Clemson coach Brad Brownell is convinced the Big 12 has figured out how to manipulate the NCAA NET rankings.

“They're playing 300-level teams and winning by 40 and 50 points to increase their offensive and defensive efficiency numbers, which is a big part of the NET tool,” Brownell recently said.

The conference has three teams in the top 10, according to Thursday’s rankings. A total of 10 teams are in the top 45.

The ACC, meanwhile, has just four in the top 45. Clemson is No. 23.

“Our league has zero teams in the top 50 of the NET that have a non-conference strength of schedule 250 or higher,” Brownell added. “The Big 12 has six teams.”

So, what gives?

Perhaps the Big 12 has figured out a way to work around the system. Brownell rightfully pointed out that Iowa State and Cincinnati’s non-Big 12 schedules were incredibly weak. He pointed out that Clemson beat TCU, another team that mostly played have-nots in non-conference games.

But Iowa State has proven its a top-10 team throughout the season. TCU is an NCAA Tournament team.

So are seven others, according to projections.

“It’s just posturing,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. “People trying to posture their league. And why wouldn’t you? I don’t blame anybody for posturing. But just watch it on TV, live through it. I mean, you just see it. The numbers don’t lie.”

The Big 12 might have figured out a way to beat the system — other conferences can follow the same method, and probably should — scheduling the way football teams tend to. Why load up a non-conference schedule when Houston, Kansas, Baylor, etc. await in league play?

Surviving the Big 12 — as Iowa State and BYU have shown in their rise to near the top — is hard enough.

Let’s get to this week’s Big 12 power rankings:

1. Houston

Last week: 1

This week: at Oklahoma (Saturday); at UCF (Wednesday)

What to know: Believe what you want about the Big 12 and the NET, but there is no argument that Houston is a national title contender. The Cougars have six straight wins. Next up: A trip to Norman, where Kelvin Sampson had great success as the Sooners’ coach and has yet to visit since.

2. Iowa State

Last week: 2

This week: at UCF (Saturday); vs. BYU (Wednesday)

What to know: It was never a secret how bad Iowa State’s non-conference schedule was, but it ultimately hasn’t mattered. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger should be a top candidate for Big 12 Coach of the Year.

3. BYU

Last week: 6

This week: vs. TCU (Saturday); at Iowa State (Wednesday)

What to know: Speaking of coach of the year, don’t overlook the Cougars’ Mark Pope. They’ve struggled on the road all season — losing at Oklahoma State is not good — but they are the only team to win at Kansas this season. BYU could finish as high as second in the conference.

4. Kansas

Last week: 3

This week: at Baylor (Saturday); vs. Kansas State (Tuesday)

What to know: The Jayhawks might not get star Kevin McCullar Jr. back from his knee injury this season. That could be disastrous for a team that shockingly lacks depth. Now, Kansas suddenly looks vulnerable at Allen Fieldhouse.

5. Baylor

Last week: 5

This week: vs. Kansas (Saturday); vs. Texas (Monday)

What to know: The Bears’ win over TCU broke them away from a three-way tie for fourth place. And they’re mathematically still capable of tying Houston for the regular-season conference title. Pretty impressive work after a slow start.

6. Texas Tech

Last week: 4

This week: at West Virginia (Saturday); at Oklahoma State (Tuesday)

What to know: The Red Raiders’ rivalry with Texas ended — for now — with Grant McCasland pleading with fans on the microphone to not throw objects onto the court. Unfortunately, it wasn’t tortillas being tossed, either.

7. Texas

Last week: 8

This week: vs. Oklahoma State (Saturday); at Baylor (Monday)

What to know: The Longhorns have not won consecutive games in more than a month. But a road win in Lubbock is always impressive. Still, one night, Texas looks unstoppable. Next, it’s a mess. That’s not a recipe for success in March.

8. TCU

Last week: 7

This week: at BYU (Saturday); at West Virginia (Wednesday)

What to know: The Horned Frogs are 3-8 in Quad 1 games and 16-1 against everybody else. The Big 12 is a beast. But they haven’t won a game against teams not near the bottom of the conference in nearly a month.

9. Oklahoma

Last week: 9

This week: vs. Houston (Saturday); vs. Cincinnati (Tuesday)

What to know: Transfer guard Javian McCollum is a Bedlam hero, nailing the 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to top Oklahoma State for a season sweep in the last scheduled game of the rivalry. But that doesn’t cover up the Sooners trending in the wrong direction with two of their three wins in February coming against OSU.

More: How did Javian McCollum win Bedlam for OU? With 'patented move' his old coach saw coming

10. Kansas State

Last week: 12

This week: at Cincinnati (Saturday); at Kansas (Tuesday)

What to know: Don’t play Kansas State and coach Jerome Tang in overtime. Somehow, the Wildcats are 7-0 in those games this season. They’re 12-0 under Tang in two seasons. And the latest OT win over West Virginia has Kansas State back on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

11. UCF

Last week: 13

This week: vs. Iowa State (Saturday); vs. Houston (Wednesday)

What to know: The Knights snapped out of their funk with a big win over Texas Tech before rallying at Oklahoma State. But with Iowa State, Houston and TCU rounding out the schedule, can UCF pull off another win or two to perhaps sneak into the NCAA Tournament picture?

12. Oklahoma State

Last week: 11

This week: at Texas (Saturday); vs. Texas Tech (Tuesday)

What to know: The Cowboys had real momentum until Javian McCollum’s 3-pointer on Saturday. The letdown continued against UCF. It’s going to take a miracle to not finish below .500 for the second time in seven seasons under Mike Boynton.

More: Oklahoma State basketball misses own storybook ending in Bedlam overtime loss to Sooners

13. Cincinnati

Last week: 10

This week: vs. Kansas State (Saturday); at Oklahoma (Tuesday)

What to know: The Bearcats have lost three straight and five of their past six games. While slipping on the court, their March Madness hopes are also sliding away.

14. West Virginia

Last week: 14

This week: vs. Texas Tech (Saturday); vs. TCU (Wednesday)

What to know: The Mountaineers have lost eight of their last 10 games. The coaching search can’t begin fast enough in Morgantown, where it’s time to move onto a new era not necessarily connected to Bob Huggins.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Big 12 power rankings: Houston sits atop. Does Iowa State, BYU follow?