Big 12 Power Rankings: Week 5

The tiers of the Big 12 are beginning to solidify, and for Iowa State fans, it all looks too familiar. The Cyclones only lost by 10 points, but the lackluster offensive performance in front of a national audience was nothing short of an embarrassment. The loss leaves the Cyclones at 2-2 and settling into the lower tier with Kansas and Baylor. Let’s take a look at the rest of the league after Week 5.

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1. Oklahoma: The Sooners were on a bye in Week 5, which I can only assume they used to install a 3-3-5 defense for their matchup with Jacob Park and Iowa State.
2. TCU: The Horned Frogs got a well-timed break after picking up one of the biggest wins in college football at Oklahoma State the week prior. Now they get College Gameday and West Virginia in what should be an entertaining matchup.
3. Oklahoma State: The Pokes avoided a two-game slide with a less-than-perfect 41-34 win at Texas Tech. Despite a disappointing loss to TCU in Week 4, Oklahoma State is still in good position to challenge for the Big 12 title.
4. West Virginia: Dana Holgersen’s squad is still an unknown in the conference, but we’re about to find out where the Mountaineers stand. They go to Fort Worth for an afternoon Big 12 showcase against Top-10 TCU.
5. Texas: The biggest movers of the week, Texas is riding its impressive defense to an early-season resurgence. I’m not sure what happened against Maryland, but it’s starting to look like more of a fluke. If they can take care of Kansas State, the Red River Shootout will have some serious hype.
6. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders had a decent showing against Oklahoma State, but the score may have been misleading. The Cowboys outgained Texas Tech, 597-384, while also missing two field goals. It will be interesting to see where the Red Raiders’ season goes for a team that is used to collapsing.
7. Kansas State: We never expect Bill Snyder teams to blow us away with talent, but there are some holes in Manhattan. They survived Baylor, but the Wildcats look destined for a middle-of-the-road season. They were looking for more in the preseason.
8. Iowa State: The only thing worse than the Cyclones’ offensive playcalling was the new secondary logo debuted hours before the game. Woof. The bad news gets worse with a trip to Norman looming.
9. Kansas: The Jayhawks got one week closer to basketball season. Have I already used that joke?
10. Baylor: The Bears put up another decent effort. They are most likely better than Kansas, but until those Ls stop piling up, I’m happy to keep them in final spot.