Big 12 Power Rankings: Colorado (not undefeated BYU) is No. 1 after yet another win
Is it too late for the Big 12 to request a refund on Utah?
The Utes and their athletic director Mark Harlan handled a heartbreaking loss to BYU in the worst possible way over the weekend.
Instead of looking at the box score and realizing that Utah blew a 21-10 lead and lost the Holy War 22-21 by not scoring a single point in the final two quarters of that game, Harlan blamed the outcome entirely on Big 12 officials.
“This game was absolutely stolen from us,” Harlan said afterward. “We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed. I will talk to the commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I’m disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”
Harlan was upset because officials called Utah for defensive holding seconds after it looked like the Utes had clinched victory by stopping BYU on a late fourth down.
Replays showed there was indeed holding on the play, but that didn’t matter to Harlan.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark issued a public reprimand and fined Harlan $40,000 for the outburst. It was an appropriate response. No one at Utah should have that much self entitlement after one year in the Big 12. The Utes may have been picked to win the league this season, but they turned out to be one of the worst teams in the entire conference. Their only Big 12 win came on Sept. 21 against Oklahoma State, which currently resides in last place.
Utah hasn’t won a game in nearly two months. Officials aren’t stealing games from the Utes. They have no problem losing on their own.
With that in mind, let’s take some time to analyze everything we have seen up to this point — heading into Week 12 — with a new edition of Big 12 Power Rankings.
Change at the top
1. Colorado (7-2, 5-1 Big 12)
BYU fans will probably want to throw bottles of root beer at me for this, but there is a new team on top of these rankings. Why? Because the Buffaloes are my pick to win the Big 12. Colorado has won six of its past seven games, and the only loss came by three to Kansas State with Travis Hunter mostly watching from the sideline. Now that he’s back, the Buffaloes have beaten three straight teams by double digits. Shedeur Sanders and Hunter are both destined to be first round NFL Draft picks and Colorado’s defense is playing better than anyone expected. This is the most talented team in the conference.
2. BYU (9-0, 6-0 Big 12)
That being said, the Cougars deserve more love from the College Football Playoff selection committee. Yes, I dropped them this week. But they are one of the most deserving teams in the country. If you judge BYU strictly off the strength of its resume, this is a top-3 team. Kalani Sitake has led the Cougars to a pair of top 20 wins against SMU and K-State. That is more than Texas, Penn State and Indiana have ... combined. And all three of them are ranked ahead of No. 6 BYU in the latest CFP rankings. There are several underlying metrics that suggest the Cougars aren’t as good as their record indicates. But the selection committee isn’t compiling a set of power rankings. They should reward the teams with the best resumes.
Hoping for wins ... and help
3. Baylor (5-4, 3-3 Big 12)
The Bears are playing as well as anyone in the Big 12 right now. A path to eight wins exists with West Virginia, Houston and Kansas remaining on the schedule. If that happens, there are even some scenarios that could send them to Arlington, Texas.
4. Kansas State (7-2, 4-2 Big 12)
The Wildcats used their first idle week of the season to their advantage and won their next three games against Colorado, West Virginia and Kansas. A similar winning streak against Arizona State, Cincinnati and Iowa State would lift them to 10 wins.
5. Arizona State (7-2, 4-2 Big 12)
The Sun Devils were extremely fortunate to beat UCF. The Knights out-gained them by 146 yards and only lost because of a pick six and a blocked punt. Arizona State played without star running back Cam Skattebo, though, so it showed grit in a difficult situation.
Better late than never
6. Kansas (3-6, 2-4 Big 12)
The Jayhawks are beginning to play like the team that started the season ranked inside the top 25. Kansas put on an offensive clinic during a 45-36 win over Iowa State. Can it pull off another upset at BYU this weekend?
Hoping for wins ... and lots of help
7. Iowa State (7-2, 4-2 Big 12)
Matt Campbell has not fared well against Lance Leipold. The Cyclones have dropped three straight games against the Jayhawks. It will be interesting to see how Iowa State responds now that it has dropped to third in the Big 12 standings.
8. TCU (6-4, 4-3 Big 12)
The Horned Frogs could be a dangerous bowl team. They have played well ever since their first off week and they could easily finish the regular season with eight wins.
9. Texas Tech (6-4, 4-3 Big 12)
The Red Raiders deserved to tumble down the conference standings when Joey McGuire elected to try an ill-advised fake punt in a close game against Colorado.
10. West Virginia (5-4, 4-2 Big 12)
Believe it or not, the Mountaineers remain in the hunt for a Big 12 championship. Neal Brown’s team has responded well after it dropped a pair of home games against Iowa State and K-State.
These teams can still play spoiler
11. Houston (4-5, 3-3 Big 12)
Willie Fritz is a tough coach. He broke two fingers on a sideline collision during a game against Utah and still led Houston to a victory. The Cougars also won the following week against K-State.
12. Cincinnati (5-4, 3-3 Big 12)
The Bearcats have played their way out of the Big 12 championship mix with recent losses against Colorado and West Virginia.
13. UCF (4-6, 2-5 Big 12)
Gus Malzahn and the Knights really let one get away against Arizona State. That loss could end up keeping them out of a bowl game.
On to basketball season
14. Arizona (3-6, 1-5 Big 12)
It was a good week for the Wildcats. They moved up two spots without playing.
15. Utah (4-5, 1-5 Big 12)
Utah’s nightmarish season reminds me of the scene in “Revenge of the Sith” when Anakin Skywalker embraces the dark side and then accuses Obi Wan Kenobi of turning Padme Amidala against him. Kenobi replies: “You have done that yourself.” Brett Yormark should have stolen that line this week.
16. Oklahoma State (3-7, 0-7 Big 12)
Of course, things could always be worse. The Cowboys have lost seven straight games and just clinched a losing record for the first time since 2005.
This story was originally published November 13, 2024 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Big 12 Power Rankings: Colorado (not undefeated BYU) is No. 1 after yet another win."