The 2019 college football regular season has officially come to an end. Oklahoma and Baylor entered Week 14 with the top two spots sealed in the Big 12, and both teams cemented their position even more with dominant wins in the final week of the season. The Longhorns got a win, Kansas State had a big bounce-back victory over No. 23 Iowa State to end the season, and now we will wait to see what the bowl selection committee does with some of these very talented Big 12 teams.
As the regular season closed out on Saturday, Oklahoma and Baylor are the clear No. 1 and 2 teams in this conference and they’re scheduled to face off in the Big 12 Championship Game this weekend in Dallas.
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How will the rest of the conference stack up in this year’s final edition of the Big 12 Power Rankings? Well, here you go:
1. Oklahoma (11-1)
Oklahoma has not only been one of the best teams in this conference, they have also been one of the most dominant in the country. This team, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, finished the season 11-1 and a vast majority of those 11 wins were blowouts. Oklahoma will indeed return to the Big 12 Championship, the game in which they beat the Texas Longhorns in last year, but this time to take on the Baylor Bears. If Oklahoma is able to win this game, they’ll certainly be one of the main teams in the discussion for a College Football Playoff spot.
2. Baylor (11-1)
The team that clinched their first appearance in the Big 12 Championship ended their regular season on a high note, putting up 61-points in a win over Kansas on the road. If you watched the regular-season game that featured Baylor and Oklahoma, you know that football fans everywhere are going to be in for a treat this weekend when the two face off for the crown of the conference. Baylor will need junior quarterback Brock Purdy to play turnover-free football this weekend, as we know the Oklahoma offense will take advantage of all of their drives. No matter what, the 2019 season was truly an impressive one for a team that went 1-11 just two years ago.
3. Oklahoma State (8-4)
The Oklahoma State Cowboys weren’t able to come away with a win Saturday against the Sooners, but they might have had the most consistent offense in this conference. While their 8-4 record doesn’t really stand out, they have a bright future ahead of them as two of their best players in quarterback Spencer Sanders and running back Chuba Hubbard made a name for themselves this season. Hubbard not only led the Big 12 in rushing yards, he also led the conference in total touchdowns and all-purpose yards. 2019 might not have been the year for Oklahoma State, they certainly proved that they can compete with just about anyone with their offense.
4. Kansas State (8-4)
Kansas State’s roller coaster of a 2019 season came to an end on a high note last Saturday, as they were able to get a win over Iowa State in front of their home crowd to finish the season. They began to receive some serious recognition from the AP Poll and the College Football Playoff Committee after their win over Oklahoma, but inconsistency was the name of the game that will ultimately keep these Kansas State Wildcats out of any significant bowl game.
5. Texas (7-5)
Texas Longhorn fans can finally take a deep breath and relax now that this circus of a regular season is finally over. The Texas Longhorns finished 7-5, their 10th straight year finishing the season with 4+ losses. Texas head coach Tom Herman fired defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and demoted offensive coordinator Tim Beck after Friday’s game against Texas Tech. Despite finishing the season with a solid win, this five-loss season has Texas fans everywhere scratching their heads. They’ve already lost a handful of defensive recruits for the 2020 season, so this offseason won’t be a cakewalk if Texas wants to improve the defense that ultimately helped sink the 2019 Longhorns.
Rounding Out the Rest:
6. Iowa State (7-5)
7. TCU (5-7)
8. West Virginia (5-7)
9. Texas Tech (4-8)
10. Kansas (3-9)
While the regular season campaign is over, many of the teams from this highly-talented conference will be playing in notable bowl games that will be reported when announced. For now, in their first-ever appearance in this game, Baylor will look to dethrone the Oklahoma Sooners and take home the Big 12 title.