1. Kansas (14-2, 3-0 Big 12)

After grinding out a road game against Baylor to start the Big 12 season, Kansas has taken care of business against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State at home heading into the ESPN College GameDay matchup in Ames. Kansas is the only team that has taken down Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum in the past two seasons and until Iowa State is able to beat them, they continue to sit at the top of the Big 12. 

2. Iowa State (12-3, 2-1 Big 12)

The Cyclones have proven they aren’t just the offensive team that is susceptible to crumbling on the road, as they have been in years past. After grinding out wins in defensive battles at home against Oklahoma State and on the road against a ranked West Virginia team, the Cyclones’ only conference blemish was a heart-breaker on the road against Baylor. ISU has as impressive a conference start as anyone in the conference.

3. West Virginia (15-2, 2-1 Big 12)

The Mountaineers present one of the conference’s most potent offenses and most frustrating defensive presses to combine to become one of the peskiest teams in conference play, only dropping a two-point contest to Iowa State. A 21-point drubbing of conference contender Oklahoma put the Mountaineers on the national radar.

4. Oklahoma (11-5, 2-2 Big 12)

Two straight losses, one in embarrassing fashion, haven’t helped Oklahoma’s national perception in the last week, but two solid wins against Baylor and Texas have helped keep the Sooners in conference championship talks. While the defense is as good as any in the Big 12, the offense needs to start clicking, if they want to compete for a title.

5. Texas (12-4, 1-2 Big 12)

After a 10-1 start with the lone loss to No. 1 Kentucky, it looked like Texas was the team to beat in the Big 12. Well, the Longhorns have gone 2-3 since then, being anything but impressive since their Dec. 23 loss to Stanford. With four of their next five opponents currently ranked, Texas has a chance to climb back into Big 12 contention.

6. Baylor (13-3, 2-2 Big 12)

Averaging just 64.5 points per game in Big 12 play, Baylor is near the bottom of the conference in offense, but makes up for it in defense. After picking up their first ranked win of the season over Iowa State on a game-winning shot inside five seconds, the Bears are back in the Big 12 conversation.

7. Oklahoma State (12-4, 2-2 Big 12)

The Cowboys have taken Iowa State and Kansas down to the wire on the road but came up short, dropping them to 1-4 on the road this season. The team basically relies on Phil Forte and Le’Bryan Nash to create offense, making the Cowboys a vulnerable team when one is ineffective.

8. Kansas State (19-7, 3-1 Big 12)

After a disastrous non-conference slate that culminated in a home loss to Texas Southern, the Wildcats have at least started to get back on track with three straight conference wins, the best on the road against a ranked Oklahoma squad. Despite a stellar 3-1 conference record, the team will have an uphill climb with all five of its upcoming opponents currently ranked.

9. TCU (13-3, 0-3 Big 12)

The excitement of TCU’s 13-0 start has quickly worn off after three straight losses to start the Big 12 season. The Horned Frogs have competed against Kansas State and Baylor, but will spend most of the season as a target in a conference race that can’t afford losses to the bottom tier of teams.

10. Texas Tech (10-7, 0-4 Big 12)

The commonality among the top nine teams in the Big 12 is that they all expect to beat Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have dropped five of their last six games and have looked anything but competitive in any one of them. Texas Tech may pick up a win against a team overlooking the Red Raiders, but they won’t regularly compete.