Final Big XII Power Rankings
Article By: The end of the season is upon us as we now sit back and await the winners of the Conference Championship games and then the unveiling of who is in and who is out for the CFP! Several XII teams are probably anxiously awaiting to see if their hard work has paid off or if they will be relegated to waiting for next seasons chances. The Big XII has been a battle all season with multiple teams starting out with high expectations. Even at the end of the season there are teams that have to be wondering if they've done enough. Can they sneak in? Do I have a shot? It's going to be a very exciting week in the NDL world. Good luck to everyone as we finish out this season.
Let's take a look at our last rendition of the Big XII Power rankings and see how the season fared for all involved in one of the greatest conferences in the NDL this season.
16.
(-) West Virginia Mountaineers 1-11 (1-8) Were never really able to get it going this season. A close game with Pitt gave us some hope that they could possibly cause some commotion in the conference but it never really materialized beyond that until a W8 matchup with KState. Again it was close but not cigar. WVU did put a scare into #1 Baylor late in the season as well with a 38-41 loss. Their first W of the season finally came in W13 against a struggling UCF squad.
15.
(-1) Central Florida Knights 2-8 (1-6) A team that was able to put several close games together but just couldn't quite get over that hump. A late season loss to the Mountaineers could have put them in the 16 spot but with two games still yet to be played we'll give them the benefit of a doubt that they could eek out one more conference W this season.
14.
(-) Kansas State Wildcats 4-8 (3-6) Yes, I'm keeping a 3-6 conference team below several teams with less wins. Arguably no team was in more of a tailspin then KState to end the season. Losers of 8 of their last 9 games tends to do that. Granted Colorado, Kansas, Cincy, and Iowa State were in that run but so was Houston and Arizona State. The big question now will be what does
bearass do from here? Wil he return again?
13.
(-) Arizona State Sun Devils 2-8 (1-6) Losers of 8 out of 9 seems to be the trend with many of these teams. The Sun Devils are another team that struggled mightily during the season. They do still have two more games to be played, at UCF and home vs Arizona. One of those two games is winnable. They were able to beat KState in W12, edging out a 1 point victory.
12.
(-) Houston Cougars 3-9 (1-8) Another team that ended the season on a significant losing streak. Just like KState and ASU they lost 8 of their final 9 games. Their one W in that streak? KState, by 20. The Coogs have always had, or at least tried to have, a high flying aerial attack. What will we see out of them next season, as Coach
Yragha has already stated he will be leaving the program.
11.
(-1) Texas Tech Red Raiders 4-8 (3-6) They did end the season on a positive note, beating ... well, WVU and barely at that. Let's also ignore the 5 game losing streak prior to the W. But to be fair, 3 of those 5 were Baylor, Iowa State, and Colorado. TCU would be a fourth. No one said the XII would be easy.
10.
(+1) Brigham Young Cougars 5-7 (3-6) One of the lower ranked teams that was able to end the season winning 3 of their final 4 games, including a HUGE rivalry win over Utah. BYU finished with a two game winning streak dusting Arizona State and Houston. It seemed to finally be coming together for
TheBruisedBagel, but too late in the season. An argument could be made to move them up one more, but they did lose to that team.
9.
(-) Oklahoma State Cowboys 6-6 (4-5) Just the opposite of BYU, losing 3 of their final 4 games. They get the nod here over BYU though thanks to beating them earlier in the season. Finishing with 6 wins, Okie State is our first team in the rankings, so far, to be bowl eligible.
8.
(-1) Utah Utes 7-3 (4-3) With two games still to be played, Utah is currently on a 2 game losing streak. A tough loss to rival BYU and then a loss many were expecting against Colorado. Utah still has a very tough game against Iowa State and then a very winnable game against UCF. Expectations were probably a bit higher than this in Salt Lake City but they do still have a winning season.
7.
(-1) Arizona Wildcats 7-4 (5-3) A team that seemed to have a dark horse vibe to them all season. They did have the benefit of avoiding all the top dogs of the conference minus Colorado though and unfortunately the early season "upset" of Utah doesn't seem as impressive now. They have to be looking at 3 of their losses though wondering what if.
6.
(+2) Texas Christian Horned Frogs 8-4 (5-4) Another team that was giving the dark horse vibes and adding to the Big XII's mystique. Kansas, Baylor, and Cincy are almost always an expected L on most peoples schedules and that was the case here as well. A loss to Utah gave them their 4th. Still a very respectable record in a very tough conference and should see a good matchup in the upcoming bowl season.
5.
(-) Cincinnati Bearcats 10-2 (8-1) Ranking the final 5 teams is a real chore. All these teams deserve a shot at the top billet, but everyone has to go somewhere. The Bearcats pulled the W over Colorado, but lost to Iowa State. Baylor and Kansas? They didn't have to play them. Utah wasn't on the schedule either. Through no fault of
Mjkemp15, it's the schedule that relegates him to the 5 spot. The bigger question at this time is where do they stand when the dust settles on the CFP? Their SoS will be the biggest hurdle to overcome.
4.
(-1) Iowa State Cyclones 9-2 (6-2) A late season loss to #2 Kansas and an early season loss to #1 Baylor. There's his blemishes. Was able to take down #15 Cincy and we have to assume he's going to take down a reeling #23 Utah. His two loses come by a combined 10 points. What could have been. Do they have a shot at the CFP? Will be tough with 2 L's and no CC appearance. But a strong shot at being the 4th XII team invited.
3.
(-1) Baylor Bears 11-1 (8-1) Can't believe I'm knocking these guys down to the 3 spot with just a single loss on their record. The final game of the season saw Kansas knock Baylor from its perch with a 37-21 victory. If I'm understanding the XII conference tie breakers, they'll get another shot at Kansas in the CC game. Then it's a question of where they stand for the CFP? Should be a lock.
2.
(-1) Kansas Jayhawks 11-1 (8-1) Yeah, you're reading that right. A one loss Kansas, who just...can we even say upset...Baylor, falls a spot to 2. Kansas is going to be in the CC game, most likely against Baylor, and has to be the favorite to walk away with the XII title...again. But in the final power rankings they will have to settle for #2 after a late season loss to what has to be the hottest team in the XII, if not the NDL, at the moment. Should be a lock for the CFP's.
1.
(+3) Colorado Buffaloes 10-2 (7-2) If we were going off just records, sure, they wouldn't be here. But we're looking at how the season finished. You can't deny that the Buffaloes have been on a tear, winning their last 5 games including W's over #23 Utah and #2 Kansas. THE Kansas. Let that sink in for a moment. The one loss stopping them from having a 9 game winning streak was a 3 point loss at #15 Cincy. They demolished KState, a tough Arizona team, Okie State, and Utah...and then beat, have I mentioned, Kansas by double digits...ok 10. But that's double digits! I'm prepared for people to question my decision. But I'm sticking to it. Should be invited to the CFP, but the potential for a stumble does exist depending on how some remaining games in the SEC and CC games go.
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