Big 12 Power Rankings (Week 2): Sooners soar to top spot

Oklahoma surpasses Oklahoma State atop the Big 12 Power Rankings

By Gmartinchavez12 and Cade Webb Sep 14, 2017, 7:00am CDT

NCAA Football: Oklahoma State at South Alabama

What a difference a week makes.

Oklahoma State, despite winning 44-7, dropped from No. 1 in our weekly Big 12 Power Rankings thanks to an impressive performance from Oklahoma. The Sooners were the unanimous No. 1 while the Cowboys were a unanimous No. 2. Basically, the Big 12 is a two-team race, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the conference is irrelevant.

Check out below the Cowboys Ride For Free staff’s combined rankings, and keep scrolling to see how each voter ranked the teams individually. And as always, leave a comment with your Big 12 Power Rankings.

CRFF Composite Big 12 Power Rankings

No. 10

Baylor

No. 9

Kansas

No. 8

Iowa State

No. 7

Texas

No. 6

Texas Tech

No. 5

West Virginia

No. 4

Kansas State

No. 3

TCU

NCAA Football: Texas Christian at Arkansas

No. 2

Oklahoma State

No. 1

Oklahoma

Gallagher Martin

#10 Baylor- I guess Joey Galloway was wrong about Baylor.

#9 Kansas- Baylor vs. Kansas is going to be epic this year.

#8 Texas Tech- A week one win over Eastern Washington doesn’t tell us much. Let’s see how they do against Arizona State this week.

#7 Texas- The Longhorns have an excellent chance to gain some national respect by beating or even competing with USC. But Vince Young ain’t walking through those doors.

#6 Iowa State- Iowa State’s overtime loss to Iowa shows the Cyclones could be a pesky team in the Big 12 this year.

#5 Kansas State- The Wildcats face their first real competition this week at Vanderbilt. A win over a SEC team is a win over a SEC team, I suppose.

#4 West Virgina- It’s a shame the Mountaineers were dropped from the top 25 after a one-score loss in a neutral site game against a ranked opponent opening week. WVU is top 25 caliber and they’ll be back soon.

#3 TCU- TCU is going to be a quality win for Oklahoma State in a couple weeks.

#2 Oklahoma State- Doesn’t matter where you start in the Power Rankings, it matters where you finish.

#1 Oklahoma- Had Oklahoma at #1 last week and nothing has changed.

Joel Penfield

#10 Baylor- Oh how the mighty have fallen. After a shocking loss to Liberty, they turn around and get dominated at home by UTSA. This is not looking good for the Bears, they'll be lucky to win 3 games this year.

#9 Kansas- The Jayhawks came back to reality after beating Mighty SouthEastern Missouri State the previous week. Peyton Bender had a rough game, he's going to have to clean up the interceptions if he is going to lead this team to more than two wins.

#8 Iowa State- That was a grinder of a game against Iowa, only to blow a lead in the 4th quarter. They proved going into Ames will be a tough test for any Big 12 team.

#7 Texas Tech- After playing the Fighting Bye's of Open Date University last week, they face two tough tests in Arizona State and the Houston. If the Red Raiders want to compete this year, they need to play well in these two games to move up in the rankings.

#6 Texas- They aren't back, but they did win a game that they should have on Saturday against San Jose State. I doubt they go into the Coliseum and win, but crazier things have happened.

#5 West Virginia- They bounced back after a tough loss against Virginia Tech last week. Will Grier can be erratic at times, but he's a good quarterback for Dana Holgerson.

#4 Kansas State- Very similar to Oklahoma State, they have dominated their opponents thus far, like they should have. The Fighting Bill Synder's are going to be a tough out in conference play this year. A healthy Jesse Ertz is going to be tough in Big 12 play.

#3 TCU- That was a big win on the road for the Horned Frogs in Arkansas. I'm still not sold on Kenny Trill at quarterback, but that defense is legit.

