Big 12 Power Rankings after week 6: Is Texas Tech at the top of the conference?

Week six of the college football season has come and gone. Given that the season is at the half-way mark, t's a natural time for teams and fans to stop and take stock of where they are as mid-October arrives.

This pas weekend saw five Big 12 teams have an open week. However, there were still some intriguing results from the games that were played.

Perhaps most unexpected was that road teams went 3-2 in conference games this week. Of course, that includes Texas Tech which won at Arizona to be the first Big 12 team to get to 3-0 in league play.

So does that mean that the Red Raiders are atop this week's Big 12 power rankings? Let's take a look.

Week 6: L 35-31 vs Arizona State

It feels like 2010-21 all over again with Kansas at the bottom of the Big 12. The Jayhawks seem to lack a killer instinct given that they have lost four one-score games this season. Now, if they can't beat Houston at home in their next game, their season could spiral even further out of control with Kansas State, Iowa State, and BYU on the schedule at that.

Week 6: L 38-14 vs West Virginia

Another preseason media darling that is struggling in Big 12 play is Oklahoma State. Dominated at home by West Virginia in week 6, nothing is going right in Stillwater. Alan Bowman looks like one of the worst QBs in the conference and Ollie Gordon has lost the magic he displayed last season. What's more, if they want to avoid going 0-4 in the Big 12, they'll have to win at BYU in two weeks. Maybe they can regroup during their open week.

Week 6: W 30-19 vs TCU

Not only did Houston finally score a point in Big 12 play in week 6, they put up 30 in a huge upset at TCU. New starting QB Zeon Chriss breathed some much-needed life into the offense with 238 total yards and two total TDs. Now, out of the Big 12 cellar in our power rankings, can they go to Kansas and continue to add to the Jayhawks' misery in two weeks?

Week 6: L 43-21 vs Iowa State

The Dave Aranda detractors are only growing louder in central Texas as Baylor's slide continues. Now just 2-4 on the season, Aranda's seat is growing warmer by the week. They have a week off to regroup before heading to Lubbock where the Red Raiders have been very good under Joey McGuire. If that game goes poorly, Aranda could be in real trouble.

Week 6: L 30-19 vs Houston

Yes, TCU lost to Houston this week. So why do they sit ahead of the Cougars? That game felt like a fluke and if the two teams played again, TCU would probably win. Still, it was an ugly loss for Sonny Dykes who is now just 5-7 in his last 12 games. Like Aranda, Dykes is quickly losing the early equity he built with his fan base and he needs to start winning soon.

Week 6: L 24-13 vs Florida

The only Big 12 team to play a non-conference game this week, UCF had a rare chance to take on one of its in-state big brothers but couldn't take advantage of a bad Florida team. That's two weeks in a row that the Knights have had marquee opportunities only to wet the bed. Can they get back on the right track against Cincinnati this week before tough games against No. 11 Iowa State and No. 14 BYU?

Week 6: W 35-31 vs Kansas

Arizona State continued its resurgence in 2024 by securing a tight home win against Kansas. Though the Jayhawks are struggling this year, beating a team as talented as KU is a great step forward for the Sun Devils in year two of the Kenny Dillingham era. Now, a home game against No. 16 Utah provides an even bigger opportunity to prove that they are headed in the right direction.

Week 6: Off

After losing to Texas Tech on a missed last-second field goal, Cincinnati was off in week six. Now, games against UCF and Arizona State provide opportunities for the Bearcats to continue to prove that they were one of the more underrated teams in the conference prior to the season.

Week 6: W 38-14 vs Oklahoma State

West Virginia stayed undefeated in the Big 12 by beating Oklahoma State in Stillwater. However, that's not as daunting of a task this season as it normally is. We still don't know how good WVU is given that their other Big 12 win was over Kanas. If the Mountaineers can beat No. 11 Iowa on Saturday, though, it will show that Neal Brown's team is for real.

Week 6: Off

The status of starting QB Cam Rising is still in question, even after an off week for Utah. Without him in the mix, the Utes are woeful on offense, and that makes them vulnerable. This week, a road trip to Arizona State will be a sneaky-tough game, especially if Rising can't play again. The Utes need him back as soon as possible before their Big 12 title hopes are dashed.

Week 6: L 28-22 vs Texas Tech

Did Arizona let its guard down against Texas Tech following their big win at Utah? That's possible. The Wildcats turned the ball over three times and couldn't execute down the stretch of a winnable game at home against a Red Raider team that typically plays poorly away from Lubbock. Now the Wildcats have a tough road trip to BYU before home games with West Virginia and Colorado. Thus, Arizona will have to elevate its level of play if it wants to avoid a losing streak.

Week 6: Off

Colorado was off in week six after dismantling UCF on the road. Now, they have a home game against Kansas State. If they win that, the Coach Prime hype train will once again be full and people will be starting to talk about Colorado as a playoff contender.

Week 6: Off

Kansas State has the look of a Big 12 title contender when they play at their best. However, their face plant at BYU in week four still has many hesitant to fully buy into QB Avery Johnson and Co. If the Wildcats can win in Boulder this week and then beat West Virginia at home next week, they will once again be considered among the favorites to emerge from the jumbled mess that is the Big 12.

Week 6: Off

BYU probably wanted to play in week six given the roll that they've been on to start the year. What's more, with games against Arizona, Oklahoma State, and UCF up next, they could see that roll continue for the better part of the next month. However, three of their last five games are away from Provo where they are far less dominant. Let's see if BYU can keep this up for a full season.

Week 6: W 28-22 vs Arizona

Texas Tech is making a habit of winning one-score games. That's not a way to survive, though, because those types of games are often decided by an odd bounce of the ball or an unexpected occurrence. Still, Tech has five wins over teams with winning records and is the only Big 12 team at 3-0. Thus, the Red Raiders jump to No. 2 in our power rankings.

Week 6: W 43-21 vs Baylor

A strong second half propelled Iowa State past Baylor in Ames in week six. The Cyclones look like the best team in the conference right now but they face a tough test at West Virginia this weekend. If they can survive that, they could stay atop the Big 12 power rankings for a while given that they have winnable home games against UCF and Texas Tech up next. In fact, the schedule sets up for the Cyclones to be a top-10 team heading into the final two weeks of the season when they play at Utah and at home against rival Kansas State.