We update the Big 12 Football Power Rankings every week. Week two brought some close, exciting games and statement wins.
Welcome back to college football! And boy did we have a fun week. A few Big 12 football teams planted their flags as contenders in the league while some others should be deregulated already. Let’s get into our first round of weekly Big 12 football power rankings!
Big 12 Football Power Rankings
16. Houston (0-2, 0-0 conference)
Houston 12-Oklahoma 16
The Cougars gave the Sooners a run for their money. Houston had a total of 318 yards compared to OU’s 249 as OU struggled to move the ball on offense. On the flip side, it looked as if Houston found their footing. Quarterback Donovan Smith threw for 260 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The third quarter started with a bang, with Smith throwing a 44 yard touchdown to receiver Joseph Manjack. The Cougars kept the game close in Norman until an interception and safety sealed the deal for the Sooners’ win.
Next game: Saturday vs Rice
15. Cincinnati (1-1, 0-0 conference)
Cincinnati 27-Pittsburgh 28
The Bearcats lost in a heartbreaker on Saturday. Pitt rallied back from being down 21 points and kicked a field goal to win the game. Statistically speaking, Cincinnati had a decent game, Quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns. The running game was led by Corey Kiner, who tallied 149 yards. The downfall for the Bearcats was special teams and kicker Carter Brown. He missed an easy field goal that would have put them up even more before halftime.
Next game: Saturday at Miami (OH)
14. Texas Tech (1-1, 0-0 conference)
Texas Tech 16-Washington State 37
The Red Raiders were completely outmatched in their game against Washington State. While quarterback Behren Morton had a game where he threw for 323 yards and a touchdown, but still could not lead his team to a win. What hurt Texas Tech was the turnovers. They had four total turnovers during the game, a fumble, two interceptions and multiple turnovers on downs. Their running backs could not get anything moving, with no back getting more than 70 rushing yards. The receiving game was just as bad, as no receiver had 100 yards on the day. The team felt the loss of running back Tahj Brooks, who was out for an injury. But the rest of the team will need to step up next week. Overall, Texas Tech has a lot to work on before Big 12 play in two weeks time.
Next Game: Saturday vs North Texas
13. Baylor (1-1, 0-0 conference)
Baylor 12-Utah 23
The Baylor Bears had a tough test for week 2. Utah was going to be a difficult win, and it did not help that Utah’s defense was all over Baylor. Quarterback Dequan Finn struggled in this game, throwing for just 115 yards. Utah’s defense also forced a fumble and sacked Finn three times. In the first quarter, the offense was stagnant with -10 yards on ten total plays. Finally in the third quarter though, Finn found receiver Josh Cameron for a 47 yard touchdown, outrunning the defense that was giving them trouble all day. Baylor hopes to bounce back next week when they face Air Force at home.
Next Game: Saturday vs Air Force
12. Colorado (1-1, 0-0 conference)
Colorado 10-Nebraska 28
After a great first game a week ago, Colorado showed their true colors against a good Nebraska team. The Buffaloes were out played and out matched. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was sacked six times, and his offensive line was overpowered by Nebraska’s defense. He still threw for 244 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Receiver Travis Hunter, couldn’t get a touchdown, but amassed 110 yards on the day. Nebraska also dominated the time of possession and went up 28-0 before halftime. Colorado tried to make a slight comeback with a field goal and touch down to end the game, but this team will need a whole reset before going into conference play.
Next Game: Saturday at Colorado State
11. Arizona State (2-0, 0-0 conference)
Arizona State 30-Mississippi State 23
The Arizona State Sun Devils played well against a SEC team. The Sun Devils were able to slice up the Mississippi State defense, with running back Cam Skattebo leading the charge. He had 33 carries for 262 yards, and 35 receiving yards. Quarterback Sam Leavitt didn’t have his best game, only completing 10 passes on the night, but he did rush in for two touchdowns. Mississippi State’s run defense couldn’t stop Arizona State, even after a late forth quarter push to score 13 unanswered points.
Next Game: Thursday at Texas State
10. BYU (2-0, 0-0 conference)
BYU 18-SMU 15
The BYU Cougars once again handled a formidable opponent in week two. The two teams were back and forth for most of the game and struggled with turnovers on both sides. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff didn’t have a very productive game, only throwing for 202 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The big play of the game came in the first quarter, when Retzlaff hit receiver Mata’ava Ta’ase for a 16 yard touchdown reception. The forth quarter was a sloppy one, starting with a SMU interception by Marque Collins. The next series was an interception on Retzlaff from Jared Harrison-Hunte, then SMU fumbled the ball in the next series. Despite the messiness, BYU pulled off the win, kicking a field goal with just two minutes left in the game. BYU will need a play better in the coming weeks when they start conference play.
Next Game: Saturday at Wyoming
9. West Virginia (1-1, 0-0 conference)
West Virginia 49-Albany 14
The West Virginia Mountaineers was thankful to have an easy win under their belt after falling to a highly ranked Penn State team. The Mountaineers took control early in the game and never relented. Quarterback Garrett Greene bounced back this week, throwing for 236 yards, three touchdowns, and ran for another score. Two running backs on the night rushed for more than 100 yards each. The play calling was for the Mountaineers spread the ball around. A total of seven different players scored a touchdown for the team. The defense gave up several big yardage plays, but held Albany to 374 yards and only two touchdowns.
