1. Texas (2-1) (Last Week: 2) (Next: at Oklahoma State)
The Longhorns had the week off last week after wrapping up nonconference play the week prior. We have seen that they are a very talented team with the play of senior quarterback Tyrone Swoopes and true freshman quarterback Shane Buechele. The Longhorns will get a chance to prove how they stack up in this conference when it faces Oklahoma State on Saturday.
2. Oklahoma (1-2) (Last Week: 3) (Next: at TCU)
Like Texas, Oklahoma did not play last week because they had played all of their nonconference games. The Sooners have a less-than-stellar record, but their competition has been over-the-top with Houston and Ohio State. TCU should be a decent test to see where Oklahoma is.
3. Baylor (4-0) (Last Week: 4) (Next: at Iowa State)
Baylor has had its doubters early on this season, and rightfully so. But the Bears might be proving those doubters wrong. Baylor beat an impressive Oklahoma State team 35-24 at home. Senior quarterback Seth Russell guided the Bears to victory behind his 387 passing yards and four passing touchdowns.
4. Oklahoma State (2-2) (Last Week: 1) (Next: Texas)
Oklahoma State has one of, if not the, best quarterback-wide receiver combination in the country with junior quarterback Mason Rudolph and junior wide receiver James Washington. But when the two can’t find each other for any scores, the Cowboys will likely have the result that they had in their 35-24 loss to Baylor. This game against Texas will be huge for Oklahoma State if it doesn’t want to start 0-2 in conference play.
5. Kansas State (2-1) (Last Week: 5) (Next: at West Virginia)
The Wildcats were dominant in their shortened 35-0 victory over Missouri State on Saturday. Kansas State now has back-to-back performances where the defense proved stellar, but against non-impressive opponents in Florida Atlantic and Missouri State. Shutting down the offense of West Virginia and senior quarterback Skyler Howard, who is averaging 324.7 passing yards per game, will be a true test of how good this Wildcat defense can be.
6. West Virginia (3-0) (Last Week: 8) (Next: Kansas State)
West Virginia has been a tough team to gauge so far, but the 35-32 win over BYU on Saturday was enough to launch the Mountaineers up a few spots in the power rankings. Howard had a impressive 332 yards and one touchdown passing against the Cougars. This week’s matchup against K-State is one to definitely keep an eye on.
7. TCU (3-1) (Last Week: 6) (Next: Oklahoma)
The Horned Frogs didn’t do anything wrong last week to drop them a spot; it was just the play of other teams that caused the fall down to seventh. A 33-3 win over SMU was nice. Junior quarterback Kenny Hill’s 452 passing yards and two touchdowns were nice. But Oklahoma will actually test this team and we can see if it is the TCU of old.
8. Texas Tech (2-1) (Last Week: 7) (Next: Kansas)
The Red Raiders defense did not allow a single point on Saturday. But the Red Raider defense didn’t actually play on Saturday as Texas Tech was on bye. Texas Tech has given up an average of 43.3 points per game this year. And although the Red Raiders are playing the abysmal Kansas Jayhawks this weekend, that could be a problem in the Big 12.
9. Kansas (1-2) (Last Week: 9) (Next: at Texas Tech)
A bye week could not have come at a better time for Kansas. After starting the year off with a nice win over Rhode Island, the Jayhawks had back-to-back pitiful performances against Ohio and Memphis. Perhaps this off-week gave Kansas a chance to regroup and figure themselves out. But if not, Late Night at the Phog is almost here.
10. Iowa State (1-3) (Last Week: 10) (Next: Baylor)
Although it looked very possible early this year, Iowa State will not go winless this season. The Cyclones put on a nice performance in their 44-10 win over San Jose State. Iowa State might have looked impressive this week, but don’t get too excited about it just yet because a Baylor beat down is likely to happen this weekend, and we’ll see the Iowa State we have known this year.
