ESPN updates FPI rankings for each Big 12 football team after Week 3

Three weeks into the 2026 season, three Big 12 games have been played. A lot more will take place on Saturday, as schedules mainly shift to conference play in the coming weeks. Opportunities are going to be out there. Hopefully, an exciting race to Arlington takes place. Per ESPN’s FPI, three teams are currently paving the way. They rank nationally inside the top 20, while the other 12 teams are No. 30 or lower. Of course, there is still a lot of football left to be played before Selection Sunday. The ESPN FPI is going to change a lot between now and early December. Let’s check out how things stand after Week 3, going in reverse order. We begin in Boulder before breaking down the entire top 10. 16. Colorado Buffaloes FPI: -0.7 | National rank: No. 7015. Kansas Jayhawks FPI: -0.1 | National rank: No. 6714. Arizona State Sun Devils FPI: 3.8 | National rank: No. 5813. Iowa State Cyclones FPI: 4.4 | National rank: No. 5512. UCF Knights FPI: 4.9 | National rank: No. 5211. Oklahoma State Cowboys FPI: 5.0 | National rank: No. 50 10. West Virginia Mountaineers FPI: 5.3 | National rank: No. 49 West Virginia is an interesting way to begin the list. By this time next week, there is a chance he is a whole lot higher. Saturday brings a showdown against Oklahoma State in Morgantown, a game with plenty of implications. So far, Michael Hawkins is the story. Hawkins, a transfer from Oklahoma, has fit into the West Virginia offense perfectly. Whether it’s through the air or on the ground, Hawkins has looked pretty good. 9. Cincinnati Bearcats FPI: 5.8 | National rank: No. 46 Yes, Cincinnati won. Beating Miami (OH) in the Keg of Nails game is something the Bearcats expected to do, now winning 18 of the last 19 games. It’s been a nice streak for Cincinnati, basically having a permanent spot for the trophy. However, the four-point margin of victory hurt them analytically. Following Week 2, Cincinnati’s FPI was 8.6 and No. 34 nationally. Both numbers took a big hit despite the win, on the verge of falling out of the top 10. 8. Arizona Wildcats FPI: 5.9 | National rank: No. 45 Right now, only three Big 12 teams are 0-1. Arizona is one of them, losing to BYU a week ago. Certainly a rough way to begin conference play, and one that head coach Brent Brennan will be anxious to bounce back from. There is another nonconference game to take care of before then. Arizona is set to face an old Pac-12 rival on the road, going up to Pullman to face Washington State. An important one for the Wildcats, mixed in with a little nostalgia. 7. TCU Horned Frogs FPI: 7.2 | National rank: No. 41 Teams on the losing end of the Ireland game historically do not fare well once back stateside. TCU has avoided the curse, of sorts, since then. Two games against lesser opponents have led to a pair of wins. Now, the lights are about to turn on for the Horned Frogs. Another long flight will come this weekend, going down to Orlando. And when looking ahead, a massive one against BYU will take place in Provo. 6. Baylor Bears FPI: 8.1 | National rank: No. 38 Baylor got some positive news on Wednesday regarding starting quarterback DJ Lagway. He was listed as probable in Wednesday’s Big 12 injury report. Exactly what the Bears needed after seeing Lagway miss the previous two games. Hopefully, the effects of the Auburn loss have been flushed away. Based on the FPI, Baylor still has a decent chance to make some noise in the Big 12. It’s desperately needed for head coach Dave Aranda, whose seat is only getting warmer. 5. Houston Cougars FPI: 10.8 | National rank: No. 31 Has to feel pretty good to improve, at least in the ESPN FPI’s eyes, despite losing. Because it’s exactly what happened to Houston, who lost one on the road to Texas Tech. And still, the numbers are better. With the FPI at 10.8, it’s up 1.6 from a week ago. Houston is also now No. 31 when compared to every other FBS team after previously coming in at No. 33. Not the result the Cougars wanted on the field but still some positives. 4. Kansas State Wildcats FPI: 11.2 | National rank: No. 30 Kansas State is the final team in the second tier of Big 12 teams per the ESPN FPI. The top three have a pretty big difference between them and the Wildcats. At some point, you have to imagine the Wildcats want to get there as well. Big 12 games will begin on Saturday, facing Cincinnati. Kansas State will hit the road for it, the first game away from Manhattan under head coach Collin Klein. A big test for the Wildcats, wanting to find out more about their team. 3. BYU Cougars FPI: 15.2 | National rank: No. 19 BYU’s schedule has been a little unconventional. A Week 2 game against Arizona turned into a nice win. Now, just three weeks into the season, there is a bye. The Cougars will wind up playing eight straight games to close out the year. As they watch from home, there is plenty of be excited about. ESPN’s FPI is quite high on BYU, ranking them in the top-20 nationally. Plenty of opportunities to move up will come once back on the field. 2. Texas Tech Red Raiders FPI: 15.8 | National rank: No. 17 For the time being, Texas Tech has taken a step back. While they are still one of the league’s top teams, ESPN’s FPI moves them down a spot. Which comes at a weird time, considering the result they just got. A ranked Houston just came to Lubbock, only for Texas Tech to win by two points. It’s likely the best win Joey McGuire‘s club will have all season. The Red Raiders feel pretty good about how things are currently unfolding. 1. Utah Utes FPI: 16.5 | National rank: No. 15 There is a new No. 1 in the Big 12. Utah leaps up from No. 3 to the top spot despite not playing the flashiest opponent. Week 3 brought a massive victory over Utah State, improving the record on the year to 3-0. First-year head coach Morgan Scalley wanted to continue the momentum rolling from the Kyle Whittingham era. So far, so good. Utah is going to be a tough out in the Big 12 and aims to win the whole thing.