photo by: AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Houston quarterback Conner Weigman (1) celebrates with Houston wide receiver Amare Thomas (0) during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona State Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz.

Welcome to the party, Houston.

One of the biggest surprises in the Big 12, the Cougars moved into the top five of this week’s power rankings for the first time this season after a road upset against Arizona State. In coach Willie Fritz’s second season, the Cougars are 7-1 and ranked in the Associated Press and coaches’ polls for the first time in more than three years.

The top three teams remained unchanged as BYU was No. 1 for the second week, picking up 14 of a possible 16 first-place votes from a panel of media who regularly cover the league, followed by Cincinnati and Texas Tech.

Houston moved up two spots to fourth, followed by Utah to round out the top five. Kansas dropped from 10th to 12th after its blowout loss to Kansas State.

1. BYU

Previous ranking: 1

Points: 254 (14 first-place votes)

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

Last week: beat Iowa State, 41-27

This week: Open date

Comment: Quarterback Bear Bachmeier accounted for over 350 yards to carry BYU over Iowa State and stay unbeaten.

Did you know? Running back LJ Martin was injured in the first half and missed the rest of the game. BYU has two weeks off before seeing Texas Tech on the road. — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune

2. Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 2

Points: 233 (one first-place vote)

Record: 7-1 (5-0 Big 12)

Last game: beat Baylor, 41-20

This week: at No. 24 Utah

Comment: Brendan Sorsby threw for two touchdowns and ran for one as the Bearcats pulled away from the Bears in the fourth quarter.

Did you know? Cincinnati held Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson to a season-low 137 passing yards. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer

3. Texas Tech

Previous ranking: 3

Points: 226 (one first-place vote)

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

Last week: beat Oklahoma State, 42-0

This week: at Kansas State

Comment: Has a team fighting for a spot in the CFP ever lost a backup quarterback for the season and it been seen as a possible death knell? Behren Morton has never needed to stay healthy more than right now.

Did you know? The Red Raiders earned their first shutout in Big 12 play since 2005 and will now try to win in Manhattan for the first time since 2008. — Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

4. Houston

Previous ranking: 6

Points: 205

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

Last week: beat No. 24 Arizona State, 24-16

This week: vs. West Virginia

Comment: Hours before kickoff, Houston learned of the death of Kurt Hester, the team’s director of strength and performance, and then delivered an emotion-fueled upset over the defending Big 12 champions. Quarterback Conner Weigman has been named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week in consecutive weeks. In the last two games, Weigman has completed 71.1% of his pass attempts for 365 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s run for 209 yards and three more TDs.

Did you know? Houston has converted 25 of 27 attempts (92.6%) in the red zone this season. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

5. Utah

Previous ranking: 5

Points: 198

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

Last week: beat Colorado, 53-7

This week: vs. No. 17 Cincinnati

Comment: With its latest win, the Utes are now bowl eligible — something that eluded Kyle Whittingham’s crew last season. Now the Utes will look toward a matchup against Cincinnati next week, which could be pivotal in deciding the race to the Big 12 championship.

Did you know? Byrd Ficklin’s 151 rushing yards are the most in a single game from a Utah quarterback since at least 1996. — Jason Batacao, The Salt Lake Tribune

6. TCU

Previous ranking: 7

Points: 168

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

Last week: beat West Virginia, 23-17

This week: Open date

Comment: TCU struggled against West Virginia but escaped Morgantown with a win and its outside chance at the Big 12 title game intact. But if the Frogs continue playing at the level we saw on Saturday, those dreams of heading to Arlington won’t last much longer. The good news is TCU has a bye week to get healthy and sort some things out.

Did you know? TCU is bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2017 and 2018 seasons. — Jamie Plunkett, Horned Frog Blitz

7. Arizona State

Previous ranking: 4

Points: 163

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

Last week: lost to Houston, 24-16

This week: at Iowa State

Comment: Quarterback Sam Leavitt got knocked out of the game twice and standout wide receiver Jordyn Tyson was among the handful of starters out due to injury.

Did you know? The game marked the fifth straight sellout at Mountain America Stadium. The loss at home was the first in 23 months and snapped a streak of 10 straight victories. — Michelle Gardner, Arizona Republic

8. Kansas State

Previous ranking: 12

Points: 141

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

Last week: beat Kansas, 42-17

This week: vs. No. 13 Texas Tech

Comment: Despite being underdogs to the Jayhawks for the first time since 2009, the Wildcats throttled their in-state foe, taking a 21-7 lead after the first quarter and allowing just three Kansas points in the entire second half.

Did you know? The Wildcats are looking for their ninth straight win versus the Red Raiders, stretching back to 2015. K-State has also won 12 of the last 13 games between the two schools. — Tim Everson, The Manhattan Mercury

9. Iowa State

Previous ranking: 8

Points: 132

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

Last week: lost to No. 11 BYU, 41-27

This week: vs. Arizona State

Comment: Iowa State has lost three games in a row for the first time since dropping five straight in the 2022 season, in which it finished 4-8.

