The Big 12 has released its predicted order of finish for the 2024 season, with new member Utah topping the poll. The Utes earned 20 first-place votes and 906 overall points, putting them ahead of second-place Kansas State, who received 19 first-place votes and 889 overall points. Oklahoma State came in third place with 14 first-place votes and 829 overall points, followed by Kansas and Arizona, who also received first-place votes.
The Big 12 is set to welcome four new members in 2024 – Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah. This brings the conference’s total membership to an all-time high of 16 teams. This growth comes just a year after the conference added Cincinnati, BYU, Houston, and UCF. The departure of Texas and Oklahoma from the SEC paved the way for these additions.
Despite receiving favorable treatment in the preseason polls due to their inclusion as new teams in the conference, Colorado and Arizona State were not picked to compete for a conference title in their first year. Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes were predicted to finish last while ASU was placed at number eleven. The top two teams in the conference based on their records will face off in the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec.7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Last year’s championship game saw Texas emerge victorious over Oklahoma State with a score of 49-21. This marked their first outright conference title since 2009. Texas went on to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff before ultimately losing to Washington in the semifinals.
