1. Baylor (11-1, 8-1 Big 12)

The Big 12 doesn’t take into account head-to-head match ups, but that isn’t the case here. Yes, Baylor slipped against West Virginia, who almost brought down TCU in Morgantown, but highest scoring offense in college football scored at least 45 points nine times this season and also held teams to 24 points per game.

2. TCU (11-1, 8-1 Big 12)

An equally worthy No. 1 Big 12 team, the Baylor loss keeps TCU one rung below the Bears. TCU’s defense held opponents to 20.3 points per game, and its offense took countless opponents to the woodshed, minus several close calls to West Virginia and Kansas. A rematch against Baylor would be bowl worthy, but that won’t happen, and TCU still couldn’t hang on against Baylor. 

3. Kansas State (9-3, 7-2 Big 12)

All three of Kansas State’s losses came to teams that were ranked in the top five, one of which was Auburn. In a league packed with high-powered offenses and top quarterbacks, Jake Waters was a quiet surprise for Kansas State as he threw for 3,163 yards and 20 touchdowns, and Tyler Lockett proved to be one of the best receivers in school history, finishing the regular season with 93 receptions and 1,351 yards. 

4. Oklahoma (8-4, 5-4 Big 12)

The Sooners could not win big games in 2014. Oklahoma had a slow fall from grace after losing to TCU while ranked No. 4 and the losses didn’t stop. Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma State all brought Oklahoma down, while wins against teams they were favored against kept the season afloat. 

5. Texas (6-6, 5-4 Big 12)

Charlie Strong had an interesting first year at Texas. Fans were calling for his head after losses to BYU and UCLA, and a win against Kansas didn’t quell the masses for long after the Longhorns dropped two more against Baylor and Oklahoma. Three wins in the the final four games might pacify the Longhorns for now, and a win in the Texas Bowl would definitely help.

6. West Virginia (7-5, 5-4 Big 12)

Inconsistency marred the Mountaineer’s season. West Virginia was 6-2 at the end of October with losses to Alabama and Oklahoma and a win against then-No. 4 Baylor. One point was the difference in the loss to TCU and two more losses to Texas and Kansas State brought the Mountaineers credibility down. 

7. Oklahoma State (6-6, 4-5 Big 12)

The start of the season proved promising for Oklahoma State, but the wheels fell off after a 42-9 loss at TCU. The Cowboys went down to the wire with then-No.1 Florida State in week one before reeling off five straight wins. The season did end on a high note for Cowboy fans, as Oklahoma State defeated in-state rival Oklahoma in overtime. 

8. Texas Tech (4-8, 2-7 Big 12)

The Red Raiders had no problem airing the ball out this year, finishing fourth in the NCAA with 351.1 passing yards per game, but defense was a different story. Tech gave up 41.3 points per game this season en route to losing eight-out-of-the-last ten games. The lone Big 12 wins came against Kansas and Iowa State. 

9. Kansas (3-9, 1-8 Big 12)

Kansas bailed themselves out of the bottom of the barrel after beating Iowa State on Nov. 8. Changes are going to be made in Lawrence as new coach David Beaty takes the reigns, but one might wonder how much change is possible for a program that’s won only 12 games since 2010.  

10. Iowa State (2-10, 0-9 Big 12)

A deeply disappointing season in Ames for the Cyclones. It wasn’t that the Cyclones couldn’t compete, but it seemed closing out games and holding on to leads was a main issue. The Cyclones watched double-digit leads dissipate against North Dakota State, Kansas State, Texas Tech and West Virginia.