What we learned about the Big 12
And then there were two.
The Big 12 Championship Game is set and will feature #12 Arizona State (10-2) against #16 Iowa State (10-2, 7-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 11 AM in AT&T Stadium and the game can be seen on ABC.
Because four teams finished tied at 7-2 in the conference, the Sun Devils and Cyclones were beneficiaries of the Big 12’s tiebreak rules. (Just have divisions already!) Interestingly, the four teams picked to finish at the top of the conference—Utah, K-State, Oklahoma State, and Kansas—emphatically did not finish anywhere close to that lofty ideal.
The new Big 12’s inaugural season was at times wild and chaotic, and while I can’t say it was totally satisfying (and understandably, many of us are disappointed by our Wildcats), it was at least fun. And well, we’ve been expecting a title game clash between an OG Big 8/12 team and one of the newcomers all season, so the conference delivered on that promise at least.
Let’s break it down team by team, shall we?
The Contenders
Arizona State (10-2, 7-2)
As has been repeated ad nauseam here and elsewhere, Arizona State was predicted to finish dead last in the new Big 12. Instead, the Sun Devils rode running back Cam Skattebo and quarterback Sam Leavitt in an unexpected star-making turn right to the top of the conference standings.
While Skattebo was ignored in Big 12 recognitions, Leavitt, who has Jake the Snake Plummer himself excited about his play, was recognized as the Offensive Freshman of the Year, and last but definitely not least, head coach Kenny Dillingham is the Chuck Neinas Big 12 Coach of the Year.
I hope the Sun Devils win the title game, if only because I would like to see this particular ASU beat writer eat crow.
Iowa State (10-2, 7-2)
By all accounts, Iowa State has already had an unprecedented season. The Cyclones went 7-0 for the first time in 86 years, Matt Campbell became the winningest coach in program history, and Iowa State was even ranked in the Top 10 briefly. After all that, making the Big 12 title game must seem a bit anticlimactic.
Still, a chance to win an elusive Big 12 crown is at hand, and who knows, if Campbell stays, maybe the Clones can finally warm up to the slightly curmudgeonly guy who turned the program into a winner for almost the first time ever. (Sounds familiar, yes?)
The Pretenders
BYU (10-2, 7-2)
Maybe it’s not fair to call the Cougars pretenders. For nine magical weeks of the season, BYU was not just undefeated but seemingly unbeatable, winning one close game after another against teams that should have beaten them. But the magic ran out against Kansas and then a week later, despite a valiant second-half comeback against Arizona State, the Cougars could not get out of their own way. To add insult to injury, the college football pundits don’t like BYU enough to make a real case to include them as a second Big 12 team in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
But it’s not all doom and gloom in Provo though. Jake Retzlaff, the first Jewish quarterback in program history (and one of only three Jewish students at BYU), just scored one of the most unique NIL deals ever. He’ll be sponsored by Manischewitz, who is putting Retzlaff on a box of matzos through Passover.
Colorado (9-3, 7-2)
After a slow start that included a loss to an average-at-best Nebraska squad, the Buffs found some rhythm and rode the hype train almost to the top. They might have run the table too were it not for the state of Kansas. Colorado hit a snag against Kansas State and then came completely unravelled against Kansas. Those two losses pushed the team out of contention, but it also underlined just how good the team has been this year. Colorado was expected to finish in the bottom half of the league and instead, Coach Prime has himself a 9-3 season with a Heisman candidate on his roster.
The question remains though: with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter headed to the NFL Draft in April, will Coach Prime stay or is he moving on to greener pastures? Stay tuned.
The Also Rans
Baylor (8-4, 6-3)
After starting the season about as poorly as possible, Baylor is quietly on a six-game winning streak and finished in the top five of the Big 12. That’s a big turnaround for a program that has struggled to maintain its success from just a few years ago.
So what did the embattled Dave Aranda do differently this time? In a bye week before the October 19th trip to Lubbock, the program took some time to get healthy and focus on details. That paid off, because Baylor has not lost a game since. The Bears now believe in themselves, and is there a better skill on the field than confidence? We’ll find out next season, as the school confirmed Aranda will return in 2025.
TCU (8-4, 6-3)
This is as good a time as any to remember that TCU is only two seasons removed from a spot in the CFP title game. But after limping to a 5-7 record last season, it’s safe to say that expectations were low for our purple cousins down in Fort Worth. After a dire 3-3 start this season, the pitchforks were out but the Horned Frogs made a comeback and finished strong. Still, the 8-4 record and a bowl game don’t feel like real achievements to most fans.
