With 10 weeks of Big 12 football in the books, Utah has separated itself from the rest of the conference, but there’s still plenty to sort out behind the Utes in our latest Big 12 Football Power Rankings.
Utah made the biggest statement of Week 10, taking down BYU 28-20 in the Holy War to remain undefeated and climb to No. 2 in the AP Top 25. Meanwhile, Texas Tech survived a wild 53-48 shootout against West Virginia to keep pace in the Big 12 championship race.
Elsewhere, Houston and Arizona continued finding ways to win, Baylor kept rolling under interim head coach Joe Klanderman, and Oklahoma State bounced back in a big way by hanging 66 points on Kansas State.
But the bottom half of the conference remains a mess. Kansas and TCU suffered heartbreaking losses, Colorado continued its disappointing season, and Kansas State turned in one of the ugliest performances we’ve seen in the Big 12 this year.
With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, the separation between the contenders and pretenders is becoming clearer.
Here’s how all 16 teams stack up in our Big 12 Football Power Rankings after Week 10.
1. Utah Utes (Last Week: No. 1)
The Utah Utes won their first Holy War as members of the Big 12 Conference in impressive fashion with a 28-20 victory over BYU. The Utes picked off Bear Bachmeier four times, including at the goal line with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. Utah is rolling, and if there was ever a doubt it was time to move on from Kyle Whittingham to Morgan Scalley, just look at the Utes compared the Michigan Wolverines right now.
2. Texas Tech Red Raiders (Last Week: No. 2)
Texas Tech had a fight on its hands against West Virginia, who came to play in Lubbock on Saturday night. But in the end, the Red Raiders got it done as quarterback Thomas Castellanos has given this offense the boost that it needed, and if he can keep improving with each passing week, Tech will need it because this defense is a far cry from 2025.
3. Houston Cougars (Last Week: No. 3)
The Houston Cougars are solidly in that No. 3 spot this week after a win over Cincinnati to stay in the Big 12 title race. The Cougars can beat you in multiple ways, and on Saturday night it was on the ground where they dominated the Bearcats for over 200 rushing yards. They have two Big 12 losses by a combined 5 points, the best two losses of any of the two-loss Big 12 teams.
4. BYU Cougars (Last Week: No. 4)
Is it just me, or does that Notre Dame win feel like two months ago? It’s just been so up-and-down since October 17th, with losses to UCF and Utah, and an unimpressive win vs. Arizona State in between. This team’s path to the Big 12 Championship Game got a lot tougher after Saturday, but there still might be a CFP at-large option, depending on how Notre Dame’s season plays out from here. But first, the Cougars need to take care of business, and need LJ Martin at 100%.
5. Oklahoma State Cowboys (Last Week: No. 7)
Oklahoma State moves up two spots after a road loss to Iowa State. They went on the road to Kansas State and blew out the Cats by 40 points. It was a bloodbath in Manhattan, as the Pokes racked up 565 yards of total offense. Caleb Hawkins did what every running back does vs. KSU: Gash them. But now sets up a must-win at home vs. Texas Tech next weekend, with their hopes of a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game on the line.
No. 6: Arizona Wildcats (Last Week: No. 5)
Arizona had to be moved down a slot. They were lucky to pull off the win vs. TCU on Friday night. A pooch kick was recovered by the Cats and they kicked a game-winning field goal to win 29-28. Coming off the loss to Texas Tech, I didn’t think they’d be caught looking ahead to Utah, but maybe that’s what happened here.
No. 7: Baylor Bears (Last Week: No. 12)
I’ve got to hand it to Baylor: Ever since firing Dave Aranda, they’ve been a better and more consistent football team under Joe Klanderman. Whether or not that’s sustainable remains to be seen, but they were down 10-0 to Iowa State and then went on a 35-7 run to win 42-31 against an ISU team coming off a win vs. Oklahoma State. Good job by the Bears to keep their season afloat. But now they end the season at BYU, vs. Texas Tech and at Houston.
No. 8: West Virginia Mountaineers (Last Week: No. 10)
Yes, I’m moving WVU up two spots for its road performance against Texas Tech. They hung with the Red Raiders in the first half as both teams piled up a combined 800 yards of offense. Then, the second half was a defensive slugfest. West Virginia had a chance to hold on to win the game, but the defense could not get the stop it needed late, and then a safety sealed the win for the Red Raiders. But there’s something building and growing in Morgantown. That much I definitely believe.
No. 9: Cincinnati Bearcats (Last Week: No. 7)
Cincinnati also deserves some credit. I thought they were in big trouble after playing two-straight games vs. Top 15 teams (Texas Tech, Utah) and then going on the road vs. Top 20 Houston, who was rested and coming off a bye. But the Bearcats had a chance to go down the field and try to tie the game. Unfortunately, a backwards pass (by six inches) cost Cincinnati the game.
No. 10: UCF Knights (Last Week: No. 10)
Hey, UCF broke a 12-game road losing streak in the Big 12 in impressive fashion after trailing 26-7 and storming back for a 33-32 walk-off win at Kansas. The best stat? UCF hadn’t won a Big 12 road game in 785 days, and they went on the road and won at Kansas… area code: 785.
No. 11: Arizona State Sun Devils (Last Week: No. 11)
Arizona State is starting to play like the team we thought they could be, and it’s being powered by two freshmen: QB Jake Fette and RB Cardae Mack. Kenny Dillingham noted after the game that their first half vs. Colorado was the first time the offense, defense and special teams all played well together in the same half. This team may be a sleeper to watch these final three weeks.
No. 12: Iowa State Cyclones (Last Week: No. 6)
Iowa State gets the big upset and then jumps out to a solid lead before throwing up a clunker vs. Baylor, a game in which they had a 10-0 lead, before then being outscored 35-7. Woof. The road has not been kind to ISU this season, where they are 0-4 on the season.
No. 13: TCU Horned Frogs (Last Week: No. 13)
The TCU Horned Frogs just can’t get out of their own way. TCU had a 28-20 lead late and then blew it after Arizona scored a touchdown, missed the two-point conversion, but then recovered an on-side kick and knocked through the game-winning field goal. This season has been a nightmare for the Horned Frogs. The Dublin curse continues.
No. 14: Colorado Buffaloes (Last Week: No. 14)
The Colorado Buffaloes are having their own nightmare season, but don’t tell that to Deion Sanders, who said after the loss to Arizona State, “I don’t think about that [the hot seat]. I’m not here for my job, I’m here for these young men. I’m not built like that. I’m really not. I’m really, really not. I want these kids to graduate, to provoke change in their communities, in their lives, in their families. I ain’t worried about me. I’m good. I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about others.”
That may be true, but the fan base might feel otherwise, sooner rather than later. It’s tough sledding in Boulder, but Deion probably deserves to see the 2027 season and see if he can keep building the program, especially now that he has a legitimate coaching staff in place, rather than just his former NFL buddies.
No. 15: Kansas State Wildcats (Last Week: No. 15)
Kansas State’s season continues to unravel, this time it was a disaster against Oklahoma State, with the Wildcats losing by nearly 40 points. They still can’t stop the run, and while there’s a talent shortage, Collin Klein will also need to potentially have more revamps than just the players coming up this offseason.
No. 16: Kansas Jayhawks (Last Week: No. 16)
Man. Talk about unraveling. Kansas trailed UCF 26-7. Took the lead. Then blew it. Serious conversations about the future of the program should be happening.
