The Big 12 power rankings are published weekly by the Hotline throughout the regular season. They are the result of a deep dive into the analytics, an assessment of subjective factors and, when necessary, flips of the coin. No conference has more parity. The parity leads to chaos, and the chaos creates an endlessly compelling product that is not always easy to unscramble.

The Big 12 needed TCU to come through against Chapel Bill.

The situation wasn’t obvious or desperate, and it certainly didn’t attract any attention — not with every electromagnetic wave of the national spotlight locked on the debut of North Carolina coach Bill Belichick.

But the conference had struggled for traction against Power Four opponents across the long holiday weekend, with a 1-3 record in duels with the ACC, B

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