AP Photo/Spenser Heaps
BYU offensive lineman Trevin Ostler (74) celebrates after beating Utah in an NCAA college football game, just after midnight on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
The top two teams — each of Kansas’ next two opponents — remain the same in this week’s Big 12 power rankings.
BYU was the unanimous top pick, receiving all 16 first-place votes from a panel of media who regularly cover the Big 12, and Colorado was second. The two teams remain on a collision course to play in the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 7 in Arlington, Texas.
Kansas State moved up to third and Iowa State dropped to fourth after losing to KU at Arrowhead Stadium. Arizona State cracked the top five for just the second time this season.
1. BYU
Previous ranking: 1
Points: 256 (16 first-place votes)
Record: 9-0 (6-0 Big 12)
Last week: beat Utah, 22-21
This week: vs. Kansas
Comment: BYU needed another miracle, and Jake Retzlaff answered. With Retzlaff nearly sacked to end the game, a defensive holding call gave BYU an extra chance. Retzlaff used the new life to drive BYU 65 yards in under two minutes and set up the game-winning field goal.
Did you know? This was the first time BYU has won a game at Rice-Eccles Stadium since 2006. — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune
2. Colorado
Previous ranking: 2
Points: 240
Record: 7-2 (5-1 Big 12)
Last week: beat Texas Tech, 41-27
This week: vs. Utah
Comment: It was an ugly start in Lubbock for Colorado, which fell behind 13-0 and had to deal with a raucous atmosphere. The Buffs didn’t flinch, though, and went on a 34-7 run in the middle of the game to win for the fourth consecutive time on the road and take over sole possession of second place in the conference. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was fantastic again, with three touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown.
Did you know? Colorado has won four in a row on the road for the first time in the same season since 1996. In two seasons under coach Deion Sanders, the Buffs are 6-5 on the road. CU had an 11-game road losing streak before he was hired. — Brian Howell, Boulder Daily Camera
3. Kansas State
Previous ranking: 4
Points: 215
Record: 7-2 (4-2 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: vs. Arizona State
Comment: Kansas State had a week to reevaluate and reset after a disappointing loss at Houston. Despite some struggles over the last several weeks, the Wildcats, who rank eighth in the country in run defense, will try to corral an Arizona State offense led by running back Cam Skattebo, a top-10 running back in the nation.
Did you know? K-State and Arizona State have played each other six times with five of the six victories coming from the Sun Devils. However, they last met in the Holiday Bowl at the end of the 2002 season, a 34-27 win for the Wildcats. — Tim Everson, The Manhattan Mercury
4. Iowa State
Previous ranking: 3
Points: 201
Record: 7-2 (4-2 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Kansas, 45-36
This week: vs. Cincinnati
Comment: Iowa State wide receiver Jaylin Noel tied a single-game standard in receptions with eight in last week’s loss. He also tallied a career-high 167 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns at Arrowhead Stadium, his hometown stadium.
Did you know? The Cyclones surrendered 532 yards of offense to the Jayhawks, the most they’ve given up in a game since allowing West Virginia to gain 613 yards in 2016. — Rob Gray, The Cedar Rapids Gazette
5. Arizona State
Previous ranking: 7
Points: 193
Record: 7-2 (4-2 Big 12)
Last week: beat UCF, 35-31
This week: at No. 20 Kansas State
Comment: The Sun Devils got two defensive touchdowns in 10 seconds to help propel them past UCF in a game in which they were missing their best player on each side of the ball due to injury (senior running back Cam Skattebo and junior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott).
Did you know? The Sun Devils are bowl eligible for the first time since 2019. The seven wins this season are more than ASU managed in the 2022 and 2023 seasons combined. ASU looms as one of the biggest success stories in the Big 12 given that it was picked to finish last as well as the state the program was in when coach Kenny Dillingham took over. — Michelle Gardner, Arizona Republic
6. West Virginia
Previous ranking: 9
Points: 172
Record: 5-4 (4-2 Big 12)
Last week: beat Cincinnati, 31-24
This week: vs. Baylor
Comment: In the first game with Jeff Koonz as defensive coordinator, the Mountaineers forced three key turnovers, returning an interception and fumble for touchdowns against Cincinnati. West Virginia hosts Baylor and UCF at home the next two weeks in need of one win to become bowl eligible.
Did you know? Defensive back Anthony Wilson Jr. had a season-high 11 tackles (six solo) and returned an interception 79 yards for a touchdown. It was the first pick-six for West Virginia since Nov. 19, 2022, against Kansas State. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle
7. Texas Tech
Previous ranking: 5
Points: 153
Record: 6-4 (4-3 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Colorado, 41-27
This week: Open date
Comment: There isn’t a big takeaway from Texas Tech’s loss to Colorado other than the Buffs are just a better team. The Red Raiders have made different strides in Joey McGuire’s tenure, but there’s a plateau point to each season, which is where Tech is stuck right now with a bad passing defense and an offense that sputters too often to pick up the slack.
Did you know? An eight-win regular season is still very much in play with home games left against Oklahoma State and West Virginia. Texas Tech last won eight games before the bowl game in Mike Leach’s final year in Lubbock (2009). — Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
8. Baylor
Previous ranking: 6
Points: 137
Record: 5-4 (3-3 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: at West Virginia
Comment: After Baylor’s first open week earlier this season, the Bears rattled off three wins in a row to get within one game of bowl eligibility. They used this off week to rest up for the home stretch, as quarterback Sawyer Robertson was in a walking boot after the last-second victory over TCU. The Bears will look to keep the good vibes flowing against a team that has given them trouble in the past.
