Conference play is underway in Big 12 country as all 14 teams took the field this past weekend. Even though it is early in the year, I thought it would be fun to start things off with a little power ranking each week.
Keep in mind, things can change quickly in the Big 12 from week to week, but here is my power ranking after the opening weekend in conference action.
#1 UCF Knights
The Knights stay at number one this week after yet another great weekend on the diamond. After sweeping Oklahoma State on opening weekend, UCF went to Fort Worth and just took two out of three from arguably the most talented team in the Big 12 in TCU. While they ended up getting shut out in the second game, UCF outscored TCU 28 to 8 in the other two matchups.
#2 West Virginia Mountaineers
You could argue that West Virginia should take the top spot, but I did bump them up a bit after sweeping BYU last weekend. The Mountaineers played two close games before closing out the sweep with an easy 10-1 win over the Cougars in the final game.
#3 Arizona State Sun Devils
Playing in the Little Apple can be tricky, but it was no match for the Sun Devils. After an impressive series win over TCU two weeks ago, Arizona State took two out of three from Kansas State. While they did win the first two games of the series, they also got blown out in game three.
#4 Texas Tech Red Raiders
Despite a tough start to the season, the Red Raiders appear to have found their stride here in late March. Texas Tech headed west to Tucson and won a series against a talented Arizona team this past weekend. Make that four series wins in a row for the boys from Lubbock.
#5 Kansas Jayhawks
I am giving the Jayhawks a big bump up in my rankings after a clean sweep over Houston. While the pitching wasn’t top-notch, I was very impressed with their bats as they scored at least eight runs in all three games. Man, this team can hit.
#6 Kansas State Wildcats
Even though they lost their series against Arizona State, I didn’t lose much faith in Kansas State this past weekend. Their first game came down to the wire, and they got into a shootout in game two before finally letting their frustration out in the final game. I still like the upside of this team.
#7 Cincinnati Bearcats
If you want to talk about teams that can rake, then Cincinnati must be up there. I know they played Utah, but they put on some absurd numbers against the Utes. In fact, they scored a whopping 44 runs last weekend and were able to win two out of three. Not perfect, but it’s a start.
#8 Utah Utes
Did Utah give up a ton of runs against Cincinnati? Yes. Did they lose the series? Yes, but I came away impressed with their offense. This team was able to score on Arizona the week before, and their bats by no means went away against Cincy on the road. I just wonder how consistent they can be moving forward.
#9 TCU Horned Frogs
There’s no shame in losing to Arizona State or UCF, but at some point, TCU is going to need to figure some things out. This is a very talented team, and their 2-4 record in Big 12 play doesn’t show it. It’s still very early, but I believe they will get over this little slump and compete for a conference crown.
#10 Oklahoma State Cowboys
After getting swept opening weekend by UCF, the Cowboys desperately needed a series win this past weekend and got one against Baylor. I was worried after they dropped the first game, but they were able to follow it up with back-to-back wins to take the series.
#11 Arizona Wildcats
If not for some other teams collapsing, I would have dropped this team even further down my list. I thought they would bounce back after losing to Utah opening weekend, but then they went out and fell to Texas Tech at home. Now they are sitting at 8-15 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 play. This team is far too talented to be this bad.
#12 BYU Cougars
As shocking as it was to see them beat Cincinnati two weeks ago, it appears that BYU came back to earth a little bit after getting swept by West Virginia. The road only gets tougher from here.
#13 Baylor Bears
While they were able to take the first game against Oklahoma State, Baylor couldn’t win another game and were blown out in the rubber match on Sunday. I have a feeling it’s going to be another rebuilding year for the Bears.
#14 Houston Cougars
Someone had to be last, and unfortunately for the Houston Cougars, it’s them. After getting crushed by Kansas State on opening weekend, Houston followed that up by getting swept against Kansas. I guess the Sunflower State is not kind towards the Cougars.
