Big 12 football power rankings: TCU climbs with impressive defense

TCU jumps again even after defeating a horrible opponent, and Iowa State sits next to Kansas once again. Here’s the Big 12 football power rankings after Week 5 of the season.

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1. (4)Oklahoma Sooners (LW: 1 — Next: at TCU)

The opening slate for the Sooners isn’t too kind, but at least they had a BYE between road trips to West Virginia and TCU. Unlike the Mountaineers’ defense, the Horned Frogs will truly test Oklahoma. That matchup could be one of the most intriguing on Saturday.

2. (7)Baylor Bears (LW: 2 — Next: at Texas)

Texas wide receiver John Harris is right. Baylor is Baylor and Texas is Texas, and the Bears are in a hell of a lot better place right now. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, tradition doesn’t aid actual results on the field, and Baylor continues to remain in the national championship race after racing past Iowa State with no problems. Texas will need to figure out a lot of things if they want to stop them.

3. (23)Kansas State Wildcats (LW: 3 — Next: vs Texas Tech)

Order was restored in Manhattan after the Wildcats had no problems wrapping up their non-conference slate against UTEP. The Wildcats may be facing a similar defense in their next opponent.

4. (25)TCU Horned Frogs (LW: 5 — Next: vs Oklahoma)

Truth be told, walloping SMU doesn’t deserve a move up, but this defense is for real now knowing they completely shut down Minnesota who’s not as bad as we thought. Before the season I thought TCU would finish higher than many predicted, and I’ll continue to support them if they make it close against the Sooners.

Sep 13, 2014; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Daxx Garman (12) attempts a pass against the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners during the first quarter at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

5. (21)Oklahoma State Cowboys (LW: 4 — Next: vs Iowa State)

The defense is still questionable, but after one game backup QB Daxx Garman looked pretty good. However, did he just look great against a Texas Tech defense that’s about as tough as cheap printer paper? I still really have no firm stance on this team yet, and that’s why they sit in the middle of the pack.

6. West Virginia Mountaineers (LW: 6 — Next: vs Kansas)

Copy/paste from last week: “Defensively, there are some problems that could keep the team from reaching a bowl game, but the offense is good enough to win some shootouts this year. Clint Trickett is incredibly fun to watch.”

7. Texas Longhorns (LW: 7 — Next: vs Baylor)

The game against Kansas was exactly what this team needed to regroup. They don’t move in the power rankings because of it, but if that defense can look even half as good to Baylor, they could start moving up.

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (LW: 9 — Next: at Kansas State)

I’ve been killing TTU all season, but they competed against Oklahoma State and the loss to Arkansas wasn’t nearly as bad with how good they’ve been playing so far. Things could get really ugly in Manhattan if the air raid is batted down by the Wildcats, because the Red Raiders defense has shown little signs of improvement.

9. Iowa State Cyclones (LW: 8 — Next: at Oklahoma State)

The gauntlet of the treacherous schedule finally comes to a close in Stillwater. Iowa State could have easily started 0-5, but let’s see if they can rebound from the loss to Baylor and actually produce a competitive game against Oklahoma State. Fans are on the verge of losing patience with the players and coaching staff.

10. Kansas Jayhawks (LW: 10 — Next: at West Virginia)

It’s so bad they fired Charlie Weis, a move that should have happened after last season, after four games. You couldn’t tell the Jayhawks apart from a MAC bottomfeeder.

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