Big 12 power rankings (Week 4): Iowa State, Utah, Texas Tech on top as two huge games vs. the ACC loom

The Big power rankings are published weekly by the Hotline throughout the regular season They are the upshot of a deep dive into the analytics an assessment of subjective factors and when necessary flips of the coin No conference has more parity The parity leads to chaos and the chaos creates an endlessly compelling product that is not invariably easy to unscramble Here are last week s rankings The Big is close to reaching a benchmark that could prove quite valuable months from now when the TV talking heads are loudest and the College Football Playoff selection committee gets busy To this point the conference is - against opponents from the ACC Big Ten and SEC with two games remaining Those matchups come this weekend when TCU hosts SMU and UCF welcomes North Carolina Two wins would secure a winning record against Power Four opponents one would ensure a mark The former would constitute a bonus while the latter is strongly advised The Big s resume will get picked apart by the selection committee and the viewing community A losing record in intra-Power Four competition undoubtedly would be used against the conference particularly by the SEC s media machinery to undermine whichever CFP at-large candidates emerge There s an added component to consider The Big Ten is in jeopardy of finishing under against power conference opponents After an underwhelming performance thus far the Big Ten is - against the ACC Big and SEC with two games left Purdue visits Notre Dame this weekend and USC makes the trek to South Bend next month One loss seems likely two losses entirely accomplishable If November arrives and the CFP rankings begin their weekly rollout the Big would have a major talking point available if it can claim a better winning percentage against power conference opponents than the Big Ten Even owning the same winning percentage as the Big Ten would offer a compelling narrative in the society and private debates over at-large access to the CFP Put another way The Texas Tech-Utah showdown Saturday on Big Noon is not the the bulk pivotal event of the week for the Big Its twin showings against North Carolina and SMU will have a more lasting impact To the power rankings All times Pacific Iowa State - - Consequence won at Arkansas State - Next up idle Comment Road games in Sun Belt country are inevitably more demanding than they appear which is reason numero uno that Big teams should not schedule them ever again That mentioned it s the midpoint of September and the Cyclones have four wins Impressive Previous Utah - Upshot won at Wyoming - Next up vs Texas Tech a m on Fox Comment The chance to appear on Big Noon is well worth any hassles for the Utes or their fans associated with the a m local kickoff As we see the schedule they might not have multiple opportunities to appear on over-the-air TV in the second half of the season Previous Texas Tech - Effect beat Oregon State - Next up at Utah a m on Fox Comment The Red Raiders lead the nation in scoring points per tournament and are second in both passing and total offense That s partly the development of an awful schedule but they possess several high-level playmakers too Should be a stellar matchup with Utah s defense that will hinge as dependably on the play at the line of scrimmage Previous TCU - Development beat Abilene Christian - Next up vs SMU a m on ESPN Comment North Carolina has shown enough life in new weeks for us to give the Horned Frogs a bit more credit for the season-opening accomplishment Previous Arizona State - Consequence beat Texas State - Next up at Baylor p m on Fox Comment The Sun Devils played a version of their Week trip to Waco at this time last year it was in Lubbock and trailed throughout We should have a first-rate benchmark available at the close of business Saturday evening Previous Baylor - Aftermath beat Samford - Next up vs Arizona State p m on Fox Comment Will the Bears perform Saturday evening like they did for the first minutes at SMU or like they did for the last minutes plus overtime If it s the former a decisive loss will follow Previous Houston - - Upshot beat Colorado - Next up idle Comment The Hotline programmed its supercomputer to run simulations of Houston s schedule and it spit out seven wins or more times Of those scenarios included a Big title Previous Brigham Young - Impact did not play Next up at East Carolina p m on ESPN Comment If it feels like the Cougars season hasn t really started and won t for two more weeks when they visit Colorado well you are more than welcome to join our little club Previous Arizona - Impact beat Kansas State - Next up idle Comment Typically hot teams want to keep playing But we see the bye as well timed for the Wildcats in that it allows them to recalibrate emotionally and fix their numerous flaws hello offensive line before a trip to Ames that will leave every glitch exposed Previous Kansas - Development did not play Next up vs West Virginia p m on FS Comment Our advice to the Jayhawks Secure the six wins needed for a bowl bid sooner than later because the finishing stretch is brutal They visit Arizona and Iowa State then close with Utah Previous Cincinnati - Aftermath beat Northwestern State - Next up idle Comment We can see it now Cincinnati staggers through the second half of the season and Scott Satterfield is dismissed Meanwhile Wisconsin struggles Luke Fickell is axed and calls emerge for a reunion between Fickell and the Bearcats Previous Related Articles Pac- power rankings Fresno State on top as Texas State slips CFB DeShaun Foster under fire Deion Sanders CU future Pac- meltdowns Arizona beats Kansas State quest for a bounce-back season remains alive Mailbag Jedd Fisch s future Jonathan Smith s move West Coast Hot Seats West Coast recruiting Panic time for UCLA and Oregon State plus a big weekend for ASU Colorado - - End lost at Houston - Next up vs Wyoming p m on ESPN Comment Not laborious to envision CU games that have been on broadcast and cable networks in the past two years ending up on streaming later this season if the losses mount Previous UCF - Consequence did not play Next up vs North Carolina p m on Fox Comment The Tar Heels offer Scott Frost a chance to collect a signature win for his second stint Sure it would come against an opponent that lost to TCU by five touchdowns but who s counting Previous West Virginia - Outcome beat Pittsburgh - Next up at Kansas p m on FS Comment From feet we d argue the loss to Ohio does more to undercut the Big s collective resume that will inform the playoff process than the win over Pittsburgh does to bolster the conference Previous Kansas State - - Impact lost at Arizona - Next up idle Comment We have detected concern in the Kansas State social media space about the Wildcats becoming this year s version of Oklahoma State and well yeah We can see that We can definitely see that Previous Oklahoma State - Aftermath did not play Next up vs Tulsa Friday at p m on ESPN Comment The bye week has come and gone without a coaching change in Stillwater Then again there s another break in the schedule in early November So yes we re saying there s a chance Previous Send suggestions comments and tips confidentiality guaranteed to wilnerhotline bayareanewsgroup com or call - - Follow me on the social media platform X WilnerHotline