{"id":865113,"date":"2026-09-29T20:48:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T20:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/865113\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T20:48:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T20:48:13","slug":"big-12-power-rankings-theres-a-new-team-at-the-top-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/865113\/","title":{"rendered":"Big 12 power rankings: There\u2019s a new team at the top \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

One month of the 2026 college football season is finished \u2014 it\u2019s going way too fast \u2014 and there are several teams in the Big 12 who are living up to the preseason expectations surrounding their squads.<\/p>\n

There have also been some surprises, both for the good and the bad. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s created a situation where the Big 12 race appears to be as open as ever, with a handful of teams playing at a higher level as the calendar prepares to turn to October.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s even a change at the top of this week\u2019s Big 12 power rankings, after one Utah school leapfrogged the other.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at how the league stacks up following Week 4 of the 2026 college football season. <\/p>\n

1. Utah Utes (4-0, 1-0 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 2 (\u2b06\ufe0f 1)Last week: Beat Iowa State, 31-17<\/a>Next game: Oct. 10 vs. Kansas, 8:15 p.m. MDT (ESPN)<\/p>\n

The evolution of Wayshawn Parker<\/a> was on full display in the Utes\u2019 win at Iowa State, as the talented junior running back ran for a career-high 174 yards and accounted for 239 yards from scrimmage while scoring three times in the victory.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s just one piece of an encouraging first month for the Utes under first-year coach Morgan Scalley \u2014 and their consistency and ability to put teams away convincingly is getting noticed around the country.<\/p>\n

While it would be nice for Utah to play this week and continue building on the momentum it has sustained through the season\u2019s first month, it will be heavy favorites in their next two games \u2014 at home vs. Kansas and at Colorado \u2014 coming out of the bye.<\/p>\n

\"\"BYU head coach Kalani Sitake looks on in during game against Colorado State Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Fort Collins, Colo. | AP Photo\/David Zalubowski 2. BYU Cougars (3-0, 1-0 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 1 (\u2b07\ufe0f 1)Last week: ByeNext game: Saturday at TCU, 5 p.m. MDT (ESPN)<\/p>\n

The bye seemingly came at a perfect time for BYU, which has already had a handful of injuries challenge its depth in the season\u2019s early going. Unfortunately for the Cougars, Monday brought more injury news, as starting right tackle Andrew Gentry announced he had surgery<\/a> on his right foot\/ankle and is out long-term, perhaps for the season.<\/p>\n

Staying healthy has been the biggest struggle for the Cougars thus far in an otherwise successful start to the year, as they head into October as a top-10 team with College Football Playoff aspirations.<\/p>\n

On paper, Saturday\u2019s game at downtrodden TCU is favorable for the Cougars, though BYU doesn\u2019t have history on its side in Fort Worth \u2014 the last time the Cougars beat the Horned Frogs in Amon G. Carter Stadium was in 2006.<\/p>\n

3. Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-0, 1-0 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 3 (\u2194\ufe0f)Last week: Beat Sam Houston, 49-14Next game: Saturday at Colorado, 5:30 p.m. MDT (Fox)<\/p>\n

The Red Raiders defense looks fearsome once again, and Austin Romaine\u2019s back-to-back pick-sixes against Sam Houston were impressive. The Texas Tech offense is the side of the ball that is struggling \u2014 even in a 35-point win, a lot of focus after the win was placed on the fact quarterback Will Hammond<\/a> threw interceptions on three straight first-half possessions.<\/p>\n

Still, the Red Raiders remain unbeaten and ranked in the top 15 \u2014 and until someone actually beats the defending Big 12 champions, those inconsistencies aren\u2019t as glaring. There\u2019s an easier game on hand this week, as Texas Tech hits the road to face a plummeting Colorado squad. <\/p>\n

4. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1, 1-0 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 5 (\u2b06\ufe0f 1)Last week: Beat West Virginia, 41-24Next game: Oct. 10 vs. UCF, 10 a.m. MDT (ESPN or ESPN2)<\/p>\n

The Eric Morris-led Cowboys are looking more and more like a legitimate Big 12 contender, especially after rallying from down 11 on the road at previously unbeaten West Virginia and scoring 28 of the game\u2019s final 31 points to win going away. The offensive firepower of Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins and Wyatt Young was on full display, as the Cowboys piled up 609 yards of offense. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bit unfortunate for Big 12 fans that Oklahoma State has a bye this week. The Cowboys are proving to be one of the most entertaining teams in the league through one month of the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

\"\"Houston tight end Traville Frederick Jr. (85) scores a touchdown against Georgia Southern defensive back Jakyri Jones (6) during game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Statesboro, Ga. | Mike Stewart, Associated Press 5. Houston Cougars (3-1, 0-1 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 4 (\u2b07\ufe0f 1)Last week: Beat Georgia Southern, 42-28Next game: Saturday vs. UCF, 10 a.m. MDT (ESPN2)<\/p>\n

