POWER RANKINGS
1. Iowa State (8-2): The Cyclones put an exclamation point on the regular season with a 42-6 beatdown of West Virginia to secure a spot in the Big 12 title game. Will the good feelings be short-lived with head coach Matt Campbell cashing in for a higher-profile job or will he remain in Ames beyond the 2020 season?
2. Oklahoma (7-2): Oklahoma’s offense doesn’t enjoy playing against Baylor. The Sooners struggled to a defensive-minded win over Baylor for the third time in two seasons. Oklahoma’s defense is unrecognizable to the porous units of the past decade. The Sooners game against West Virginia was canceled so next they’ll be facing off with Iowa State Dec. 19 for the Big 12 championship.
3. Texas (6-3): The Longhorns looked dominant in a road win over Kansas State, but was it too little too late for Tom Herman at Texas? The offense posted 69 points, led by the rushing attack of true freshman Bijan Robinson and sophomore Roschon Johnson. Robinson looked like a future star with 172 yards and three touchdowns on only nine carries.
4. TCU (5-4): TCU has won four of its last five games and could reach the six-win mark by taking out Louisiana Tech in an out-of-conference game on Saturday. A seven-point win over Oklahoma State was the latest upset by Gary Patterson’s squad. A squad that knocked off Texas earlier in the season.
5. Oklahoma State (6-3): Mike Gundy is the Jeff Fisher of college football in that both of them are excellent at staying employed despite being average at their job. In a year where Oklahoma started a first-year quarterback and Texas is on the verge of firing another coach, Oklahoma State capitalized by finishing in the middle of the pack. Again.
6. West Virginia (5-4): The Mountaineers were humbled in the thrashing by Iowa State. Head coach Neal Brown’s program is ahead of schedule, however, and can build some confidence heading into next season with a bowl victory.
7. Kansas State (4-6): Kansas State’s season was ruined when quarterback Sklyar Thompson was injured, forcing true freshman Will Howard into an unfair position. He’s simply not ready to lead an offense with his arm.
8. Texas Tech (4-6): Texas Tech beat Kansas by three points. That’s an alarming sign for a program that has regressed even further since former head coach Kliff Kingsbury failed upwards into the NFL because of the greatness of Patrick Mahomes.
9. Baylor (2-6): Baylor put up a respectable fight against an Oklahoma squad with considerable more talent. First-year head coach Dave Aranda must figure out a way for his offense to manufacture points before the start of the 2021 season. His only wins on the year are against the teams from Kansas.
10. Kansas (0-8): This Kansas squad might be the worst team ever in the Big 12.