Texas Tech and BYU remain on track for a rematch in the Big 12 championship game.
The Red Raiders were the unanimous pick for the top spot, receiving all 16 votes from a panel of media who regularly cover the Big 12, and the Cougars were No. 2. Tech beat BYU 29-7 on Nov. 8 in Lubbock.
Utah was third, followed by Arizona State and Houston to round out the top five. Cincinnati dropped three spots after a second straight loss. Kansas held firm at 12th following its third and final bye week.
1. Texas Tech
Previous ranking: 1
Points: 256 (16 first-place votes)
Record: 10-1 (7-1 Big 12)
Last week: beat UCF, 48-9
This week: Open date
Comment: A nice break in the action for the Red Raiders after another undressing of the competition at home. Nothing’s set yet, but as long as it doesn’t stumble in Morgantown next week, Texas Tech will be playing for the Big 12 championship.
Did you know? Jacob Rodriguez may not win the Heisman, no matter how hard Texas Tech tries, but he’s currently on pace to be the first Red Raider since 2012 to lead the team in both tackles and interceptions in a season. — Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
2. BYU
Previous ranking: 2
Points: 237
Record: 9-1 (6-1 Big 12)
Last week: beat TCU, 44-13
This week: at Cincinnati
Comment: BYU finally won a meaningful game in November after collapsing in the final month of the season a year ago.
Did you know? BYU ended a five-game losing streak to TCU. — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune
3. Utah
Previous ranking: 3
Points: 223
Record: 8-2 (5-2 Big 12)
Last week: beat Baylor, 55-28
This week: vs. Kansas State
Comment: Utah’s quarterback situation remains up in the air, as the Utes prepare to take on Kansas State this Saturday in Salt Lake City. Devon Dampier remains as the starter, but — with his ailing health — Byrd Ficklin could be in line for his second career start this weekend.
Did you know? Despite having two losses, the Utes still have a 38.5% chance to make the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN’s latest Power Index. — Jason Batacao, The Salt Lake Tribune
4. Arizona State
Previous ranking: 6
Points: 194
Record: 7-3 (5-2 Big 12)
Last week: beat West Virginia, 25-23
This week: at Colorado
Comment: The Sun Devils had the game in hand, then they didn’t, but then got a lead back again. The Sun Devils got a game-winning field goal by Jesus Gomez, again. But then it still took an interception by Keith Abney to seal it.
Did you know? The Sun Devils now have five wins by a combined 17 points. — Michelle Gardner, Arizona Republic
5. Houston
Previous ranking: 5
Points: 183
Record: 8-2 (5-2 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: vs. TCU
Comment: Coming out of the off week, the Cougars are still in position for a 10-win season, which would be a six-game improvement in coach Willie Fritz’s second season. The big question is whether the Cougars can correct the recent turnover issues that have produced eight in the last two games.
Did you know? Kicker Ethan Sanchez, a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, has 19 field goals this season. The school record is 22, set by Roman Anderson in 1989. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle
6. Arizona
Previous ranking: T7
Points: 175
Record: 7-3 (4-3 Big 12)
Last week: beat No. 25 Cincinnati, 30-24
This week: vs. Baylor
Comment: Arizona’s triumph last week was the Wildcats’ second win over a ranked under head coach Brent Brennan — both wins are on the road. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita set the UA passing touchdowns record, passing Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles and Willie Tuitama.
Did you know? This week will be Arizona’s first game at Casino Del Sol Stadium, the venue formerly known as Arizona Stadium. The Southern Arizona-based casino is entering a 20-year, $60 million agreement for naming rights to Arizona Stadium. The $60 million deal is the largest total valuation in the Big 12. — Justin Spears, Arizona Daily Star
7. Cincinnati
Previous ranking: 4
Points: 170
Record: 7-3 (5-2 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Arizona, 30-24
This week: vs. No. 11 BYU
Comment: Cincinnati probably needed to win out to reach the Big 12 championship and fell flat versus Arizona. It was its first home loss of the season. The Bearcats led into the third quarter, but Arizona dominated possession time and a last-ditch effort failed, keeping UC winless in November. Brendan Sorsby had no interceptions in September and October but now has thrown three in November
Did you know? Cincinnati is 0-for-3 against BYU. Tommy Tuberville’s teams lost in 2015 and 2016. Scott Satterfield’s first Big 12 team lost in Provo, Utah, 35-27 in 2023. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer
8. Kansas State
Previous ranking: 11
Points: 129
Record: 5-5 (4-3 Big 12)
Last week: beat Oklahoma State, 14-6
This week: at No. 13 Utah
Comment: Major playmakers for the Wildcats keep dropping as K-State lost star wide receiver Jayce Brown for the season after a left arm injury sustained in the first half of the win over Oklahoma State.
Did you know? Saturday will be the first time in history that Kansas State and Utah have met on the gridiron. — Tim Everson, The Manhattan Mercury
9. Iowa State
Previous ranking: 9
Points: 128
Record: 6-4 (3-4 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: vs. Kansas
Comment: Iowa State tight end Ben Brahmer is one of eight finalists for the John Mackey Award. The 6-foot-7, 255-pound junior leads his team with five touchdown receptions, but recently endured a jarring health scare after taking a sharp hit to the chest in a 24-19 loss to Arizona State on Nov. 1 at home. Brahmer returned the following week, however, and helped Iowa State beat TCU, 20-17, on the road to end a four-game losing streak.
