The Sooner Schooner is parked in the top spot in this week’s Big 12 Conference power rankings.
Coming off a win over third-ranked Texas in the Red River Rivalry, Oklahoma was the unanimous No. 1 pick for the first time this season in voting by 14 beat writers that regularly cover the league.
Texas dropped to No. 2, and Kansas was third after a convincing win over UCF.
1. Oklahoma
Previous ranking: 2
Points: 196 (14 first-place votes)
Record: 6-0 (3-0 Big 12)
Last week: defeated No. 3 Texas, 34-30
This week: Open date
Comment: Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel has thrust himself into the Heisman Trophy race after guiding the Sooners to a Red River Rivalry win. He became the first OU quarterback to pass for over 250 yards and rush for 100 yards against the Longhorns, and was named the Maxwell Award national player of the week.
Did you know? Gabriel and Jeff Lebby have two weeks to prepare for UCF, which is the same school where they began their Football Bowl Subdivision careers in 2019. Lebby was the Knights’ offensive coordinator and Gabriel became the program’s starting quarterback. — Eric Bailey, Tulsa World
2. Texas
Previous ranking: 1
Points: 182
Record: 5-1 (2-1 Big 12)
Last week: lost to No. 12 Oklahoma, 34-30
This week: Open date
Comment: The Longhorns fell to the Sooners in a memorable matchup that ended the 119-game series’ Big 12 era, since both schools will join the Southeastern Conference next season. If both teams win the remainder of the games, they’ll almost certainly face off again in the Big 12 title game Dec. 6 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, although West Virginia has a slight chance of edging Texas in a conference tiebreaker even if the Mountaineers lose to Oklahoma Nov. 11.
Did you know? Running back Jonathon Brooks, who opened the season as the backup to freshman C.J. Baxter, leads all Power Five conference running backs with 726 yards on the ground. Only Troy’s Kimani Vidal (835 yards) has more rushing yards among FBS schools. — Thomas Jones, Austin American-Statesman
3. Kansas
Previous ranking: 4
Points: 168
Record: 5-1 (2-1 Big 12)
Last week: defeated UCF, 51-22
This week: at Oklahoma State
Comment: The Jayhawks set out to run the ball directly at UCF’s defense from the opening whistle Saturday and had great success throughout, tallying 399 rushing yards and dominating the time-of-possession battle on their way to a four-touchdown victory.
Did you know? KU has won just once in Stillwater in nine tries since 1995. – Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World
4. West Virginia
Previous ranking: 5
Points: 150
Record: 4-1 (2-0 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: at Houston, Thursday
Comment: Almost no one could have expected West Virginia to be sitting in second place in the league standings at this point in the season and yet, here we are. Although this week’s matchup is against underperforming Houston, the game is far from a gimme with former WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen roaming the opposing sideline.
Did you know? The last time WVU faced a former head coach was Jan. 2, 2010, when West Virginia played Florida State in the Gator Bowl in Bobby Bowden’s final game before retirement. — Cody Nespor, Morgantown Dominion Post
5. BYU
Previous ranking: 7
Points: 139
Record: 4-1 (1-1 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: at TCU
Comment: In the independent era, BYU’s bye week typically came in mid-November. With it now falling in the middle of the year, the Cougars expect a bye to pay dividends in the injury department. Head coach Kalani Sitake thinks BYU could get two or three starters back before heading to Fort Worth.
Did you know? Despite being at four wins, BYU is still yet to beat an established member of the Big 12. A road game against a reeling TCU team could be the right opportunity. — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune
6. Kansas State
Previous ranking: 3
Points: 119
Record: 3-2 (1-1 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Oklahoma State, 29-21
This week: at Texas Tech
Comment: The Wildcats could do no wrong with Will Howard at quarterback last season, but he leads the Big 12 with seven interceptions this year.
Did you know? K-State thumped Missouri (40-12) and Oklahoma State (48-0) a year ago. It has already lost to both of those teams this season. — Kellis Robinett, Wichita Eagle/Kansas City Star
Texas Tech linebacker Steve Linton (7) knocks the ball loose from Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen (12) for a Texas Tech fumble recovery in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Waco, Texas.
7. Texas Tech
Previous ranking: 8
Points: 111
Record: 3-3 (2-1 Big 12)
Last week: defeated Baylor, 39-14
This week: vs. Kansas State
Comment: A dominant win away from home? This is a real thing that happened. Red Raiders can keep climbing with the Wildcats coming to town.
