A hierarchy is being established in the Big 12. According to advanced analytics, this is a four-way race between BYU, Iowa State, Kansas State and Colorado for the Big 12 title. The Big 12 is already chaotic, with less than half of conference games played. Today, we’re updating our Big 12 power rankings ahead of week ten.

Record: 8-0
Next Opponent: Utah

BYU sits at the top with the best resume and best record in the Big 12. BYU’s win over Kansas State was by far the best win in the league. The Cougars are positioned to likely advance into November.

Record: 7-0
Next Opponent: Texas Tech

Iowa State had a close call against UCF two weeks ago. The Cyclones are the other undefeated team in the Big 12 and are just behind BYU in the power rankings. The Cyclones were probably the most consistent team in the conference.

Iowa State has never been able to get over the hump in its history. The Hurricanes have never won an outright conference championship. If this is their year, they’ll need to survive trap games like this week against Texas Tech.

Record: 7-1
Next Opponent: Houston

Kansas State has recovered from last week’s scare against rival Kansas. The Wildcats have a pretty favorable schedule the rest of the way with games against Houston, Arizona State and Cincinnati before heading to Iowa State. They could be 10-1 when they face Iowa State in Week 12.

Record: 6-2
Next Opponent: Texas Tech

Colorado continues to pile up wins and hang around in the conference title race. The Buffaloes are a good football team that is a game or two away from going undefeated in conference play. As of now, the program is available from Colorado. They pose a real threat to steal a spot in the conference championship game. Colorado and Texas Tech will face off next Saturday in what will likely be one of Colorado’s toughest remaining games.

Record: 5-3
Next Opponent: Colorado

Cincinnati was essentially eliminated from the Big 12 title race with its loss at Colorado. The Bearcats are 3-2 in Big 12 play and have a brutal schedule over the next four games. They have to play Kansas State and Iowa State. They deserve to be in the top five for now, but there is a big difference between the top four and the others.

Record: 5-2
Next Opponent: Oklahoma State

Arizona State’s offense struggled without Sam Leavitt in the lineup. It looks like Leavitt will play against Oklahoma State on Saturday. They still lead 5-2 and have a very good chance of making it to the bowl game.

Record: 5-3
Next Opponent: Texas Tech

TCU is incredibly difficult to predict. One week they give SMU 66 points, and the next week they hold Utah to 7 points. They also have one of the worst losses to Houston in conference play. The Horned Frogs deserve to be in the middle at 3-2 in conference play, but no team in the Big 12 has been as volatile as TCU this season.

Record: 4-4
Next Opponent: Cincinnati

West Virginia could cement itself as a Big 12 championship contender against Iowa State and Kansas State in the final two weeks. Instead, the Mountaineers weren’t really competitive in either game. They have talent on the roster and have played a brutal schedule, but this is not the Mountaineers’ year. Neal Brown’s priority is to get to the bowl game and save his job.

Record: 4-4
Next Opponent: TCU

Baylor has been a much better team with Sawyer Robertson at quarterback. We’ve said over the past two weeks that it wouldn’t be surprising if the Bears went on a bit of a run. They’ve now won two games in a row and have a chance to make it three against TCU. This is a legitimate chance for Baylor to get back into the bowl game.

Record: 5-3
Next Opponent: TCU

Texas Tech’s luck has run out over the past few weeks. The Red Raiders were never as good as their record would indicate, but the losses didn’t start piling up until the last few weeks. They are in danger of losing their third straight game at Iowa State this weekend.

Record: 3-5
Next Opponent: Kansas State

Houston is not a good football team, but they did manage to win two conference games against TCU and Utah. These two wins earned them a place in the top 11.

Record: 3-5
Next Opponent: Arizona

There are four teams ranked 1-3 in the Big 12. UCF is the most dangerous of the four, and they proved that on the road against Iowa State in a few weeks. UCF’s rushing attack is legit, but they were kept in check by BYU last week.

Record: 3-5
Next Opponent: UCF

Arizona seemingly gets worse every week. They are in bad shape right now.

Record: 2-6
Next Opponent: Iowa State

Kansas is much better than their record indicates, but until they win a close game, they don’t deserve to be any better than 14th in the power rankings. They will likely be eliminated from bowl eligibility after their next game against Iowa State.

Utah’s offense might be the worst in the Power Four. Until we figure things out on that side of the ball, every game will be tough to win. They are coming off confusing losses to TCU and Houston.

Record: 4-4
Next Opponent: BYU

Record: 3-5
Next Opponent: Baylor

Oklahoma State has the talent to beat a lot of teams in this conference, but it just hasn’t come together yet. They played much better after a bye week against BYU, but fell back into old habits against Baylor. The Cowboys are winless in conference play at 0-5.