Big 12 Football Power Rankings: Utah, Texas Tech Set For Showdown

SALT LAKE CITY – It’s time for another installment of the Big 12 football power rankings in the 2025 season.

In games against out-of-league foes last week, the Big 12 was a perfect 8-0.

Big 12 teams are 6-6 against Power Four opponents in non-conference action this season, the second-best record behind the SEC.

Every week, KSL Sports Zone host Alex Kirry and I drop our Big 12 power rankings on our radio show, “First & 12.”

It airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. (MT) until 9 p.m. on KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM).

You can listen to the show on the KSL Sports app, sports.ksl.com, and wherever you get podcasts.

Big 12 Football Power Rankings, 2025 Season: Week 4

Here are our power rankings for Big 12 football entering week four of the 2025 season.

1. Utah (3-0, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 1
• Last game: Utah 31, Wyoming 6
• This week: vs. Texas Tech

Utah rolled through the nonconference portion of the schedule. This week, against Texas Tech, with Big Noon Kickoff as the backdrop, will tell us a lot about the Utes.

2. Texas Tech (3-0, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 4 (Up 2)
• Last game: Texas Tech 45, Oregon State 14
• This week: at Utah

Tech crushed its weak nonconference schedule. Like Utah, it’s time to start learning how seriously we’re going to take the Red Raiders this season. Since Joey McGuire became the head coach in 2022, Texas Tech has a record of 6-10 in road games.

3. Iowa State (4-0, 1-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 2 (Down 1)
• Last game: Iowa State 24, Arkansas State 16
• This week: Bye

Iowa State experienced a closer call than expected against Arkansas State. Perhaps you chalk it up to a long grind of play that included an international trip to open the season. Quarterback Rocco Becht was clutch when they needed him the most in the hot conditions down in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

4. TCU (2-0, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 3 (Down 1)
• Last game: TCU 42, Abilene Christian 21
• This week: vs. SMU

This TCU team is very good offensively. It was a little surprising to see them give up 21 to ACU, but two of those touchdowns were in the fourth quarter, with the game out of reach.

5. BYU (2-0, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 6 (Up 1)
• Last game: Bye
• This week: at East Carolina

BYU’s win over Stanford two weeks ago looks better after the Cardinal grabbed an ACC win over Boston College. Cougs gear up for a two-time zone road trip against a surging East Carolina team.

6. Arizona State (2-1, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 7 (Up 1)
• Last game: Arizona State 34, Texas State 15
• This week: at Baylor

ASU had a strong bounce-back performance against a solid Texas State squad. What was even more impressive was the sold-out crowd in Tempe, following a loss. Maybe Kenny Dillingham has truly activated the valley.

7. Baylor (2-1, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 5 (Down 2)
• Last game: Baylor 42, Samford 7
• This week: vs. Arizona State

Another big game this week on the banks of the Brazos.

8. Houston (3-0, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 10 (Up 2)
• Last game: Houston 36, Colorado 20
• This week: Bye

Could Houston be this year’s Arizona State? The Coogs look legit with Rice transfer Dean Connors at running back, who has stepped up in place of Re’Shaun Sanford, who suffered a season-ending knee injury before the year.

9. Arizona (3-0, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 9
• Last game: Arizona 23, K-State 17
• This week: Bye

Last week’s victory over K-State was a big one for head coach Brent Brennan. We also became familiar with Texas State transfer Ismail Mahdi at running back.

10. Kansas (2-1, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 8 (Down 2)
• Last game: Bye
• This week: vs. West Virginia

This might feel a little low for what we’ve seen from Kansas so far, but we like the body of work from the teams ahead of them at this point, entering conference play.

11. Cincinnati (2-1, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 11
• Last game: Cincinnati 70, Northwestern State 0
• This week: Bye

Brendan Sorsby became the first Big 12 quarterback to ever throw five touchdown passes in one quarter. They lit up the scoreboard in a rout over an FCS team.

12. West Virginia (2-1, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 15 (Up 3)
• Last game: West Virginia 31, Pitt 24 (OT)
• This week: at Kansas

All of the ills from last week’s loss at Ohio are completely erased after an overtime Backyard Brawl victory. With Jaheim White out for the year, the Mountaineers turned to Northern Iowa transfer Tye Edwards, and he was impressive. Edwards had three touchdown carries, including the game-winner.

13. UCF (2-0, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 13
• Last game: Bye
• This week: vs. North Carolina

The Bounce House should be a sight to see this week with Bill Belichick rolling into town.

14. Colorado (1-2, 0-1 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 12 (Down 2)
• Last game: Houston 36, Colorado 20
• This week: vs. Wyoming

Where does Colorado go from here at quarterback? You have to wonder, why did Kaidon Salter lose the job in the first place?

15. Kansas State (1-3, 0-1 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 14 (Down 1)
• Last game: Arizona 23, K-State 17
• This week: Bye

Can anyone find the Avery Johnson who was rushing for five touchdowns as a true freshman anymore? Those days seem like they’re long gone, and K-State’s season might be gone as well.

16. Oklahoma State (1-1, 0-0 Big 12)

• Last week’s power ranking: No. 16
• Last game: Bye
• This week: vs. Tulsa, Friday

If Gundy loses to Tulsa this week, does he experience the same fate as DeShaun Foster and Brent Pry experienced?

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

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