1. Iowa State (14-3, 4-1 Big 12)

For the first time all season, there is a true front-runner in the Big 12 title race as the Cyclones took down Kansas in front of a national audience with ESPN’s College GameDay in town before beating then-first-place Kansas State. The margin is slim, but with obvious defensive improvements from last season, Iowa State is the team to beat in the Big 12 early in the season.

2. Kansas (15-3, 4-1 Big 12)

Outside of the head-to-head loss to Iowa State, Kansas has as impressive resume as anybody in the conference. Three ranked conference wins, including a road win at Baylor, give the Jayhawks the chance to control their destiny if they can take care of Iowa State at home and pick up some big wins on the road, starting Jan. 24 at No. 17 Texas. 

3. Texas (14-4, 3-2 Big 12)

After a disappointing start to the conference season, the Longhorns used their dominating defense to record 22- and 18-point wins against a ranked West Virginia squad and road win at TCU, respectively. The team has gotten improved production on offense and has the chance to catapult itself right back into the Big 12 lead with back-to-back games against Kansas and Iowa State.

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

This is the section of the Big 12 conference that gets so muddled that trying to follow the chain of head-to-head wins and putting value on road and home wins just creates a headache. The Mountaineers shot an ugly 24 percent on the road at Texas, but don’t expect that to be the norm. With a stretch of three unranked Big 12 opponents ahead, West Virginia has a chance to creep up the standings.

5. Kansas State (11-8, 4-2 Big 12)

The 7-7 start to the Wildcats’ season is but a distant memory as Kansas State reeled off four straight wins before taking a top-10 ISU team to the wire at Hilton Coliseum in a loss. The Wildcats sit in third place in the conference with two ranked wins and a defensive attack that continues to stifle Big 12 teams. 

6. Oklahoma (12-6, 3-3 Big 12)

When Oklahoma plays well, they are one of the hardest teams to beat in the conference. When they play poorly, nearly anyone can beat them. The Sooners have three double-digit wins against ranked opponents, but have been blown out twice with another overtime loss at home to Kansas State to go 1-3 in their last four games. If the Sooners struggle to kick the streak, they will quickly find themselves outside the Big 12 discussion.

7. Oklahoma State (13-5, 3-3 Big 12)

There are just not enough offensive playmakers behind Phil Forte and Le’Bryan Nash to keep the Cowboys in the Big 12 conversation. But with convincing wins against Kansas State and Texas, the Cowboys have shown they will be able to pick off some of the top competition in the league just enough to cause problems. 

8. Baylor (14-4, 2-3 Big 12)

Outside of a last-second home win against Iowa State, the Bears’ conference slate has been slightly disappointing. The Bears’ two wins have come down to a last second shot or overtime, and late-game breakdowns against Kansas and Kansas State are a concern as the grueling Big 12 likely won’t offer many easy wins in the heart of the schedule.

9. TCU (14-4, 1-4 Big 12)

TCU isn’t as bad as they were last year, but the rest of the conference doesn’t give them many opportunities to grab many wins. Besides a win against conference whipping post, Texas Tech, the Horned Frogs haven’t been able to get over the hump in close games against Kansas State and Baylor, although they will likely find a few wins as a “trap” team.

10. Texas Tech (10-9, 0-6 Big 12)

The Red Raiders are 0-6 in Big 12 play and lost to the second-worst Big 12 team by 20 points. It’s going to be a long year in Lubbock.