Big 12 Conference: Week 10 Power Rankings

Week 9 in the Big 12 is over, and it's time to update the power rankings. There are plenty of changes again this week in the rankings after a couple upsets within the conference.

A week after Texas Tech shocked Oklahoma, they got dominated at home by Iowa State, and the Missouri Tigers upset Texas A&M in overtime.

Two games that were blowouts that I thought would be closer were Oklahoma State-Baylor and Oklahoma-Kansas State. The Cowboys and Sooners both won pretty easily against two pretty good teams.

No. 10 Kansas (2-6, 0-5)

The Jayhawks may have hit a new low last week at Texas. Kansas only gained 46 yards of offense and gave up 590 yards.

They are clearly one of the worst teams in the country, and are showing no signs of improvement. If this continues, it is very possible that Turner Gill could lose his job after just two seasons at Kansas.

This week they play Iowa State, which could be a winnable game, but I doubt it. The only chance KU has is if the Cyclones completely overlook Kansas and sleep-walk through the game.

Last Week: Lost to Texas 43-0

This Week: Kansas @ Iowa State

No. 9 Iowa State (4-4, 1-4)

After losing four straight games, the Cyclones upset Texas Tech 41-7 on Saturday. Iowa State forced three turnovers and out-gained Tech 512 yards to 290.

Running back James Wright rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown in the victory.

Iowa State has a home game against Kansas this week, so they have a good chance of improving to 5-4 and only one win away from being bowl eligible. It is important that they don't overlook Kansas like Texas Tech did to them.

Last Week: Beat Texas Tech 41-7

This Week: Kansas @ Iowa State

No. 8 Texas Tech (5-3, 2-3)

Teams four through eight in the Big 12 are all pretty close, but I'm going to list Tech at number eight for now. I kind of expected a letdown after their upset win in Norman, but I did not expect this at all.

I was absolutely shocked to see that they lost 41-7 at home to Iowa State. The Red Raiders turned it over three times and only passed for 191 yards.

Things don't get any easier for Tech, as they travel to Texas this week and then play Oklahoma State the following week. I still think the Red Raiders will make a bowl game, but it's not going to be easy. There are no guaranteed wins left on their schedule.

Last Week: Lost to Iowa State 41-7

This Week: Texas Tech @ Texas

No. 7 Baylor (4-3, 1-3)

I'm going to drop Baylor to No. 7 this week. They have lost three out of their last four games, and the last two haven't been close.

This week, in the 59-24 loss to Oklahoma State, they gained 622 yards of offense, but turned the ball over five times.

The Bears rank No. 3 in the country in total offense, but their defense ranks 115th, giving up 36.4 points per game.

Baylor has a winnable game this week against Missouri, but the Tigers will be coming in confident after winning at Texas A&M.

Last Week: Lost to Oklahoma State 59-24

This Week: Missouri @ Baylor

No. 6 Missouri (4-4, 2-3)

James Franklin finally had a good game again, and did a great job of protecting the football against Texas A&M. Franklin completed 67 percent of his passes for two touchdowns, and also rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

Sophomore Henry Josey rushed for 162 yards and a touchdown on just 20 carries. Josey leads the Big 12 in rushing, averaging 127 yards per game.

The Tigers defense gave up a lot of yards, but forced three turnovers and came up huge when they needed to.

The victory at Texas A&M was a big one for Missouri, as they were in danger of missing a bowl game. Now they are back to .500, and have a chance to finish the season on a roll.

Last Week: Beat Texas A&M 38-31

This Week: Missouri @ Baylor

No. 5 Texas (5-2, 2-2)

I keep saying it every week, but I'm still not sure how good Texas is. I think it's starting to be more clear that they are in the top half of this league though. They also have moved up to No. 21 in the BCS rankings.

This week they absolutely dominated a struggling Kansas team. The Longhorns defense held Kansas to 46 yards of offense and only three first downs.

Freshmen running backs Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron combined for 255 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Texas leads the Big 12 in total defense, only giving up 296 yards per game. They will get a test this week though against an angry Texas Tech team.

Last Week: Beat Kansas 43-0

This Week: Texas Tech @ Texas

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

I still think Texas A&M is a very good football team, but they are terrible at finishing games. Saturday's loss to Missouri was the third time this year that the Aggies have blown a double-digit lead in the second half.

This week they travel to Norman to take on the Sooners. This is going to be a tough matchup for a defense that ranks 120th in the nation in pass defense, giving up 318 yards per game. Oklahoma averages 396 passing yards per game, and they looked very good against Kansas State.

Oklahoma's defense isn't dominant, but they are good enough to slow down A&M. It's looking pretty likely that the Aggies will drop to 5-4 after this week.

Last Week: Lost to Missouri 38-31

This Week: Texas A&M @ Oklahoma

No. 3 Kansas State (7-1, 4-1)

Well, Kansas State's winning streak finally came to an end, but it has still been a great year for the Wildcats. Unfortunately, it's going to get even tougher this week as they play Oklahoma State.

The Wildcats' lack of an offense caught up to them this week against Oklahoma. The Sooners held the Cats to just 240 yards of offense. Collin Klein struggled passing the ball, only completing 50 percent of his passes for 58 yards.

Oklahoma State's defense isn't as good as Oklahoma's, but they do a great job of forcing turnovers, and I don't think Kansas State will be able to keep up with the high-powered Cowboys. Even if they lose to Oklahoma State, the Wildcats have a great chance to finish 9-3, which is better than what anyone thought they would be.

Last Week: Lost to Oklahoma 58-17

This Week: Kansas State @ Oklahoma State

No. 2 Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1)

After two sluggish performances, the Oklahoma Sooners had one of their better games of the year Saturday in Manhattan.

Oklahoma rolled Kansas State 58-17 and gained 690 yards of offense. Landry Jones completed 74 percent of his passes for 505 yards and five touchdowns. He threw two interceptions, but it was still a very impressive performance for Jones.

It wasn't all good for OU, as they lost running back Dominique Whaley for the season. Still, Roy Finch came in and rushed for 73 yards on only nine carries.

Last Week: Beat Kansas State 58-17

This Week: Texas A&M @ Oklahoma

No. 1 Oklahoma State (8-0, 5-0)

Oklahoma State has been the most impressive team to me this year in the Big 12. They have a good chance of winning the conference and getting to the BCS Championship game.

On Saturday they forced five turnovers and beat Baylor 59-24. They led 49-3 at the end of the third quarter. Brandon Weeden completed 66 percent of his passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns. The big star was Joseph Randle. He rushed for 152 yards and four touchdowns.

The Cowboys' defense ranks 110th in the country in total defense, but they lead the country with a +19 turnover margin. Oklahoma State's defense has forced 29 turnovers this year.

The odds are starting to look pretty good that Oklahoma State will be 11-0 going into their game with Oklahoma, but crazier things have happened before. They might get a test this week against Kansas State, but I don't think the Wildcats have enough offense to keep up with them.

Last Week: Beat Baylor 59-24

This Week: Kansas State @ Oklahoma State