Power Rankings: Which Big 12 teams will make the CFP?

With three weeks of college football remaining this season, we finally know which teams are genuine contenders as opposed to contenders.

With the Buffs knocked out of bowl eligibility, let’s go through the Big 12 to see where they stand amongst their conference-mates. Also, just for fun, let’s check out which team (or teams) could represent the Big 12 in the College Football Playoffs.

Can Arizona State repeat? Is Tech legit? Could Tech and BYU both make the playoffs? Let’s find out!

16: Oklahoma State

Sorry, but not really. If you haven’t won a conference game this season and have no head coach, you end up at the bottom of this list. This season has been over for OSU since Week Three, which should tell you how things are going in Stillwater. They just aren’t very good at football. Hopefully, the ‘Pokes can get their guy in this upcoming coaching cycle to get this proud program back on track. It’s a damn shame the Buffs didn’t have Oklahoma State on their schedule this season.

15: Colorado

Three straight losses, two of which came in blowout fashion, have completely torpedoed this season for the Buffs. As things stand as of now in Boulder, this team is broken. Lots of fixing will need to occur over the offseason, starting with revamping the coaching staff by bringing in new assistants and fresh perspectives. Thankfully, there is a bright spot in quarterback Julian Lewis, who is looking like everything he was hyped up to be.

14: UCF

In true Scott Frost fashion, UCF had Houston on the ropes last week but let them get away. Leading by two scores early, the Knights allowed the Coogs to surge to take a lead with only a couple of minutes to play. Frost made the perplexing choice to bench starting QB Tayven Jackson for true freshman Davi Belfort for the final drive, who threw a pick in Houston territory when a field goal would have tied things up and sent it to overtime.

Hmmmm… I feel like I’ve seen this exact thing happen with Frost somewhere else before. Perhaps at a certain school in the Big Ten?

13: WVU

After a rough start, West Virginia has built some momentum at the very tail end of their season by stacking two straight conference wins. Rich Rodrigues might have found a guy in true freshman QB Scotty Fox Jr. This has always been a bit of a throwaway year for the Mountaineers, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can take a big step forward in 2026.

12: Kansas

Although they are one win away from bowl eligibility, this Jayhawks program has been frustrating to the nth degree. Right when KU has appeared on the verge of a breakout in back-to-back years, they’ve shot themselves in the foot and fallen way short. It appears that Kansas will have no other choice but to rebuild and restart next year, so enjoy having Jalon Daniels while you still have him, Jayhawks fans.

11: Iowa State

Speaking of frustrating, Iowa State might be the most perplexing squad in the Big 12. After a stellar start, injuries have derailed the Cyclones’ season. They got back on track by beating TCU last weekend, but this year is still a lost cause for Iowa State. With such a crazy coaching carousel incoming, this might be Matt Campbell’s last ride in Ames.

10: Baylor

Despite Baylor being one win away from bowl eligibility, it looks like a coaching change could be coming in Waco. Bears fans have been patiently waiting for this team to break through under the watch of Dave Aranda, but that just hasn’t happened. They’ve got a tough schedule upcoming as well, playing Utah, Arizona and Houston to close the year. We’ll have to see how Baylor performs to end the year, but there’s no hope of a Big 12 title birth for the Bears this year. Onto basketball season!

9: Kansas State

The Cats are back! After a truly disastrous start to their year, Avery Johnson and company have righted the ship, winning four of their last five games. This is a team that’s hot, and Big 12 teams don’t want to play them. They need to win two more games to reach a bowl game, but with OSU and Colorado remaining on their schedule, reaching eligibility is almost a certainty for K-State.

8: TCU

The Frogs are having a good season, but a loss to Iowa State last weekend is keeping them lower on this list. This TCU team is capable of beating any team in the Big 12 on a good day, but it just doesn’t have the talent to fully compete with the top dogs consistently. Still, this season is encouraging for Sonny Dykes and his team after two back-to-back lackluster seasons following their national championship appearance.

7: Arizona

Arizona might be the most surprising team in the Big 12 this season. Brent Brennan’s first season in Tucson could only be considered a massive failure on all fronts in 2024, but this Wildcats team has regrouped and revamped its identity, building in the trenches and emphasizing the run game to great success. Arizona is genuinely good, and Brennan deserves his flowers for that.

6: Arizona State

Arizona State has taken a step back this year, due to no fault of its own. Losing star quarterback Sam Leavitt for season is a massive blow, but backup Jeff Sims has come in and used to legs to lead ASU to success. This isn’t the Sun Devils team of 2024 and they won’t make the playoffs, but they are absolutely still a team to fear.

5: Houston

For the first time in many years, Houston is having a season that officially makes it worthy of being in a power conference. Willie Fritz has officially given the Coogs the Tulane treatment, taking a once-struggling program and bringing them back to prominence in just a couple of years. While Houston might lack some talent compared to other Big 12 teams, the stellar coaching helps make up for it.

4: Cincinnati

This is where the range of teams that could reach the playoffs begins, but Cincy would need some help. Beating BYU next weekend would be a good start, but they’d need either Utah or Tech to lose as well. Looking back at it, that loss to the Utes really stings for the Bearcats…

3: Utah

Ranked 13th in the CFP Poll, Utah is in striking distance of making the playoffs. Unfortunately, they have already lost to both of the Big 12’s frontrunners in Tech and BYU. A BYU loss to Cincy, or the SEC and Big Ten completely falling apart, could set the steps in motion to send the Utes to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

2: BYU

BYU finally suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of Tech, but this team is still very legit. As long as they handle business going forward, they’ll get their rematch with the Red Raiders in Dallas next month for their chance to punch their ticket to the playoffs.

1: Texas Tech

Once again, the Red Raiders reign supreme in the Big 12. Crushing BYU officially cemented them as the team to beat in this conference. Ranked 6th in the CFP Poll, TTU would need to screw up royally to miss out on the playoffs. Your destiny is in your hands, Red Raiders. Don’t mess it up.

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