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Big 12 power rankings entering college football Week 9: New Number 1 after BYU loses
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- Big 12 power rankings entering college football Week 9: New Number 1 after BYU loses
Dramatic irony is a funny thing. College Gameday was at Utah in Week 8, and there was a lot of talk about a "3-bid Big 12" in this year's College Football Playoff.
Well, after Gameday went off the air, two of those three promptly lost. Simply put, the conference is not in as good of a position to receive multiple bids to the CFP (for the first time ever) as it was when Week 8 started.
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MORE: Biggest risers in College Football after Week 8
Ranks 10-6
Oct 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Jake Fette (2) celebrates after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats in the second half at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
10. Arizona State
The Sun Devils handed the keys to the offense over to Mikey Keene this week… and he promptly got injured against Kansas State. True freshman Jake Fette finished the game, but all he had to do was hand the ball to breakout star Cardae Mack, who ran for 159 yards and 4 TDs. Don't doubt what Kenny Dillingham can do with a bad quarterback.
9. UCF
This is a team that wasn't given proper credit before beating BYU — their 3 losses were by respectable margins to Houston and Oklahoma State and a weather game against Pitt. With backup Keyone Jenkins at the helm (who was excellent by the way), the Knights played their game of the year and beat BYU 39-31 in double OT.
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8. West Virginia
Rich Rod is doing Rich Rod things. With a roster that is in the bottom half of the league talent-wise, he's found a way to run his spread zone-read offense and pile up the points and win games with a suspect defense. A 24-20 victory against a defensive-minded TCU team in Week 8 is further evidence of Rich Rod's prowess, and Michael Hawkins Jr is his next muse at QB.
7. Cincinnati
Cue the Michael Jordan "and I took that personally" meme. After an offseason where Brendan Sorsby left Cincinnati for Texas Tech, chaos ensued as Sorsby was ruled ineligible, Texas Tech tried to throw Cincinnati under the bus, and Tech booster Cody Campbell ran his mouth that Tech would beat Cincinnati by 40. They didn't. The Bearcats impressed with a 37-24 performance that saw JC French throw for 4 TDs and Cole Tabb run for 173 yards. The Bearcats won the line of scrimmage all day long. They wanted this one. Bad.
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6. Arizona
Arizona now finds themselves at 6-1, with their only loss coming at BYU. Now, they haven't beaten (or played) any other teams ahead of them on this list, so they can't be ranked higher. Isaiah Mizell is looking like the next great Arizona WR with two straight 100+ yard performances.
MORE: Biggest fallers in College Football after Week 8
Top 5
Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) sings the OSU alma mater with teammates after a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the Colorado Buffaloes at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. Oklahoma State won 57-24. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
5. Oklahoma State
The Pokes walloped Colorado 57-24 in Week 8, solidifying their spot in the top-5 on this list. They really do give off 2010s Big 12 vibes with their high-octane offense and defense that prefers not to cover or tackle. Their games are always fun to watch.
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4. Houston
It's been said before that this offense will go as far as Conner Weigman can carry them, and he was a bit of a let-down against Utah. He completed just over 50% of his passes, and failed to account for a single touchdown in the 21-13 loss. This team has a legitimate gripe to Brett Yormark that they will end up with one of the hardest conference schedules when all is said and done.
3. Texas Tech
Where do we begin? The 37-24 loss to Cincinnati revealed some major red flags with this Red Raiders team. The defensive front seven is simply not on par with the 2025 Red Raiders, and they got pushed around by the Bearcats. The offense is also not high-powered enough to win in a shootout. Will Hammond has to be able to create more explosive pass plays. The pathway for this team to make the CFP is now straight and narrow: win out.
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2. BYU
Emotional letdown games have been one of the themes of the 2026 college football season. Seemingly every team who comes off an iconic, emotional win loses the next weekend. In Week 8, it was BYU. After the victory over Notre Dame, the Cougars simply couldn't muster a repeat performance in Orlando against UCF. They do fall in the rankings, but it does not change their overall profile a whole lot.
1. Utah
The biggest winner of the weekend in the Big 12 was Utah. Not only did they win their first test of the season against Houston, but the other teams at the top of the league all lost, giving the Utes a much-needed cushion in the Conference Championship race.
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