Week 4 Big 12 Football Power Rankings: Are we headed for an all-SEC championship game?
There's no good way to say it than to rip the bandage off. The Big 12 football power rankings are a mess because the Big 12 Conference is a mess. Is anybody actually good? Is this officially a basketball conference? And are we headed for an all-SEC championship game in Jerry World between Texas and Oklahoma?
1. Texas
Last week: 1
This week: at Baylor
What to know: Longhorns needed a 21-point fourth quarter to escape pesky Wyoming, but they've looked the most consistent among the conference's 14 teams.
2. Oklahoma
Last week: 3
This week: at Cincinnati
What to know: Questionable competition to this point, though the defense at least appears to have improved from last year's debacle.
3. UCF
Last week: 4
This week: at Kansas State
What to know: First game without John Rhys Plumlee went just fine. The Knights' real challenge will be replicating it against a motivated K-State squad.
4. BYU
Last week: 11
This week: at Kansas
What to know: BYU's offense looked better on the road against an SEC team than it did at home against FCS squads. Whodathunk?
5. Kansas State
Last week: 3
This week: vs. BYU
What to know: Look, winning on the road is tough, but even K-State should be kicking itself for letting Missouri and the Thiccer Kicker walk away with that win.
6. Kansas
Last week: 6
This week: vs. BYU
What to know: Played with their food a little too much in Reno and survived. Jayhawks will play the Big 12 welcoming committee for BYU in its first conference game.
7. TCU
Last week: 10
This week: vs. SMU
What to know: Somebody has to be ranked seventh, and the Horned Frogs are the only undefeated team in Big 12 play. That counts for something, but not much.
8. Cincinnati
Last week: 6
This week: vs. Oklahoma
What to know: Probably not the best time, right before facing Oklahoma, to have a 16-game win streak against Miami (Ohio) snapped. That Pittsburgh win isn't looking mighty fine anymore either.
9. Texas Tech
Last week: 12
This week: at West Virginia
What to know: At the very least the Red Raiders were respectable in their two early losses, more that can be said for some of the others in the league. Beating up on Tarleton State won’t move the needle, but it’s a start.
10. Iowa State
Last week: 8
This week: vs. Oklahoma State
What to know: There was once a time when Matt Campbell was linked to every Power 5 opening in the country. Don't think that'll be happening again any time soon.
11. Houston
Last week: 11
This week: vs. Sam Houston State
What to know: Houston's lone victory was a three-point win over a UTSA team that just lost to Army, and its losses have been, well, not great. Cougars have a week to figure something out.
12. Oklahoma State
Last week: 7
This week: at Iowa State
What to know: I don't mind admitting I'm wrong. We learned plenty from Oklahoma State's game against South Alabama. Sell your stock in the Cowboys as fast as you can.
13. West Virginia
Last week: 14
This week: vs. Texas Tech
What to know: As promised, beating Pittsburgh gets the Mountaineers off the bottom line. How long can they stay there? That's up to them. I don't make the rules.
14. Baylor
Last week: 13
This week: vs. Texas
What to know: Snapped a six-game losing streak by besting (checks notes) vaunted Long Island. This could get ugly in a hurry for the Bears with Texas and UCF to start league play.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Big 12 Football Power Rankings: Ready for an all-SEC championship game?
