Here's how the Big 12 Power Rankings look heading into the final week of the season.
1. TCU 10-1, 7-1 Big 12. Last week: 1. This week: vs. Iowa State. The Frogs' 48-10 win over Texas Thursday night looked even better after Baylor struggled to put away a four-win Texas Tech team on Saturday. TCU won't have an opportunity to make much of a statement against Iowa State, but if there's only one spot available for a Big 12 team in the four-team playoff, the Frogs are doing everything they can to hang onto it.
2. Baylor 10-1, 7-1. Last week: 2. This week: vs. Kansas State. The Bears survived a nervous second half in Arlington, holding on for a 48-46 win after nearly blowing a 42-17 third-quarter lead. Bryce Petty (mild concussion) is expected to play against Kansas State, but the bigger loss may be Devin Chafin (dislocated elbow). Shock Linwood and Johnny Jefferson are solid backs, but Chafin is a big body at 225 pounds who gives them even more depth. He'll be missed this week.
3. Kansas State 9-2, 7-1. Last week: 3. This week: at Baylor. The Wildcats keep plodding along and can win their second Big 12 title in three years with a win in Waco on Saturday. Jake Waters and Tyler Lockett are as good as any pass-catch combo in the Big 12, but K-State's chances vs. Baylor directly correlate to their success running the ball.
4. Oklahoma 8-3, 5-3. Last week: 5. This week: vs. Oklahoma State. The streak of four consecutive Bedlams with both OU and OSU being ranked is over, but Oklahoma was 3-1 in those games and hasn't lost to OSU in Norman since 2001. A big game could put Samaje Perine in position to earn a big chunk of Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year votes. He needs 172 yards to become the first Big 12 back over 1,600 yards since Jamaal Charles in 2007.
5. West Virginia 7-5, 5-4. Last week: 6. Regular season complete. Dana Holgorsen can breathe easy with a seventh win and a winning season officially under his belt. Skyler Howard's 285-yard, three-touchdown day on the road in his first career start has to make him feel good about the future of his offense, too. WVU has tons of skill position talent and Howard looks capable of helping it shine.
6. Texas 6-6, 5-4. Last week: 4. Regular season complete. The Longhorns took a big step back with an embarrassing home loss to TCU. UT's three home losses this year came by 21, 34 and 38 points. That's not good enough. Defending DKR is a good place to start for the program's next step under Charlie Strong.
7. Oklahoma State 5-6, 3-5. Last week: 8. This week: at Oklahoma. Mason Rudolph's high school coach told me last week it's hard to get him to protect himself. He loves contact and likes to lower his shoulder into defenders. It actually calms him down. It'll be interesting to see how he handles that balance this week in his second career start at OU. This is a winnable game for Oklahoma State, but it'll need a performance nearly free of mistakes.
8. Texas Tech 4-8, 2-7. Last week: 7. Regular season complete. Patrick Mahomes (wrist), fresh off a 598-yard day against Baylor, may join Davis Webb (shoulder) in going under the knife for some postseason surgery. That'll get a lot of attention, but Tech should ultimately be fine at quarterback. It has to get tougher up front on defense. The Red Raiders have finished higher than eighth in the Big 12 in defensive yards per carry just once since 2009.
9. Kansas 3-9, 1-8. Last week: 9. Regular season complete. Bill Snyder endorsed Clint Bowen for the KU job, but Bowen stumbled to the finish line with two blowout losses after a strong start in his interim gig. If I'm AD Sheahon Zenger, Willie Fritz and Bob Stitt would be my top two candidates for the job, but don't rule out Bowen.
10. Iowa State 2-9, 0-8. Last week: 10. This week: at TCU. The Cyclones were snakebit with injuries all season long, but holding on to OC Mark Mangino this offseason will be huge for the Cyclones. The defense just wasn't good enough, but ISU averaged better than five yards a play for just the second time since 2009.
