Week 8 turned the Big 12 upside down, and the latest Heartland College Sports Power Rankings are going to reflect it.
BYU suffered its first loss of the season in a double-overtime stunner at UCF, while Texas Tech was dominated on the road at Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Utah survived Houston to remain undefeated and take control of the Big 12 race, while Arizona and Oklahoma State continued to make their cases as legitimate contenders.
With the top of the conference shaken up and several teams moving in very different directions, there is plenty of movement in this week’s rankings.
Here’s how all 16 Big 12 teams stack up after Week 8.
1. Utah Utes (Last Week: No. 4)
Utah is the lone remaining unbeaten team after beating the Houston Cougars on Saturday night in Salt Lake City. Devon Dampier took over in the second half, especially on the ground, as the Utes remain the lone unbeaten team in the Big 12. The Utes defense showed up in a big way against a Houston offense that had been humming coming into this game. I’ve waited to see Utah’s competition improve, and it sure did on Saturday, and they took care of business.
2. Houston Cougars (Last Week: No. 2)
Houston lost, but I’m keeping them at No. 2 this week, mostly because of what happened below them. If we are to rank “quality losses”, Houston held a lead on the road in the second half against a Top 10 Utah team, before they fell off the rails. BYU and Texas Tech lost to much more mediocre competition. The Cougars have played the toughest schedule in league play thus far, with Utah, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech already in their rearview mirror.
3. BYU Cougars (Last Week: No. 1)
As I predicted in my game-by-game Big 12 predictions back in August, BYU beat Notre Dame, and then lost on the road to UCF. Once in a while, I get something correct around here. BYU had the classic trap/hangover game. This team can still win the Big 12. That game vs. a UCF team off a bye was just a horrible spot for them to walk into.
4. Oklahoma State Cowboys (Last Week: No. 5)
Oklahoma State moves up one slot after a dominated performance, especially in the second half against Colorado. The Cowboys are still in the Big 12 title race, with just a 3-point loss to Houston. The defense scares me at times, but as the offense continues to hum, they can stay in this thing until the end.
5. Arizona Wildcats (Last Week: No. 5)
Arizona remains the team we are simply not talking enough about. The passing game under Noah Fifta is elite, as expected, but it’s the front seven that continues to dominate, like it did on Saturday in a 39-3 thumping of Iowa State. Arizona is Top 5 in scoring and total defense in the Big 12. How many outside of Tucson knew that?
No. 6: Texas Tech Red Raiders (Last Week: No. 3)
The Red Raiders went to Cincinnati and got blasted. Cody Campbell’s old “retribution” quote from the off-season tied to the Brendan Sorsby came back to bite Campbell and Texas Tech. The Red Raiders haven’t looked elite yet this season, and it’s time we stop looking at them through the prism of 2025, or recruiting rankings.
No. 7: Cincinnati Bearcats (Last Week: No. 9)
What a win for Scott Satterfield, in what is clearly the biggest win during his time at Cincinnati, and the program’s biggest win since it joined the Big 12 Conference. Cincinnati manhandled Texas Tech along both lines, outgaining them on the ground by nearly 100 yards. It was a hard-fought win where the Bearcats were clearly the better team. What an afternoon at Nippert Stadium.
No. 8: UCF Knights (Last Week: No. 10)
UCF had a second half lead at Houston before losing. They had a first half lead at Oklahoma State, but ultimately lost. The bye week came at the perfect time for UCF. Despite ongoing injuries, Keyone Jenkins got two more weeks to learn the system and get comfortable with the 1’s. And boy did it show in an upset of BYU. And let’s not overlook a defense, especially up front, that was fantastic against the Cougars in the upset.
No. 9: West Virginia Mountaineers (Last Week: No. 8)
West Virginia has now won two games in a row after a very solid win at TCU on Saturday where the defense showed some grit and even made a couple of big plays late with the game on the line. The Mountaineers are back on track, and now they get to enjoy a bye week before taking on Texas Tech in Week 10.
No. 10: Arizona State Sun Devils (Last Week: No. 16)
I’ll slide Arizona State up a few slots. They have two Big 12 wins, and the teams below them can’t say that. They have wins vs. Kansas and now Kansas State. Two freshman led the way in quarterback Jake Fette and running back Cardae Mack. While this won’t be a contending season, the future might be bright, and Saturday may have kicked off the future.
No. 11: Iowa State Cyclones (Last Week: No. 7)
The Cyclones went to Tucson and got their doors blown off 39-3. I’m keeping them above K-State because their win (vs. WVU) is better than K-State’s lone Big 12 win (Kansas). But I’ll be honest, you can switch teams 11 through 15 however you’d like, and I wouldn’t have too much of an argument.
No. 12: Kansas State Wildcats (Last Week: No. 11)
Kansas State went to Arizona State and lost. I’ll leave them at No. 11. They didn’t have Avery Johnson, although I am not sure if it would’ve made a difference. They had the lead and then some boneheaded coaching decisions in the second half also helped cost this team the game in Tempe.
No. 13: TCU Horned Frogs (Last Week: No. 12)
TCU’s defense did its job against an explosive WVU offense. They kept Michael Hawkins Jr. in relative check, but the offense remains a problem. They were taking on the worst defense in the Big 12 and couldn’t muster more than 20 points. Bad look.
No. 14: Kansas Jayhawks (Last Week: No. 15)
Kansas stormed back in the fourth quarter to pull off an upset against Baylor. Lance Leipold desperately needed that win, as it’s only his second in his last 10 Big 12 games. The program still has a ways to go to get into the top half of this league, but you can see some of the baby steps each week.
No. 15: Baylor Bears (Last Week: No. 13)
The Baylor Bears blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead, and that brought an end to the Dave Aranda era in Waco. Baylor’s losses to TCU and Kansas were brutal, and despite Aranda being well liked, it was the right move. There were few signs that things were improving dramatically, and it’s not like they were losing to top-tier teams in the league. It was time.
No. 16: Colorado Buffaloes (Last Week: No. 14)
Colorado, welcome back to the basement for the second time this season. CU played a decent first half vs. Oklahoma State in Stillwater, and then forgot how to play football. OSU scored 37 unanswered points vs. the Buffaloes to end the game. Brutal for Deion Sanders. Mistakes and penalties remain problematic. There’s no end in sight to this thing turning around.
