photo by: AP Photo/George Frey

The BYU band performs before an NCAA college football game, against Utah Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in Provo, Utah.

The only remaining unbeaten team in the Big 12, BYU moved into the top spot in this week’s power rankings.

The Cougars received 14 of a possible 16 first-place votes from a panel of media who cover the Big 12.

Cincinnati, tied for the league lead at 4-0, was second with one first-place vote. Texas Tech, the unanimous No. 1 the previous two weeks, dropped to third after a loss to Arizona State. The Red Raiders received the other first-place vote.

Arizona State was fourth, followed by Utah and Houston. Kansas moved from 11th to 10th during its latest bye week.

1. BYU

Previous ranking: 4

Points: 254 (14 first-place votes)

Record: 7-0 (4-0 Big 12)

Last week: beat No. 23 Utah, 24-21

This week: at Iowa State

Comment: This is BYU’s first three-game win streak against Utah since 1992.

Did you know? LJ Martin was again BYU’s best offensive player, carrying the Cougars with 122 yards. He is over 700 now for the season. — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune

2. Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 2

Points: 227 (one first-place vote)

Record: 6-1 (4-0 Big 12)

Last week: beat Oklahoma State, 49-17

This week: vs. Baylor

Comment: The Bearcats got out to a 28-10 halftime lead then pulled away with 21 unanswered fourth quarter points, including two scores off turnovers late in the game. Brendan Sorsby threw for three touchdowns and added a rushing score.

Did you know? Matthew McDoom’s 100-yard interception return set a school record and was the first of the season for the team. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer

3. Texas Tech

Previous ranking: 1

Points: 224 (one first-place vote)

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

Last week: lost to Arizona State, 26-22

This week: vs. Oklahoma State

Comment: Conservative play calling with the backup quarterback and leaning too much on the defense to save the day didn’t work in Texas Tech’s favor. The Red Raiders were never going to go undefeated in the regular season, so it’s time for a bit of a rest heading into the home stretch.

Did you know? Texas Tech finished the game with 276 yards of total offense, the second fewest in a game the last three seasons behind the 198 against Texas in a 50-7 loss in 2023. — Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

4. Arizona State

Previous ranking: 5

Points: 212

Record: 5-2 (3-1 Big 12)

Last week: beat No. 7 Texas Tech, 26-22

This week: vs. Houston

Comment: The ASU defense got some redemption from the previous week’s embarrassing loss at Utah. The Sun Devils held the Red Raiders to 16 first downs, 276 total yards, and 22 points, all season lows. ASU also finished with a whopping 15-minute advantage in time of possession.

Did you know? This was ASU’s first win over a top 10 team since November 2019, when then-true-freshman Jayden Daniels led the Sun Devils past then-No. 6 Oregon and quarterback Justin Herbert. — Michelle Gardner, Arizona Republic

5. Utah

Previous ranking: 2

Points: 184

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

Last week: lost to No. 15 BYU, 24-21

This week: vs. Colorado

Comment: Utah’s Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff hopes were likely dashed in its loss to BYU last Saturday. Now the Utes and Kyle Whittingham will hope to win out for a good bowl game and a chance to climb the standings in the conference.

Did you know? Whittingham has now lost to BYU three consecutive times for the first time in his head coaching career. — Jason Batacao, The Salt Lake Tribune

6. Houston

Previous ranking: 7

Points: 182

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

Last week: beat Arizona, 31-28

This week: at No. 24 Arizona State

Comment: Add Houston as the latest year-two turnaround in coach Willie Fritz’s three-decade-long career. After going 4-8 in his first season, Fritz has the Cougars bowl eligible for the first time since 2022, on the cusp of a top-25 ranking and still in contention for the Big 12 title. If the Cougars are going to be taken seriously, they’ll need to pull off a road upset against Arizona State.

Did you know? In the last meeting between the two schools, Houston’s David Klingler threw for 716 yards and seven touchdowns in a 62-45 win over Arizona State in Tokyo. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

7. TCU

Previous ranking: 9

Points: 159

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

Last week: beat Baylor, 42-36

This week: at West Virginia

Comment: TCU’s near-catastrophic unraveling at the end of the win over Baylor can be chalked up to a few fluke-like events happening in quick succession, but that won’t make Frog fans feel much better. They’ll be more at ease if TCU comes out and takes care of business against West Virginia.