Did you know? Tahj Brooks is fifth in the nation in rushing with 688 yards. He’s closing in on becoming the first Tech running back to reach 1,000 yards in a season since DeAndre Washington in 2015. – Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
8. Iowa State
Previous ranking: 12
Points: 97
Record: 3-3 (2-1 Big 12)
Last week: defeated TCU, 27-14
This week: at Cincinnati
Comment: The Cyclones seek to begin Big 12 play with a 3-1 mark or better for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.
Did you know? Iowa State’s four interceptions in last week’s win over TCU were its most in a Big 12 game since matching that number in a 37-10 victory over Oklahoma State on Oct. 22, 2005. The Cyclones are tied for third nationally with 10 interceptions this season after snaring just seven picks (tied for 101st among FBS teams) in 2022. — Rob Gray, Cedar Rapids Gazette
9. TCU
Previous ranking: 6
Points: 76
Record: 3-3 (1-2 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Iowa State, 27-14
This week: vs. BYU
Comment: The Horned Frogs are now in the midst of a two-game losing streak after dropping another game in Ames. To make matters worse, starting quarterback Chandler Morris will be out for the next few weeks due to a MCL sprain.
Did you know? TCU will turn to redshirt freshman Josh Hoover to be the starter against BYU. After him and Morris, the Horned Frogs don’t have a scholarship quarterback on the roster. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
10. Oklahoma State
Previous ranking: 13
Points: 75
Record: 3-2 (1-1 Big 12)
Last week: defeated Kansas State, 29-21
This week: vs. No. 23 Kansas
Comment: The Cowboys snapped a two-game losing streak and got their season back on track with an upset of Kansas State. OSU’s previously inept ground game accounted for 174 yards against a defense that had been allowing 73.3 rushing yards per game.
Did you know? Redshirt freshman safety Cameron Epps had the first two interceptions of his career against Kansas State, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and linebacker Nick Martin had 17 tackles, the most by an OSU player since 2016. — Scott Wright, The Oklahoman
11. Cincinnati
Previous ranking: 11
Points: 65
Record: 2-3 (0-2 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: vs. Iowa State
Comment: While not playing, Cincinnati may have been able to gain some measure of confidence in watching Oklahoma’s 34-30 victory over Texas. To date, UC has held the Sooners to their lowest point output at 20.
Did you know? Cincinnati has never played Iowa State in football. They did square off against Cyclones coach Matt Campbell twice when he was at Toledo. Campbell and the Rockets spoiled a 5-0 start by then-coach Butch Jones in 2012 with a 29-23 win. In 2014, the Tommy Tuberville Bearcats downed Campbell’s squad 58-34. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer
12. Baylor
Previous ranking: 10
Points: 37
Record: 2-4 (1-2 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Texas Tech, 39-14
This week: Open date
Comment: There was no comeback in the cards this time for Baylor. The Bears cut the lead to two possessions in the fourth quarter Saturday night against Texas Tech, but the Red Raiders responded with two touchdowns to snap Baylor’s two-game winning streak in the series. Baylor heads into the bye week with an offense that looks disjointed and lots of questions on the offensive line.
Did you know? Baylor has a nation-leading eight home games this season but is 1-4 at McLane Stadium. The Bears’ only win at home this season was a 30-7 over Football Championship Subdivision foe Long Island. Their last win in Waco against an FBS team was on Oct. 22, 2022, against Kansas. When Iowa State comes to town on Oct. 28, it will have been more than a year since the last Baylor home win against an FBS team. — Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald
13. UCF
Previous ranking: 9
Points: 36
Record: 3-3 (0-3 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Kansas, 51-22
This week: Open date
Comment: Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee returned to action after missing three games with a knee injury but it wasn’t enough as UCF suffered its third straight loss as Kansas rushed for a season-high 399 yards against the Knights. Tailback RJ Harvey rushed for a 133 yards and linebacker Jason Johnson had 8 tackles.
Did you know? Plumlee played sparingly, going 3-of-7 for 33 yards before being replaced by Timmy McClain, who threw for 136 yards with two touchdowns. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel
14. Houston
Previous ranking: 14
Points: 19
Record: 2-3 (0-2 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: vs. West Virginia, Thursday
Comment: Houston comes out of the open date in the schedule in desperate need of a win after two blowout losses to TCU and Texas Tech. Missed tackles continue to be an issue with coach Dana Holgorsen saying the team had “over 20-something” in the Sept. 30 loss at Texas Tech. Holgorsen is set to face his old team West Virginia. Back in 2019, Holgorsen made the rare move from sitting Power Five head coach to a Group of Five program.
Did you know? The 85 points allowed by the Cougars to begin Big 12 play is the most in the first two conference games in program history. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle
AP Photo/LM Otero
Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune-Herald, via AP