Big 12 football power rankings: OU holds off Oklahoma State for No. 2 to end regular season
Despite reaching the Big 12 Championship Game, Oklahoma State still landed in third place in the final conference power rankings of the season.
Texas is the unanimous No. 1, receiving all 14 first-place votes from a panel of beat writers who regularly cover the league.
OU finished No. 2, just two points ahead of the Cowboys, who face Texas at 11 a.m. Saturday in the title game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Here’s a look at the final Big 12 power poll:
More: Oklahoma State football's Ollie Gordon II named a Doak Walker Award finalist
1. Texas
Previous ranking: 1
Points: 196 (14 first-places votes)
Record: 11-1 (8-1 Big 12)
Last week: defeated Texas Tech, 57-7
Next: vs. Oklahoma State in Big 12 Championship Game
Comment: The maligned Texas pass defense, which had allowed a 300-yard passer in four of its previous five games, gave up a season-low 88 yards passing and had three interceptions against Texas Tech.
Did you know? With its second largest margin of victory ever over Texas Tech, Texas secured a spot in the Big 12 title game for the first time since 2018 and will try and claim its first Big 12 title since 2009. – Thomas Jones, Austin American-Statesman
More: Is Oklahoma State football the best coaching job in new-look Big 12? Cowboys have company
2. Oklahoma
Previous ranking: 2
Points: 176
Record: 10-2 (6-2 Big 12)
Last week: defeated TCU, 69-45
Next: Bowl game
Comment: The Sooners promoted Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley as co-offensive coordinators after Jeff Lebby took the head coach job at Mississippi State. OU scored at least 66 points in three games this season, including 69 points against TCU in the regular-season finale.
Did you know? The last nine offensive coordinators since Bob Stoops' first season in 1999 have ended up as an FBS head coach. - Eric Bailey, Tulsa World
More: Jackson Arnold is OU football's QB of the future. How does he view Sooners' OC situation?
3. Oklahoma State
Previous ranking: 4
Points: 174
Record: 9-3 (7-2 Big 12)
Last week: defeated BYU, 40-34 in double-overtime
Next: vs. Texas in Big 12 Championship Game
Comment: The Cowboys overcame another ugly start, falling behind 24-6 by halftime before rallying for the double-overtime victory. The Cowboys will play in the Big 12 championship game for just the second time in program history, the first coming in 2021. OSU’s lone Big 12 title came in 2011, when the championship game was not in effect.
Did you know? OSU sophomore running back Ollie Gordon II became the nation’s first 1,500-yard rusher. His 166 yards moved him to 1,580 for the season. And his five rushing touchdowns matched OSU’s single-game record held by Barry Sanders, who accomplished it three times in his Heisman Trophy season of 1988. – Scott Wright, The Oklahoman
More: How Oklahoma State football's Trey Rucker has become 'quiet leader' for Cowboys
4. Iowa State
Previous ranking: 6
Points: 142
Record: 7-5 (6-3 Big 12)
Last week: defeated No. 19 Kansas State, 42-35
Next: Bowl game
Comment: The Cyclones ran just two plays on the Wildcats’ side of the field last Saturday, yet still scored a decisive 42 points. Kansas State ran 102 plays to the Cyclones’ 35 and enjoyed a nearly 14-plus minute advantage in time of possession. Five of Iowa State’s six touchdowns spanned 50-plus yards.
Did you know? The Cyclones have cemented their sixth winning season since head coach Matt Campbell took over the program in 2016 — a streak unparalleled in program history. – Rob Gray, Cedar Rapids Gazette
More: USA TODAY Sports Network 2023 All-Big 12 football team: Gordon, Sarkisian earn top awards
5. Kansas State
Previous ranking: 3
Points: 128
Record: 8-4 (6-3 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Iowa State, 42-35
Next: Bowl game
Comment: The Wildcats lost all four of their games by single digits this season, including a 42-35 heartbreaker in the snow against Iowa State on Saturday.
Did you know? The Avery Johnson era is already underway now that Will Howard has announced his intentions to transfer. – Kellis Robinett, Wichita Eagle/Kansas City Star
More: Oklahoma State football's Mike Gundy, Ollie Gordon II earn top honors in All-Big 12 awards
6. Kansas
Previous ranking: 5
Points: 127
Record: 8-4 (5-4 Big 12)
Last week: defeated Cincinnati, 49-16
Next: Bowl game
Comment: Jason Bean and the Jayhawks took out some frustration on the Bearcats after consecutive home losses and built momentum entering bowl season. Bean, returning to action following a head injury, accounted for 340 total yards and four touchdowns and generally vexed the Cincinnati defense practically every time he touched the ball.
Did you know? The 33-point margin is KU's largest in a road conference win since 1980. — Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World
More: What is Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy's Big 12 Championship Game bonus?
