Big 12 power rankings: El fin

Just two games on the slate this week for Big 12 teams, and they just happen to be the two most important games of the year in determining the 2013 conference champion.

Well done, Big 12 schedule maker.

As far as the final football power rankings of the year (we'll start examining basketball next week) ...

1. Oklahoma St. Cowboys (10-1, 7-1) — As far as BCS hopes go, basically, the top teams have to fall, AND the SEC has to fall into the ocean for OSU to have a shot. In other words, nope, the Cowboys won't be able to clean off that Mountaineers stench. The 'Pokes consolation prize will have to be a Bedlam rivalry win and at least a share of the Big 12 title.

2. Baylor Bears (10-1, 7-1) — Bryce Petty is coming back next year. No word whether it is to tell Waco-area school kids how the Bears almost played for a national title in 2013.

3. Texas Longhorns (8-3, 7-1) — Win or lose in Waco, the Longhorns put the wraps on a fifth-straight regular season of less than 10 wins. That's right, not one 10-win regular season for Mack Brown since getting Texas to the 2009 BCS Championship. (Golly, when you put it that way ...) Now, also consider this: If both OSU & Baylor lose this weekend, Texas is the outright Big 12 champion.

4. Oklahoma Sooners (9-2, 6-2) — This game used to cause Bob Stoops to spit fire on game week. Can he get that passion out of his team and finish the year with three straight wins?

5. Kansas St. Wildcats (7-5, 5-4) — The Wildcats looked like they wanted to crush KU old-school style through one quarter. Then, they didn't. Really, isn't that just the intermittent, sometimes inexplicable misfire that plagued K-State all season?

6. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5, 4-5) — Oh god ... it happened. Seven wins to start the year, five losses (by an average 48.6-28 score)  to finish. If Kliff was playing with house money, he done spent it all. Back to the lab, kid ...

7. TCU Horned Frogs (4-8, 2-7) — One win in the final six games will raise a loud whisper or two in the background, but the silver lining (if there is one) is that of those five losses, TCU lost the last three by a total of eight points. They were that close to a 7-5, 5-4 mark.

8. Iowa St. Cyclones (3-9, 2-7) — Didn't think it was possible, but Paul Rhoads willed his team up to the No. 8 spot to close the year after back-to-back wins against the bottom feeders. All things considered with this team, not too shabby.

9. West Virginia Mountaineers (4-8, 2-7) — Really can't say couch fire enough this season. Without that win against Oklahoma St. (which we all concede now was the blippiest of all blips, right?), the slate would be highlighted by wins against William & Mary, Georgia State and TCU. Peeeeeeee-yew.

10. Kansas Jayhawks (3-9, 1-8) — The Jayhawks were outscored 65-10, including getting blanked by Iowa St., after the Big 12 losing streak ended. Perhaps the beginning of a new streak ...?