With Oklahoma State’s win over Oregon and a slow start across the board for the Big Ten, the Big 12 has an opportunity to capitalize and secure multiple bids to the College Football Playoff. Here’s where each team stands with two weeks in the books:
16. West Virginia
Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. didn’t see a ton of action against UT Martin, but he did a lot with his few opportunities. He threw for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns on 7 throws, an average of over 20 yards per attempt. The rushing attack produced 316 yards and 4 touchdowns in another dominant week on the ground. The passing attack’s efficiency was a positive sign for the Mountaineers, but the question remains if they’ll keep it up against more physical Big 12 fronts.
15. Kansas
The Jayhawks had a solid first half in last week’s Border War, coming up with a blocked field goal to take a tie into halftime against Missouri. Things quickly spiraled in the second half, as a fumble and an interception led to consecutive Tiger touchdowns early in the third quarter, spelling doom for the Jayhawks.The Kansas offense has to be more efficient moving forward. Quarterback Isaiah Marshall went 13/30 on passing attempts, while the Jayhawks averaged 2.2 yards per carry on the ground. The defense played well, largely falling victim to the offense’s turnovers, but Kansas needs to show more efficiency and discipline offensively.
14. UCF
The next two teams are fairly similar, with sloppy narrow losses to a Power Four foe and dominant victories over lesser competition. The UCF Knights were simply too reliant on quarterback Alonza Barnett III against Pitt on Saturday. Between passing attempts and runs, Barnett accounted for 44 of the team’s 53 offensive plays. UCF’s running backs averaged less than a yard per carry. That just won’t cut it, and with Barnett expected to miss multiple weeks per ESPN, the Knights have almost no proven production left on the table.
As a personal note on these rankings, I don’t believe in punishing teams for injuries until we see what the team looks like without the injured player, so UCF did not drop this week due to Barnett’s injury.
13. TCU
After a sluggish week one offensively against North Carolina, the Horned Frogs found some footing on Saturday against Grambling State. TCU totaled 676 yards of total offense, and the strong performance should give the team confidence heading into a matchup against a gritty Group of 6 team in Arkansas State as the team’s final tune-up ahead of conference play. The defense has been dominant through two games, now the question is simply if the offense can keep pace in the Big 12.
12. Baylor
Baylor looked excellent in the team’s first game without quarterback DJ Lagway, who remains doubtful headed into week 3. Backup Nate Bennett threw for 314 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first start for the Bears, pairing well with 219 team rushing yards. Bennett did throw two picks against Prairie View A&M, and with a Louisiana Tech defense coming to town on Saturday that gave LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt trouble in week two, Bennett will have his first true test in the backfield.
11. Colorado
2-0 is 2-0. The Buffaloes scored 42 first-half points against Weber State in week two. The secondary was aggressive, breaking up 11 passes. There’s a lot to like about Colorado. There are also concerns. The secondary’s hunger for big plays led to a couple of blown coverages, allowing the Wildcats to gash the Buffalo defense for long touchdowns. The run defense gave up multiple 10+ yard runs to an inferior team. There are enough question marks, particularly defensively, to hold Colorado out of the top ten for now.
10. Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are the hardest team to place in the Big 12. The win over Oregon was massive. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker was electric, generating 426 yards of total offense and 3 total touchdowns, including his high-flying game winner, launching himself over a defender and into the end zone.
The defense held Dante Moore to 6 yards per attempt and the Oregon run game to 3 yards per rush. On the other hand, the Cowboys still lost to Tulsa, by far the worst loss in the league. With a polarizing resume to say the least, Oklahoma State finds itself in the middle of the pack.
9. Iowa State
While the Cyclones were unable to escape Iowa City with a win, they displayed a level of physicality that could keep them in the game against any Big 12 opponent. Iowa State impressed in the trenches on Saturday, outgaining the Hawkeyes on the ground by 45 yards. Running back Aiden Flora’s 89 yards against what is expected to be an elite Iowa run defense is a good sign for the rest of the year. Quarterback Jaylen Raynor will need to be more efficient in Big 12 play and the Cyclone secondary will need to play tighter defense against top-end wide receivers like Tony Diaz, but the tools are there for the Cyclones to finish in the top half of the league and be in the race for a Big 12 title longer than most expected.