Did you know? Baylor is 0-6 all-time on the road against West Virginia. However, the last two games between the Bears and Mountaineers in Morgantown have been classics, with West Virginia winning by three points in 2022 after a double-overtime win in 2020. — Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald
9. TCU
Previous ranking: 11
Points: 136
Record: 6-4 (4-3 Big 12)
Last week: beat Oklahoma State, 38-13
This week: Open date
Comment: TCU managed its second straight game without a turnover, posting one of its most efficient games of the season against an Oklahoma State team that has struggled through conference play. The second open date for TCU will be used to get healthy, as the Frogs desperately need both their starting defensive tackles back after the pair missed the past two games.
Did you know? TCU has now qualified for a bowl game in 20 of the last 25 seasons. — Jamie Plunkett, Horned Frog Blitz
10. Cincinnati
Previous ranking: 8
Points: 121
Record: 5-4 (3-5 Big 12)
Last week: lost to West Virginia, 31-24
This week: at Iowa State
Comment: Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for one touchdown and ran for another, but also was responsible for three turnovers leading to West Virginia scores. With a 7-0 lead he threw a fourth-and-1 pick-6 with the ball on the West Virginia 20-yard line. On the next possession, he fumbled, leading to a WVU field goal. He got the Bearcats within 24-21 in the fourth quarter but was hit on a backward pass that got scooped and scored, so WVU had 17 points off turnovers in a game where Cincinnati outgained the Mountaineers on the ground and through the air. UC had 436 yards of total offense to WVU’s 248 and ran 79 plays to its 43.
Did you know? Cincinnati in 2024 is 0-2 in night games with a 44-41 loss in Lubbock to Texas Tech and a 34-23 loss at Colorado. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer
11. Houston
Previous ranking: 10
Points: 92
Record: 4-5 (3-3 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: at Arizona
Comment: Don’t look now, but Houston is coming off back-to-back wins, three in the last four games, and is rested after an open date. The goal is simple: Two wins in the final three games against Arizona, Baylor and BYU, and the Cougars become bowl eligible in coach Willie Fritz’s first season.
Did you know? Houston is 5-1 in its last six Friday games, including three straight wins. The Cougars beat TCU on a Friday night for their first Big 12 win earlier this season. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle
12. Kansas
Previous ranking: 13
Points: 87
Record: 3-6 (2-4 Big 12)
Last week: beat No. 17 Iowa State, 45-36
This week: at No. 7 BYU
Comment: The Jayhawks’ offense made it look easy against ISU’s vaunted defense, at one point scoring on six consecutive drives. The most encouraging part of Saturday’s upset win for KU, though, might have been that — as quarterback Jalon Daniels pointed out — the Jayhawks still left opportunities on the field and could play even better in the future.
Did you know? After catching just eight passes for 105 yards in the first five games of the season combined, wide receiver Quentin Skinner has reset his single-game career high twice with 130- and 135-yard performances in recent weeks. — Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World
13. UCF
Previous ranking: 12
Points: 74
Record: 4-6 (2-5 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Arizona State, 35-31
This week: Open date
Comment: UCF got out to a quick start against Arizona State, building an early 17-7 advantage, but special-teams missteps, including a blocked punt for a touchdown, a bobbled kickoff and a subsequent pick-6 sent the Knights into a dogfight, and they eventually fell 35-31.
Did you know? Running back RJ Harvey scored three rushing touchdowns against the Sun Devils, which moved him into second place in school history with 40 career touchdowns. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel
14. Utah
Previous ranking: 14
Points: 43
Record: 4-5 (1-5 Big 12)
Last week: lost to No. 9 BYU, 22-21
This week: at No. 20 Colorado
Comment: Utah has now lost five games in a row, but this past weekend was not short of drama. Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham angrily flipped a chair at the end of his postgame press conference. Utah athletic director Mark Harlan berated the league and its officials postgame, which resulted in a $40,000 fine from the Big 12. Even during a losing streak this team finds a way to make headlines.
Did you know? Mark Harlan’s fine is the loftiest financial penalty handed down to a sitting Big 12 AD in the last several years. — Jason Batacao, The Salt Lake Tribune
15. Arizona
Previous ranking: 15
Points: 35
Record: 3-6 (1-5 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: vs. Houston
Comment: The Wildcats, riding a five-game losing skid, have three chances to secure a bowl bid for the second straight season. If Arizona loses another game, head coach Brent Brennan will become the third straight UA coach not to make the postseason in his first season. The last Arizona head coach to lead the Wildcats to a bowl game in his first season was Rich Rodriguez in 2012.
Did you know? Arizona’s matchup with Houston is the first since the Cougars thumped the Wildcats in 2018, when Houston was led by star defensive tackle Ed Oliver and quarterback D’Eriq King. The Wildcats were coached by former Houston leader Kevin Sumlin, who went 9-20 during his three-year tenure at Arizona. — Justin Spears, Arizona Daily Star
16. Oklahoma State
Previous ranking: 16
Points: 19
Record: 3-7 (0-7 Big 12)
Last week: lost to TCU, 38-13
This week: Open date
Comment: Oklahoma State running backs rushed for a season-high 168 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per carry. Considering they beat their season-long average by more than a full yard, it’s possible the offense has finally found its ground game.
Did you know? Oklahoma State’s streak of 18 consecutive winning seasons ended at TCU. Alabama, Wisconsin and Boise State were the only other teams to hit that mark over each of the last 18 years. — Tyler Waldrep, Tulsa World
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Written By Henry Greenstein and Big 12 beat writers
