Sep 17, 2022; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) passes against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
1. Oklahoma (3-0)
Last Week: 1
Win 49-14 @ Nebraska
Oklahoma made sure there would be no interim coach magic in its blowout victory over Nebraska on Saturday. Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel rushed for 55 yards and the school’s top two running backs combined to add another 190. It’s hard to gauge Nebraska in its current state as anything more than a glorified UTEP, but Oklahoma beat them by the same score. You can’t control who you play and Oklahoma keeps control of its No. 1 spot here.
2. Oklahoma State (3-0)
Last Week: 2
Win 63-7 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Oklahoma State slots in at No. 2 again this week and much like facing off with Nebraska, it didn’t play an opponent that tells us much about the caliber of its team. The team started its year with three lesser opponents and a bye week cushioning its September. If I had the heart to write this paragraph before I slotted teams in, I might have dropped them to 9.
3. Iowa State (3-0)
Last Week: 3
Win 43-10 vs. Ohio
Iowa State took home a cruise-away victory in its win over Ohio this week. Quarterback Hunter Dekkers sits at fourth in the country in completion percentage and running back Jirehl Brock would have kicked off the season with a trio of 100-yard games had he taken a snap in the second half against Ohio. The Cyclones can prove they belong at this spot if they can win the fight with Baylor in what’s always an eventful game.
4. Baylor (2-1)
Last Week: 5
Win 42-7 vs. Texas State
This game was closer than the final score reads, with Baylor nearly settling for a 14-7 lead at halftime before a late touchdown gave Bears fans some breathing room. Baylor’s young offensive core got it rolling in the second half and their win sets up the first top-five matchup the power rankings blog has ever seen – I know, how historic.
5. Kansas (3-0)
Last Week: 8
Win 48-30 @ Houston
The darlings of the Big 12 are on the move up the rankings. Kansas makes an unanticipated move to the top five after shocking Houston on their home turf. The Cougars held a 14-0 lead early on in the game, and Kansas took the punch with ease. It looked like the Jayhawk resilience that we saw down south last November.
6. Texas (2-1)
Last Week: 6
Win 41-20 vs. UTSA
Texas fans spoke a lot of mean words about my Road Runners this week and I felt that they disrespected UTSA too much for how close they allowed this game to be. However, I did NOT contribute any of that to how I rank the teams. At 2-1, the Longhorns are just three wins away from matching their win total from a season ago. What an amazing start. I would have pushed them up as high as No. 5 even, but we all remember Kansas’ 57-56 OT win against the Longhorns at DKR Texas Memorial Stadium last season.
7. TCU (2-0)
Last Week: 7
Bye week
TCU took a bye week and gets ready to face SMU this weekend. A win goes a long way for the Horned Frogs, but there’s so much chippy play and urgency that goes into this rivalry. I’m more focused on how they do against Oklahoma in two weeks.
8. Kansas State (2-1)
Last Week: 4
Loss 10-17 vs. Tulane
Kansas State drops to 8th after messing around and losing to a C-USA opponent. I hate it for the Wildcat fans who had plenty of optimism coming into the season. At least they have the sense of fluke games they’ve won over Oklahoma to keep spirits high before opening Big 12 play.
9. West Virginia (1-2)
Last Week: 10
Win 65-7 vs. Towson
West Virginia ran Towson out of town this week, and rightfully should be happy for a get-right win before a short week has the Mountaineers playing on Thursday. West Virginia will get a little rest before the start of the meat of the conference slate and as long as they escape 2-2, should be fine considering the pair of losses to start. They move to 9 due to egregious actions of the team slotted at 10.
10. Texas Tech (2-1)
Last Week: 9
Loss 14-27 @ NC State
Texas Tech did the one thing that is less respectable than losing to a C-USA team and that is losing to a program from the ACC. Although together as a conference, there may not be a more underwhelming group of teams and programs as of late than in the ACC. Aside from Clemson, it’s the East coast’s PAC 12. Disgusting. Hopefully, Texas Tech doesn’t embarrass the conference even more in its game against Texas this week.