8. Cincinnati
Consecutive dominant performances for Cincinnati. Quarterback JC French IV looks like one of the league’s best quarterbacks through two weeks of action, while the Bearcat run game looked unstoppable in week two, highlighted by Gi’Bran Payne’s 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. With a Power 4 win under their belt and another very winnable game against Miami (OH) on Saturday, the Bearcats might be the most confident team in the conference entering conference play.
7. Arizona State
Don’t let the final score fool you. This was a four-point game entering the fourth quarter. The Sun Devils played three quarters of excellent football against a genuine national championship contender in the Aggies. Two fourth quarter pick sixes for Cutter Boley put the game away for Texas A&M, but without those two swing plays, Arizona State could have pulled off a massive upset. Those two plays happened, though, and Boley and the Sun Devils will need to execute better down the stretch to win games in a deep Big 12 and return to playoff conversations come the end of the year.
6. Arizona
Arizona led at halftime against BYU. The offense moved the ball well in the first two quarters outside of a Noah Fifita interception deep in Wildcat territory. In the second half, the Wildcats couldn’t do much of anything offensively. The defense had a polarizing performance, oscillating between forcing the Cougars off the field in 3 to 6 plays and allowing 75+ yard drives. When Arizona looked good on Saturday, it looked great, but the Wildcats need to be more consistent against top competition to move their way into conference championship and playoff conversations.
5. Kansas State
Kansas State simply smothered Washington State in week two, holding the Cougars under 200 yards of total offense. The only points Washington State scored came off of a pick six. Kansas State recorded 487 yards of total offense against what appeared to be a solid Cougar defense in week one, which was a promising sign for K-State. The Wildcats have another relatively difficult Group of 6 matchup on the way in week three against Tulane to close nonconference play before a measuring stick matchup with Cincinnati in week four that will go a long way toward seeing where both teams lie in this league.
4. Houston
Houston is rising largely due to Oregon State having another solid game in week 2, making the week 1 performance look better. The Cougars did what they were supposed to in week 2, blowing out inferior competition with 591 yards of total offense. The only real takeaway from this week’s game was a promising show of depth for Houston, but the Cougars will have an opportunity to prove themselves this week with an in-state battle against Texas Tech on the horizon.
3. Texas Tech
Is Oregon State legit? We’ll find out as the season marches on. The Beavers’ standing looms large for both Texas Tech and Houston, but even if the Beavers are a top 30-ish team, this week was still underwhelming for a Red Raider team with playoff expectations. Running back J’Koby Williams fueled the offense this week, averaging 5.8 yards per carry on his way to 116 yards and a touchdown. The Red Raiders need to put more trust in quarterback Will Hammond to push the ball downfield, as the junior averaged just 7 yards per attempt despite an accurate 20/27 week in the pocket. We’ll learn more about the Red Raiders this week as they battle the Houston Cougars.
2. Utah
Arkansas isn’t good, but they still have SEC-caliber talent, and the Utes blew out the Razorbacks 43-10. Four rushing touchdowns and 10.9 yards per attempt for quarterback Devon Dampier. The Utes have looked dominant through two weeks of football and have a defense that can stack up against the league’s best. With one final tune-up against in-state foe Utah State left on the schedule, the Utes look to enter Big 12 play against Iowa State in week 4 as a favorite to make the conference title game.
1. BYU
The Cougars were relentless against Arizona. The defense completely shut an experienced Wildcat offense down in the second half. Bear Bachmeier’s 3 touchdowns were enough to lead the Cougar offense to victory behind the defense’s dominance down the stretch. After going undefeated at home in 2025, the LaVell Edwards Stadium crowd continues to be a difference maker for BYU. That home field advantage will be tested in week seven when the Cougars host Notre Dame, but with their toughest test before the Irish being a home bout with Iowa State, expect the Cougars to remain at the top of the table until then.