Did you know? TCU now holds the rivalry trophies against Baylor, SMU and Texas Tech at the same time for the first time since 2022. — Jamie Plunkett, Horned Frog Blitz

8. Iowa State

Previous ranking: 8

Points: 137

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

Last week: Open date

This week: vs. No. 11 BYU

Comment: Iowa State running back Abu Sama rushed for 177 yards in a recent 24-17 loss at Colorado, becoming the fifth Cyclone since 1995 to compile multiple games in a career with at least 175 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Did you know? Iowa State seeks its 15th win over an Associated Press Top 25 team since 2017 — head coach Matt Campbell’s second season at the helm. — Rob Gray, Cedar Rapids Gazette

9. Baylor

Previous ranking: 6

Points: 131

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

Last week: lost to TCU, 42-36

This week: at No. 21 Cincinnati

Comment: Baylor sat through two weather delays that lasted more than two hours and turned the ball over four times but still had a chance to complete a miraculous comeback against TCU. But the final score was far closer than the game was, as the same ugly mistakes that had been plaguing the Bears came back. Running back Bryson Washington has been banged up all year and was held out late in the game against TCU. He remains day-to-day. Things don’t get much easier, with a road game against surging Cincinnati up next.

Did you know? Head coach Dave Aranda is now 1-5 against rival TCU in his six years in charge. The Horned Frogs have outscored the Bears 210-169 in that span. — Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald

10. Kansas

Previous ranking: 11

Points: 108

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

Last week: Open date

This week: vs. Kansas State

Comment: Much of the public discourse around KU during its open week centered on head coach Lance Leipold’s allegation that a member of the Jayhawks’ staff got hit by a pocketknife thrown from the Texas Tech stands, which sparked a controversy that resulted in equal $25,000 fines for both KU and Tech. Sunflower Showdown week provides a welcome return to actual football discussion.

Did you know? KU has lost five straight games entering bye weeks but has in turn won five straight coming out of bye weeks. The Jayhawks are, of course, hoping to break a different streak: 16 consecutive losses to rival Kansas State. — Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World

11. Arizona

Previous ranking: 10

Points: 97

Record: 4-3 (1-3 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Houston, 31-28

This week: Open date

Comment: After allowing 488 rushing yards in the first five games, the Wildcats surrendered a combined 490 rushing yards to BYU and Houston in back-to-back losses — both games were led by the powerful one-two punch of a running back and quarterback. Stopping quarterback runs has been a glaring concern for Arizona the last two weeks.

Did you know? Arizona lost to Houston in walk-off fashion. It marked the first time the Wildcats lost on a walk-off field goal since they lost to Oregon State in 2008. — Justin Spears, Arizona Daily Star

12. Kansas State

Previous ranking: 12

Points: 94

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

Last week: Open week

This week: at Kansas

Comment: The Wildcats and the Jayhawks were off last week to prepare for Saturday’s season-defining game in Lawrence. The teams are two of the six schools that are 2-2 in Big 12 play so far this season.

Did you know? Not only has K-State won 16 in a row against its in-state rival, but it’s won 28 of the last 32 meetings stretching back to 1993. However, the Jayhawks still lead the overall series 64-53-5. — Tim Everson, The Manhattan Mercury

13. Colorado

Previous ranking: 13

Points: 77

Record: 3-4 (1-3 Big 12)

Last week: Open date

This week: at Utah

Comment: The Buffs are hoping the off week helped them get a bit healthier. They had the longest injury list in the conference two weeks ago, with 20 players missing the game against Iowa State on Oct. 11 due to injury.

Did you know? Since 2018, Colorado has gone 6-3 in games following an open week. All but two of those of those were at home, however. Last year, CU won at Texas Tech following an off week, snapping a nine-game losing streak in post-bye road games. — Brian Howell, Boulder Daily Camera

14. UCF

Previous ranking: 14

Points: 54

Record: 4-3 (1-3 Big 12)

Last week: beat West Virginia, 45-13

This week: Open date

Comment: Quarterback Tayven Jackson tossed two touchdown passes while running back Jaden Nixon powered through for two rushing scores, leading UCF to a decisive 45-13 victory over West Virginia. The Knights set season high marks in total yards (578), passing yards (323) and sacks (seven).

Did you know? The win snapped a series of losing streaks for the Knights, including a three-game losing streak, a six-game losing streak to Big 12 opponents and a nine-game losing streak in the month of October. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

15. West Virginia

Previous ranking: 15

Points: 31

Record: 2-5 (0-4 Big 12)

Last week: lost to UCF, 45-13

This week: vs. TCU

Comment: WVU took a step forward in the first half, and several steps back in the second half of a lopsided loss at UCF. West Virginia returns home for the first time in a month to host TCU this week, looking for any positives to come out of the homecoming matchup.

Did you know? Scotty Fox Jr. was the fourth quarterback to start a game for the Mountaineers this season. The last time WVU started at least four different quarterbacks in the same year was 1951. — Cody Nespor, Gold and Blue Nation

16. Oklahoma State

Previous ranking: 16

Points: 17

Record: 1-6 (0-4 Big 12)

Last week: loss to No. 24 Cincinnati, 49-17

This week: at No. 14 Texas Tech

Comment: OSU swapped offensive play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns last week, and it immediately resulted in the team’s fewest three-and-outs (one) and most red-zone drives (five) this season.

Did you know? Running back Rodney Fields Jr. ranks 47th in the nation and seventh in the Big 12 in all-purpose yards per game (105.8). — Tyler Waldrep, Pistols Firing