Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht (3) signals teammates during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Iowa State was the overwhelming pick for the top spot in this week’s Big 12 power rankings.

The Cyclones received 14 of a possible 16 first-place votes from a panel of media members who regularly cover the Big 12. Arizona State, which held the top spot after the opening week of the season, dropped to sixth after a 24-20 loss at Mississippi State.

Texas Tech and TCU each received one first-place vote.

The Red Raiders and Utah tied for second, followed by TCU and Baylor to round out the top five. The Bears moved up four spots after their overtime win over No. 16 SMU.

Kansas State matched Arizona State for the biggest drop of the week, falling from seventh to 12th after a loss to Army. Kansas, for its part, slid from sixth to eighth after dropping a 42-31 result against Missouri.

1. Iowa State

Previous ranking: 2

Points: 254 (14 first-place votes)

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

Last week: beat Iowa, 16-13

This week: at Arkansas State

Comment: Iowa State walk-on kicker Kyle Konrardy has become a clutch weapon. His 54-yard field goals beat in-state rival Iowa the past two seasons — and two weeks ago, he drilled a program-record 63-yard field goal in a 55-7 win over FCS South Dakota.

Did you know? The last time Iowa State went on the road to face a non-Power Four team, they lost, 10-7, at Ohio in 2023. The Cyclones also lost, 30-23, in double overtime to another MAC team (Toledo) in 2015. That happened in then-Rockets head coach Matt Campbell’s final season with the school. He took the Iowa State job the following season. — Rob Gray, Cedar Rapids Gazette

T2. Texas Tech

Previous ranking: 3

Points: 216 (1 first-place vote)

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Kent State, 62-14

This week: vs. Oregon State

Comment: Another ho-hum blowout in which the starters only really played the first half. Now the Red Raiders have an Oregon State team that’s 0-2 with home losses to Cal and Fresno State – the Fresno State team Kansas blitzed in Week 0. Not much to learn about from this slate.

Did you know?: Texas Tech has scored 129 points through the first two weeks, the most total points in the first two games of a season since 2005 (136). — Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

T2. Utah

Previous ranking: 4

Points: 216

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Cal Poly, 63-9

This week: at Wyoming

Comment: Utah started off sluggish against Cal Poly, punting on three of its first five drives. But after that, the Utes put together a blowout performance combining for 518 total yards, seven offensive touchdowns and 24 first downs.

Did you know? Ute quarterback Devon Dampier tied his single-game career high with three passing touchdowns against Cal Poly. He now has five passing touchdowns on the season. — Jason Batacao, The Salt Lake Tribune

4. TCU

Previous ranking: 5

Points: 196 (1 first-place vote)

Record: 1-0

Last week: Open date

This week: vs. Abilene Christian

Comment: TCU caught up on rest after a week-one win over North Carolina but finally gets into a rhythm starting this week with seven consecutive games.

Did you know? TCU’s 258 rushing yards in Week 1 were the most in a single game since the Horned Frogs ran for 263 against Michigan in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl. — Jamie Plunkett, Horned Frog Blitz

5. Baylor

Previous ranking: 9

Points: 188

Record: 1-1

Last week: beat No. 17 SMU, 48-45 in double overtime

This week: vs. Samford

Comment: Down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Baylor didn’t panic. Quarterback Sawyer Robertson led back-to-back scoring drives to force overtime, and the Bears kicked a game-winning field goal in double overtime to push their winning streak over SMU to 14 straight games. Robertson has passed for 400-plus yards in three straight games. A home game against FCS team Samford should give the defense a chance to find some consistency.

Did you know? Sawyer Robertson is just the third quarterback since 2000 to have 850 or more yards and seven or more touchdowns with no interceptions through the first two games of the season. — Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald

6. Arizona State

Previous ranking: 1

Points: 172

Record: 1-1

Last week: lost at Mississippi State, 24-20

This week: vs. Texas State

Comment: The Sun Devils found the going tough in SEC territory. They got behind 17-0, went ahead 20-17, then gave up a big play in the waning seconds. That changed a trend ASU had last year of winning the close games. Running back Kyson Brown was injured early in the first quarter and did not return.

Did you know? This marked a rare game in which quarterback Sam Leavitt had more interceptions than touchdown passes. He had just six interceptions last season and already has three in two games. — Michelle Gardner, Arizona Republic

7. BYU

Previous ranking: 8

Points: 167

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Stanford, 27-3

This week: Open date

Comment: BYU’s defense created three turnovers and a safety to help the Cougars breeze past Stanford.

Did you know? BYU allowed just 14 rushing yards through the first two weeks of the season. — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune

8. Kansas

Previous ranking: 6

Points: 129

Record: 2-1

Last week: lost to Missouri, 42-31

This week: Open date

Comment: The Jayhawks held an early 15-point lead in the long-awaited renewal of their ages-old rivalry with the Tigers, but in a game that resembled many from the 2024 season, KU let a victory slip away in large part because it finished both halves poorly. Of course, it didn’t help that the Jayhawks ran for three total yards and allowed Missouri to run for 261.

