Editor’s note: There won’t be a Big 12 power rankings next week as the author heads on vacation for the week. They will return to the Deseret News on Oct. 28, following Week 8 of the college football season.
For another week, things went largely chalk around the Big 12 — Utah and BYU won by double-digits, while Oklahoma State, Arizona and Houston put up impressive victories as well.
That left little room for shuffling at the top of the latest Big 12 power rankings.
It also set the stage for what should be a very interesting Week 7 for the league.
The conference’s premier game this week — and arguably all year — is taking place in Provo, as No. 8 BYU hosts No. 2 Notre Dame. The opportunity is there for the Cougars to not only earn a signature win, but improve the league’s perception as well.
In league play, the best game features a top-20 matchup, with No. 18 Oklahoma State traveling to face No. 20 Houston.
Here’s a look at how the Big 12 stacks up following Week 6 of the 2026 college football season.
1. Utah Utes (5-0, 2-0 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 1 (↔️)
- Last week:Beat Kansas, 41-24
- Next game: Saturday at Colorado, 8:15 p.m. MDT (ESPN)
When Kansas closed the gap against Utah and made things interesting deep into the second half, the Utes time and time again came up with big plays to foil the upset attempt.
It was on both sides of the ball, too — the offense kept scoring to keep Utah in the lead, while the defense made some big stands, even while struggling to stop the pass. It was complementary football.
Now, the Utes hit the road to face beleaguered Colorado. Utah is a heavy favorite, though Colorado gave Texas Tech a game for more than a half two weeks ago before folding in the second half. Typically, though, these kind of matchups have been where the Utes build an early lead and crush any hopes for an upset.
2. BYU Cougars (5-0, 3-0 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 2 (↔️)
- Last week:Beat Iowa State, 24-10
- Next game: Saturday vs. No. 2 Notre Dame, 5:30 p.m. MDT (ABC)
There was some rumbling that, without injured star LJ Martin, BYU might be ripe for an upset last week against Iowa State. Sure, the Cougars dealt with some sloppy play, particularly on offense and special teams, but they never trailed and were never in serious trouble of losing.
BYU’s defensive effort was especially impressive — at the end of the third quarter, Iowa State only had 69 yards of total offense, and the Cyclones only found the end zone after a special teams turnover at midfield.
Now comes the challenges of all challenges — hosting No. 2 Notre Dame. This is the game that has been circled on calendars all offseason, and BYU is saying the right things — that this is just another game, while acknowledging the difficulty the Irish present. Will the Cougars crumble or rise to the occasion?
3. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-0, 2-0 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 3 (↔️)
- Last week: Bye
- Next game: Saturday vs. Arizona State, 1:30 p.m. MDT (Fox)
After a bye week, the defending Big 12 champions get back in action against an Arizona State program that handed the Red Raiders their only conference loss a year ago.
The Sun Devils do not look as strong this year, though, while Texas Tech is facing its own questions — at least on the offensive side of the ball. Can the Red Raiders silence some of the doubters this week?
4. Arizona Wildcats (5-1, 2-1 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 5 (⬆️ 1)
- Last week: Beat West Virginia, 52-31
- Next game: Oct. 24 vs. Iowa State, TBD (TBD)
Noah Fifita and the Wildcats are rolling — it’s too bad they are headed into a bye this week. At West Virginia, Arizona broke open a one-score game at halftime as Fifita threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns — even while playing without the team’s top three receivers, who were all out with injuries.
The Wildcats have a prime opportunity to stay right in the mix of the Big 12 race once they get back to action in two weeks. First, there’s the home game against Iowa State, then Arizona visits top-10 Texas Tech on Halloween — and later, the Wildcats will host No. 11 Utah the second week of November. There’s a path to Arlington for Arizona.
5. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-1, 2-0 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 4 (⬇️ 1)
- Last week: Beat UCF, 42-28
- Next game: Saturday at No. 20 Houston, 5:30 p.m. MDT (Fox)
For a good portion of Oklahoma State’s victory over UCF, the Cowboys were in a tight, one-score game. Then, Oklahoma State’s defense made the momentum-swinging play early in the fourth quarter, as Evan Jackson returned a fumble for a touchdown to give the Cowboys their first two-score lead of the day.
Imagine if Oklahoma State wins this week — the Cowboys have to travel to face fellow top-20 program Houston in what is the most impactful conference game of the week. The Cougars are coming in off an impressive victory over Kansas State, setting up a potential slugfest in Houston.
6. Houston Cougars (5-1, 2-1 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 6 (↔️)
- Last week: Beat Kansas State, 35-16
- Next game: Saturday vs. No. 18 Oklahoma State, 5:30 p.m. MDT (Fox)
Houston played arguably its best game of the season last week by going into Manhattan and dismantling the Wildcats. The Cougars led 24-3 at halftime and dominated the stat sheet as they moved over .500 in league play in winning their third straight after that earlier excruciating loss at Texas Tech.
Now, they’ve got another headliner matchup with No. 18 Oklahoma State coming to town. Houston has more to lose, as a second Big 12 loss would put them further behind in the league chase, but the Cougars have shown through the first half of the season they are up to being a conference challenger.
7. Baylor Bears (4-1, 2-0 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 7 (↔️)
- Last week: Bye
- Next game: Saturday vs. TCU, 5 p.m. MDT (FS1)
The Bears blew past Arizona State two weeks ago, and the reward was a week to recharge before jumping into the teeth of the conference schedule. The people missing out the most were the fans, who had to take a break following Baylor’s fourth straight win.
