Big 12 Power Rankings: Where every team stands one week into conference play

Welcome to conference play! While the Sun Devils got started a little early in London, Big 12 play is officially on, with every team having played a conference foe now. With that comes some movement in our weekly power rankings, so let's dive in.

1. BYU Cougars 3-0 (1-0)

   Last Week's Result: BYE Last Week's Rank: 1st

   BYU had their bye week after demolishing Colorado State on the road. So far, they've looked like the most complete Big 12 team, winning handily over Arizona a couple weeks ago.

2. Texas Tech Red Raiders 4-0 (1-0)

   Last Week's Result: W vs Sam Houston 49-14

   Last Week's Rank: 2nd

   The Red Raiders followed up their hard-fought win over Houston with a dominant blowout win over Sam Houston, though they only led by a touchdown at halftime. Texas Tech has shown a few areas for growth in their four games this year, but they have more than enough talent to make up for it right now.

3. Houston Cougars 3-1 (0-1)

   Last Week's Result: W at Georgia Southern 42-28

   Last Week's Rank: 3rd

   Houston was literal inches away from going to overtime with Texas Tech, and their blowout win over an underrated Georgia Southern team showed the Cougars aren't slowing down any time soon. They round out a pretty clear top three in the conference for now.

4. Utah Utes 4-0 (1-0)

   Last Week's Result: W at Iowa State 31-17

   Last Week's Rank: 4th

   It still doesn't feel like Utah has played a complete game this year, but they've managed to win comfortably each week. They'll host Houston in a month, and that game should tell us a lot more about these Utes.

5. Oklahoma State Cowboys 3-1 (1-0)

   Last Week's Result: W at West Virginia 41-24

   Last Week's Rank: 7th

   It seems as if that loss to Tulsa was more of an outlier than anything, as Oklahoma State pulled away in the second half in a tough environment in Morgantown to beat West Virginia. The Cowboys finally look like the team so many expected, but is it too little, too late?

6. Baylor Bears 3-1 (1-0)

   Last Week's Result: W vs Colorado 23-13

   Last Week's Rank: 9th

   The jump for the Bears is due to two main factors: first, DJ Lagway is back and looks very comfortable in this offense, and second, the Bears were an inch or two away from beating Auburn in Week 1. All three wins have come by multiple possessions, and they could very easily be 4-0 right now. Overlook Dave Aranda's squad at your own risk.

7. Arizona Wildcats 3-1 (0-1)

   Last Week's Result: W at Washington State 34-24

   Last Week's Rank: 5th

   How did the Wildcats drop a spot after a win? This has more to do with Baylor and Oklahoma State rising than anything. That said, Arizona did look uneven for long stretches of their win over Washington State. That, combined with a poor debut in Big 12 play a week ago, contributes to their standing here.

8. Cincinnati Bearcats 4-0 (1-0)

   Last Week's Result: W vs Kansas State 31-26

   Last Week's Rank: 10th

   The Bearcats jump three spots this week, largely due to the shocking nature in which they keep winning. This is supposed to be a rebuilding year for Scott Satterfield, but Cincinnati gutted out a close one last week and then stormed back from a halftime deficit to beat a red hot Kansas State team this week. The schedule gets tougher from here - two road games in a row before Texas Tech, Utah, and Houston - but the Bearcats have proven they're up for the challenge.

9. Arizona State Sun Devils 2-1 (1-0)

   Last Week's Result: BYE

   Last Week's Rank: 8th

   The Sun Devils had their bye after getting an ugly win in London. They have legitimate questions on offense, exacerbated by the loss of tight end Khamari Anderson for the year, and a home stand against Baylor this week is hardly the ideal time to try and figure things out.

10. Kansas State Wildcats 3-1 (0-1)

    Last Week's Result: L at Cincinnati 31-26

    Last Week's Rank: 6th

    The Wildcats looked like they were going to be legitimate Big 12 contenders, especially with Avery Johnson finally capitalizing on his star potential. But Cincinnati managed to bottle him up and expose some defensive weaknesses, leaving real questions as to just how good this year's Kansas State team can be.

11. UCF Knights 3-1 (1-0)

    Last Week's Result: W vs TCU 21-13

    Last Week's Rank: 14th

    Aside from a five-point loss to undefeated Pitt on the road and in the rain, UCF has looked drastically improved in Year 2 of Scott Frost's return. They blew out the non-conference opponents they were supposed to, and an upset over TCU this past week cemented the Knights as a team you can't overlook. A road trip to Houston this week will test just how good they can be.

12. West Virginia Mountaineers 3-1 (0-1)

    Last Week's Result: L vs Oklahoma State 41-24

    Last Week's Rank: 11th

    What a difference a week makes. West Virginia seemed to be rising again under Rich Rodriguez after upsetting No. 25 Virginia, but they fell back down to Earth with a home loss to Oklahoma State.

13. Kansas Jayhawks 1-2 (0-1)

    Last Week's Result: BYE

    Last Week's Rank: 13th

    Kansas sees no movement while on their bye week, but that means they're still hanging out near the bottom of these power rankings. The Jayhawks have a very stout defense, but the offense just can't figure things out.

14. TCU Horned Frogs 2-2 (0-1)

    Last Week's Result: L at UCF 21-13

    Last Week's Rank: 12th

    It's time to have a serious conversation about Sonny Dykes' future in Fort Worth. TCU hasn't hit double digit wins since his first year on campus. which is also the last time they finished in the top five in the Big 12. And with BYU up next on the schedule after a disappointing loss to UCF, Dykes seems unlikely to snap either of those droughts.

15. Iowa State Cyclones 2-2 (0-1)

    Last Week's Result: L vs Utah 31-17

    Last Week's Rank: 16th

    Congratulations to the Cyclones on making it out of the bottom spot! Iowa State lost to Utah but they kept it close, just as they did against rival Iowa, who just scored a huge win themselves. The Cyclones are still likely to lose a lot of games in Year 1 AMC (After Matt Campbell), but thus far they've proven they'll at least be competitive.

16. Colorado Buffaloes 2-2 (0-1)

    Last Week's Result: L at Baylor 23-13

    Last Week's Rank: 15th

    Colorado can't really afford to move on from Deion Sanders, both financially and figuratively, but they should. After getting blown out by Northwestern, Sanders cut several players, a rare move in college football. Then, he benched star quarterback Julian Lewis at halftime against Baylor, and the offense got even worse. The Buffaloes - who, mind you, are one blocked field goal away from being 1-3 - are floundering early, and it's painfully clear the coach does not have a solution to right the ship.