Big 12 Power Rankings After Week One of the College Football Season

The first week of the college football season is in the books. The Big 12 opened up week one with a Cinncinnati loss to Nebraska and wrapped up the weekend with a dominant TCU win over North Carolina.

In this article, we'll unveil the BYU On SI Big 12 power rankings after week one.

1. TCU

TCU looked like the best team in the league in a dominant win over North Carolina. Josh Hoover is one of the best quarterbacks, if not the best quarterback, in the league, and the Horned Frogs are as talented as any team in the league across the other position groups.

TCU has a way of going on a run every 4-5 years, maybe this is their year to go on another one.

2. Iowa State

Iowa State is the only 2-0 team in the league with a win over a P4 team. Rocco Becht has been great and the Cyclones look like a team that could challenge for the Big 12 title once again.

3. Utah

Utah's offense looked dominant in a 43-10 win over UCLA. It remains to be seen whether UCLA is good or not - they definitely didn't look good on Saturday - but the Utes deserve credit for having one of the best wins in the conference thus far.

4. Texas Tech

It was just last year that Texas Tech needed to stop a two-point conversion attempt to pull out a 52-51 win over Abilene Christian. This time around, the Red Raiders handled business in a 67-7 win over AR-Pine Bluff.

5. BYU

BYU played a terrible team in Portland State, but a 69-0 win was the largest margin of victory in college football. The Cougars allowed negative rushing yards and put up 49 points in the first half before pulling the starters.

The BYU defense appears to be one of the best, if not the best, in the Big 12 once again.

6. Arizona State

Arizona State wasn't as sharp as you would expect against NAU. The Sun Devils were just 1/10 on third down in a 38-19 win.

7. Kansas

Kansas might be one of the surprise teams in the conference. Jalon Daniels looks like his 2023 self through two weeks.

8. Baylor

Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson might be one of the top three quarterbacks in the league, but the Baylor defense resembled swiss cheese against Auburn. That loss could to damage to the Big 12 later if Auburn ends up in the middle of the SEC standings.

9. West Virginia

West Virginia got a solid performance from Nicco Marchiol in week one. The Mountaineers won't face their first test of the season until week three against Pitt.

10. Kansas State

No Big 12 team has been more disappointing than Kansas State in 2025. The Wildcats were sloppy in week one in Dublin, but that was understandable. Wet conditions, international travel, week zero, that's the perfect set of circumstances for a sloppy performance.

What can't be explained was Kansas State's near loss to FCS foe North Dakota. The Wildcats needed a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute to pull out the 38-35 victory.

Kansas State entered the season as one of the Big 12 favorites, and they early-season struggles have hurt the perception of the Big 12.

11. Arizona

Arizona dominated Hawaii 40-6. The Wildcats were one of the two most disappointing teams in the conference last year, and they are looking to bounce back in 2025 behind veteran quarterback Noah Fifita.

12. Cincinnati

Cincinnati showed well defensively against Nebraska but lacked the offensive firepower to pull out a win. The Bearcats are 8-16 over the last two years and need to win a couple P4 games before they can climb the power rankings.

13. Colorado

Colorado got three turnovers in the first half against Georgia Tech, but failed to convert on those opportunities in a 27-20 loss. The Buffaloes allowed 6.8 yards per carry in week one and have to prove they can stop the run.

14. Houston

Houston appears to have a solid defense once again. The Cougars shutout SF Austin in a 27-0 win. We won't learn much about Houston until week three when they host Colorado.

15. Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State's 2024 season was riddled with quarterback problems. The Pokes had to play two quarterbacks when the starter left with an injury. Oklahoma State is 1-0, but a 27-7 win over UT Martin is not enough to make us believe they will be better than they were in 2024 when they were winless in conference play.

16. UCF

UCF trailed Jax State 10-3 in the fourth quarter before scoring 14 points on their way to a 17-10 win. If UCF doesn't find some answers on offense, it's going to be a long season in Orlando.

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