Hey, a win is a win \u2014 and another victory keeps Houston ranked and moving up in the polls. The Cougars were in a 14-14 game with Georgia Southern in the second quarter before a run of three straight touchdowns pushed Houston to a more comfortable lead en route to the 14-point win, though it\u2019s a victory that doesn\u2019t look as dominant as one might expect from a top-20 team.<\/p>\n

The Cougars competed tough in their Big 12 opener \u2014 a two-point loss against Texas Tech two weeks ago \u2014 but will have their chance to earn their first conference win when UCF comes to town. The Knights are coming off a league-opening victory over slumping TCU.<\/p>\n

6. Arizona Wildcats (3-1, 0-1 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 8 (\u2b06\ufe0f 2)Last week: Beat Washington State, 34-24Next game: Saturday vs. Cincinnati, 9 p.m. MDT (Fox)<\/p>\n

For a second straight week, Arizona got off to a slow start and found itself coming from behind in a game the Wildcats were favored in. This one was a bit more nerve-wracking, as Washington State made it a seven-point game midway through the fourth before Arizona put the game away with a late field goal.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s on to Big 12 play full-time for the Wildcats, who host one of the surprise unbeaten teams in the conference, Cincinnati. The Bearcats won their league opener against Kansas State and look like a tougher test than they were presenting two weeks ago. This could be the best Big 12 matchup of the week.<\/p>\n

7. Cincinnati Bearcats (4-0, 1-0 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 11 (\u2b06\ufe0f 4)Last week: Beat Kansas State, 31-26Next game: Saturday at Arizona, 9 p.m. MDT (Fox)<\/p>\n

Where did that come from? One week after Cincinnati needed to rally from 21 points down to beat Miami (Ohio), the Bearcats were impressive in a Big 12-opening victory over Kansas State. Cincinnati ran for 271 yards in silencing the Wildcats.<\/p>\n

It sets up an intriguing matchup this week with Arizona. The Wildcats entered the season as a dark horse Big 12 contender, and Arizona is 3-1, with its only loss to No. 10 BYU. If the Bearcats can manage a victory, it\u2019s the most impressive win on the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and keeps Cincinnati in the Big 12 limelight. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

8. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-1, 0-1 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 6 (\u2b07\ufe0f 2)Last week: Lost to Oklahoma State, 41-24Next game: Saturday at Iowa State, 10 a.m. MDT (TNT)<\/p>\n

Early in the second quarter, the Mountaineers were up 14-3 on Oklahoma State and seemed in position to earn a quality victory over the Cowboys. West Virginia\u2019s defense couldn\u2019t contain the explosive Oklahoma State offense all game, though, and the Mountaineers\u2019 run-heavy offense struggled to mount a comeback late.<\/p>\n

This week provides an opportunity for West Virginia to bounce back and get its first Big 12 win, though it would have to come on the road against an Iowa State team that sits at 2-2 on the year. The Cyclones have been better than expected and cut a 24-3 deficit against top-15 Utah to seven points in the fourth quarter before falling by 14.<\/p>\n

9. Arizona State Sun Devils (2-1, 1-0 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 10 (\u2b06\ufe0f 1)Last week: ByeNext game: Saturday vs. Baylor, 8:30 p.m. MDT (ESPN)<\/p>\n

The Sun Devils were one of three Big 12 teams who were on a bye last week, along with BYU and Kansas, ASU\u2019s opponent in its game in England two weekends ago. Now that the jet lag has had some time to be shaken off, the Sun Devils are back at it.<\/p>\n

Up next is a home matchup against Baylor. The Bears\u2019 defense has held all four of its opponents to under 20 points through the season\u2019s first month, setting the stage for what feels like a defensive battle in the desert.<\/p>\n

10. Baylor Bears (3-1, 1-0 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 13 (\u2b06\ufe0f 4)Last week: Beat Colorado, 23-13Next game: Saturday at Arizona State, 8:30 p.m. MDT (ESPN)<\/p>\n

If the Bears have good DJ Lagway show up, they have the kind of tough defense to be able to compete against most anybody in the Big 12. When Lagway struggles passing like he did against Colorado, though \u2014 when he completed just 19 of 39 pass attempts \u2014 things are a bit more interesting than they need to be.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s contest is an opportunity to show the kind of growth Baylor has going, though it will have to come in a late-night road contest in Tempe against an Arizona State team that looks difficult on the surface. If the Bears win, the schedule sets up favorably for Baylor to put together a solid winning streak in league play.<\/p>\n

11. Kansas State Wildcats (3-1, 0-1 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 7 (\u2b07\ufe0f 4)Last week: Lost to Cincinnati, 31-26Next game: Oct. 10 vs. No. 20 Houston, 1:30 p.m. MDT (Fox)<\/p>\n

The first setback in the Colin Klein era came last Saturday, as the Wildcats couldn\u2019t keep pace with Cincinnati. Where Kansas State struggled the most was allowing the Bearcats to run for 271 yards, with a 7.1 yards-per-carry average. Those are concerning numbers in a conference full of talented running backs.<\/p>\n

