ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Here's a look at this week's power rankings.

1. Texas: The offense isn’t playing as well as expected, but the defense is coming up salty when the Longhorns need it to. Will Muschamp’s group produced five turnovers against Oklahoma and has limited opponents to an average of 7.3 yards rushing per game over the last four games. During that span, opponents are averaging 0.3 yards per carry. Colt McCoy needs to rebound and boost some production offensively, but the Longhorns’ defense is the reason they are playing like the Big 12’s best team.

2. Oklahoma State: A nice job by their bench players have done more than just keep the Cowboys afloat. The play of Keith Toston and Hubert Anyiam has made the loss of Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter not quite as severe. But the Cowboys beat Missouri because of defensive coordinator Bill Young’s adjustments to Blaine Gabbert. In the second half, Missouri produced only three first downs and 80 net yards. A victory at Baylor on Saturday can boost the Cowboys into the key South showdown against Texas on Halloween night.

3. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders delivered a statement with a 31-10 victory at Nebraska, despite producing only 255 yards -- their lowest output since Mike Leach’s first game in 2000. The Red Raiders won because they limited Nebraska to 285 yards and produced five sacks. Steven Sheffield had a workmanlike game and appears to have claimed the starting job by nailing down his third straight victory. But the biggest reason for the Red Raiders' recent surge has been defensive improvement.

4. Kansas: After concerns about the defense the past several weeks, the unit’s struggles finally bit the Jayhawks in their loss to Colorado -- even after wholesale personnel changes. The Jayhawks fell into a huge early hole, rallied to claim the lead and then excruciatingly lost the game when a last-second pass to Dezmon Briscoe fell incomplete. The Jayhawks must run the ball better after producing minus-8 yards against Colorado. The loss at Colorado interrupted a chance for Kansas to jump into the lead in the North.

5. Oklahoma: With Sam Bradford’s college career likely over, Landry Jones will be the Sooners’ starter at quarterback again. The biggest immediate priority will be to get DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown back after the Sooners produced minus-16 yards rushing against Texas -- the worst total in school history. The Sooners’ defense played well enough to win, but couldn’t overcome late struggles with turnovers. The Sooners are 3-3 with their season on the brink. It will be interesting to see how Bob Stoops gets his team to respond to the rest of the season after its fourth loss to Texas in the past five seasons.

6. Nebraska: What a difference a week makes. We’re not hearing about Nebraska’s offensive comebacks, or Ndamukong Suh’s Heisman Trophy chances after the Cornhuskers’ stunning 31-10 home loss to Texas Tech. Now, we’re hearing about a potential change at quarterback to Cody Green, why the Cornhuskers can’t run the ball and if their offense really can consistently produce against Big 12 defenses. The Cornhuskers’ schedule turns easier with games against Iowa State and Baylor in the next two weeks, but they need to build some continuity before November games that will decide the North title.

7. Missouri: Since a strong performance in the opening game, the Tigers’ offense has been maddeningly inconsistent. Take Saturday night for example. Missouri posted 313 yards and 17 points in the first half against Oklahoma State; 80 yards and no points after intermission. The loss overshadowed another strong performance by wide receiver Danario Alexander, who produced nine catches for 180 yards to key the offense. The Tigers' defense played well in the second half, but were undone by a slew of turnovers. After the Tigers’ 4-0 nonconference start, few thought they would fall into the Big North basement so quickly.

8. Kansas State: How about a round of applause for the North Division’s surprise leaders. The Wildcats exploded for 59 straight points to start the game en route to a 62-14 victory over Texas A&M. Amazingly, it came only a week after the Wildcats endured a 52-point loss at Texas Tech. KSU’s defense had a huge game against Texas A&M, producing six sacks to double its previous season total. The Wildcats also piled up 420 yards of total offense and took advantage of another Brandon Banks kickoff return for a touchdown that gave them a lift in special teams. A bowl bid still will be a tough chore, but after Saturday’s game, they might have a chance.

9. Iowa State: The Cyclones snapped an 11-game Big 12 losing streak with their most impressive defensive effort of the season in a 24-10 triumph over Baylor, allowing the Bears’ only touchdown with nine seconds left. Austen Arnaud started and Jerome Tiller took over when Arnaud hurt his hand. It didn’t matter who was playing as the Cyclones rolled up 454 yards of total offense. The Cyclones clicked on 12 of 18 third downs and played one of their best offensive games of the season. Coach Paul Rhoads needs to win two of his next five games to earn ISU’s first bowl eligibility since 2005. It won’t be easy.

10. Colorado: Tyler Hansen pumped some life into the Buffaloes and the result was their impressive 34-30 victory over Kansas, which caused fans to charge the playing field at Folsom Field in celebration after the game. The Buffaloes nearly squandered a 21-point lead late in the first half in the process, but held on for the victory when Todd Reesing’s pass on the final play of the game fell incomplete in the end zone. A key has been Colorado’s rushing defense. The Buffaloes have allowed Texas and Kansas a total of 36 yards rushing on 47 attempts the last two weeks. And amazingly as it seems, the Buffaloes still have their goal of winning the North Division in front of them after their struggling start in nonconference play.

11. Baylor: The Bears’ bowl hopes were dealt a huge blow with their loss at Iowa State. Neither Blake Szymanski nor Nick Florence could get the offense moving for the injury-riddled Bears in their 12th straight Big 12 road loss. Their sputtering offense has struggled in losses at Oklahoma and Iowa State. And the defense has allowed an average of 520 yards in those games as the Bears have been outscored by a combined margin of 57-17. Szymanski was intercepted three times in the second half, which led to his replacement. It matched the number of interceptions thrown by Robert Griffin in his career. Ernest Smith set a career high in receptions and yardage for the second straight week, but it was of the Bears' few bright spots against the Cyclones.

12. Texas A&M: Weren’t the Aggies 3-0 and brimming with confidence just three weeks ago? Since then, A&M has been humbled on defense as opponents have blistered the Aggies for averages of 48.3 points and 435.3 yards per game. And it won’t get any easier this week with traditional nemesis Mike Leach and Texas Tech on tap. Jerrod Johnson stretched his streak of passes without an interception to a conference-record 225 attempts and then threw three in 25 attempts against Kansas State. Some of the problems were caused by a struggling offensive line that allowed a season-worst six sacks and made throwing a harrowing experience for Johnson's protection.