Texas Tech has moved ahead of Utah as the highest-rated team in the Big 12 according to ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) rankings published October 18. The Red Raiders climbed two spots nationally to No. 9 with an FPI rating of 19.4 following a 53-25 victory over Arizona State on Saturday.
Following the Week 7 results, Texas Tech improved to a 6-0 record and established itself as a top College Football Playoff contender. Utah dropped three spots to No. 13 with a 17.4 rating after a 27-24 win against Colorado in Boulder.
BYU remains ranked No. 14 nationally with a 17.4 FPI rating. Despite being 6-0 after defeating No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 in Provo, the Cougars remain behind Texas Tech and Utah in the ESPN computer model.
Houston is the fourth Big 12 team ranked within ESPN's FPI Top 18, sitting at No. 18 with a 14.8 rating after a 35-32 win over Oklahoma State. This brings the total number of Big 12 teams inside the ESPN FPI Top 25 to four.
The shift in rankings occurred after Texas Tech entered Week 7 one spot behind Utah in the FPI. The Red Raiders' decisive win over Arizona State and Utah's narrow victory over Colorado resulted in the two teams flipping positions in the rankings.
