Big 12 power rankings: Utah, BYU climb after big wins, setting up high-stakes rivalry showdown

And then there were three.

One of the four remaining Big 12 teams without a conference loss going into Week 7, Arizona State, was handed its first defeat in league play, as Utah dominated the Sun Devils 42-10.

That leaves only Texas Tech, BYU and Cincinnati still unbeaten in Big 12 action at the midway point of the 2025 regular season.

The Red Raiders easily handled Kansas last week, while BYU rallied to beat Arizona in double overtime and Cincinnati held off UCF.

It sets up a big showdown this weekend between two of the biggest movers in this week’s Big 12 power rankings, Utah and BYU.

The Utes and Cougars are a combined 11-1 on the year, and for the first time since 2009, both schools are ranked in the national polls heading into their matchup. BYU is ranked No. 15 in the latest Associated Press poll, while Utah is No. 23.

It’s appropriate that “Big Noon Kickoff” will be in Provo this week, with the spotlight from the Big 12 as well as the nation is on the BYU-Utah matchup.

Here’s how the Big 12 stacks up heading into Week 8 of the college football season.

1. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-0, 3-0 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 1 (no change)
• Last week: Beat Kansas, 42-17
• Next game: Saturday at Arizona State, 2 p.m. MDT (Fox)

The Red Raiders kept taking care of business, this time pulling away from Kansas after the Jayhawks made things interesting in the second quarter. Starting quarterback Behren Morton left with a leg injury in the second quarter and is considered day-to-day, according to ESPN, though Cameron Dickey ran wild with 263 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to pace the offensive attack.

Texas Tech hits the road next for a matchup with the defending Big 12 champions, though Arizona State was humbled in a 32-point loss at Utah last Saturday. One big thing to monitor will be the injury status of each team’s quarterback — will Morton get back on the field, and will the Sun Devils’ Sam Leavitt return after missing the loss to the Utes?

2. Utah Utes (5-1, 2-1 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 5 (⬆️ 3)
• Last week:Beat No. 21 Arizona State, 42-10
• Next game: Saturday at No. 15 BYU, 6 p.m. MDT (Fox)

Utah passed its first test of back-to-back contests against ranked opponents in dominant fashion, rushing for six touchdowns in a blowout over the Sun Devils.

Devon Dampier was the star of the night, running for three scores and putting up 120 rushing yards on just 10 carries against an Arizona State defense that entered the game in the top 10 in rushing defense. All totaled, the Utes rolled up 276 rushing yards, 412 yards total, and scored touchdowns on six of their eight drives.

Now, it’s rivalry week and Utah enters the matchup playing its best ball of the season. In the Utes’ five victories, they’ve averaged 45.4 points while giving up just 9.8. Can Utah erase a two-game winning streak by BYU in the series?

3. BYU Cougars (6-0, 3-0 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 4 (⬆️ 1)
• Last week:Beat Arizona, 33-27
• Next game: Saturday vs. No. 23 Utah, 6 p.m. MDT (Fox)

The Cougars and Wildcats gave fans a thrilling Big 12 After Dark performance. The game featured a lightning delay, BYU rallying from 10 points down late in the fourth quarter and two overtime sessions, headlined by freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier scoring the game-winning touchdown and the Cougars’ defense making a fourth-down stand.

BYU was far from perfect, but the Cougars were resilient in staying unbeaten. They overcame giving up 24 straight points to Arizona and losing the turnover battle against an improved Wildcats squad.

The Cougars will need to clean up the sloppy play that’s hampered them lately against a Utah team that has one of the most efficient offenses in the country and yet another stingy, swarming defense. The Utes are early favorites, though BYU will have the home-field advantage for what promises to be one of the more high-stakes matchups in this longstanding rivalry.

4. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-1, 3-0 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 3 (⬇️ 1)
• Last week: Beat UCF, 20-11
• Next game: Saturday at Oklahoma State, 6 p.m. MDT (ESPN2)

The Bearcats won their fifth straight game and avoided an emotional letdown the week after knocking off Iowa State. Cincinnati got out to a 17-3 halftime lead before easing their way to another victory.

At the midpoint of the season, Cincinnati looks like a real threat to make a run at earning a spot in the Big 12 championship game. The Bearcats are one of just three teams who haven’t lost in league play yet, and this week they hit the road to face struggling Oklahoma State.

5. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-2, 2-1 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 2 (⬇️ 3)
• Last week: Lost to Utah, 42-10
• Next game: Saturday vs. No. 7 Texas Tech, 2 p.m. MDT (Fox)

That was brutal to watch for Sun Devils fans, as Utah ran over, around and through what had, to that point, been a stout Arizona State rush defense. Jeff Sims struggled in stepping in for an injured Sam Leavitt, and the Sun Devils simply didn’t have the manpower or willpower to keep pace with the Utes.

To make matters more complicated, ASU has to rebound quickly with No. 7 Texas Tech coming to Tempe. Can the Sun Devils avoid letting a hangover from the Utah loss impact the game with the Red Raiders? Will Leavitt be available? There are plenty of questions right now for the league’s defending champs after a disappointing effort.

6. Houston Cougars (5-1, 2-1 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 11 (⬆️ 5)
• Last week: Beat Oklahoma State, 39-17
• Next game: Saturday vs. Arizona, 10 a.m. MDT (FS1)

Houston rebounded well from a loss to Texas Tech the previous week by going on the road and cruising to a victory over the Cowboys. After missing out on bowl eligibility their first two years in the Big 12, the Cougars now need just one more win to punch their postseason ticket.

There’s more than that to play for, though, for a resurgent program that’s earning respect in Willie Fritz’s second year at the helm. Like Houston, Arizona is a team on the rise in 2025 and this week will be a good challenge for the Cougars to prove they are improving and can factor into the Big 12 race.

7. Baylor Bears (4-2, 2-1 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 8 (⬆️ 1)
• Last week: Bye
• Next game: Saturday at TCU, 10 a.m. MDT (ESPN2)

While some of its Big 12 counterparts were hurting their league chances with frustrating losses last weekend, Baylor got a boost in the standings during a bye week. One of those teams that suffered a damaging loss was the Bears’ next opponent, TCU. The Horned Frogs lost to Kansas State, dropping TCU below .500 in conference play.

It sets up an important matchup for the two rival Texas schools, with the winner keeping pace in the Big 12 race and the loser falling another step behind as they kick off the back half of the schedule. Baylor’s next two games are on the road in challenging environments, at TCU and Cincinnati.

8. Iowa State Cyclones (5-2, 2-2 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 7 (⬇️ 1)
• Last week: Lost to Colorado, 24-17
• Next game: Oct. 25 vs. No. 15 BYU, 1:30 p.m. MDT (Fox)

The bye week is coming at a perfect time for a now-reeling Iowa State program that just two weeks ago found itself in the top 15 of the national rankings. The Buffaloes had two big defensive stops in the fourth quarter to spark the upset victory over the Cyclones.

Looking ahead, there’s still a path for Iowa State to potentially return to the Big 12 championship game if the Cyclones can avoid another loss. They get BYU and Arizona State at home in back-to-back weeks, and as last year’s Big 12 race proved, a two-loss team could be in the hunt for a league championship berth.

9. Arizona Wildcats (4-2, 1-2 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 9 (no change)
• Last week:Lost to No. 18 BYU, 33-27
• Next game: Saturday at Houston, 10 a.m. MDT (FS1)

Arizona looked like it had its first win over a ranked opponent during the Brent Brennan era in the bag — the Wildcats had scored 24 straight points and BYU trailed by 10 with under five minutes to play. Then the chaos of the final few minutes and double overtime followed, and Arizona came up agonizingly short.

Can the Wildcats build off what they learned from a tough-to-swallow loss? Up next is a tough game at Houston, though Arizona has shown enough this season to believe that the Wildcats could earn a hard-fought road win and get back on track.

10. Kansas State Wildcats (3-4, 2-2 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 12 (⬆️ 2)
• Last week: Beat TCU, 41-28
• Next game: Oct. 25 at Kansas, 10 a.m. MDT (TNT)

Kansas State is righting the ship a bit after their early losses, and if the Wildcats can keep this going they still could play spoiler in the Big 12 race. The Wildcats scored a season-high 41 points and turned away any TCU hopes for a comeback to earn a critical win.