#2 Oklahoma State- The Cowboys have dominated both of their opponents thus far, as they rightfully should have. This week against Pitt will be a good litmus test going into conference play.

#1 Oklahoma- That was a huge test going to Columbus and they passed it. Baker Mayfield looked like a legit Heisman candidate. Bedlam is going to be #interesting this year.

Micah Allen

#10 Baylor- After the unthinkable of losing to Liberty University happened, the bleeding didn't stop for the Bears. They got handed a loss by UTSA this week 17-10. They're currently the only team in the Big 12 without a win.

#9 Kansas- Central Michigan...That names rings a bell for some reason. Kansas only put up 27 points on Saturday against CMU, and lost the game 45-27.

#8 Texas- Texas is most certainly not back. But they did get some redemption this week after a 56-0 victory against San Jose State. We'll see what happens against USC this week.

#7 Iowa State- They lost a close one on Saturday against Iowa. Losing by a field goal in the last moments of the game (how does it feel ISU.). They really needed this win and they just couldn't get it done.

#6 West Virgina- After being narrowly defeated by Virginia Tech in week one 24-31, it looked the Mountaineers could struggle this season. But they came out in week two and put up 56 points on Eastern Carolina. Their defense did give up 20 points but it looks like this offense can score.

#5 Texas Tech- Same story as Kansas State. They beat their opponent by a lot. But I'm going to have to see more. They had a bye this week so the only game we've seen in Eastern Washington.

#4 Kansas State- Kansas State has had two dominant victories in the first two weeks, but they haven't really played a notable opponent yet. Their first two games were against Central Arkansas and Charlotte. I'm gonna need to see more before I'm willing to put them any higher.

#3 TCU- After a big victory against Arkansas this weekend TCU gets my No.3 spot. Kenny Hill is still Kenny Hill though and they definitely have some room for improvement.

#2 Oklahoma State- After two lopsided victories to start the season Oklahoma State has definitely lived up to the hype so far. This offense looks unstoppable.

#1 Oklahoma- As much as I hate it. I have to put them on the top of the list right now. After beating the then No. 2 team in the nation, you have to give it to them. Baker Mayfield antics and all.

Will Hendrickson

#10 Baylor- After unbelievably losing to Liberty in their opener, the Bears followed it up with a home loss to UTSA. Baylor is officially back in the cellar of the conference, where they rightfully belong.

#9 Kansas- Those damn Chippewas gave KU a little dose of reality this past weekend. The Jayhawks still have a long way to go..but hey, at least they aren't Baylor!

#8 Iowa State- The Cyclones were soooooo close to knocking off in-state rival Iowa this past week. Blowing a 10-point fourth quarter lead at home and losing in OT is a brutal way to lose, but ISU proved themselves to be a difficult out in Ames.

#7 Texas- After falling on their face against Maryland, Texas had a nice mini-recovery against San Jose State, dominating 56-0. A chance for redemption this week at USC is a massive opportunity for the Horns and the Big 12, but don't count on it.

#6 Texas Tech- Tech dominated against Eastern Washington in their opener and had a bye last week so not much movement here. Matchups against Arizona State this week and Houston next week will give us a lot more insight into the Red Raiders.

#5 West Virgina- A nice bounce back win for the Mountaineers over ECU puts them at number five. They are on the cusp of breaking back into the Top 25 after losing a heartbreaker to Virginia Tech in their opening game of the season.

#4 Kansas State- Similar to OSU, K State has dominated both of their games but has played two largely inferior opponents. A trip to Nashville to face Vanderbilt this week will tell us more about the Snydercats.

#3 TCU- The Horned Frogs have the second best win in the Big 12 with a shutdown of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The Frogs will need better play from Kenny Hill to truly contend for a Big 12 title, but their defense looks like maybe the best unit in the conference.

