We have discussed ad nauseam the new era of Big 12 football. Four more teams join as the top two brands of the conference leave for the SEC. Despite the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns leaving for greener pastures, there is plenty to be excited about in the new 16-team league.
The conference has two of the three longest-tenured head coaches with Kyle Whittingham of Utah and Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State. Both took over their programs in the 2005 season. Ironically enough they might be the two teams in the best position to compete for a Big 12 title in 2024.
In the post-spring NCAA FBS re-rank from Paul Myerberg, the Big 12 has 10 of their 16 members among the top 50. The remaining six rank from No. 66 to No. 111. The conference will likely be top heavy with one team in particular worth watching as they potentially could climb as the season goes on. The Colorado Buffaloes are coming off a poor season but the roster is revamped and ready to compete for the Big 12 crown in 2024.
1
Utah Utes
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Re-Rank: No. 15
2023 Record: 8-5
Only one team in the Big 12 has won two conference titles int he last three years and that is the Utah Utes. They won back-to-back Pac-12 titles before taking a step back in 2023. Heading into 2024 Kyle Whittingham has a major opportunity to secure another conference title with Utah. Quarterback Cam Rising is set to return after sitting out last season with a torn ACL and the team welcomes former Arizona and USC WR Dorian Singer to the team. Get your popcorn ready because Whittingham always has his team ready to play.
2
Kansas State Wildcats
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Re-Rank: No. 19
2023 Record: 9-4
Chris Klieman is just a season removed from a Big 12 title. Despite losing Will Howard to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the transfer portal, the Kansas State Wildcats is still poised to make another run. Avery Johnson has some experience at quarterback and the team returned running back D.J. Giddens to the roster on top of adding Dylan Edwards from Colorado. The Wildcats will be in good shape to be one of the two teams in the Big 12 title game should they return to 2022 form.
3
Kansas Jayhawks
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Re-Rank: No. 23
2023 Record: 9-4
The Kansas Jayhawks continued their meteoric rise under head coach Lance Leipold. They capped off the first nine-win season since 2007 with a win over UNLV. The team was a play or two away from the schools first 10-win season since that 2007 team that finished 12-1 with a win in the Orange Bowl. Jalon Daniels will need to stay healthy to achieve those heights and compete for the Big 12 title. The talent is there, now the Jayhawks just have to avoid any slip ups down the stretch.
4
Iowa State Cylcones
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Re-Rank: No. 27
2023 Record: 7-6
Despite only finishing 7-6 after a loss to Memphis in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, last season might have been the best coaching job for Matt Campbell. After the gambling probe into Iowa State athletics, the team lost starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers among others. The team turned to redshirt freshman Rocco Becht, who thrived down the stretch for the Cyclones. The Big 12 offensive freshman of the year is ready to lead them once again.
5
Oklahoma State Cowboys
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Re-Rank: No. 28
2023 Record: 11-3
It wasn’t about the start in 2023 for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, it was about the finish. The team opened the year with a 2-2 record through September including an embarrassing home loss to South Alabama, 33-7. The Pokes marched to the Big 12 title game going 7-1 over the final eight games and capped off the year with a bowl win over Texas A&M. Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II returns to lead the offense in 2024. OSU should be among the top contenders in the conference.
6
TCU Horned Frogs
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Re-Rank: No. 36
2023 Record: 5-7
From first to near worst, the TCU Horned Frogs went from national title contender to struggle to contend to make the postseason last year. It wasn’t totally shocking after the top players heading to the NFL draft following the CFP title game berth. The Frogs did portal pretty well for this season with 10 new faces as projected starters.
7
Arizona Wildcats
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Re-Rank: No. 40
2023 Record: 10-3
The Arizona Wildcats went through a dramatic change when head coach Jedd Fisch left to take over the Washington Huskies. Arizona countered with hiring Brent Brennan from San Jose State. He does inherit starting quarterback Noah Fifita, who earned Freshman All-American honors last season. Brennan also has top pass catcher Tetairoa McMillan back for the upcoming season. It will be an uphill battle after all the changes but they have a good core to start with.
