Week 7 Big 12 football power rankings: BYU and Iowa State are joined by Texas Tech at the top?

Even in a week that many teams used as a bye, the Big 12 brand of chaos ball was in full effect for week 6--as with the rest of the country (sorry, not sorry, 'Bama). This conference's brand of chaos-driven football has fascinated viewers and keeps eager writers like myself glued to a keyboard.

Take a bow, Texas Tech! After a brutal non-conference showing that included a one-point OT win against Abilene Christian and a loss to Washington State, the Red Raiders now stand at 5-1 with an undefeated conference record following a win in Arizona's house.

Taking down the Wildcats fresh off a win in Salt Lake City was no simple accomplishment, but the Red Raiders are red-hot and are the only Big 12 squad to own a 3-0 conference record at this point in the season.

For BYU, the enigmatic Arizona Wildcats are a baffling team to prepare for, and the loss to Tech has two possible meanings: Texas Tech has struck gold, or Arizona is not as good as we originally believed, and Utah, by extension, is looking worse by the day.

It's a wide-open league, and BYU suddenly looks primed to take the lead of the race if they can jump Iowa State for good. For now, all we have is the present and a hope for a royal blue future.

Big 12 football power rankings

1. BYU Cougars | 5-0 (2-0 Big 12)

BYU stands atop the Big 12, and no team--save for Iowa State--can dispute that. With and undefeated record and the best resume in football, The Cougars' destiny is in their hands--er, paws. They'll match up with a bipolar Arizona Squad with the chance to earn bowl eligibility.

2. Iowa State Cyclones | 5-0 (2-0 Big 12)

Ding dong! It's the Cyclones, and they're mad about getting slighted by these power rankings. Currently the highest-ranked team in the conference and they just keep on winning. They'll have a tricky test against West Virginia in Morgantown this weekend; the Mountaineers are on a hot streak.

3. Texas Tech Red Raiders | 5-1 (3-0 Big 12)

Did someone say "hot streak"? The Red Raiders currently sit atop the conference standings despite their non-conference loss. Having played six games up to this point means this team from Lubbock has earned a bye week and will match up with Baylor in a week. Can they keep the spark alive, or are they due for a flameout?

4. Kansas State Wildcats | 4-1 (1-1 Big 12)

K-State is still among the best teams in the Big 12, and they'll be near the top of this list for the remainder of this season, if all goes according to plan. After falling to BYU in Provo, the Wildcats picked themselves up and kept following the trail to a Big 12 championship game. We'll have to wait and see, but this team isn't going away any time soon.

5. Colorado Buffaloes | 4-1 (2-0 Big 12)

The Buffs have been a big surprise this season, but it's still hard to tell if that's thanks to a relatively easy schedule to this point. We should have no doubt this weekend as Coach Prime's squad hosts a hungry K-State side that isn't keen on rolling over and kissing the media darling's ring.

6. Utah Utes | 4-1 (1-1 Big 12)

Utah was leapfrogged by another team who had a bye week? What?

Without Cam Rising (who may not play until the BYU game, if even then), the Utes' offense has been unimpressive, and their results against Arizona and Oklahoma State are looking worse by the week. Is this Utah team still a contender? At this point, the Utes are trending in the wrong direction, and I could be swayed to believe they're already out of it.

7. West Virginia Mountaineers | 3-2 (2-0 Big 12)

Are the Mountaineers actually contenders? Who knows? After a difficult non-conference schedule, this team from Morgantown has been making waves in the Big 12, and banished preseason contender, Oklahoma State, to the abyss on Saturday. Keep an eye on this bunch.

8. Arizona Wildcats | 3-2 (1-1 Big 12)

Ok is Arizona good or is Utah bad? Or is Texas Tech really good? Or maybe Kansas State was just really great, and so Arizona is super bad? Or could they be a mediocre football team with good athletes? We'll find out this week in Provo, I suppose.

9. Arizona State Sun Devils | 4-1 (1-1 Big 12)

They may be a newbie, but the Sun Devils took part in the time-honored tradition of beating Kansas last week, and they'll be a team to watch if they can right the ship for good.

10. UCF Knights | 3-2 (1-1 Big 12)

The vultures are circling in Orlando, and UCF is falling apart. A team that was supposed to cause a ruckus at the top of the Big 12 is suddenly fighting to keep its head above water. KJ Jefferson and Gus Malzahn are a match made in hell.

11. Cincinnati Bearcats | 3-2 (1-1 Big 12)

For a team that was supposed to play nice with Houston at the bottom of the totem pole, Cincinnati has been surprisingly competent this year. They jumped up the rankings on account of the dumpster fire that sits below, however, so don't get too excited just yet.

12. Houston Cougars | 2-4 (1-2 Big 12)

Wow. What is Houston doing all the way up here? Well, they took down TCU, and there's no way I'm putting them below the 0-3 in conference crew.

13. TCU Horned Frogs | 3-3 (1-2 Big 12)

Yikes, yikes, yikes. A loss to HOUSTON???? TCU is falling apart, and this team is a far cry from the squad that clawed their way to the national championship two years ago.

14. Oklahoma State Cowboys | 3-3 (0-3 Big 12)

Crap, meet fan. Oklahoma State was supposed to be a Big 12 ambassador that was ready to prove to the world just how good this conference could be. Instead, after returning the majority of their production from their highly competitive team last season, they're 0-3 in conference play, and Ollie Gordon can't get it going. Don't even get me started on Alan Bowman.

15. Baylor Bears | 2-4 (0-3 Big 12)

I suspect we're near the end of the Dave Aranda era. A highly likeable coach who simply hasn't been good enough for the Bears in the past few seasons. This year's team is already a corpse.

16. Kansas Jayhawks | 1-5 (0-3 Big 12)

* Car crash noises *

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