Big 12 Football: 2017 Power Rankings entering Week 3

There’s some real good Big 12 football teams this year, as the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys proved that with week Week 2 victories.

The Big 12 had a solid showing in Week 2. Most of the conference’s attention was given to the Oklahoma Sooners as they faced the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on the road. OU emerged victorious in one of the most surprising results of the weekend.

For the Big 12, the top teams in the conference needed to stay undefeated during the out-of-conference portion of the schedule. Not a single game has been played between two Big 12 teams yet. Big 12 play starts in Week 4 with six teams facing off in three conference matchups.

Some of the bigger matchups in the conference this week include Oklahoma State facing Pitt, Baylor taking on Duke, Kansas State taking on an SEC foe in Vanderbilt, Texas Tech facing Arizona State for the second consecutive season and Texas facing USC.

Maybe the most intriguing matchup of the weekend is the Texas Longhorns battling the No. 4 USC Trojans in a rematch of the 2006 BCS National Championship. A victory for Texas would establish the Big 12 as a force to be reckoned with in 2017.

Another key matchup to watch is the No. 20 TCU Horned Frogs hosting the SMU Mustangs in what should be an easy win. TCU defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks in Week 2 and could continue to build momentum entering their Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State on Sep. 23.

The Big 12 needs a representative in the College Football Playoff this year. Whether that be Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, or someone else, the conference needs a boost to save its reputation (or what’s left of it).

Now, let’s take a look at the Big 12 power rankings entering Week 3.