8
UCF Knights
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Re-Rank: No. 41
2023 Record: 6-7
After a quick 3-0 start to the 2023 season, injuries at quarterback sent the UCF Knights into a downward spiral going just 3-7 over the final 10 games of the year. They played teams close with one possession losses to Baylor (36-35), Oklahoma (31-29), and Texas Tech (24-23). Malzahn went back to the wheelhouse to bring former SEC quarterback K.J. Jefferson to Orlando, giving him an experienced signal caller to guide his team.
9
West Virginia Mountaineers
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Re-Rank: No. 42
2023 Record: 9-4
If there was a surprise team in 2023, it was the West Virginia Mountaineers. Head coach Neal Brown was on the hot seat heading into the year with only one winning season (2020) since taking over the program following Dana Holgorsen’s departure. The upcoming season will tell us if 2023 was a flash in the pan or is this the start of WVU returning to the upper echelon?
10
Texas Tech Red Raiders
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Re-Rank: No. 45
2023 Record: 7-6
The Texas Tech Red Raiders hadn’t had a winning record in conference playe over back-to-back seasons since Mike Leach did it in 2008 and 2009. Head coach Joey McGuire achieved that in his first two seasons at the helm. After signing the first-ever five-star prospect in school history, the Red Raiders are ready to bring Leach’s winning tradition back to the South Plains. Led by quarterback Behren Morton, Tech is poised to do better than eight wins in 2024.
11
BYU Cougars
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Re-Rank: No. 66
2023 Record: 5-7
The BYU Cougars had a combination of a bottom four offense in the Big 12 and a bottom four defense as well. That combination equates to a losing record. Heading into 2024, the team will likely be led by former Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon. However, Jake Retzlaff should be in the mix if Bohanon isn’t effective. Both units need to improve for BYU to contend with the top teams in the conference.
12
Colorado Buffaloes
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Re-Rank: No. 76
2023 Record: 4-8
If there is a candidate to outperform their re-ranking it is Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. The offensive line was completely revamped this past offseason overall the roster was flipped on its head with a lot of movement. Shedeur Sanders returns to lead the offense and two-way star Travis Hunter expects to make plays on both sides of the ball. It wouldn’t be a shock to see this team in the upper half of the standings by seasons end.
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13
Houston Cougars
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Re-Rank: No. 78
2023 Record: 4-8
Willie Fritz finally made the jump to the Power Five as the takes over the Houston Cougars following the dismissal of Dana Holgorsen. The Cougs weren’t near the same caliber as they were at the Group of Five but they have a new coach leading the charge. Fritz is only a season removed from leading Tulane to the Cotton Bowl, where they knocked off Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans. There are plenty of new faces on this team, especially on defense. Expect to see UH return to the postseason in year one under Fritz.
14
Baylor Bears
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Re-Rank: No. 84
2023 Record: 3-9
The 2024 season will be a make or break campaign for the Baylor Bears and head coach Dave Aranda. The team finished 3-9 with five straight losses and six of their final seven games. Aranda’s calling card is defense and he had the worst scoring unit in the Big 12 at 33 points per game allowed. The offense made a change with Jake Spavital coming over to run the offense. Matt Powledge didn’t have the best year as defensive coordinator and will need to improve drastically for the Bears to have success. Otherwise, Aranda will find himself on the hotseat by early October.
15
Arizona State Sun Devils
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Re-Rank: No. 103
2023 Record: 3-9
Second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham inherited quite the mess when he took over the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2023. Going 3-9 was about what was expected of him returning to his home state as a head coach. His team was competitive against Washington and defeated Washington State and UCLA in a three week span. Jaden Rashada exited as quickly as he joined and now the team shifts focus to Sam Leavitt and Jeff Sims as the top quarterbacks. Dillingham brought in another slew of transfers as they begin a new era in the Big 12.
16
Cincinnati Bearcats
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Re-Rank: No. 111
2023 Record: 3-9
It can’t get much worse for the Cincinnati Bearcats and head coach Scott Satterfield than the No. 111 spot in the re-rank. Near the bottom of the FBS, they can only go up from here. The team added former Indiana quarterback Brendan Sorsby along with a pair of transfer receivers to the mix. The offense should be much improved. With an influx of transfers on the defensive side, this unit should look completely different than the team that allowed 30 points per game (No. 10 in the Big 12) a year ago.
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