Big 12 Power Rankings: Week 10

It was a good run, Cyclones. We steadily rose from seventh in my preseason power rankings all the way to the top spot after Week 9. And while the four-game magic of October was washed away in West Virginia, Iowa State still has plenty to play for in the coming weeks, including another top-25 matchup at Jack Trice on Saturday against No. 15, Oklahoma State. We have a new No. 1 in the Big 12, same as the old No. 1 in the Big 12. Here are the Big 12 Power Rankings after Week 10.

1. Oklahoma: Head coach Lincoln Riley responded to critics of Oklahoma’s high-scoring style with one word: “Uneducated”. While I agree with Riley’s sentiment, it’s ironic given the academic performance of the state of Oklahoma.
2. TCU: The Horned Frogs are quietly in a very good position in the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 6 after a drama-free 24-7 win versus Texas. They’ll get a shot to move up with a date in Norman on Saturday night.
3. Oklahoma State: You gotta feel for Cowboys fans (Oklahoma State version, not the Jerry Jones version, definitely not that version). With a chance to launch themselves into playoff contention, Mike Gundy’s team instead catapults Baker Mayfield past Saquon Barkley into the hearts and minds of Heisman voters.
4. West Virginia: Will Grier continued his nice season with two touchdown passes, including a 55-yard bomb that gave the Mountaineers enough cushion to withstand a late Iowa State comeback. Grier is second nationally with 30 touchdown passes.
5. Iowa State: It’s a rough tumble back to five after one week on top of the hill, but 1-5 in the Big 12 are relatively close. With the new Big 12 Championship Game, Iowa State’s conference title hopes are still alive, but they’ll have to win out.
6. Texas: With losses to the top three teams in the conference, the Longhorns have faded into the Big 12 background once again. The Texas offense should get a much-needed confidence boost this week against Kansas. Should.
7. Kansas State: There may not be a bigger coaching mismatch in the Big 12 than we saw in Lubbock this past Saturday. As expected, the man that specializes in losing close games, Kliff Kingsbury, lost to the man that specializes in winning them, Bill Snyder.
8. Texas Tech: See No. 7.
9. Baylor: Baylor cemented its claim as the ninth-best team in the league with a rousing 38-9 win in Lawrence.
10. Kansas: Yeah, I got nothin’.