Technically speaking, the official date for the Big 12 to open their doors to newcomers Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State isn't until August 2. However, other conferences have already officially welcomed their new teams—unless they were from the Pac-12—back on July 1 as part of conference realignment. Regardless, a new era of college football is upon us, and these now Power 4 conferences are in line for a shake-up.
The Big 12 might be the most unique of all the conferences in their realignment because they lost the most. They have undergone a massive facelift heading into 2024 after the losses of Texas and Oklahoma. Now, in the last two seasons, they've added eight teams, making them a membership of 16.
Again, this isn't a conference that has had much stability over the last couple of seasons. It's more or less completely new after all its new additions. Therefore, it leaves it wide open for parity where just about any team—newcomer or not—can take the conference title.
Last season, the newcomers didn't fare so well, finishing with a combined record of 18-31. Not one single team out of Cincinnati, BYU, Houston, or UCF finished with a winning record. UCF was the best at 6-7. Does that signal a tough transition for this year's newcomers?
Predicting Colorado Football in 2024
Almost identical to last year, Colorado football is in for another roster overhaul after both the winter and spring versions of the transfer portal. This is just what Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes do now. But at least it's for a good reason.
Though improved from one win in 2022 to four wins last year, Colorado football still had some glaring problems that had to be addressed, namely in the trenches. No longer could Colorado let Sanders' son and starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders get sacked 50-plus times if they wanted to improve in the coming season.
Still, Colorado brings back nine starters (three on offense, six on defense), with two of those being Sanders and talented two-way star Travis Hunter. But now the schedule looks much different.
There will be some familiar foes, like those following them from the Pac-12, including long-time rival Nebraska, who they face in Week 2. But they'll also play Kansas, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State, all of which should be ranked in the preseason top 25.
Under a new conference or not, Colorado football was set to be improved one way or another. A lot of their success depends, of course, on Sanders behind center. If he's even kept off the ground half the time he was last year, that's probably good enough for a few more wins.
Record: 8-4
Big 12 finish: 5th
Predicting Utah Football in 2024
The Big 12 preseason favorite is the Utah football team. Under Kyle Whittingham, the Utes have been one of the more consistent programs in the entire country. They're also coming into the Big 12 as winners of two out of the last three Pac-12 titles.
Last year, the Utes did suffer a bit of a setback, but that was probably due to injuries suffered, in particular to starting quarterback Cam Rising, who missed the entire season. He and his talented tight end Brant Kuithe will both be back in 2024. But they're just two of the team's 14 starters returning.
One of the new Big 12's premier matchups in the oncoming season will be when the Utes travel to Oklahoma State on September 21. That game, even in late September, could be an early indicator of who will win the conference. Other than that, the schedule is fairly manageable, but that doesn't mean they'll go unscathed. Nonetheless, Utah is favored for a reason.
Record: 9-2
Big 12 finish: 1st
Predicting Arizona Football in 2024
After rebuilding Arizona football, head coach Jedd Fisch took over for Washington once Kalen DeBoer left the Huskies. The Wildcats are coming off their best season since 2014. But were they just fool's gold?
Last year's team was a couple of plays away from being a 6-6 team. Then again, they were a few plays away from beating USC and Washington. With Fisch gone and new head coach Brent Brennan in, how will they be judged now?
Surprisingly, Arizona didn't lose a lot, especially considering they held onto quarterback Noah Fifita and one of the nation's best wide receivers in Tetairoa McMillan. The Wildcats bring back 11 starters altogether, but they also have a good number of transfers incoming, specifically on the defensive line that's replacing all of last year's four starters.
What will determine possibly how the Wildcats' season goes is from September 28 through October 12. They'll be on the road for two straight weeks, starting at Kansas State, then at Utah, until finally coming back home to face Texas Tech. They'll at least have Colorado and West Virginia back at home a couple of weeks later.
Thanks to their impressive season last year, most are bullish on Arizona, but I believe they'll come back down to size a bit.
Record: 8-4
Big 12 finish: 6th
Predicting Arizona State Football in 2024
Things were just historically bad for Arizona State football in 2023. Then again, they matched their win total from a season before (3-9), so you could say things haven't been great for the Sun Devils.
Second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham hopes to change that in 2024. Though that's still not going to be easy, even with the move to the Big 12. At the least, the Sun Devils have nine starters coming back—but when you win just three games the season prior, is that really a good thing?
The transfer portal will be the telling story of Arizona State this upcoming season. The team was gutted thanks to the portal, losing 29 players. However, they likewise brought in 29 new players, according to 247Sports. So, whether the win and loss column changes—even though it should—this will undoubtedly look much different thanks to a massive roster overhaul.
There are a few teams in this year's Big 12 that could vie for the conference's last place finish, including Arizona State. I think they'll at least be a little better than that.
Record: 5-7
Big 12 finish: 14th
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