If Kansas State wants to avoid starting Big 12 action 0-2, it will need to spring an upset with ranked Houston coming to Manhattan in two weeks. The Cougars have an intriguing set of offensive playmakers and will challenge the Wildcats. At least there\u2019s an extra week to prepare.<\/p>\n

\"\"Iowa State running back Cameron Pettaway (0) runs up field during game against Utah, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. | Charlie Neibergall, Associated Press 12. Iowa State Cyclones (2-2, 0-1 Big 12)<\/p>\n

There are pluses and minuses to take away from the Cyclones\u2019 loss to Utah. First, the positive \u2014 Iowa State managed to fight its way back in a game it trailed by 21 at halftime. Now, the negative \u2014 the Cyclones\u2019 previously stout run defense was taken to task, led by a career day from Parker.<\/p>\n

Iowa State has shown plenty of toughness through the season\u2019s first month and could play its way into bowl contention if the Cyclones can learn from some of the early mistakes. The next matchup is another difficult one, though, as West Virginia comes into Ames smarting from a loss to Oklahoma State.<\/p>\n

13. UCF Knights (3-1, 1-0 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 14 (\u2b06\ufe0f 1)Last week: Beat TCU, 21-13Next game: Saturday at No. 20 Houston, 10 a.m. MDT (ESPN2)<\/p>\n

When UCF starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III was injured in mid-September in a loss to Pittsburgh, things seemed pretty bleak, even with a winnable game up next against Georgia State. After a solid victory over TCU to start Big 12 play, the Knights are on a two-game winning streak and Barnett\u2019s replacement, Keyone Jenkins, completed 19 of 20 passes in the win over the Horned Frogs.<\/p>\n

The difficulty is turned up quite a bit this week, as UCF hits the road to take on No. 20 Houston. The Cougars are viewed as a Big 12 contender and can ill-afford another league loss, after losing by two to Texas Tech two weeks ago \u2014 that kind of motivation could make Houston a dangerous team for the Knights to face right now. <\/p>\n

14. TCU Horned Frogs (2-2, 0-1 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 12 (\u2b07\ufe0f 2)Last week: Lost to UCF, 21-13Next game: Saturday vs. No. 10 BYU, 5 p.m. MDT (ESPN)<\/p>\n

One of the Big 12\u2019s bigger disappointments in the early part of the season has been TCU, which fell to .500 on the year with an uninspiring loss on the road last week at UCF. While the Horned Frogs have some weapons, their offense hasn\u2019t gotten on track yet, particularly TCU\u2019s run game.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an opportunity this week to right the ship \u2014 and conversely a chance to be on the losing end of a blowout \u2014 with No. 10 BYU coming to Fort Worth. Going into the 2026 campaign, this looked like a top-tier matchup, and TCU could spoil the Cougars\u2019 playoff hopes, though BYU has been much more consistent this year.<\/p>\n

15. Kansas Jayhawks (1-2, 0-1 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 16 (\u2b06\ufe0f 1)Last week: ByeNext game: Saturday vs. MTSU, 10 a.m. MDT (ESPNU)<\/p>\n

Following its trip to England to take on Arizona State, the Jayhawks utilized a bye week to get recharged from the long-distance travel. Kansas has, therefore, had more time to try and figure out what went wrong when they lost to the Sun Devils.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s one more nonconference game to go for the Jayhawks this week, before they get back into Big 12 action. The Blue Raiders shouldn\u2019t provide a huge challenge, giving Kansas a prime opportunity to get back to .500 on the year and patch up some of its ails.<\/p>\n

16. Colorado Buffaloes (2-2, 0-1 Big 12)Previous ranking: No. 15 (\u2b07\ufe0f 1)Last week: Lost to Baylor, 23-13Next game: Saturday vs. No. 12 Texas Tech, 5:30 p.m. MDT (Fox)<\/p>\n

Things are not looking great for Deion Sanders and company in Boulder. The Buffaloes struggled to get much going offensively in their Big 12 opener at Baylor, and it led to a quarterback change at halftime<\/a> \u2014 a move that ultimately didn\u2019t provide enough of a spark to earn a win. <\/p>\n

Will Colorado be able to turn things around before it gets further out of control? The Buffaloes aren\u2019t likely to have that happen this week, with the defending Big 12 champions coming to town. Colorado has been on a massive slide the past two weeks, and a lopsided loss to the Red Raiders would ramp up the pressure.<\/p>\n

\"\"Colorado head coach Deion Sanders walks on the field before a game vs. Georgia Tech Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Atlanta. | Mike Stewart, Associated Press <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One month of the 2026 college football season is finished \u2014 it\u2019s going way too fast \u2014 and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":865114,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[399,398,396,397,8793,99],"class_list":["post-865113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-football","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaafootball","tag-news-feed-national","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=865113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/865114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=865113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=865113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=865113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}