HOUSTON – Down go the Sooners and down go the ‘Horns!
What a wild week of Big 12 football, as we witnessed the No. 5 in the country lose, Texas drop out of the AP Top 25 and Kansas end its four-game losing streak. The undefeated Baylor Bears had a week off. Kansas State again proved that despite struggles, they still show up in big games, while Texas Tech showed us that 2019 might just not be their year.
With that said, let's take a look at how the Week 9 Big 12 Power Rankings have shifted after this wild week of conference play.
T-1. Baylor (7-0, #12)
Baylor got to watch this wild week of football from their couches as this 7-0 Baylor team had their much-earned bye week this past weekend. With Oklahoma going down, Baylor has officially made its way to the top of the Big 12 Power Rankings. The Bears are gaining some national attention as well, as their No. 12 spot in this week's AP Top 25 is the second-highest spot for a Big 12 team behind Oklahoma. Baylor will travel to West Virginia next week, as they will attempt to stay undefeated. The Baylor Bears, my friend, might just be for real.
Next Week: vs. West Virginia
T-1. Oklahoma (7-1, #10)
Despite losing this week, I decided that Oklahoma deserves to remain tied for the top spot in my Big 12 rankings. The Sooners had a rough start to the game, but a ferocious comeback that was halted by a Kansas State stop on fourth down gave Kansas State the 48-41 win over Oklahoma. I was actually quite surprised that the Sooners dropped all the way down to No. 10 in this week's national rankings, as they have been one of the best teams with arguably the best player in all of college football under center. Oklahoma will get the week off after their first loss of the season and begin to prepare for Iowa State's visit to Norman on Nov. 9.
Next Week: Bye
3. Kansas State (5-2, #22)
I've been saying since their win on the road over Mississippi State that there was something special about this Kansas State team. They have been able to stay in nearly every game and finally pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2019 season this past weekend against the Oklahoma Sooners. Their only two losses this year came against an undefeated Baylor team and on the road against Oklahoma State, neither of which are easy games. With five games remaining on the schedule, Kansas State will look to continue proving to the nation that they deserve to play in a significant bowl game.
Next Week: @ Kansas
4. Texas (5-3)
This team has so much potential and it seems like every week, something different goes wrong for these Texas Longhorns. Their banged-up defense has been one of the worst units in the country in terms of yards allowed per game, and their injury report gets longer and longer each week. The difference in last weekend's game at TCU, despite the defense giving up yet another 35+ points, was Ehlinger's career-high 4 interceptions. The guy has been nearly perfect all year and even during one of the very few poor performances out of Sam, the defense still could not step up. Until Texas can figure out how to keep their opponents out of the end zone, they're going to continue struggling against the average teams in their conference.
Next Week: Bye
5. TCU (4-3)
There are two primary reasons I kept Texas ahead of TCU in this week's power rankings: I believe there would have been a different result if the game was played in Austin, but most importantly, TCU has had an easier schedule. While Texas dropped games to LSU and Oklahoma, both ranked in the AP Top 10, TCU lost at home to SMU. Despite their No. 15 ranking in the country, that was a game that TCU could have won, especially at home. In addition to that, their 20-point loss on the road to Iowa State certainly raised some red flags. Despite their inconsistencies this year, TCU did their job this weekend and will be faced with another challenge as they hit the road to face another tough offense.
Next Week: @ Oklahoma State
Rounding out the rest…
6. Oklahoma State (5-3) - Next Week: vs. TCU
7. Iowa State (5-3) - Next Week: Bye
8. Kansas (3-5) - Next Week: vs. Kansas State
9. West Virginia (3-4) - Next Week: vs. Baylor
10. Texas Tech (3-5) - Next Week: Bye
With Kansas State and TCU shocking the country this week with their wins over Oklahoma and Texas, Baylor is now looking down at the rest of the Big 12 in the standings. Baylor's win streak appears to be safe for at least the next week, as they'll face the struggling West Virginia Mountaineers. I still believe Oklahoma is the best team in this conference, and Texas is certainly capable of bouncing back as well. However, after this wild weekend, you never know.