Kansas State now gets a week to get healthier and recharge from a challenging start to the year. The Wildcats still have several tough games remaining, including at home against Texas Tech and at Utah, but for now, Kansas State looks like it could get back in the picture for a bowl berth, and maybe more.

11. TCU Horned Frogs (4-2, 1-2 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 6 (⬇️ 5)
• Last week: Lost to Kansas State, 41-28
• Next game: Saturday vs. Baylor, 10 a.m. MDT (ESPN2)

TCU has been a team that’s tough to get a feel for. The Horned Frogs started 3-0 and beat North Carolina and SMU in nonconference play, but in league action, they’re off to a 1-2 start with disappointing losses at Arizona State (where TCU led 17-0 at one point) and Kansas State (where the Wildcats scored 28 unanswered at one point to take control).

With a slow start to Big 12 action, Saturday’s home game against Baylor becomes a critical one for the Horned Frogs. Can TCU win and force its way back into the upper half of the conference standings? A third loss in conference play would be a major setback for the early season progress the Horned Frogs showed.

12. Colorado Buffaloes (3-4, 1-3 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 14 (⬆️ 2)
• Last week: Beat No. 22 Iowa State, 24-17
• Next game: Oct. 25 at No. 23 Utah, 8:15 p.m. MDT (ESPN)

Colorado had its chances to earn wins over BYU and TCU in the Buffaloes’ previous two games before allowing the opposition to take control late in the game. Against Iowa State, though, Deion Sanders’ team showed the resiliency to fight through and pick up a much-needed victory.

With three Big 12 losses already, Colorado’s shot at a spot in the league championship is all but over, but the Buffaloes have been competitive in several games against good teams this season and could make a run at the postseason, though a difficult game at Utah awaits following a bye.

13. Kansas Jayhawks (4-3, 2-2 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 10 (⬇️ 3)
• Last week: Lost to No. 9 Texas Tech, 42-17
• Next game: Oct. 25 vs. Kansas State, 10 a.m. MDT (TNT)

For a while in the second quarter last Saturday, it looked like Kansas could give Texas Tech its most challenging game of the season. The Jayhawks rallied from 18 down and were trailing 21-17 at halftime against the top-10 Red Raiders. That momentum was stifled in the second half, though as Texas Tech pulled away.

Kansas has shown fight plenty of times during the first half of the season but has lacked the consistency and playmaking at key moments needed to earn another victory or two. Still, the Jayhawks look like a tough out most weeks and they’ll have a few winnable games coming out of their bye.

14. UCF Knights (3-3, 0-3 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 13 (⬇️ 1)
• Last week: Lost to Cincinnati, 20-11
• Next game: Saturday vs. West Virginia, 11 a.m. MDT (TNT)

The difficulties of competing at the Power Four level in conference play are settling in for UCF right now, after the Knights lost their third straight Big 12 game to start league play. UCF played tough against Cincinnati, but the Knights were no match for the now-No. 24 ranked Bearcats.

UCF’s game this weekend against West Virginia provides the Knights with their best chance to get a Big 12 win, outside of a late-season matchup against Oklahoma State. If UCF can beat both West Virginia and Oklahoma State, then spring an upset somewhere else, the Knights could still contend for a bowl.

15. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-4, 0-3 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 15 (no change)
• Last week: Bye
• Next game: Saturday at UCF, 11 a.m. MDT (TNT)

West Virginia is having a rough go under Rich Rodriguez in his second stint at the school, and injuries piling up hasn’t helped matters. At least the team got a breather last week.

One of the Mountaineers’ best chances to earn a conference win comes this week, albeit on the road at UCF. West Virginia was more competitive in its most recent game, two weeks ago at BYU, but has largely been overwhelmed so far in Big 12 play.

16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-5, 0-3 Big 12)

• Previous ranking: No. 16 (no change)
• Last week: Lost to Houston, 39-17
• Next game: Saturday vs. No. 24 Cincinnati, 6 p.m. MDT (ESPN2)

The Cowboys fell to 0-3 in Big 12 play and 0-3 in the post-Mike Gundy era after falling by 22 against third-year Big 12 school Houston. The Cougars weathered an early trick play from Oklahoma State that resulted in a touchdown before pulling away.

It’s another tough assignment this week, as the now-ranked Bearcats come to Stillwater. Cincinnati is one of three Big 12 teams still unbeaten in league play.