With the possible and obvious exception of Houston, the hottest team in the Big 12 is another group of Cougars. The BYU Cougars have been on a tremendous roll d

BYU has won five straight under coach Kevin Young, who is making case for coach of the year. How high did Cougars climb in this week's power rankings?

The Houston Cougars continue to prove they are the team to beat in the Big 12 after a tough road win against Texas Tech.

Texas Tech jumped up to the No. 2 spot—however, only seven points separate Tech, Iowa State, and Arizona. By comparison, Houston has a 32-point advantage over the Red Raiders. On the other end of the spectrum, Colorado remains at No. 16, a spot they have occupied all season long.

With just over a month until Selection Sunday, let's take another look at how the five major conferences compare in strength to each other. Surprised?

Baylor has won seven straight games, which is the longest active streak in the Big 12, and they've solidified themselves as conference contenders.

With the Big 12 women's basketball championship less than one month away, the race for the regular-season title is neck and neck. No. 9-ranked TCU, No. 13 Kansas State and Baylor are sitting atop the standings with a conference record of 11-2. But No. 23 Oklahoma State and Utah are just one game behind with a 10-3 record.

Texas is the new No. 1 in our ESPN Power Rankings, while Baylor makes its first appearance this season, at No. 15. The Longhorns jumped to the top spot in the Associated Press poll, too, for the first time since February 2004. They elevated after Notre Dame lost at NC State in double overtime Sunday.