Big 12 Power Rankings Show Houston Cougars Still Have Work to Do

1. Arizona State Sun Devils (1-0)

The defending conference champions got a bit sloppy in their 38-19 win over Northern Arizona on Saturday as they committed 12 penalties on the night, but Sam Leavitt looked great with four total touchdowns (two passing, two rushing). The Sun Devils are a borderline top-10 team in the country, and they haven't shown any real reason to worry yet.

2. Iowa State Cyclones (2-0)

After upsetting Kansas State in Ireland the week before, Iowa State came home and mopped the floor with FCS opponent South Dakota on Saturday. The Cyclones are one of only two Big 12 teams with two wins already, but face a tough test this week in rival Iowa.

3. Utah Utes (1-0)

Utah showed that last year's 4-8 team is (hopefully) a thing of the past in a 43-10 demolition of former Pac-12 rival UCLA late Saturday night. There's plenty of stats that show the Utes' dominance, but perhaps none more so than the fact that they went a combined 15-for-17 on third and fourth down.

4. TCU Horned Frogs (1-0)

TCU spoiled Bill Belichick's debut at North Carolina in a 48-14 beatdown in Chapel Hill on Monday night. After allowing a touchdown on the opening drive, the Horned Frogs reeled off 41 unanswered points to turn the game into a laugher. They also out-gained the Tar Heels 542-222 on the night.

5. Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-0)

Texas Tech looked the part of a Big 12 contender in a 67-7 win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Saturday, but it didn't really tell us anything we didn't already know. It's going to be difficult to get a read on the Red Raiders until they open Big 12 play against Utah on Sept. 20.

6. BYU Cougars (1-0)

BYU enjoyed a nice 69-0 win over Portland State on Saturday night, a game highlighted by their 468 rushing yards (9.8 yards per attempt) and five rushing touchdowns. Much like with Texas Tech, though, it's going to be tough to get a read on BYU for a while.

7. Kansas Jayhawks (2-0)

Kansas opened the season with a win over Fresno State in Week 0 then took down FCS opponent Wagner on Saturday. Not the best competition, but the Jayhawks won both games convincingly and Jalon Daniels looks really good.

8. Arizona Wildcats (1-0)

Arizona laid the beatdown on Hawaii on Saturday in a 40-6 victory, with the most impressive aspect of their performance being their five takeaways. They also ran the ball effectively, averaging 5.8 yards per carry and scoring four touchdowns on the ground.

9. Baylor Bears (0-1)

Baylor entered the season with a decent amount of hype, but fell flat in a 38-24 loss to Auburn on Friday after allowing more than 300 yards on the ground. Sawyer Robertson threw for 419 yards and three touchdowns, but he and his receivers can't do it all by themselves.

10. Houston Cougars (1-0)

Houston's defense stole the show against Stephen F. Austin, allowing just 144 total yards and pitching its first shutout in four years. Conner Weigman also excelled in his Cougars debut and looked like he can bring some juice to the offense.

11. Kansas State Wildcats (1-1)

Kansas State entered the season ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll, but things have gone off the rails quickly. The Wildcats lost to Iowa State in a Week 0 game in Ireland, but what was really concerning is that they barely eeked out a win against FCS North Dakota thanks to a last-minute touchdown. Chris Klieman's team has some soul-searching to do.

12. Colorado Buffaloes (0-1)

Life without Travis Hunter and Sheduer Sanders got off to a rough start for Colorado in a 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech on Friday. The Buffaloes were outgained 463-305 on the night, but what sealed their fate was some awful clock management on their final drive. This is despite the fact that the Yellow Jackets turned the ball over on their first three drives.

13. Cincinnati Bearcats (0-1)

Cincinnati's trip to Arrowhead Stadium ended in a 20-17 loss to Patrick Mahomes impersonator Dylan Raiola and Nebraska. What's really worrying for the Bearkats is the fact that quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for just 69 yards and averaged less than three yards per attempt.

14. West Virginia Mountaineers (1-0)

West Virginia beat up on Robert Morris 45-3 in Satuday's opener. The Mountaineers racked up 625 yards of total offense, but there's not much to take away from this performance.

15. Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-0)

Oklahoma State beat UT-Martin 27-7 on Thursday despite a pretty unimpressive performance. The Cowboys face a brutal road test against No. 6 Oregon on Saturday.

16. UCF Knights (1-0)

Facing Jacksonville State at home, UCF was lucky to escape with a 17-10 win on Thursday night. Tayven Jackson at least looked solid at quarterback, but this was another indication that it's going to be a long year for the Knights.