photo by: AP Photo/Bryon Houlgrave

Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell, center, reacts after his team failed to convert on a fourth down against Texas Tech during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Ames, Iowa.

Benefiting from losses by Iowa State and Kansas State, Colorado moved into second place behind BYU in this week’s edition of the Big 12 power rankings.

Texas Tech knocked ISU, which faces Kansas this week, from the ranks of the unbeaten and K-State lost to Houston. Meanwhile, BYU, following a bye week, became the unanimous choice for No. 1, receiving all 16 first-place votes from a panel of media that regularly covers the Big 12.

As a result of their upset victory, the Red Raiders made the one of the biggest jumps of the week, climbing four spots to fifth place. Baylor moved up by the same amount to sixth place after beating TCU on a last-second field goal.

The Horned Frogs dropped all the way from fifth to 11th.

1. BYU

Previous ranking: 1

Points: 256 (16 first-place votes)

Record: 8-0 (5-0 Big 12)

Last week: Open date

This week: at Utah

Comment: With Iowa State and Kansas State losing, BYU’s path to Arlington, Texas, opened up. The Cougars now have a one-game lead atop the Big 12 standings heading into the second week of November.

Did you know? This is the first time since 2021 that BYU will play its in-state rival, Utah. — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune

2. Colorado

Previous ranking: 4

Points: 234

Record: 6-2 (4-1 Big 12)

Last week: Open date

This week: at Texas Tech

Comment: The Buffs got a well-timed bye week, allowing several players to heal up before the stretch run. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders particularly needed it. He said after a win against Cincinnati on Oct. 26 he was “a little banged up” and was grateful for the timing of the week off.

Did you know? CU is 0-2 after bye weeks under coach Deion Sanders, but 6-4 overall in its last 10 post-bye games. All those wins came at home. The Buffs have lost nine consecutive times when returning from a bye with a road game, a streak they’ll look to break this week. The last post-bye road win came in 2004. — Brian Howell, Boulder Daily Camera

3. Iowa State

Previous ranking: 2

Points: 225

Record: 7-1 (4-1 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Texas Tech, 23-22

This week: at Kansas

Comment: Iowa State sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht has thrown at least one touchdown pass in a program-record-tying 12 consecutive games. Becht — who threw two touchdown passes and one interception in last week’s loss — shares that benchmark with former star Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers.

Did you know? The Cyclones are tied for third nationally in interceptions with 14. Four Iowa State defensive backs have multiple picks this season, led by cornerback Jontez Williams, who has four. — Rob Gray, The Cedar Rapids Gazette

4. Kansas State

Previous ranking: 3

Points: 195

Record: 7-2 (4-2 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Houston, 24-19

This week: Open date

Comment: K-State was held to just 89 yards rushing by Houston on Saturday, its worst output of the season.

Did you know? The Wildcats, who controlled their destiny in the Big 12 race until Saturday’s loss to Houston, need some help if they want to play in the Big 12 title game in Arlington at the end of the season. They must win out and need a Colorado loss in the next four weeks to boost themselves back into second place. — Tim Everson, The Manhattan Mercury

5. Texas Tech

Previous ranking: 9

Points: 182

Record: 6-3 (4-2 in Big 12)

Last week: beat No. 11 Iowa State, 23-22

This week: vs. No. 21 Colorado

Comment: The narrative of Texas Tech’s entire season shifted in one minutes, 47 seconds of game time. Behren Morton battled through a tough day to deliver a career-defining moment, appropriately capped by Tahj Brooks’ game-winning score. With bowl eligibility out of the way, Texas Tech can look ahead to another big moment with Colorado and Big Noon Kickoff coming to town.

Did you know? Brooks, who is averaging 130 yards per game, needs 121 yards to become Texas Tech’s all-time leading rusher. — Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

6. Baylor

Previous ranking: 10

Points: 169

Record: 5-4 (3-3 Big 12)

Last week: beat TCU, 37-34

This week: Open date

Comment: Baylor converted on fourth-and-long from near midfield with 16 seconds remaining, and Isaiah Hankins nailed a walk-off 33-yard field goal to give the Bears their first win over TCU in four seasons. It was an appropriate ending, considering the 2013 and 2014 Big 12 championship teams were honored at halftime, and Baylor beat TCU 61-58 in the same fashion 10 years ago. Dave Aranda’s seat has cooled as the Bears head into the bye week riding high.

Did you know? Bryson Washington set career highs with 196 yards and four touchdowns. He is the first Baylor player to rush for four touchdowns in a game since 2011 and is the first player to rush for four touchdowns in a Big 12 game this season. — Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald

7. Arizona State

Previous ranking: 8

Points: 166

Record: 6-2 (3-2 Big 12)

Last week: beat Oklahoma State, 42-21

This week: vs. UCF

Comment: The Sun Devils got yet another strong effort from Cam Skattebo, who totaled 153 rushing yards and 121 receiving yards. He now has 1,001 rushing yards on the season and has four games left (plus a bowl) to break Eno Benjamin’s single-season record of 1,625 yards in 2018.

Did you know? ASU is bowl eligible for the first time since 2019. (The Sun Devils played in the 2021 Las Vegas Bowl but that appearance was vacated by the penalties from the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations.) — Michelle Gardner, Arizona Republic

8. Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 7

Points: 162

Record: 5-3 (3-2 Big 12)

Last week: Open date

This week: vs. West Virginia

Comment: The Bearcats come out of their second bye week still needing a win to reach bowl eligibility. They host West Virginia, which makes its first Big 12 football trip to Cincinnati. When the teams were Big East rivals, the Mountaineers lost to Brian Kelly’s 2009 Bearcats at Nippert Stadium 24-21. Two years later, they played the Butch Jones Bearcats at then-Paul Brown Stadium and also lost 24-21. Saturday, the Bearcats will celebrate the 100th anniversary of on-campus Nippert Stadium.