Next Game: Saturday at Pittsburgh
8. Kansas (1-1, 0-0 conference)
Kansas 17-Illinois 23
The Jayhawks struggled with turnovers this week and lost to unranked Illinois. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels threw for 141 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. The team once again relied on running back Devin Neal dominated on the ground, running for 101 yards on 14 carries. The defense stepped up in the loss though, only allowing 79 rushing yards and kept the Illini to a single passing touchdown in the 4th quarter. The Jayhawks played well on defense, but the offense will need to step up. The turnover margin helped Illinois win the game, which should be under control by the time Big 12 play comes around for Kansas.
Next Game: Friday at UNLV
7. TCU (2-0, 0-0 conference)
TCU 45-Long Island University 0
The Horned Frogs played a shut out game against Long Island University. TCU was completely in charge the entire game, racking up 425 yards and 22 first downs. The team was led by running back Cam Cook, who didn’t have the yardage, but had three touchdowns on the night. Quarterback Josh Hoover complete 20 out of 25 of his passes, averaging 10.7 yards per completion. Hoover spread the ball around, finding 12 different receivers on the team. TCU will face their first real challenge when the meet up against an unbeaten, run heavy UCF team.
Next Game: Saturday vs UCF
6. UCF (2-0, 0-0 conference)
UCF 45-Sam Houston 14
The Golden Knights look like a team that is ready to dominate the Big 12. Sure, they haven’t had a true test quite yet, but they showed up big over Sam Houston at home. The offense was led by their star running back RJ Harvey, who ran for 126 yards and four touchdowns. The entire running game for the Knights is seeing a resurgence. They couldn’t get it done through the air, but definitely got it done on the ground, amassing 384 yards on 57 rushing attempts. All six of their touchdowns came from their running back corps. This team has depth but will need to figure out a balanced attack in order to compete against the other Big 12 teams.
Next Game: Saturday at TCU
5. Arizona (2-0, 0-0 conference)
Arizona 22-Northern Arizona 10
Although it was not the beat down that last week was, the Arizona Wildcats handled Northern Arizona fairly easily. Quarterback Noah Fifita threw for 173 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was held to just two receptions for a total of 11 yards. Instead, Fifita’s go-to receiver was actually running back Quail Conley. He rushed for 112 yards with another 38 yards through the air. The defense stepped up to hold Northern Arizona scoreless after halftime. They recorded a safety and a fumble recovery on a eight yard sack to end the game for Northern Arizona.
Next Game: Friday at Kansas State
4. Oklahoma State (2-0, 0-0 conference)
Oklahoma State 39-Arkansas 31 (2OT)
The Cowboys put on a show on Saturday and despite the win, it was not a pretty one. The Razorbacks put up almost double the yards, 648-385, but turnovers and sloppy play helped the Cowboys pull out the win in double overtime. Running back Ollie Gordon could not get anything going until the second overtime, when he ran in for the game-winning touchdown and two point conversion. Wide receiver Brennan Presley led the receiving corps with 91 yards and a touchdown. The defense stepped up to stop a big 4th and 1 in the second overtime to finally end the game. The Cowboys went into the game as 10 point favorites but struggled immensely against a heavy run offense, which is why they dropped lower in the power rankings for week 2.
Next Game: Saturday at Tulsa
3. Iowa State (2-0, 0-0 conference)
Iowa State 20-Iowa 19
The Cyclones gave us one of the more exciting Big 12 games of the week. The teamed ended up winning on a last second field goal, upsetting the Hawkeyes for just the third time in the last 11 games. Quarterback Rocco Becht threw a 75 yard touchdown pass to help rally the Cyclones toward those final few minutes. Becht threw for 272 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His go-to receiver was Jaylin Noel, who caught the long pass from Becht. Noel ended the day with 133 total yards and a touchdown. The defense also stepped up, holding Iowa to only field goals after giving up a touchdown in the first quarter.
Next Game: Saturday at Arkansas State
2. Kansas State (2-0, 0-0 conference)
Kansas State 34-Tulane 27
The Kansas State Wildcats were another team that struggled until late in the game. Tulane controlled time of possession and had more total yards, 396-491. At halftime, Tulane was ahead 20-10 and the Wildcats had their backs against the wall. Quarterback Avery Johnson once again put on a clinic, throwing for 181 yards and two touchdowns. His biggest play of the game came at the end of the 3rd quarter when running back DJ Giddens, caught a 45 yard pass to tie the game. A late fumble recovery returned for a touchdown sealed the deal for Kansas State.
Next Game: Friday vs Arizona
1. Utah (2-0, 0-0 conference)
Utah 23-Baylor 12
The Utah Utes were off to a great start in this game against Baylor. At halftime, the Utes went up 23-3. But the big story quarterback Cam Rising, who left at the end of the second quarter with a hand injury. Rising did not come back into the game. Instead, backup quarterback Isaac Wilson managed the win for the Utes. Utah had just 95 total yards with Wilson in as the quarterback, but the defense stepped up to hold Baylor to nine points in the second half. Special teams also stepped up. Tao Johnson took control of the ball on a blocked field goal, and returned it for a 77 yard touchdown.
The Utes should be sitting pretty heading into Big 12 play in two weeks, but that all depends on the health of Rising. But because of his performance in the first half, Utah is once again at the top of the power rankings for week 2.
Next Game: Saturday at Utah State
Erika Brown
Erika Brown is a fantasy football writer for The League Winners. A journalism graduate from Oklahoma State University, she enjoys watching OkState football games and writing about college football.