Did you know? Kansas tight end DeShawn Hanika caught six passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns against Missouri. The seventh-year senior had never previously had a game with more than three catches or more than one touchdown. — Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World

photo by: AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Arizona defensive back Ayden Garnes (9) and defensive back Dalton Johnson (43) in the first half during an NCAA football game against Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Tucson, Ariz.

9. Arizona

Previous ranking: 11

Points: 123

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Weber State, 48-3

This week: vs. Kansas State (Friday)

Comment: Led by a third-year starter in quarterback Noah Fifita, Arizona’s passing attack found its rhythm and produced seven scoring drives. Fifita tied his career high of five touchdowns. Arizona didn’t allow a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since the first two games of the 2010 season.

Did you know? The last time Arizona started 2-0 in back-to-back seasons was in 2014 and ’15. The Wildcats also started 2-0 last season before their nine-game winning streak was ended by Kansas State. — Justin Spears, Arizona Daily Star

10. Houston

Previous ranking: 10

Points: 111

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat Rice, 35-9

This week: vs. Colorado (Friday)

Comment: The defense has been the surprise after two weeks, allowing only one touchdown and ranking third in passing yards allowed (78.0) and fourth nationally in points allowed (4.5) and total yards (186.0). The 12 total points allowed to this point are the fewest allowed by Houston since 1989 (seven). Dean Connors had a big game against his former team, rushing for 132 yards and two touchdowns against Rice in the last scheduled Bayou Bucket.

Did you know? Houston’s schedule includes four opponents the Cougars haven’t played in 30 or more years: Stephen F. Austin (1948), Oregon State (1970), Colorado (1971) and Arizona State (1990). — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

11. Colorado

Previous ranking: 12

Points: 92

Record: 1-1

Last week: beat Delaware, 31-7

This week: at Houston (Friday)

Comment: Colorado head coach Deion Sanders surprised just about everyone by employing a three-QB rotation against Delaware. The third quarterback to get into the game, Ryan Staub, stole the show, throwing for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Staub was the first CU backup to throw multiple TD passes in a game since Steven Montez on Sept. 10, 2016, vs. Idaho State.

Did you know? CU has played against Houston just once, in the 1971 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl (held in Houston), but the Buffs have played seven times in the city of Houston. The Buffs played in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl four times, the Houston Bowl once and two Big 12 title games in Houston. — Brian Howell, Boulder Daily Camera

12. Kansas State

Previous ranking: 7

Points: 83

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

Last week: lost to Army, 24-21

This week: vs. Arizona (Friday)

Comment: The Wildcats were absolutely dominated in time of possession on Saturday. The Black Knights held the ball for over 40 minutes, including nearly 27 minutes in the second half. Army’s offense converted on six of seven fourth-down attempts and 10 of 22 third-down opportunities.

Did you know? Friday’s game between the league’s two Wildcats is the return trip for K-State after topping Arizona 31-7. But like last year’s game, it is a nonconference matchup, as the series was scheduled before Arizona joined the Big 12. — Tim Everson, The Manhattan Mercury

13. UCF

Previous ranking: 16

Points: 79

Record: 2-0

Last week: beat North Carolina A&T 68-7

This week: Open date

Comment: Running back Jaden Nixon had a career-high 252 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, including a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as the Knights scored 28 points in the first quarter on their way to a 68-7 win. First-time starting quarterback Tayven Jackson rushed for a pair of touchdowns and the defense registered a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Did you know? Nixon became the first player in UCF history to score a touchdown on a kickoff return and have a rushing touchdown in the same game. He’s the fourth player all-time with a kickoff return and an offensive touchdown. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

14. Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 14

Points: 78

Record: 1-1

Last game: beat Bowling Green, 34-20

This week: vs. Northwestern State

Comment: Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for 333 yards with three touchdowns and ran for a score. Cyrus Allen caught two touchdown passes.

Did you know? UC tight end Joe Royer had his first 100-plus-yard receiving game against Bowling Green, even though he only caught two passes. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer

15. West Virginia

Previous ranking: 13

Points: 31

Record: 1-1

Last week: lost to Ohio, 17-10

This week: vs. Pittsburgh

Comment: The Mountaineers had a dismal offensive performance on the road against a MAC opponent. WVU put up just 10 points and 250 yards of offense on Saturday, losing top running back Jahiem White to injury in the process. The defense clamped down in the second half, pitching a shutout and grabbing three interceptions. Now, West Virginia has to rebound quickly with archrival Pitt coming to Morgantown this week.

Did you know? West Virginia is now 0-3 all-time playing at Ohio, having lost 17-7 in 1949 and 12-0 in 1897. — Cody Nespor, Gold and Blue Nation

16. Oklahoma State

Previous ranking: 15

Points: 23

Record: 1-1

Last week: lost to No. 6 Oregon, 69-3

This week: Open date

Comment: Oklahoma State has an extra week to sit with what was nearly the largest point differential in program history. Getting healthy might be the biggest challenge, considering at least 10 Cowboys from the two-deep either left Saturday’s game due to injury or missed it entirely.

Did you know? Oklahoma State linebacker Bryan McCoy Jr. ranks eighth in the nation, averaging 11.5 tackles per game. He also finished eighth last season after averaging 10 per game for Akron. — Tyler Waldrep, Pistols Firing