Did you know? Saturday is Cincinnati’s fifth noon kickoff of the season. They have played just two night games, at Texas Tech and at Colorado, both losses. The Bearcats are 5-1 in day games, 4-1 at noon. The lone loss during the day was the implosion against Pitt where a 27-6 late third-quarter lead was squandered. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer

9. West Virginia

Previous ranking: T5

Points: 135

Record: 4-4 (3-2 Big 12)

Last week: Open date

This week: at Cincinnati

Comment: The Mountaineers come out of off week with uncertainty at quarterback as Garrett Greene is considered doubtful for Saturday’s game against Cincinnati, according to coach Neal Brown. Greene is still dealing with an upper-body injury he suffered early in the season. Nicco Marchiol is expected to start.

Did you know? West Virginia is tied for 123rd nationally with six takeaways. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

10. Houston

Previous ranking: 11

Points: 113

Record: 4-5 (3-3 Big 12)

Last week: beat No. 17 Kansas State, 24-19

This week: Open date

Comment: Houston enters the open week riding the momentum of the program’s first winning streak in nearly two years. It was another dramatic ending as the Cougars stormed back from a nine-point deficit — Zeon Chriss delivered the game-winner with a 41-yard touchdown with 2:31 left – to deliver the signature win under coach Willie Fritz. In consecutive weeks, Houston has beaten Utah and Kansas State, the top two teams in the Big 12 preseason poll.

Did you know? Chriss was 11-for-11 passing against Kansas State, becoming the first quarterback in school history to complete all passes in a game (minimum 10 attempts). — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

11. TCU

Previous ranking: T5

Points: 103

Record: 5-4 (3-3 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Baylor, 37-34

This week: vs. Oklahoma State

Comment: TCU’s defense allowed 290 yards and 24 points to Baylor on the Bears’ final four drives of the game, as it watched a 27-20 fourth quarter lead disappear. The Frogs spoiled a good offensive performance in the process, as TCU didn’t turn the ball over for the first time since week two. Now the Frogs will have to regroup ahead of a game against an Oklahoma State squad still looking for its first conference victory.

Did you know? TCU’s loss to Baylor on Saturday was its first in Waco since 2014. — Jamie Plunkett, Horned Frog Blitz

12. UCF

Previous ranking: 12

Points: 91

Record: 4-5 (2-4 Big 12)

Last week: beat Arizona, 56-12

This week: at Arizona State

Comment: Dylan Rizk became the fourth quarterback to start for UCF this season when he took the field against Arizona on Saturday. The redshirt freshman tossed three touchdowns as the Knights totaled more than 600 yards of offense against the Wildcats.

Did you know? UCF’s defense held Arizona to five rushing yards, the lowest total since it allowed four yards against Florida A&M on Aug. 29, 2019. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

13. Kansas

Previous ranking: 14

Points: 58

Record: 2-6 (1-4 Big 12)

Last week: Open date

This week: vs. No. 17 Iowa State

Comment: Over the course of the last three weeks, KU blew out Houston, lost to Kansas State and then saw Houston beat Kansas State. That’s characteristic of the unpredictability of this year’s Big 12. Now the Jayhawks will need to continue that trend and pull off a slew of surprising results of their own if they want to earn four straight wins and become the first team in program history to go to a third consecutive bowl game.

Did you know? In KU’s 2023 game against Iowa State, the Jayhawks were held to their lowest rushing total (74 yards) and yards-per-carry average (2.1) in the last 21 games. — Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World

14. Utah

Previous ranking: 15

Points: 52

Record: 4-4 (1-4 Big 12)

Last week: Open date

This week: vs. No. 9 BYU

Comment: Utah will look to get back on track with a win against BYU this weekend in Salt Lake City. But, simply put, this Utah team has a lot of issues to fix. The Utes’ offense is the third worst in the conference. Kyle Whittingham benched true freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson in favor of redshirt sophomore quarterback Brandon Rose against Houston. They’re also not favored to win in any of their games for the rest of the season.

Did you know? Utah will face BYU for the first time since 2021. It has been the longest break in the rivalry outside of the 1940s, when the programs went four years without playing each other from 1942-46. — Jason Batacao, The Salt Lake Tribune

15. Arizona

Previous ranking: 13

Points: 34

Record: 3-6 (1-5 Big 12)

Last week: lost to UCF, 56-12

This week: Open date

Comment: The Wildcats surrendered seven straight touchdowns to UCF in the blowout loss. UCF’s 56 points against Arizona are the most points allowed by the Wildcats since the 70-7 loss to rival Arizona State in 2020. Arizona’s banged-up defense and poor offensive execution has the Wildcats sputtering.

Did you know? Arizona’s five-game losing streak is the longest since its 20-game skid between the 2019-21 seasons. — Justin Spears, Arizona Daily Star

16. Oklahoma State

Previous ranking: 16

Points: 20

Record: 3-6 (0-6 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Arizona State, 42-21

This week: at TCU

Comment: Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy described the passing game as “erratic” on Saturday night. He didn’t dismiss the idea that freshman quarterback Maealiuaki Smith might see more reps after leading a touchdown drive late during his collegiate debut.

Did you know? Oklahoma State receiver Brennan Presley is 15th or higher nationally in both receiving touchdowns (seven) and receptions per game (6.8). Only three players are ahead of him in both categories, including Colorado’s Travis Hunter. — Tyler Waldrep, Tulsa World