A pecking order is being established in the Big 12. According to advanced analytics, it’s a four-way race between BYU, Iowa State, Kansas State and Colorado to the Big 12 title. The Big 12 has already been chaotic and less than half of the conference games have been played. Today we update our Big 12 power rankings ahead of week ten.

Record: 8-0
Next opponent: Utah

BYU gets the top spot for having the best resume and best record in the Big 12. BYU’s win over Kansas State is by far the best win in the league. The Cougars are in a good spot and could be heading into November.

Record: 7-0
Next opponent: Texas Tech

Iowa State had a close game against UCF two weeks ago. The Cyclones are the other undefeated team in the Big 12 and just behind BYU in the power rankings. The Cyclones have probably been the most consistent team in the conference.

Throughout its history, Iowa State has never been able to overcome the obstacle. The Cyclones have never won a conference championship. If this is their year, they will have to survive trap games like this week against Texas Tech.

Record: 7-1
Next opponent: Houston

Kansas State survived a scare against rival Kansas last week. The Wildcats have a pretty favorable schedule going forward with games against Houston, Arizona State and Cincinnati before traveling to Iowa State. They could be 10-1 when they face Iowa State in Week 12.

Record: 6-2
Next opponent: Texas Tech

Colorado continues to rack up wins and trail in the conference title race. The Buffaloes are a good football team that is a game or two away from being undefeated in conference play. The calendar is now favorable from Colorado. They pose a real threat to steal a spot in the conference championship game. Colorado and Texas Tech will face off next Saturday in what will likely be one of Colorado’s toughest remaining games.

Record: 5-3
Next opponent: Colorado

Cincinnati was essentially eliminated from the Big 12 title race with its loss at Colorado. The Bearcats are 3-2 in the Big 12 and they have a brutal schedule over the next four games. They have to play Kansas State and Iowa State. For now, they deserve a place in the top five, but there is a big gap between the top four and the rest.

Record: 5-2
Next opponent: Oklahoma State

Arizona State’s offense has struggled without Sam Leavitt in the lineup. It appears Leavitt will play against Oklahoma State on Saturday. They are still 5-2 and have a good chance to make a bowl game.

Record: 5-3
Next opponent: Texas Tech

TCU is incredibly difficult to predict. One week they allow 66 points to SMU and the next week they hold Utah to 7 points. They also have one of the worst conference losses against Houston. The Horned Frogs are 3-2 in conference play, so they deserve a middle-of-the-pack spot, but no team in the Big 12 is more volatile this season than TCU.

Recording: 4-4
Next opponent: Cincinnati

West Virginia could have solidified itself as a Big 12 championship contender over the past two weeks against Iowa State and Kansas State. Instead, the Mountaineers weren’t really competitive in either game. They have talent on the roster and have played a brutal schedule, but this is not the year for the Mountaineers. Neal Brown’s priority is to attend a bowl game and save his job.

Recording: 4-4
Next opponent: TCU

Baylor has been a much better team with Sawyer Robertson at quarterback. We’ve said over the last couple of weeks that it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bears make a bit of a run. Now they’ve won two straight games and have a chance to make it three against TCU. This is a legitimate chance for Baylor to get back to a bowl game.

Record: 5-3
Next opponent: TCU

Texas Tech’s luck has run out in recent weeks. The Red Raiders have never been as good as their record indicates, but the losses have only started to pile up in recent weeks. They are in danger of losing their third straight game at Iowa State this weekend.

Recording: 3-5
Next opponent: Kansas State

Houston is not a good football team, but they managed to win two conference games against TCU and Utah. These two victories earned them a place in the top 11.

Recording: 3-5
Next opponent: Arizona

There are four teams that are 1-3 in Big 12 play. UCF is the most dangerous of those four and they proved it on the road at Iowa State a few weeks ago. UCF’s rushing attack is legitimate, but it was overpowered by BYU last week.

Recording: 3-5
Next opponent: UCF

Arizona’s condition is seemingly getting worse every week. They are in a bad situation at the moment.

Recording: 2-6
Next opponent: Iowa State

Kansas is much better than its record indicates, but until it can win a close game, it doesn’t deserve to be better than 14th in the power rankings. They will likely be eliminated from bowl eligibility after their next game against Iowa State.

Utah’s offense might be the worst in the Power Four. Until they get things figured out on that side of the ball, every game will be a challenge to win. They are coming off crushing losses to TCU and Houston.

Recording: 4-4
Next opponent: BYU

Recording: 3-5
Next opponent: Baylor

Oklahoma State has the talent to beat a lot of teams in this conference, but it hasn’t succeeded yet. They played much better after a bye week against BYU, but they went back to their old habits against Baylor. The Cowboys are winless in conference play at 0-5.