photo by: AP Photo/Colin E. Braley

Cincinnati wide receiver Cyrus Allen (4) catches a pass for a first down as Kansas safety Taylor Davis (27) defends during the first half of an NCAA collage football game on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Lawrence.

Texas Tech remained in the top spot in the Big 12 power rankings for the second straight week.

The Red Raiders, who moved to No. 11 in the Associated Press national rankings, received 11 of a possible 16 first-place votes from a panel of media members who regularly cover the Big 12.

Iowa State (three first-place votes) and Arizona State (two first-place votes) tied for the second spot with 227 points, followed by Utah and BYU to round out the top five.

Cincinnati made the biggest jump of the week, from 12th to eighth, after a close win at Kansas.

1. Texas Tech

Previous ranking: 1

Points: 250 (11 first-place votes)

Record: 4-0 (1-0 Big 12)

Last week: Open date

This week: at Houston

Comment: Joey McGuire spent the off week on the podcast circuit saying pretty much the same thing he’s said all year. Luckily, the talking portion can wrap up for a bit with actual football games to be played again.

Did you know? Don’t expect there to be a QB controversy. If Behren Morton’s healthy, he’ll be starting against Houston. And there’s no fear Utah hero Will Hammond will leave after the season: He’s under a multi-year contract signed this summer. — Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

T2. Iowa State

Previous ranking: 2

Points: 227 (3 first-place votes)

Record: 5-0 (2-0 Big 12)

Last week: beat Arizona, 39-14

This week: at Cincinnati

Comment: Junior quarterback Rocco Becht rushed for a career-high three touchdowns in last Saturday night’s win over the Wildcats. The No. 14 Cyclones have won 10 consecutive games when he’s scored on the ground at least once. Becht also became the fourth player in program history to eclipse 8,000 yards of total offense in a career.

Did you know? The Bearcats’ second-year defensive coordinator, Tyson Veidt, served as the linebackers coach at Iowa State under head coach Matt Campbell for eight seasons. He previously served in the same role for Campbell for two seasons at Toledo. — Rob Gray, Cedar Rapids Gazette

T2. Arizona State

Previous ranking: 3

Points: 227 (2 first-place votes)

Record: 4-1 (2-0 Big 12)

Last week: beat No. 24 TCU, 27-24

This week: Open date

Comment: The Sun Devils rallied from a 17-0 deficit, led by the dynamic duo of Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson. The defense recorded six sacks and two interceptions, limiting the Horned Frogs to 269 yards, including just 10 yards on the ground.

Did you know? It was the biggest deficit overcome against a ranked team in school history. The nine-game home win streak is the school’s longest since a 14-game run from 1908 to 1982. It was also the third sellout in as many home games this season. — Michelle Gardner, Arizona Republic

4. Utah

Previous ranking: 5

Points: 184

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

Last week: beat West Virginia, 48-14

This week: Open date

Comment: Utah’s offense got back on track in its blowout win over the Mountaineers. But the Utes have yet to beat a ranked opponent. After their off week, they’ll face a pair of ranked opponents in Arizona State and BYU. There, we’ll find out if Utah is a true Big 12 contender or pretender.

Did you know? Devon Dampier’s four passing touchdowns set a career high for the junior quarterback. — Jason Batacao, The Salt Lake Tribune

5. BYU

Previous ranking: T6

Points: 180

Record: 4-0 (1-0 Big 12)

Last week: beat Colorado, 24-21

This week: vs. West Virginia (Friday)

Comment: In a rematch of the Alamo Bowl, BYU handled Colorado on the road. It gives the Cougars a 2-0 record against Deion Sanders since he arrived in the league.

Did you know? BYU is 4-0 for the second consecutive season as Kalani Sitake has over 75 wins since becoming BYU’s head coach. — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune

6. TCU

Previous ranking: 4

Points: 176

Record: 3-1 (0-1 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Arizona State, 27-24

This week: vs. Colorado

Comment: TCU’s offense regressed in the absence of leading receiver Eric McAlister, while the running game provided a paltry 0.4 yards per carry in the loss to ASU. The Horned Frogs will need to figure out how to pass protect for Josh Hoover and run the ball more efficiently if they want to achieve their goals in 2025.

Did you know? Colorado and TCU play this Saturday for the first time since Sanders’ first game as head coach of the Buffs — a game Colorado won 45-42 in Fort Worth. — Jamie Plunkett, Horned Frog Blitz

7. Houston

Previous ranking: 8

Points: 159

Record: 4-0 (1-0 Big 12)

Last week: beat Oregon State, 27-24 in OT

This week: vs. No. 11 Texas Tech

Comment: Just how improved are the Cougars? We’re about to find out. Houston needed a frantic comeback – scoring 14 points in the final six minutes of regulation – and a blocked field-goal try in a close win at Oregon State. Next up is unbeaten Texas Tech in what will be one of the biggest games in the 12-year history of TDECU Stadium.

Did you know? Houston has lost six in a row to Texas Tech, its fourth-longest active losing streak to an opponent behind Alabama (10), Texas (eight) and Miami (seven). — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

8. Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 12

Points: 146

Record: 3-1 (1-0 Big 12)

Last game: beat Kansas, 37-34

This week: vs. No. 14 Iowa State

Comment: Brendan Sorsby led a 10-play, 75-yard drive in just over a minute to beat Kansas after the Jayhawks had gone up 34-30 with 1:45 to play. Tawee Walker scored with 29 seconds to play, and the UC defense stopped Jalon Daniels at the end.

