Big 12 football power rankings: Does TCU fall after close call against Kansas?

There’s been a lot of discussion about how TCU should drop out of the College Football Playoff after barely scraping by Kansas on the road. Apparently, some teams like the Horned Frogs have to win convincingly, while others, like Ole Miss, can lose and still make it in the four-team playoff before actually losing again.

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Luckily, the purple guys get some recertification in this week’s Big 12 football power rankings.

1. TCU Horned Frogs (6-1, 9-1) — LW: 1

The Horned Frogs are apparently being forced out of the CFP by the public because they beat a team, and only has one loss against a top 10 team (Baylor) after blowing a 21-point lead late in the fourth quarter against them. What a country we live in!

Sometimes people’s agendas and biases are really frustrating. No football team is going to play a perfect 60 minutes for 12 or 13 games in a season. Bottom line, TCU still is the best in the Big 12 and they’re one of the best one-loss teams in the country. They have four top 25 victories, one more than any SEC team right now.

Apparently we’ve all forgotten the demolishing TCU gave Kansas State, and that’s more impressive than Alabama’s win over Mississippi State and the Bulldogs’ win over Auburn no matter how big the SEC-colored glasses you wear are. Unfortunately, I think we all know what’s going to happen to TCU on Tuesday night, and it’s pretty stupid. And unfortunately, TCU doesn’t have the competition left to move back up — they’ll need help to get back in the CFP.

2. Baylor Bears (5-1, 8-1) — LW: 2

I get why people are upset that Baylor isn’t ahead of TCU because of head-to-head. But all those people carrying that belief need to understand that’s only a reason to consider. We never consider head-to-head through an entire season. Would you always put Ole Miss over Alabama? Of course not. So stop with the H2H being the determining factor of who you think is better and look at the big picture.

3. Kansas State Wildcats (5-1, 7-2) — LW: 3

They didn’t play last week, so they stick around at three.

Nov 15, 2014; Lubbock, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Samaje Perine (32) rushes against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the second half at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

4. Oklahoma Sooners (4-3, 7-3) — LW: 4

Give some credit to Oklahoma for pulling out the win with backup quarterback Cody Thomas and a great performance by Samaje Perine. They limited Thomas smartly, who only completed 10 of 20 passes and had just one touchdown compared to three turnovers. But the combination of his legs and Perine’s led to over 300 yards on the ground and four touchdowns collectively.

The Sooners put the game away in the fourth quarter with three straight touchdowns. Despite having injury problems, they put away a bad Texas Tech team, and that’s what good teams do.

5. Texas Longhorns (5-3, 6-5) — LW: 5

Speaking of putting teams away, how good is this Texas defense? They limited the Oklahoma State Cowboys to nine first downs, just 2 of 13 third down conversions, and 192 total yards. That game against Iowa State was just an anomaly, and now a Longhorns squad that started 2-4 on the season is going bowling by just losing to Kansas State in a five-game stretch. Look out for next season.

6. West Virginia Mountaineers (4-3, 6-4) — LW: 6

WVU had the week off, so they just stay right here.

Nov 15, 2014; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Michael Cummings (14) throws a pass against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second half at Memorial Stadium. TCU won the game 34-30. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

7. Kansas Jayhawks (1-6, 3-7) — LW: 9

I know, I know — “WHAT THE HELL, MAN? KANSAS AT SEVEN?” Look, the bottom of the Big 12 is terrible, and the only team that’s trending in the right direction are the Jayhawks. I know Kansas is a bad team, but they’ve been playing better overall after firing Charlie Weis. All the breaks are starting to go their way, and if they got a few more they probably would have taken down TCU. This team is far better than what their overall record says — and that’s a guy that’s personally panned them through their first eight games.

8. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-4, 5-5) — LW: 7

Each week becomes a new low for this team. I highly doubt they’ll find another win to make a bowl, which will add on to a conference-high four-game losing streak.

9. Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-6, 3-7) — LW: 8

Texas Tech is 4-12 in their last 16 games, and the best win was probably the bowl game against Arizona State. This year? Probably Kansas. If the honeymoon period with Kliff Kingsbury isn’t over yet, it’s going to be after this season.

10. Iowa State Cyclones (0-6, 2-7) — LW: 10

They didn’t play last week, so mercifully I don’t have to talk about them.

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