Big 12 Power Rankings: Injuries and Close Calls

10. Kansas (1-1) (Last Week: 10)

Result: lost to #17 Coastal Carolina 49-22

It was close for a bit! That’s cool. Then, Coastal stopped playing with their food and ran away from the Jayhawks, whose defense is still bad, and whose offense is extraordinarily focused on making Jason Bean improvise.

9. Texas Tech (2-0) (Last Week: 7)

Result: def. Stephen F. Austin 28-22

Texas Tech fans are starting to realize why TCU was frustrated with Sonny Cumbie. Whether that frustration continues or not is unrelated to the questions Tech currently has at quarterback and on defense.

8. Kansas State (2-0) (Last Week: 5)

Result: def. Southern Illinois 31-23

Kansas State lost starting quarterback Skylar Thompson after a non-contact injury to his knee. He’s currently ruled out ‘indefinitely,’ leaving Will Howard at the helm for the Wildcats. If Thompson is gone for the season, or until November, that’s bad news for Kansas State’s chances.

7. Oklahoma State (2-0) (Last Week: 6)

Result: def. Tulsa 28-23

What is going on with the Oklahoma State offense? They need solutions, and fast, or they’re going to let a decent defense go to waste.

6. West Virginia (1-1) (Last Week: 9)

Result: def. Long Island 66-0

West Virginia isn’t necessarily up at 6 this week because a win over Long Island is impressive, but rather because everyone that moved behind them is in bad shape.

5. Texas (1-1) (Last Week: 1)

Result: lost to Arkansas 40-21

Yikes. Texas got absolutely run over and around on Saturday night in Fayetteville, dropping them all the way down here in the rankings.

4. Baylor (2-0) (Last Week: 8)

Result: def. Texas Southern 66-7

Much like West Virginia, Baylor is here as a byproduct to other things happening around the conference more than their own performance over Texas Southern. That being said, they did what they should have done to a team that hasn’t won a football game in three years.

3. TCU (2-0) (Last Week: 3)

Result: def. California 34-32

That was far too close for comfort for TCU fans, and the issues that affected this team in 2020 reared their heads again. Deep balls weren’t connecting, the offensive line struggled at times, and the defensive line didn’t get any pressure on Garbers.

2. #14 Iowa State (1-1) (Last Week: 4)

Result: lost to #10 Iowa 27-17

Even in their loss to Iowa, I saw some really good things from Iowa State - especially on defense. The Cyclones might have one of the best defenses in the nation, and they’re going to be a big problem for the Big 12.

1. #4 Oklahoma (2-0) (Last Week: 2)

Result: def. Western Carolina 76-0

Ho hum. Sooners back on top after a week away, thanks to Texas and Iowa State both losing, and a dismantling of Western Carolina.