The next challenge is a rivalry matchup with TCU. While the Horned Frogs are reeling, Baylor is trying to stay unbeaten in Big 12 play. Will a bitter rivalry create chaos?
8. Cincinnati Bearcats (4-1, 1-1 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 10 (⬆️2)
- Last week: Bye
- Next game: Saturday at West Virginia, 10 a.m. MDT (TNT)
The Bearcats were benefactors in the power rankings this week, rising up a pair of spots while on a bye as other teams around them fell in convincing enough fashion.
Now, Cincinnati will be trying to right the ship a bit after its first loss when the Bearcats hit the road to face West Virginia. The Mountaineers have the worst scoring defense in the league — can Cincinnati take advantage?
9. Iowa State Cyclones (3-3, 1-2 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 8 (⬇️ 1)
- Last week:Lost to No. 8 BYU, 24-10
- Next game: Oct. 24 at Arizona, TBD (TBD)
Iowa State went into Provo with some momentum, but the Cyclones simply didn’t have the horsepower — especially offensively — to seriously challenge the top-10 Cougars. It left Jimmy Rogers and Iowa State frustrated, knowing they’ve had better efforts.
Following a bye, the Cyclones get back at it with a trip to Arizona to face another hot team in the Wildcats. That begins a tough stretch that includes a home game against No. 18 Oklahoma State and a trip to Baylor.
10. Arizona State Sun Devils (3-2, 1-1 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 10 (⬆️ 2)
- Last week: Beat Hawaii, 30-12
- Next game: Saturday at No. 10 Texas Tech, 1:30 p.m. MDT (Fox)
The final score in Arizona State’s win over Hawaii doesn’t necessarily reveal the grind-it-out nature of the victory. The Rainbow Warriors briefly cut the Sun Devils lead to 12 in the fourth quarter before Arizona State closed out the win with one final touchdown drive.
A much stiffer test awaits this week, as the Sun Devils hit the road to face No. 10 Texas Tech. Arizona State beat the Red Raiders last year, but circumstances have changed and Texas Tech is a double-digit favorite.
11. UCF Knights (3-3, 1-2 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 13 (⬆️ 2)
- Last week: Lost to No. 18 Oklahoma State, 42-28
- Next game: Oct. 24 vs. No. 8 BYU, TBD (TBD)
For a second straight week, UCF played a top-25 team tough. For a second straight week, it still led to a double-digit loss.
The Knights look like a program that has true spoiler potential in the Big 12 race, but now gets a week to heal up before its next test. It’s another challenge — or opportunity to spoil a top program’s plans — when No. 8 BYU heads to Orlando in two weeks.
12. Kansas Jayhawks (2-3, 0-2 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 14 (⬆️ 2)
- Last week:Lost to No. 12 Utah, 41-24
- Next game: Saturday at Kansas State, 10 a.m. MDT (FS1)
Give Kansas credit — many other teams have caved when Utah builds an early two-score lead on them, and the Jayhawks could have after the Utes went up 14-0 and 21-7. Instead, Kansas fought its way back into the contest and trailed by three going into the fourth quarter before Utah closed strong.
There’s a chance to bounce back this week for Kansas with the Jayhawks heading to rival Kansas State. Both schools are 0-2 in Big 12 action and another loss will be damaging to the postseason hopes for the team that falls.
13. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-3, 0-3 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 9 (⬇️ 4)
- Last week: Lost to Arizona, 52-31
- Next game: Saturday vs. Cincinnati, 10 a.m. MDT (TNT)
On one hand, West Virginia has an exciting offense. On the other hand, though, their defense can’t stop other teams. The Mountaineers find themselves winless in conference play after giving up a season-high 52 points in a loss to Arizona.
All that momentum West Virginia had following its win over then-ranked Virginia three weeks ago is long gone. How will the Mountaineers respond with a winnable game at home against Cincinnati?
14. Kansas State Wildcats (3-2, 0-2 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 11 (⬇️ 3)
- Last week: Lost to No. 22 Houston. 35-16
- Next game: Saturday vs. Kansas, 10 a.m. MDT (FS1)
Like other Big 12 teams, Kansas State looked perhaps better than they were after nonconference came and went with a perfect record. Two games into Big 12 action, though, and the Wildcats find themselves winless in conference play, with a rough loss at home to Houston last weekend.
There are still a number of winnable games remaining for Kansas State, which has one of the most favorable Big 12 schedules this season, including Saturday’s home matchup with Kansas. Bowl eligibility is attainable for this program, but there are flaws, too.
15. TCU Horned Frogs (2-3, 0-2 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 15 (↔️)
- Last week: Bye
- Next game: Saturday at Baylor, 5 p.m. MDT (FS1)
TCU has faded into invisibility in the Big 12, after dropping its first two league games and losing the season opener. Having a bye week only helped push them further into obscurity.
There is an opportunity for TCU to start turning things around this week, with the Horned Frogs heading to Baylor for a critical matchup. The two rivals are headed in opposite directions, though, with TCU searching for a defining win.
16. Colorado Buffaloes (2-3, 0-2 Big 12)
- Previous ranking: No. 16 (↔️)
- Last week: Bye
- Next game: Saturday vs. No. 11 Utah, 8:15 p.m. MDT (ESPN)
Following a bye week, Colorado is sticking with Isaac Wilson at quarterback as the Buffaloes prepare to host his former Utah team.
Which Colorado team will show up, though? The one that beat Georgia Tech and managed a 7-3 halftime lead over Texas Tech, or the Buffaloes squad that was crushed by Northwestern and looked discombobulated against Baylor?