7. West Virginia
Previous ranking: 7
Points: 124
Record: 8-4 (6-3 Big 12)
Last week: defeated Baylor, 34-31
Next: Bowl game
Comment: In a season of weird games, West Virginia saved the weirdest for last. The Mountaineers gave up back-to-back kickoff return touchdowns at Baylor, played their worst football of the season in the second half and somehow mustered up just enough at the very end for a game-winning drive with 90 seconds left. It was that kind of year for Neal Brown and company.
Did you know? With the win at Baylor, WVU has reached eight wins for just the fourth time since joining the Big 12. It is just the third time since joining that the Mountaineers have won at least six conference games. – Cody Nespor, Morgantown Dominion Post
More: OU football redshirt watch: Brenen Thompson burns redshirt, TCU secondary in Sooners' win
8. Texas Tech
Previous ranking: 8
Points: 95
Record: 6-6 (5-4 Big 12)
Last week: lost at No. 7 Texas, 57-7
Next: Bowl game
Comment: Just an unmitigated disaster of a season finale for the Red Raiders to close what was turning into a promising season. Now they must wait to see which bowl they’re headed to.
Did you know? The 57-7 loss to Texas was Texas Tech’s most lopsided defeat since succumbing to Iowa State 66-10 on Nov. 19, 2016. It was the worst loss in the series with Texas since 1999 (58-7). - Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
More: Will Alan Bowman return to Oklahoma State football? QB can seek 7th year of eligibility
9. UCF
Previous ranking: 10
Points: 85
Record: 6-6 (3-6 Big 12)
Last week: defeated Houston, 27-13
Next: Bowl game
Comment: UCF rallied from an early 10-6 first quarter to outscore Houston 21-3 through the final three quarters. Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee scored 2 touchdowns and running back RJ Harvey rushed for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns to power the Knights. The defense held Houston to 75 yards and 4 first downs in the second half.
Did you know? RJ Harvey rushed for at least 100 yards in a game for the sixth time in the last seven games. He finished with 1,296 yards, the fourth-highest season total in school history. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel
10. TCU
Previous ranking: 9
Points: 74
Record: 5-7 (3-6 Big 12)
Last week: lost at No. 13 Oklahoma, 69-45
Comment: TCU's season came to a disappointing end as the defense gave up over 600 yards and 60 points while Josh Hoover had another costly interception that was returned for a touchdown.
Did you know? TCU becomes just the third team to make the College Football Playoff in one season and miss a bowl game the next. – Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
11. BYU
Previous ranking: 11
Points: 50
Record: 5-7 (2-7 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Oklahoma State, 40-34 in double overtime
Next: Season over
Comment: BYU had its first lead in five weeks on Saturday. It jumped out to an unlikely 24-6 start. But in the second half, BYU got conservative, and its defense wore down. Ollie Gordon and the Pokes ran all over BYU for five touchdowns and stormed back to punch their ticket to Arlington.
Did you know? BYU ended the season on a five-game losing streak. That hasn’t happened in Provo since 1955. – Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune
12. Houston
Previous ranking: 12
Points: 40
Record: 4-8 (2-7 Big 12)
Last week: lost at UCF, 27-13
Next: Season over
Comment: Saying the on-field results “fell below our standards of excellence,” Houston fired head coach Dana Holgorsen after a third losing season in the last five years. It was a decision that will cost the school a $14.8 million buyout. The offense was again a no-show against UCF, as the Cougars ended the season on a three-game losing streak and dropped five of the last six games. UH now begins the search for its fourth coach in the last nine years.
Did you know? UH’s 4-8 record was its worst for the first season in a conference since going 4-6 in the Lone Star Conference in 1946, the Cougars’ first year of playing football. – Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle
T13. Baylor
Previous ranking: 14
Points: 25
Record: 3-9 (2-7 Big 12)Last week: lost to West Virginia, 34-31Next: Season over
Comment: It took until the second half of the final game for Baylor to finally play like the team Dave Aranda has been talking about all season. Led by backup quarterback Sawyer Robertson, the Bears scored 17 unanswered points to lead West Virginia late in the fourth quarter before the Mountaineers scored on the final drive. Baylor had a program record and NCAA-most eight games in Waco this season but finished the year 1-7 at home.
Did You know? Sophomore running back Richard Reese returned back-to-back kickoffs in Saturday's loss to West Virginia. He's the first-ever Baylor player to return consecutive kickoffs, and he's the first Bear to have two kick returns in one game since Tresten Ebner did it against Kansas in 2020. - Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald
T13. Cincinnati
Previous ranking: 13
Points: 25
Record: 3-9 (1-8 Big 12)
Last week: lost to Kansas, 49-16
Next: Season over
Comment: The Bearcats had a first quarter lead over Kansas at 3-0, but once the Jayhawks scored in the second they were in command winning with ease 49-16. Jason Bean threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 90 yards and two more. Cincinnati got as close as 28-16 in the fourth quarter, but Bean had touchdown runs of 43 and 50 yards to put the game away.
Did you know? Cincinnati’s 3-9 finish is their first three-win season since 1999 when they finished 3-8. Their last 9-loss season was the year before in 1998. - Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Big 12 power rankings: OU football holds off Oklahoma State for second
