Big 12 Power Rankings: Oklahoma State Cowboys Retake Throne

Nov 23, 2013; Stillwater, OK, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver

(5) reaches for a pass during the third quarter against Oklahoma State Cowboys safety

(8) at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Rowe-USA TODAY Sports

2. Baylor Bears

Record: 9-1 (6-1)

Previous Ranking: 1

Last Week: OSU 49, Baylor 17

This Week: at TCU

Next Week: vs Texas

Last season Baylor ended Kansas State’s hopes of a national title game bid with a win in Waco. In that game, K-State played like they were running around in quicksand, were out of sync, and seemed overwhelmed by the pressure and the environment. Baylor looked the exact same way against OSU.

There isn’t much doubt to me that Baylor is the best team in the conference, but caught at the wrong time by OSU. And while their national title hopes are still doomed, there is still a decent chance Baylor ends the season alone as the Big 12 champions. Baylor needs to win out and have Oklahoma State lose to Oklahoma next weekend in Stillwater. Those two things will lock up a conference championship and ensure Baylor goes to a BCS game for the first time in their history.

Even if they have to share the title with Oklahoma State, there is a reasonable chance Baylor goes to a BCS game as an at-large bid. Baylor currently ranks 9th in the BCS standings and will have a good chance to move up in those standings with wins over TCU and Texas. What helps Baylor the most is that two of Alabama, Auburn, and Missouri will lose between now and the end of next weekend. This could mean that Baylor is around sixth or seventh in the BCS standings at the end of the season, which should be high enough to ensure they get one of the two at-large bids.

To make sure this happens, Baylor fans need to become Missouri and Alabama fans this week, and an Alabama fan next weekend in the SEC title game. While losses by Auburn and Missouri would assuredly drop them below Baylor in the BCS standings, an Alabama loss is as guaranteed to do the same thing.

Baylor also needs Florida State to remain in the BCS title game. This would mean Clemson would be the ACC’s automatic qualifier for the Orange Bowl, which would then make Baylor the highest ranked non-automatic qualifier in the BCS. This, of course, assumes Auburn and Missouri each lose and fall below Baylor in the BCS standings.