But things may. be turning around for TCU. Sonny Dykes just pulled the best recruiting class of his tenure. Indeed, it’s the best group of signees in the Big 12 and if coaching can line up with talent, the Horned Frogs should be the team to beat in the coming years.
Texas Tech (8-4, 6-3)
It’s hard to get a read on what’s happening in Lubbock these days. The Red Raiders’ 8-4 record is not awful by any means, and indeed, it’s a better finish than the preseason polls suggested. Plus, running back Tajh Brooks became the school’s all-time rushing leader, while notching 11 100-yard games this season.
But just as Brooks’ feats did not rate first team All Big 12 consideration, so the efforts of the offensive and defensive coordinators went unrewarded. DC Tim DeRuyter was let go recently, and with OC Zach Kittley headed to FAU to take the head coaching reins from Tom Herman, Tech head coach Joey McGuire, already the program’s third head coach in six years, has a lot on his plate.
The Better Luck Next Timers
West Virginia (6-6, 5-4)
Never mind the record (mediocre) or the bowl eligibility (meh). The BIG news out of Morgantown is that head coach Neal Brown has been fired.
Was that inappropriate? Never mind, we’re not concerned about that.
Instead, let’s look at the possible candidates for the ‘Eers biggest job. Pat McAfee, suddenly a college football pundit, thinks the job will be attractive to a lot of people and he may have floated the idea to Nick Saban! (Hey, if you aim for the sky, you might at least land on a tree, right?). Meanwhile, Rich Rodriguez denies being contacted but also appears to be interviewing for the job, implying the usual sort of chaos around a high profile coaching search. Here are some other candidates for the job: Barry Odom (UNLV), Jon Sumrall (Tulane), Andy Kotelnicking (OC, Penn State), and I assume because he exists and is currently unemployed, Jimbo Fisher.
Kansas (5-7, 4-5)
After weeks of losing games in the most KU way possible, the Jayhawks finally put together a 5-game stretch where the team played like the dark horse Big 12 contender the media had predicted in the preseason. Kansas won four of those five games, beating Houston and then hitting a speed bump in the Sunflower Showdown before dethroning both Iowa State and BYU and absolutely trucking Colorado along the way. Unfortunately, the season ended with a defensive meltdown against Baylor at home on Senior Night.
There will be no bowl game for KU this season, but the team earned plenty of respect from Big 12 voters. 13 players on the roster ended up with All Big 12 honors or honorable mentions.
Plus, QB Jalon Daniels shared Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors with Texas Tech’s Tajh Brooks. Daniels has a 3.5 GPA in sports management and has been a multiple-time All-Academic conference player. This site’s usual bias notwithstanding, we admire and like Daniels and wish him all the best in his future endeavors. (We also wish KU goes 0-12 next year. Because this is just who we are).
Cincinnati (5-7, 3-6)
The Bearcats second season in the Big 12 did not go to plan. Cincinnati was looking to improve on its dismal 3-9 (1-8) performance in its first season in the league, and the 2024 campaign was marginally better, but did not live up to expectations.
This is because the Bearcats actually started the season 5-2 and then proceeded to lose five straight games to miss the post-season. Again. That five of Cincinnati’s losses were by just one score does not satisfy. After all, there are no moral victories in college football and barely any style points either.
Scott Satterfield is just 8-16 (4-14) in his tenure in Cincinnati, and that’s just not good enough for a team that expects to compete. Is he on the hot seat? It’s hard to say, especially because the financials on his remaining contract are not in the school’s favor. Only time (and the next season) will tell.
Houston (4-8, 3-6)
The Willie Fritz era in Houston got off to a shaky but hopeful start. While the Cougars are only 4-8 on the season—and almost dead last in the FBS in most offensive categories—it’s been a good rebuilding year by all accounts, similar to Fritz’s first year at Tulane. A late-season shakeup on the staff helped steady the program a bit too, but a new year with a new coach and 63 players on the roster was never going to be THE year for the Cougars.
Still, Houston managed two marquee wins over OG Big 12 programs, TCU and Kansas State, and was reasonably competitive in games against Oklahoma and Baylor too. Fritz sees the season as a foundation for the future and right now, he has the full support of the school. A decent class on National Signing Day should help pave a less bumpy path for him.
