Bears Up to No. 7 in Latest AP Poll

The Baylor Bears are moving on up after splitting games this week. Voters didn’t count the loss on the road in Manhattan against them and gave them big props for a declarative victory over the then No. 8 Texas Longhorns by moving the Bears up from 9 to 7 in the latest AP Poll.

Elsewhere in the Big 12:

• The Kansas Jayhawks rose to No. 3 and is on the verge of another Big 12 conference title
• Texas held at No. 9 despite the road loss to a short-handed Bears squad on Saturday
• The Kansas State Wildcats rose three spots to No. 11, while the TCU Horned Frogs rose to No. 22 after being No. 24 last week
• The Iowa State Cyclones dropped from the rankings after losing to Oklahoma in Hilton Coliseum. Go sit in a dark room while you try figuring out that one.
• ISU and the West Virginia Mountaineers both received votes.

Having half the conference ranked headed into the last week of regular season play is a strong showing from the Big 12, though you’d have liked to see the same six as the previous week, given the schedule.

All but one of Baylor’s losses now have been to ranked teams, with ISU being the lone exception.

Coming up, the Bears hit the road against Oklahoma State before closing the season at home against Iowa State. With the door now essentially closed on a third straight conference title, perhaps it’s a good week to ride into the postseason against a pair of unranked teams, though we all know lack of rank does not properly signify the challenge these two games will be.