Big 12 Conference: Week 8 Power Rankings

Week 7 is now complete in the Big 12 conference, and it's time to update the power rankings. It appears this is going to be a three-team battle for the conference title, with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State being the top two teams.

The Kansas State Wildcats got a huge road victory at Texas Tech to remain undefeated and keep pace with the Sooners and Cowboys.

Oklahoma travels to Manhattan in two weeks, and it will most likely be a battle of 7-0 teams.

No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks (2-4, 0-3)

The score was a lot closer then what people expected, but make no mistake about it, KU was dominated yet again this weekend.

The Sooners put up 610 yards on Kansas, but turned it over three times, which helped keep the score down. The Jayhawks are still ranked 120th in college football, giving up 49 points per game.

Kansas struggled offensively, only gaining 252 yards. Sophomore running back James Sims was one of the bright spots for Kansas, rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

For the third straight week Kansas will take on an undefeated conference rival. This week Kansas State will travel to Lawrence to battle the Jayhawks.

Last Week: Lost to Oklahoma 47-17

This Week: Kansas State @ Kansas

No. 9 Iowa State Cyclones (3-3, 0-3)

Iowa State lost its third straight game Saturday, falling to Missouri 52-17. The Cyclones defense struggled, giving up 583 yards to the Tigers.

Iowa State's defense now ranks 115th in college football, giving up 36 points per game. The first three weeks of the year, it looked like Iowa State might be one of the surprise teams in the country, but they have quickly fallen back to reality and now will most likely be staying home during bowl season.

Last Week: Lost to Missouri 52-17

This Week: Texas A&M @ Iowa State

No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-2, 1-2)

Texas Tech had an opportunity on Saturday to prove that they were one of the top teams in the Big 12, but they turned the ball over four times and lost at home to Kansas State.

Seth Doege threw for 461 yards, but he also threw three interceptions in the loss.

The Red Raiders still have one of the most explosive offenses in football, but they have work to do to get up to six or seven wins. This week they will most likely lose their third game in a row as they travel to Oklahoma.

Last Week: Lost to Kansas State 41-34

This Week: Texas Tech @ Oklahoma

No. 7 Missouri Tigers (3-3, 1-2)

Missouri looked pretty impressive on Saturday against Iowa State, gaining 583 yards and scoring 52 points.

They still have a lot of work to do before they can start being considered one of the top teams in the conference. Mizzou turned it over three times in the victory and need to do a better job of limiting the turnovers.

I wrote an article last week saying that Missouri needed to give the ball to Henry Josey more, and they did a better job of that on Saturday. Josey had 19 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. Josey is the leading rusher in the conference, gaining 119 yards per game.

This week Oklahoma State travels to Columbia, and Missouri is going to have to play a mistake-free game if they want to be competitive.

Last Week: Beat Iowa State 52-17

This Week: Oklahoma State @ Missouri

No. 6 Texas Longhorns (4-2, 1-2)

Texas lost for the second straight week, but both loses came against undefeated teams. The Longhorns were more competitive this weekend, but didn't have enough offensive firepower to keep up with Oklahoma State.

Freshman Malcolm Brown rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, but the passing game was very ineffective. Ash threw for only 139 yards and two interceptions.

I think it's clear Texas is better than they were last year, but they are still not in the top tier of teams in the Big 12.

Last Week: Lost to Oklahoma State 38-26

This Week: BYE

No. 5 Baylor Bears (4-2, 1-2)

Robert Griffin's Heisman hopes took a big hit this weekend in a loss at Texas A&M. Texas A&M dominated Baylor 55-28.

Griffin had a solid game, throwing for 430 yards and three touchdowns, but the Baylor defense could not stop A&M at all.

The Bears defense ranks 99th in the country giving up 425 yards per game. This is a much improved Baylor team, but they will not start competing for conference titles until their defense improves.

Last Week: Lost to Texas A&M 55-28

This Week: BYE

No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies (4-2, 2-1)

Texas A&M won their second straight game game this weekend and have put themselves solidly in the top half of the conference.

Their pass defense still struggled this week, giving up 430 passing yards to Baylor, but it didn't matter this week.

A&M basically did what ever they wanted to do offensively. Tannehill threw for 415 yards and six touchdowns. In a battle of two of the best receivers in the conference, Ryan Swope overshadowed Baylor's Kendall Wright by getting 11 catches for 206 yards and four touchdowns.

Texas A&M has the seventh-ranked offense in the country, gaining 524 yards per game. The defense still needs a lot of work, but I think it's clear this team is one of the top four teams in the conference.

Last Week: Beat Baylor 55-28

This Week: Texas A&M @ Iowa State

No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats (6-0, 3-0)

I don't know how they do it, but Kansas State just keeps on winning. The Wildcats were underdogs four weeks in a row and won all four games. This week they are finally favorites again, as they travel to Lawrence.

Collin Klein did another good job of managing the game this weekend. He threw for 146 yards and one touchdown, but also rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns.

The Wildcats defense also stepped up, getting four turnovers. Kansas State ranks 12th in the country with a +6 turnover margin.

Most likely Kansas State will win against Kansas this week, and will be 7-0 when they take on Oklahoma in two weeks.

Last Week: Beat Texas Tech 41-34

This Week: Kansas State @ Kansas

No. 2 Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-0, 3-0)

Oklahoma State keeps on rolling towards their match up against the Oklahoma Sooners. This week Oklahoma State won at Texas 38-26.

Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon had quiet games against Texas, but they did enough to get the victory. Jeremy Smith rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries.

I expect Weeden and Blackmon to have big games this week against Missouri. The Tigers have struggled against the pass, so I expect Oklahoma State to air it out.

Last Week: Beat Texas 38-26

This Week: Oklahoma State @ Missouri

No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners (6-0, 3-0)

I expected a little more out of Oklahoma on Saturday, but a win is a win.

Receiver Ryan Broyles had a huge game, getting 13 catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns. Broyles ranks second in the country with 135 receiving yards per game.

Dominique Whaley also had another big game, rushing for 165 yards and a touchdown.

Oklahoma turned it over three times though, and they know they can still improve. This week they should roll again against Texas Tech.

Last Week: Beat Kansas 47-17

This Week: Texas Tech @ Oklahoma