Did you know? The Cyclones have lost three straight games against the Jayhawks after winning seven in a row — and 11 of 12 — in the long-running series. Iowa State and Kansas have played each other every season since 1932, and this will be the 105th meeting overall. — Rob Gray, Cedar Rapids Gazette
10. TCU
Previous ranking: T7
Points: 124
Record: 6-4 (3-4 Big 12)
Last week: lost to No. 12 BYU, 44-13
This week: at No. 25 Houston
Comment: TCU’s loss to BYU was the third-largest margin of defeat in the Sonny Dykes era, and it puts TCU under .500 in Big 12 play this season. The Frogs are staring down the barrel of an 0-4 November and a wildly disappointing 6-6 season unless something changes quickly.
Did you know? Since the start of the 2023 season, TCU is 12-13 in Big 12 play and 20-15 overall, and the Frogs have lost their last four games against ranked opponents dating back to the national championship game against Georgia. — Jamie Plunkett, Horned Frog Blitz
11. Baylor
Previous ranking: 10
Points: 103
Record: 5-5 (3-4 Big 12)
Last week: lost to No. 13 Utah, 55-18
This week: at Arizona
Comment: Things played out as expected on Saturday as Utah and its rushing offense, which ranks third in the country, ran all over the Baylor’s porous rush defense. The Utes had three offensive touchdowns on plays of 60-plus yards. Baylor was a team with Big 12 championship game aspirations. Now, the Bears are fighting for a bowl game. The messy situation with athletic director Mack Rhoades makes head coach Dave Aranda’s job status even murkier.
Did you know? The 380 yards the Bears allowed to the Utes are the most Baylor has allowed in a single game since giving up 431 to TCU on Nov. 5, 2016. — Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald
12. Kansas
Previous ranking: 12
Points: 82
Record: 5-5 (3-4 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: at Iowa State
Comment: Coming out of bye week No. 3, the task is simple: win at least one of its final two games, with the first coming on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium, and KU will be headed back to the postseason for the third time in four years. Otherwise, it’ll be a wildly disappointing conclusion to 2025.
Did you know? The three coaching staffs that preceded Lance Leipold’s went a combined 1-11 against Iowa State. Leipold is 3-1 and has won the last three games against Matt Campbell and the Cyclones at three different venues: 14-11 in 2022 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, 28-21 in 2023 at Jack Trice Stadium and 45-36 in 2024 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. — Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World
13. West Virginia
Previous ranking: 13
Points: 61
Record: 4-7 (2-6 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Arizona State, 25-23
This week: Open date
Comment: The Mountaineers came very close to pulling off their second big upset on the road. West Virginia left plenty of points on the field in the two-point loss, turning the ball over on downs twice in the red zone and failing on a two-point conversion.
Did you know? Reserve tight end Greg Genross blocked an Arizona State field goal in the second half, WVU’s first since blocking two field goals in a win at TCU in 2023. — Cody Nespor, Gold and Blue Nation
14. UCF
Previous ranking: 14
Points: 46
Record: 4-6 (1-6 Big 12)
Last week: lost to No. 8 Texas Tech, 48-9
This week: vs. Oklahoma State
Comment: UCF quickly found itself in an early hole that the Knights were unable to climb out of as Texas Tech scored 21 unanswered points before going on to win, 48-9. The Knights didn’t record a first down until the second quarter and finished with less than 300 yards of offense for the third consecutive game. The defense didn’t fare much better, allowing a season-high 499 yards of offense to the Red Raiders.
Did you know? UCF has lost eight straight road games going back to last season. It’s the second-longest road losing streak in the Big 12, trailing Oklahoma State’s nine-game mark. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel
15. Colorado
Previous ranking: 15
Points: 39
Record: 3-7 (1-6 Big 12)
Last week: Open date
This week: vs. Arizona State
Comment: CU went into its first bye in mid-October on a high note after upsetting Iowa State. Since that bye, the Buffs have lost three straight. Now coming out of their second bye, the Buffs are looking to break that streak. Dating back to 2019, the Buffs are 4-1 in post-bye home games.
Did you know? This is the seventh time in the last nine seasons that CU has had a losing streak of at least three games within a season. In five of the previous six, that streak reached at least four games. — Brian Howell, Boulder Daily Camera
16. Oklahoma State
Previous ranking: 16
Points: 16
Record: 1-9 (0-7 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Kansas State, 14-6
This week: at UCF
Comment: Oklahoma State’s first off week since interim defensive coordinator Clint Bowen took over in Week 6 led to the defense’s best game of the year, perhaps the best in two seasons, on Saturday. Bowen said that was the first time he felt like this group tackled well. Now the Cowboys have two games left to prove that improvement wasn’t the result of an outlier.
Did you know? Freshman running back Rodney Fields has eight plays of 20-plus yards this season evenly split between rushing and receiving. That’s a big reason Fields ranks eighth in the Big 12 and 54th nationally in all-purpose yards despite not returning kicks or punts. — Tyler Waldrep, Pistols Firing
AP Photo/Justin Rex
