BIG 12 Post Week 3 Power Rankings
1. Oklahoma (Prev: 1)
The Sooners went into Lincoln and showed that they were a dominant team on both sides of the ball, which cannot be said at times under Lincoln Riley. The offense under Riley was never in question, but the defense always seemed to have some holes that prevented them from being more of a national contender. Brent Venables has brought back the intensity to the defensive side of the ball. Dillon Gabriel looked good leading the offense, but there is still a lot of room to improve, and OU will need to if they have any hopes for the CFP.
2. Oklahoma State (Prev: 2)
OSU played Arkansas Pine Bluff, which was expected, and the game was over quickly. Spencer Sanders got his work in and was pulled in the second quarter to prevent injury. Several other starters were pulled after getting a big lead, which allowed backups to get some playing time which could prove beneficial later in the season. OSU has a bye this week before they head to Waco for a Big 12 Championship rematch with Baylor.
3. Baylor (Prev: 3)
Baylor was able to bounce back from the loss to BYU to beat Texas State at home. Blake Shapen was solid again but only passed for 184 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. The ground game is where the offense does a lot of the work to move the Bears. Baylor has a challenging game in Ames to open Big 12 play, and this game will say a lot about the season Baylor can have.
4. Iowa State (Prev: 5)
The Cyclones did not have any letdown against Ohio after their big rivalry win over Iowa. Hunter Dekkers was good, and he will need to continue this week when Iowa State welcomes Baylor. The interior defensive line for Baylor is challenging to run against, with Siaki Ika and Jaxon Player being anchors. This will be the biggest game of the season for both teams.
5. Texas (Prev: 6)
Texas looked better than I gave them credit. UTSA had a 10-point lead over Texas with 10 min left in the second quarter. Texas was able to rally and tie the game going into halftime. The Longhorns took the lead early in the third quarter and never looked back. They had a lot more fortitude than Texas’ teams of the recent past. They now travel to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech.
6. Kansas State (Prev: 4)
The Wildcats lost to Tulane at home and only scored 10 points. Adrian Martinez had a lousy day at the office, translating into an even more difficult duty for Deuce Vaughn. KSU depends on running the ball and playing strong defense, but in doing so, they need good quarterback play and have not been getting from Martinez, passing the ball. KSU travels to play Oklahoma and will need better performances from all phases to give OU any trouble.
7. TCU (Prev: 7)
TCU had a bye and will travel to Dallas to recapture the Iron Skillet from SMU. This will also be Sonny Dykes first game back as an opposing head coach in Dallas. SMU fans are unhappy about him leaving, and going to a local rival makes the game more fun to watch.
8. Kansas (Prev: 9)
The surprise team for the early part of the season has shown they are ready to get out of the conference basement this year. The Jayhawks went to Houston and indicated they would be a formidable opponent this year, bringing the win and scoring 48 points. This is their second road game in a row, and they sit at 3-0 and will be welcoming Duke.
9. Texas Tech (Prev: 8)
Texas Tech had a rough road trip in North Carolina State, and with the way Kansas was able to beat Houston, Tech drops in the rankings. They have a better win than West Virginia, which is why they are in the nine spot right now.
10. West Virginia (Prev: 10)
The Mountaineers finally got a win against Towson. That was expected, and anything less would have only added more fuel to the fire on Neal Brown’s seat. The road game against Virginia Tech is a needed road win for Brown’s future.
