Exit powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma. Enter former Pac-12 members Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah. The Big 12 has experienced immense change over the last two years, and it’s evident in the 2024 Big 12 Power Rankings. Just look at the top of the charts.
2024 Big 12 Power Rankings
16) Arizona State Sun Devils
Preseason Rank: 16 (no change)
While the Sun Devils are on the rise in Year 2 of Kenny Dillingham’s tenure, the move to the Big 12 could stunt their growth. Herm Edwards tied the program’s hands behind its back, and Dillingham is dealing with the fallout as best he can.
You wouldn’t be able to tell by their Week 1 thrashing of Wyoming and Week 2 defeat of Mississippi State. The Sun Devils have had their way offensively, with Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt looking solid under center and Cam Skattebo pounding the rock, especially against the Bulldogs (33-262-0).
15) Houston Cougars
Preseason Rank: 13 (-2)
Houston hired Willie Fritz to turn the program around after he led Tulane to back-to-back 10+ win seasons. A quick glance at the depth chart shows he got to work quickly, using the transfer portal to his advantage.
With so much change, it will take the Cougars some time to get the engine running, even with Donovan Smith at QB. Turnovers and the lack of a running game have led to a 0-2 start, but Houston should right the ship against Rice in Week 3.
14) BYU Cougars
Preseason Rank: 15 (+1)
BYU hasn’t had back-to-back losing seasons since 2003-2004. Entering the season, it appeared the Cougars were in danger of that streak ending. Yet, they are coming off two straight victories, and while it wasn’t pretty against SMU, the Cougars did enough to win straight up as 12.5-point underdogs.
Watching QB Jake Retzlaff is not for the faint of heart, but he has some dual-threat ability, and the defense has the talent (held the Mustangs to 261 total yards with three turnovers) to buoy the team.
13) Cincinnati Bearcats
Preseason Rank: 14 (+1)
Indiana transfer Brendan Sorsby has been a revelation through two weeks, erupting vs. Towson and Pittsburgh through the air. Yet, it wasn’t enough to make up for poor defense and play-calling in the second half, with the Panthers coming back after being down 27-6 midway through the third quarter.
Head coach Scott Satterfield needs a bounce-back campaign now, as he’s gone 28-33 (25-24 over four years at Louisville) as a Power Five head coach after winning three straight Sun Belt titles at Appalachian State.
12) Baylor Bears
Preseason Rank: 12 (no change)
The 2024 season could be Dave Aranda’s last in Waco if he doesn’t tilt the scales back in the Bears’ favor. Since going 12-2 and winning the Sugar Bowl in 2021, Baylor has gone 9-16. Landing Toledo star Dequan Finn was huge and made new OC Jake Spavital’s job easier.
Finn tossed a pair of TDs and INTs against Tarleton State, but if there was a game to be reckless with the ball, it was that one, as the Bears left their home stadium with a 45-3 dub.
Ball security issues were once again an issue in Week 2 vs. Utah, as Finn fumbled twice. He also completed less than 50% of his passes, and against a team as talented as the Utes, there was no coming back.
11) Texas Tech Red Raiders
Preseason Rank: 11 (no change)
With strong recruiting and transfer portal classes, there’s optimism in Lubbock. Health has been QB Behren Morton’s biggest hurdle, but he has the tools to thrive on the field.
He proved as much in Week 1, going 30-of-42 for 378 yards and five TDs. However, the defense allowed Abilene Christian to force overtime and end the night with 51 points. The Red Raiders had a couple of FCS scares a few years ago, but that’s not how you start a season.
The matchup proved to be a sign of things to come, as Texas Tech fell 37-16 to Washington State in the Mike Leach Legacy Bowl. Turning the ball over four times and going 1-for-5 on fourth downs didn’t help their cause, as the Red Raiders struggled to find any rhythm on offense.
With back-to-back shaky performances, the Red Raiders need to clean up their act quickly if they hope to turn their season around.
10) TCU Horned Frogs
Preseason Rank: 10 (no change)
TCU was in the national championship just two years ago, but that fact already seems a distant memory. Considering the 65-7 final score against Georgia, it’s probably best for the Horned Frogs. Regardless, QB Josh Hoover flashed in his redshirt freshman season and shined against Stanford in Week 1 and Long Island in Week 2.
The Stanford game wasn’t pretty, with the Horned Frogs losing two fumbles and committing seven penalties for 100 yards, including three straight 15-yard personal fouls in the first quarter. Nevertheless, the victory showed TCU’s grit, which it’ll need to win games in the Big 12.
9) Colorado Buffaloes
Preseason Rank: 8 (-1)
All press is good press … unless you aren’t performing on the field. Deion Sanders and Colorado took the country by storm early last season but fell off their own hype train, stumbling to a 4-8 record.
The Buffaloes were able to avoid a repeat performance against FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in Week 1, hanging on to win 31-26 behind the right arm of Shedeur Sanders and the God-given two-way abilities of Travis Hunter. Still, the offensive line and running game looked shaky and reared their ugly heads against Nebraska in Week 2.
Sanders was sacked four times in the first half and hit several more times, which is not what Coach Prime wants to see as his son is one season away from hearing his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft.
8) UCF Knights
Preseason Rank: 8 (+1)
The Knights’ first year in the Big 12 was also their first losing season since 2016 (6-7). To avoid a repeat performance, Gus Malzahn paired 1,000-yard rusher RJ Harvey with Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson and Toledo RB Peny Boone.
