Week 9 Big 12 Power Rankings
Utah now stands alone at the top of the Big 12 after a weekend that knocked both No. 2 BYU and No.
8 Texas Tech down a peg. The Utes are 7-0 overall and 4-0 in league play, and their 21-13 win over No.
14 Houston gave them even more traction as the conference’s team to catch. The early criticism was about strength of schedule, but that talking point took a hit after they handled the Cougars.
Next on the slate is a road trip to Cincinnati.
BYU is still firmly in the mix despite last week’s stumble against UCF, a 39-31 upset that followed its huge win over then No. 2 Notre Dame two weeks earlier.
The Cougars are 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, and their ceiling still looks high if star running back L.J. Martin gets back to full health and quarterback Bear Bachmeier keeps operating at a high level.
If that happens, BYU will remain a real factor in the race for its first College Football Playoff berth in program history.
The Cougars get Arizona State next.
Texas Tech dropped in the rankings after a rough weekend, but the bigger issue is that the Red Raiders still haven’t looked like the team many expected before the season. They’re 6-1 and 3-1, which is plenty strong on paper, yet the play has not matched the billing. Quarterback Will Hammond has to elevate his game if Texas Tech is going to make a serious push for the Big 12 crown.
Arizona comes next, and the Wildcats have been one of the most impressive teams in the league. Their 39-3 demolition of Iowa State last week turned plenty of heads, and Noah Fifita continues to look like the best quarterback in the conference.
The defense has also been stout again under Danny Gonzales. This weekend’s trip to Texas Tech could tell us a lot, because Arizona’s Big 12 title hopes are on the line there.
Houston still has plenty of life in the race despite the loss to Utah. The Cougars led in the second half before letting it slip away, undone by sloppy play on both sides of the ball. Their two defeats have come against Utah and Texas Tech, both elite teams in the Big 12, and the rest of the schedule gives Houston a real shot to stack wins and finish with its best record since 2021.
Oklahoma State is another team that looks dangerous. The Cowboys are 5-2 and 3-1, and if not for that bad Week 1 loss to Tulsa, they’d likely be sitting much higher in the AP Poll.
The main engine is quarterback Drew Mestemaker, a projected top 10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Their Big 12 championship hopes are very much alive.
Arizona State has been uneven at 4-3 and 2-2, but there were signs of life last weekend. Cutter Boley has flashed at quarterback, though consistency remains an issue, and the defense turned in its best showing of the year by holding Kansas State to 17 points.
That side of the ball will have to show up again next week against No. 8 BYU.
UCF earned one of the biggest wins of its season by beating BYU in a game that went down to the final possession. The Knights are now 4-3 and 2-2, and they’ve taken their two conference losses against Houston and Oklahoma State, both Big 12 contenders. That victory over BYU only helps UCF’s case as one of the better teams in the conference’s top half.
Cincinnati also made a statement by taking down then No. 8 Texas Tech, 37-24.
The Bearcats improved to 5-2 and 2-2, and they did it by taking advantage of Texas Tech mistakes while running the ball effectively. Another tough test is waiting this week with No.
6 Utah coming in, but Cincinnati has shown it can win when it puts together a complete performance.
West Virginia picked up a useful 24-20 road win at TCU, continuing a season in which the Mountaineers have proven they can hang with strong opponents and do just enough to get by. At 2-3 and 5-3, they now head into a difficult stretch that includes No.
13 Texas Tech, No. 18 Houston and No.
6 Utah, so the bye week arrives at a good time.
Iowa State took one of its toughest hits of the season in that 39-3 loss to Arizona. The Cyclones are 3-4 and 1-3, and their Big 12 losses have come against Utah, BYU and Arizona.
The performance in Tucson left plenty to clean up before No. 24 Oklahoma State visits this Saturday.
Kansas State fell again in conference play, losing 28-17 to Arizona State. The Wildcats have struggled to find consistency against Big 12 opponents, and the absence of quarterback Avery Johnson has been a major factor. If they want to stop sliding, getting Johnson healthy has to be part of the solution.
TCU was outplayed in key areas by West Virginia last weekend despite winning the time-of-possession battle and the yardage battle. Penalties and turnovers burned the Horn Frogs again, and now a home game against Kansas becomes an important chance to reset.
Kansas is 3-4 and 1-3, and the season has gotten tougher after losing Jalon Daniels to the NFL. Daniels was a solid, experienced starter throughout his career and finished second in program history in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, so his departure has left a noticeable void. The Jayhawks did grab a good win over Baylor last weekend, though, and will try to build on it at TCU.
Baylor’s season took another turn after a 25-24 loss to Kansas, a defeat that led to the firing of head coach Dave Miranda. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will take over as interim head coach for the rest of the season as the Bears try to regroup.
Colorado remains stuck in the conference basement after getting blasted by Oklahoma State, 57-24. The Buffaloes had no answer for the Cowboys’ offense and are still searching for their first Big 12 win. Their next chance comes Saturday against a Kansas State team that is also trying to steady itself.
In Other News...
Arizona Suddenly Has A Real Chance To Shake Up The Big 12
Greg McElroy is seeing a real opening for Arizona as it heads into a pivotal Big 12 matchup with No. 13 Texas Tech. The Wildcats have won five straight and their passing game has looked sharper as the season has gone along, which has changed the feel around a team that is suddenly sitting in the thick of the conference race. With both clubs tied at 3-1 in Big 12 play, this one carries the kind of late-season weight that can reshape the standings in a hurry.
Texas Tech, meanwhile, is coming off a loss to Cincinnati and has questions at quarterback, which only adds to the uncertainty around a game that already feels like a swing point for both teams. Arizona has earned enough recent momentum to make this more than just a road test, and the bigger issue now is whether the Wildcats can keep that rhythm against a Red Raiders team that still has plenty of talent and the home crowd behind it. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona May Be Walking Into A Bigger Week 9 Opportunity Than Expected
Week 9 is shaping up to be an interesting one for Arizona, with the Wildcats landing in a game that has drawn plenty of attention on the betting and analytics side. Texas Tech is the team getting the markets backing, but the numbers being used in the matchup breakdown point toward a contest that may be more favorable to Arizona than the early perception suggests.
Arizonas profile has been strong enough in the key efficiency categories to make this a live upset spot, especially in net success rate and passing efficiency. That creates a real tension in a game where the spread may be telling one story and the underlying metrics another, leaving the Wildcats with a chance to turn a tricky conference matchup into something bigger if they can translate those edges on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Arizonas Surge Faces Its Toughest Big 12 Test Yet
Arizonas rise has put it squarely in the thick of the Big 12 race, and now comes the kind of road game that can tell you a lot more about where this team really stands. Both the Wildcats and Texas Tech enter at 6-1, tied for second in the league, with Arizona riding a five-game winning streak and already punching its ticket to bowl season. The trip to Lubbock comes with the usual conference-layer stakes, but also the sense that this is one of those Saturdays that can reshape the pecking order in a hurry.
Texas Tech is getting some help back in the backfield, and Arizona will have to account for a Red Raiders team that has been one of the leagues more disruptive opponents. Coaches on both sides have pointed to the depth of the conference and the way big individual performances can swing these matchups, which is a reminder that this is less about early-season momentum than about who can hold up when the schedule tightens. For Arizona, the challenge is to keep the surge going against a contender that is built to punish mistakes. [Read more 🡒]