#2 Oklahoma State- The Pokes remain #2 for me this week. Have looked dominant offensively and defensively in both wins so far but still haven't faced much of a test. Pitt should tell us a little more about the Cowboys going forward

#1 Oklahoma- A dominating performance in Columbus gives OU the best win in the country so far. The jury is still out on how good Ohio State really is, but a marquee win for the Sooners nonetheless. Baker and Co. once again look like a handful.

Brodie Smith

#10 Baylor- It gets worse each week for Baylor. When Penn State went through a downturn, the fans and alumni rallied around the program and breathed life into its weakened state. Is that happening in Waco? Because it sure looks like the Bears are in for a long season if something good doesn't happen soon.

#9 Texas- The Longhorns won in dominating fashion this weekend. But it still lost to Kansas last year and will always be ranked behind the Jayhawks until that egregious error is corrected on the field.

#8 Kansas- Even a 3-0 start seemed a possibility for the Jayhawks. We thought they'd be improved. Okay, I thought they'd be improved. Most everyone else figured they'd be, well, Kansas. No, now we know better than this team is not a contender for the conference title, though maybe it will get more than one conference win this season.

#7 Iowa State- The tornado birds forced state rival Iowa into OT but fell in the end. A close loss to a non-conference rival isn't always that bad, but it sure shrinks the margin for error going forward. Not that the Cyclones had a wide margin to begin with.

#6 Texas Tech- The Red Raiders did nothing to move up or down in these rankings because Texas Tech didn't even play last week. So, we still don't know what we're looking at but can probably expect a dangerous offense and limited defense.

#5 West Virgina- Points poured in on Saturday. It's something we've come to expect from Dana Holgerson's offenses. But the Mountaineers have a loss on its record (even to a Top 25 program), and that's enough to see them fall a bit.

#4 TCU- Known for its defense under Gary Patterson, but the offense might be getting into gear with Kenny Hill finding a rhythm. It wasn't a dominant performance at Arkansas, but it was enough to move past West Virginia.

#3 Kansas State- The Wildcats lead off the purple section of the rankings. Bill Snyder always seems to field a competitive team no one really expects to contend nationally. Yet, once again, KSU is performing under the radar and will have something to say about how the rest of the conference breaks down.

#2 Oklahoma State- Playing on the road in Mobile against a young program gets OSU another expected win but not much movement on the needle. The Cowboys got the job done and played well against South Alabama. Next up is a noted Power 5 conference in Pittsburgh.

#1 Oklahoma- The conference needed a statement on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Longhorns and Bears. Oklahoma did just that on the road against the top ranked program from what many consider to be the best conference in football. No one else has that, or a reigning conference champion, going for it.

Cory Landes

#10 Baylor- A team would have to lose to Liberty and UTSA to be ranked below Kansas. Congrats Baylor!

#9 Kansas- Blowout loss at home to Central Michigan, when does basketball season start?

#8 Iowa State- Good enough for at least one upset win per season, but not highly ranked in my power rankings. They’ll sneak up on someone....

#7 Texas- A season-defining game early in the season. If they’re competitive they’ll get a tad bit of respect back.

#6 Texas Tech- Home against Arizona State and then a trip to Houston will answer some remaining questions.

#5 West Virgina- As a starter, Grier is 6-1, 156/239 for 1,907 yards, 18 TDs, 4 INTs. Morgantown will be a tough place to win.

#4 TCU- Impressive win at Arkansas. Frogs looking more confident than last season. Visit Stillwater on 9/23.

#3 Kansas State- Not much competition yet, but they’ve taken care of business. A trip to Vandy this week may give us a better look at the Wildcats.

#2 Oklahoma State- No matter the opponent, it was nice to see the defense not only show up but make some impact plays.

#1 Oklahoma- Best non-conference win in the Big 12 so far, Lincoln Riley was a great hire. Imagine the impact if Gundy had hired Riley rather than Yurich a few years ago. He probably would be the head coach in Norman.