Their dustings of New Hampshire and Sam Houston should inspire confidence, but we haven’t seen much from Jefferson and the passing attack thus far.
7) Kansas Jayhawks
Preseason Rank: 6 (-1)
In just three years, Lance Leipold has taken the Jayhawks from 2-10 to 9-4 with a bowl victory. With QB Jalon Daniels and RB Devin Neal back in 2024, could Kansas continue the linear progression? Daniels has missed 14 games in his career due to injury, so his health is a major factor in the team’s performance.
Losing OC Andy Kotelnicki to Penn State stifles anticipation, but QBs coach Jim Zebrowski was promoted to co-OC alongside former Baylor assistant Jeff Grimes.
The Jayhawks sprinted to a 48-3 victory over Lindenwood in Week 1 but stumbled on the road against Illinois. With a red-hot UNLV team coming to town next week, Kansas has to play sound football to avoid dropping two straight.
6) Iowa State Cyclones
Preseason Rank: 7 (+1)
Entering his ninth season, Matt Campbell is one of the longest-tenured coaches in the conference. The Cyclones surprised many by posting a winning record last year, and now they return nearly every starter on both sides of the ball.
That continuity gives Iowa State a leg up on the competition, but the roster is still young. If QB Rocco Becht takes a step forward in his development, this team could reach double-digit wins.
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The Cyclones welcomed 30.5-point underdog North Dakota to Ames, Iowa, and only won 21-3. Becht and the aerial assault were fine, but the running game couldn’t generate 100 yards against their FCS opponent, which could be a concern. The unit then averaged just 3.2 yards per carry against Iowa, but with the Hawkeyes owning one of the best defenses in the country, it’s forgivable.
Becht — along with the poor play of Cade McNamara on the other side — led Iowa State to the 20-19 upset over their ranked in-state rival and has them in prime position in the Big 12.
5) West Virginia Mountaineers
Preseason Rank: 5 (no change)
Head coach Neal Brown only had one winning season (6-4 in 2020) entering 2023, and his seat was heating up. A 9-4 campaign and Mayo Bowl victory later, he received a contract extension. Were the Mountaineers a one-year wonder?
QB Garrett Greene and RBs CJ Donaldson Jr. and Jahiem White return after leading West Virginia to No. 4 nationally in rushing yards per game. The WR corps is deep, Wyatt Milum is one of the best OTs in the nation, and transfers have revamped the defense, particularly the secondary.
Yet, it wasn’t enough to upset Penn State, who throttled WVU 34-12. The closest the score was was 0-0 through the first quarter before the Nittany Lions opened it up in the second.
The Mountaineers got in the win column in Week 2 against a stout UAlbany team, but with Pitt, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Arizona comprising their next six games, the road ahead is nothing short of a gauntlet.
4) Oklahoma State Cowboys
Preseason Rank: 4 (no change)
The Cowboys haven’t won a Big 12 title since 2011. Fresh off a 10-4 campaign that ended with a conference championship loss, can Mike Gundy lead his program back to the peak of the mountain?
Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon IV headlines the list of key returners, including seventh-year QB Alan Bowman, WR Brennan Presley, OT Dalton Cooper, LBs Collin Oliver and Nick Martin, CB Korie Black, and S Trey Rucker.
Defeating back-to-back FCS National Championship winner South Dakota State in Week 1 and outlasting Arkansas in double overtime could be a sign of things to come for the Cowboys.
3) Arizona Wildcats
Preseason Rank: 3 (no change)
Jedd Fisch jumped ship for the Washington job, taking several coaches and players with him. Yet, QB Noah Fifita, OT Jonah Savaiinaea, WR Tetairoa McMillan, LB Jacob Manu, and CB Tacario Davis all decided to stay for new head coach Brent Brennan.
That’s a talented foundation to build on, and with bouts against Kansas State (Week 3) and Utah (Week 4) early in the season, we’ll get to see just how competitive Arizona will be in the new-look Big 12. The Wildcats are 2-0, but both of their victories (vs. New Mexico and Northern Arizona) provided more questions than answers.
That’s a talented foundation to build on, and with bouts against Kansas State (Week 3) and Utah (Week 4) early in the season, we’ll get to see just how competitive Arizona will be in the expanded Big 12.
2) Kansas State Wildcats
Preseason Rank: 2 (no change)
The Wildcats have one of the most explosive backfields in the country, but we’ll need to see Avery Johnson perform over a longer period of time as the QB1 before pushing the Wildcats any higher.
He wasn’t all that impressive against UT Martin or Tulane, but the running game and defense powered the Wildcats to back-to-back victories. If Johnson can’t win with his arm, this may be Kansas State’s ceiling in 2024.
1) Utah Utes
Preseason Rank: 1 (no change)
Kyle Whittingham, Cam Rising, and Brant Kuithe — a college trio as old as time (or at least the last seven seasons). Following back-to-back 10-4 campaigns, the Utes fell to 8-5 last year without the services of their starting QB and TE, but the two picked up where they left off, combining for four catches, 69 yards, and three TDs against Southern Utah.
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Yet, the joy could be short-lived, as Rising suffered an apparent throwing hand injury against Baylor in Week 2. The Utes still pulled off the 23-12 victory, but without Rising in the lineup, their ceiling is only so high.
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