Last Week: No. 10)
Arizona is now bowl eligible after a great defensive-first effort in a win over Kansas. Brent Brennan, who entered the season on the hot seat, is now bowl eligible. Year 2 is looking much better than Year 1 as he builds this program back up. I expect them to give Cincinnati a game this weekend on the road.
11. Baylor Bears (Last Week: No. 11)
Baylor stays at No. 11 after a bye week. No need to move the Bears off this spot. They’ve got Utah, Arizona and Houston to end the season. One win for bowl eligibility, and if they get it, that’s a success, since they should be an underdog in each game.
12. Kansas Jayhawks (Last Week: 12)
Kansas came up short at Arizona this past weekend. It was a game that had questionable coaching decisions down the stretch. KU’s defense actually had one of its better performances of the season, but it wasn’t enough for a team that is going to be fighting for a bowl game in the last couple of weeks of the season.
13. West Virginia Mountaineers (Last Week: 13)
The West Virginia Mountaineers got a win vs. Colorado to remain in the mix to possibly get to a bowl game in Year 1 of RichRod. But they would need to beat Arizona State and Texas Tech to do it. That’s no easy task. But it’s fun for WVU fans to think about over the final couple of weeks of the season.
14. UCF Knights (Last Week: 14)
UCF hosted Houston on Friday night in the Space Game, and let a great opportunity slip out of their hands in the second half at home. That was a game UCF needed to likely get to bowl eligibility. This program is still showing progress on both sides, but that loss could sting for a bit.
15. Colorado Buffaloes (Last Week: 15)
At least Colorado played a competitive game this weekend against West Virginia. It’s JuJu Lewis time in Boulder and at this point, Coach Prime and his staff should be evaluating for 2026.
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (Last Week: 16)
Oklahoma State didn’t lose this weekend, because, well, they didn’t play a football game. So there’s that for the Pokes. It’s basketball season in Stillwater.
