Big 12 Conference: Week 9 Power Rankings

This week we get a pretty big shake up of the power rankings after Texas Tech upset Oklahoma. The new top dog in the conference is Oklahoma State, but Bill Snyder and Kansas State would argue differently.

It's an exciting time of the year for Big 12 football fans. The conference title race is being battled for each week and it's starting to look like the Big 12 conference might be around for awhile.

It appears the Big 12 is going to add either West Virginia or Louisville within the next couple weeks after Missouri leaves to the SEC.

I think West Virginia would be a great addition for the conference with solid football and basketball programs. I hate to see Missouri leave but I think this conference will be just fine for now.

This week should be another great week within the conference with Oklahoma playing Kansas State and Baylor taking on Oklahoma State. Lets get to this week's power rankings.

No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks (2-5, 0-4)

The struggles continue for Kansas as they got dominated by Kansas State 59-21 on Saturday. The Jayhawks have given up 45 points or more in their last five games.

Kansas is the only team in college football giving up over 50 points per game and it seems like Turner Gill's days in Lawrence might be numbered.

There's not a lot of positives to say about Kansas right now. They are absolutely struggling and need to get more competitive or changes have to be made.

Last Week: Lost to Kansas St. 59-21

This Week: Kansas @ Texas

No. 9 Iowa State Cyclones (3-4, 0-4)

The Cyclones suffered their forth straight loss Saturday, losing to Texas A&M 33-17.

Jared Barnett replaced Steel Jantz at quarterback for Iowa State but he didn't have much success. Barnett only completed 44 percent of his passes and threw for 180 yards.

This week the Cyclones travel to Texas Tech to take on the Red Raiders who are coming off a victory at Oklahoma. It's pretty clear Iowa State and Kansas will be battling it out for last in the Big 12.

Last Week: Lost to Texas A&M 33-17

This Week: Iowa State @ Texas Tech

No. 8 Missouri Tigers (3-4, 1-3)

Missouri had several chances Saturday to pull off the upset, but sophomore quarterback James Franklin made way too many mistakes.

The Tigers turned the ball over four times and all four times were when Missouri had some momentum and were trying to make a comeback.

Henry Josey had another good game and is averaging 122 rushing yards per game.

This week Mizzou travels to A&M and are in danger of dropping to 1-4 in the conference. Last year, Missouri looked very good at Texas A&M, but these are two very different teams this year.

Missouri needs to pull off an upset or two down the stretch or they won't be going to a bowl game this year.

Last Week: Lost to Oklahoma St. 45-24

This Week: Missouri @ Texas A&M

No. 7 Texas Longhorns (4-2, 1-2)

Texas was off last week and pretty much gets another bye this week when they take on Kansas at home.

I'm still not sure how good Texas is. They have beaten nobody, and their two losses are against Top 10 teams. After this week Texas plays Texas Tech, Missouri, Kansas State, Texas A&M, and Baylor so we'll start to learn more about how improved Texas is.

Texas will get a chance this week to work on their offense and get some confidence. If they don't find some more firepower then I think they will struggle to finish any better then 6-6 or 7-5 at best.

Last Week: BYE

This Week: Kansas @ Texas

No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-2, 2-2)

I wanted to put Texas Tech even higher on this week's power rankings but I'll wait and see how the next couple weeks go first. I know Tech fans will be angered by their low ranking but I'm looking at the entire season not just one game. If they keep winning they will move up.

I thought Tech would be competitive in their game against Oklahoma, but I don't think anyone thought they would win in Norman.

Quarterback Seth Doege had a great game throwing for 441 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those touchdown passes were to receiver Alex Torres.

This week the Red Raiders play the struggling Cyclones and have a great chance of improving to 6-2 and getting more momentum before taking on Texas in two weeks.

Last Week: Beat Oklahoma 41-38

This Week: Iowa State @ Texas Tech

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

I was going to move Baylor down to No. 6 this week and move Texas Tech up to No. 5 but since Baylor was off last week I will keep them where they are and let them prove it on the field.

The Bears travel to Stillwater this week to play Oklahoma State. Baylor is ranked third in the country in total offense averaging 549 yards per game but their defense is ranked 98th.

Baylor is definitely one of the best offensive teams in the country but they are going to struggle to win many games in the Big 12 giving up as many points as they have been lately.

Robert Griffin has another chance this week to get back on the Heisman list playing against a Top 5 team. He's had a great year and is quickly rising up the NFL draft boards.

Last Week: BYE

This Week: Baylor @ Oklahoma State

No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies (5-2, 3-1)

The Aggies are improving each week it seems, and they may not be out of this conference title hunt just yet.

Offensively, I think Texas A&M might be one of the most complete and balanced teams in the country. They rank 16th in rushing and 21st in passing in the nation.

Christine Michael is averaging just over 100 yards per game rushing and has eight rushing touchdowns. Ryan Tannehill is also having a good year completing 65 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

This week the Aggies will look for revenge against the Missouri Tigers. Missouri beat A&M last year in College Station pretty easily but I think this year will be different.

Last Week: Beat Iowa State 33-17

This Week: Missouri @ Texas A&M

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

Oklahoma suffered a shocking loss Saturday at home against Texas Tech. The start of the game was delayed around two hours due to severe weather in Norman, and Oklahoma never seemed able to get things together after the start of the game.

I expected the Sooners to play a good game after their sloppy play the week before at Kansas, but they put together a very similar performance this week against Tech.

Oklahoma turned it over twice and their defense gave up 452 yards passing. Your not going to win many games doing that. Oklahoma has to clean it up this week in Manhattan or they will lose again.

Last Week: Lost to Texas Tech 41-38

This Week: Oklahoma @ Kansas State

No. 2 Kansas State Wildcats (7-0, 4-0)

The Wildcats dominated their in-state rival Kansas last Saturday 59-21. Kansas State is now 7-0 and will take on Oklahoma this weekend in Manhattan.

Quarterback Collin Klein continues to do a good job of managing games and limiting mistakes. Klein averages 95 rushing yards per game and has 14 rushing touchdowns this year. Klein also has eight touchdown passes and only three interceptions.

Klein will need another solid performance if the Cats are going to stay undefeated and beat Oklahoma. A lot of people still don't believe in Kansas State but we will all find out how good they are during the next three weeks when they play Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M.

Last Week: Beat Kansas 59-21

This Week: Oklahoma @ Kansas State

No. 1 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-0, 4-0)

Oklahoma State has been the most impressive team so far this season in the Big 12. The Cowboys won again Saturday, beating Missouri 45-24.

Star receiver, Justin Blackmon, missed the second half of the game with an injury but it looks like he will be good to go against Baylor

Oklahoma State has the second ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 48.6 points per game. They also lead the nation in turnover margin. Right now I think the Cowboys have to be the favorites to win the Big 12 but they still need to get by Kansas State and Oklahoma

Last Week: Beat Missouri 45-24

This Week: Baylor @ Oklahoma State