Did you know? The Cyclones have forced just one turnover during their recent three-game skid. They’re now tied for 13th in the Big 12 in turnover margin at minus-0.13 per game. — Rob Gray, Cedar Rapids Gazette

10. Baylor

Previous ranking: 9

Points: 105

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

Last week: lost to No. 21 Cincinnati, 41-20

This week: vs. UCF

Comment: The same mistakes Baylor has been making all season came back in a road loss to Cincinnati, as the Bears turned the ball over twice, didn’t force a turnover and allowed the Bearcats to have their best rushing game of the season. A team that had conference title aspirations is now battling to get to a bowl game with UCF on deck for homecoming this weekend.

Did you know? Senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson had passed for 200 or more yards in 11 straight games before the loss to Cincinnati, where he threw for a season-low 137 yards. — Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald

11. Arizona

Previous ranking: 11

Points: 100

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

Last week: Open date

This week: at Colorado

Comment: After back-to-back losses to BYU and Houston, the Wildcats are at a crossroads this week against a struggling Colorado team that is coming off a 46-point drubbing at Utah. Even though Arizona surrendered a combined 490 rushing yards the last two games, the Wildcats are facing the second-worst rushing offense in the Big 12.

Did you know? The last time Arizona faced Colorado in Boulder, quarterback Noah Fifita completed all four of his pass attempts on the final drive to set up kicker Tyler Loop for a walk-off field goal. — Justin Spears, Arizona Daily Star

12. Kansas

Previous ranking: 10

Points: 86

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

Last week: lost to Kansas State, 42-17

This week: vs. Oklahoma State

Comment: The Jayhawks, and quarterback Jalon Daniels in particular, played their worst football of the season in perhaps its most important game, which resulted in their resounding loss at the hands of rival K-State. KU’s easiest path to a third bowl game under head coach Lance Leipold would include taking care of business against struggling OSU on Saturday.

Did you know? OSU interim head coach Doug Meacham and interim defensive coordinator Clint Bowen worked together as coordinators for KU during the David Beaty era. Bowen, a former Jayhawk player and veteran of numerous KU staffs, was the head coach at Lawrence High School prior to this year. — Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World

13. Colorado

Previous ranking: 13

Points: 62

Record: 3-5 (1-4 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Utah, 53-7

This week: vs. Arizona

Comment: After an upset of Iowa State and a bye, CU felt it had momentum going into Salt Lake City but got thoroughly whooped by the Utes. Offense, defense and special teams were horrendous in a first half that saw CU fall into a 43-0 hole. It was CU’s largest margin of defeat in the Deion Sanders era.

Did you know? CU quarterback Kaidon Salter has been solid at home this season, completing 66.4% of his passes for 939 yards (187.8 per game), seven touchdowns and one interception, while rushing for 259 yards and four TDs (4.47 yards per carry). In two road games, however, he’s completed just 52.9% of his passes for 254 yards (127 per game), two touchdowns and four interceptions, while rushing 21 times for seven yards (0.3 per carry) and a score. — Brian Howell, Boulder Daily Camera

14. UCF

Previous ranking: 14

Points: 60

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

Last week: Open date

This week: at Baylor

Comment: UCF is coming off its second open date of the season, which couldn’t have come at a better time for the Knights. Quarterbacks Tayven Jackson, Cam Fancher and Jacurri Brown have all been dealing with various injuries.

Did you know? UCF has lost six straight road contests, going back to last season, and is 2-9 in road games since joining the Big 12 in 2023. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

15. West Virginia

Previous ranking: 15

Points: 31

Record: 2-6 (0-5 Big 12)

Last week: lost to TCU, 23-17

This week: at No. 22 Houston

Comment: West Virginia played its most competitive game of conference play. The defense prevented explosive plays, and the offense found success through the air. TCU did just enough in the second half to hold on for the victory.

Did you know? Scotty Fox Jr. set a new single-game freshman passing record with 301 yards. It was the Mountaineers’ first 300-yard passing day of the season. — Cody Nespor, Gold and Blue Nation

16. Oklahoma State

Previous ranking: 16

Points: 17

Record: 1-7 (0-5 Big 12)

Last week: lost to No. 14 Texas Tech, 42-0

This week: at Kansas

Comment: Without running back Rodney Fields, the Cowboys offense took an even larger step backwards than usual. OSU finished with 182 total yards, most of which came thanks to the efforts of running back Trent Howland (69) and receiver Gavin Freeman (47).

Did you know? Noah Walters is the fourth quarterback to attempt a first-half pass for the Cowboys, who average a conference-worst 162 passing yards per game. — Tyler Waldrep, Pistols Firing