Utah (5-7, 2-7)
Oh boy. Where to begin with the Utes? The team was the consensus preseason pick to win the Big 12 and compete in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Instead, Utah now finds itself at almost the bottom of the barrel in a conference the program’s fans once (and maybe still) perceived as beneath them. (BRB ROFL)
At one point this season, Utah had lost six games in a row, six frustrating contests where the Utes were not just outplayed but out-executed, a shocking lapse for a Kyle Whittingham squad known for its consistency. Some of this could be blamed on the absence of QB Cam Rising, the Perry Ellis of Big 12 football. But what about Utah’s allegedly physical run gam and its dominating defense? These were mostly absent this season too, with the defense struggling to establish a pass rush and the Utes not hitting the 100-yard rushing mark in six of the seven losses.
Rising will be back for his 8th year next season, and with him, maybe the Utes will be too.
Arizona (4-8, 2-7)
The Wildcats have had a rude welcome to the Big 12. After a 3-1 start that including a win over a ranked Utah squad, Arizona lost seven of the next eight games, some in blowout fashion. It isn’t clear exactly what happened. QB Noah Fifita and WR Tetairoa McMillan, who agreed to stay at UA even after their former coach left for Washington, never managed to light up opposing defenses (though McMillan did set a new school receiving record), and new head coach Brent Brennan appeared at times to be in over his head.
For now, Brennan is being retained, a good move in light of Arizona’s recent financial crisis. He’s also shaking up the coaching staff, letting OC Dino Babers go and potentially adding other assistants to his staff.
With McMillan and others headed to the NFL and Fifita maybe hitting the transfer portal, 2025 might be a tough out for the Wildcats too.
UCF (4-8, 2-7)
UCF is the only school in the current Big 12 that has won an actual NCAA-sanctioned national title in football in the last several decades, but the Knights don’t much look like that program right now. The team began the season 3-0 and then promptly lost the next eight of nine game, sandwiched around the obligatory Space Game win. For the first time since 2015, UCF won’t go to a bowl game.
The team’s mostly indifferent performance, and the revolving door of talent in and out of the program, has raised questions about losing the culture around the program. And now, with head coach Gus Malzahn leaving to be Florida State’s offensive coordinator, it’s not clear what next season holds for UCF. Will the Knights reach out to former head coach Scott Frost? What about Lincoln Riley (a pipedream at best)? This much is for sure, it’s going to be a wild ride in Orlando.
The LOLWUT
Oklahoma State (3-9, 0-9)
The spot right at the very bottom of the cellar belongs to just one team: Oklahoma State. The Pokes were once favored to win the Big 12, but had a historically bad season, finishing 3-9, a campaign that includes nine consecutive losses and a big fat zero in the conference win column. This ends an 18-year bowl appearance streak for the program. The offensive and defensive coordinators were recently fired over this dismal showing.
But never mind all that stuff. There is SO much happening in Stillwater right now!
Longtime head coach Mike Gundy is not exactly on the hot seat, but he and the school appear to be at loggerheads over his contract. Oklahoma State is asking Gundy to accept a restructured contract. The money left over would be used to make NIL payments. If he’s not amenable, the school will terminate him. It’s also not clear what happens to Gundy’s $25M buyout if he is fired for cause, or even what that cause would be, though he probably did himself no favors by calling out the Poke faithful with his usual candor (which may trigger the non-disparagement clause in Gundy’s current contract):
This place has had tremendous success for 18-and-a-half years, or 19, I can’t do the math real good. And so, unfortunately, in life, most people are weak and as soon as things start to not go as good as they thought, they fall apart and they panic. And then they want to point the finger and blame other people. You see it happening in everyday life. People do it all the time. That’s why I refuse to watch the TV and watch the news because I get tired of people complaining and b****ing about this and that versus just doing something about it and trying to figure out a way and make it better.
“And that’s what happens in college athletics, and as [a reporter] said, she’s exactly right. It’s just on the bigger stage where people can voice their opinion. And in most cases, the people who are negative and voicing their opinion are the same ones that can’t pay their own bills. They’re not taking care of themselves. They’re not taking care of their own family. They’re not taking care of their own job but they have an obligation to speak out and complain about others because it makes them feel better. But then in the end when they go to bed at night, they’re the same failure that they were before they said anything negative about anybody else.”
Well, that’s all from me!
It’s been a fun—if frustrating—inaugural season for the new Big 12 and I’ve enjoyed recapping it for you. See you in 2025 for a brand new round of Big 12 Roundup.