Did you know? Cincinnati and Kansas combined for 1,200 yards of total offense in Lawrence. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer

9. Baylor

Previous ranking: 10

Points: 145

Record: 3-2 (1-1 Big 12)

Last week: beat Oklahoma State, 45-27

This week: vs. Kansas State

Comment: Baylor continues to play unbalanced football, but the Bears left Stillwater with a win. Sawyer Robertson continued his torrid start to the season by throwing for nearly 400 yards and contributing five touchdowns. But the Bears’ defense allowed the Cowboys, in their first game since firing Mike Gundy, to have their best offensive game of the season. Baylor will look to play complementary football when it hosts Kansas State at home Saturday.

Did you know? After throwing for 393 yards against Oklahoma State, Sawyer Robertson passed four former Baylor quarterbacks to sit in seventh on the all-time Baylor passing list. He’s just 18 yards behind Shawn Bell for sixth place all-time. — Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald

10. Kansas

Previous ranking: T6

Points: 112

Record: 3-2 (1-1 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Cincinnati, 37-34

This week: at UCF

Comment: Kansas’ defense allowed 603 yards of offense and conceded a last-minute game-winning touchdown drive in an ugly display that canceled out high-level performances from players like Daniels and wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. Now KU has to right the ship on the road at UCF, after a setback during what had looked like the easier part of its Big 12 schedule.

Did you know? KU’s top three receivers against Cincinnati — Henderson, tight end Boden Groen and wideout Keaton Kubecka — all reached single-game career highs in receiving yards. — Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World

11. Arizona

Previous ranking: 9

Points: 99

Record: 3-1 (0-1 Big 12)

Last week: lost to No. 14 Iowa State, 39-14

This week: vs. Oklahoma State

Comment: After Arizona only allowed two touchdowns in the first three games of the season, Iowa State scored five touchdowns against the Wildcats. The UA defense has allowed an average of 16.3 points per game this season, which ranks 25th nationally.

Did you know? Arizona has recorded six interceptions this season — all of them from six different players. The Wildcats only had eight interceptions last season. The Wildcats are also one of two teams in college football not to allow a passing touchdown this season; the other is Nebraska. — Justin Spears, Arizona Daily Star

12. Kansas State

Previous ranking: 13

Points: 84

Record: 2-3 (1-1 Big 12)

Last week: beat UCF, 34-20

This week: at Baylor

Comment: Kansas State bounced back in a big way last week, led by a reinvigorated defense and the return of star running back Dylan Edwards, who had 166 yards on 20 carries in the win over previously undefeated UCF.

Did you know? K-State held UCF to just 20 points on Saturday, nearly half of its 39.7 scoring average in its first three games of the season. Under Chris Klieman, K-State has held 43 of its 55 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring averages. — Tim Everson, The Manhattan Mercury

13. UCF

Previous ranking: 11

Points: 69

Record: 3-1 (0-1 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Kansas State, 34-20

This week: vs. Kansas

Comment: UCF fell behind 10-0 and trailed by as many as 17 points as Kansas State rushed for a season-high 266 yards, powered by Dylan Edwards’ career-high 166 yards. Running back Myles Montgomery set a career-high with 119 yards as the Knights saw their offense get derailed by an aggressive Wildcats’ front.

Did you know? UCF has lost its last four Big 12 games and its last five road contests. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

14. Colorado

Previous ranking: 14

Points: 38

Record: 2-3 (0-2 Big 12)

Last week: lost to No. 25 BYU, 24-21

This week: at TCU

Comment: CU stormed out to an impressive 14-0 lead against BYU, throwing in some offensive wrinkles it hasn’t shown in two years with coordinator Pat Shurmur. The Buffs went away from those things for the most part after building the lead, though, and BYU adjusted. That led to CU generating just seven points in the last three quarters. The Buffs had just 103 yards in total offense in the second half.

Did you know? The Buffs are in an all-too-familiar spot, sitting at 0-2 in the Big 12. This is the fourth time in the last five years that CU has started 0-2 in conference games. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, however, the Buffs won their third conference game to avoid a 0-3 start. In two of those seasons (2022 and 2023), CU’s only conference win of the season came in that third game. — Brian Howell, Boulder Daily Camera

15. West Virginia

Previous ranking: 15

Points: 37

Record: 2-3 (0-2 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Utah, 48-14

This week: vs. No. 23 BYU (Friday)

Comment: An injury-ravaged West Virginia offense couldn’t get off the ground as the Mountaineers suffered their second straight lopsided loss in conference play.

Did you know? Friday will be the first game WVU has ever played in the state of Utah. — Cody Nespor, Gold and Blue Nation

16. Oklahoma State

Previous ranking: 16

Points: 16

Record: 1-3 (0-1 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Baylor, 45-27

This week: at Arizona

Comment: Starting safety Dylan Smith has reportedly chosen to enter the transfer portal following the dismissals of head coach Mike Gundy and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Smith played a team-high 251 snaps in the first four games.

Did you know? Oklahoma State is the only power-conference program with completions from multiple non-quarterbacks this season. OSU is 5 of 6 on such passing attempts for 63 yards and a touchdown. — Tyler Waldrep, Pistols Firing