Big 12 post-spring power rankings: Utah edges Kansas State for No. 1, West Virginia leads dark horse group

1 When quarterback Cameron Rising is in the lineup, the Utes are among the best teams in the college football, posting a 19-6 record with two conference championships. Rising’s knee will be the biggest question mark, but the Utes have solidified the offense with three wide receiver transfers and two tight ends, along with some quarterback depth in the form of former five-star Sam Huard. If the defense can step up, the Utes are the team to beat in the Big 12. two The Wildcats trail Utah for first place in the Big 12, but the 2022 conference champions will have a lot of say in the race for the crown. Chris Klieman made a risky move by letting quarterback Will Howard walk to Ohio State, but sophomore Avery Johnson is among the most interesting prospects in program history. Johnson combines with running backs Dylan Edwards and DJ Giddens to pace the Big 12’s most dynamic offense. Klieman built a consistent winner at Kansas State, and the Wildcats will be in the Big 12 conversation every year going forward. 3 The Jayhawks are the league’s most ascendant program after winning nine games for the first time since 2007, and more success could be on the horizon. All eyes will be on quarterback Jalon Daniels, who missed the entire Big 12 game with a back injury but was named the Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year before getting hurt. Lance Leipold has done an impressive job building a solid roster around him, headlined by keeping running back Devin Neal and cornerback Cobee Bryant, both of whom could have gone to the NFL. All the pieces are lining up for Kansas, including a schedule that avoids Utah and Oklahoma State. 4 The Cowboys got one of Mike Gundy’s best coaching jobs, overcoming a loss to South Alabama and advancing to the Big 12 title game. The Pokes are among the league leaders in returning production. However, Oklahoma State went 5-1 in one-score games during its run to 10 wins. The last few years are filled with Big 12 finalists who lucked into close games for Arlington, Texas, who disappointed in similar situations next season, including 2021 Iowa State, 2022 Baylor and 2023 TCU. The Cowboys hope to avoid the same fate. 5 The Wildcats were one of the most underrated stories in the country last season, jumping from 1-11 to 10 wins in just two seasons on the arms of quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan. If head coach Jedd Fisch and the entire roster returned in 2024, the Wildcats could be in first place in the league. Still, even after some key losses in the transfer portal, new coach Brent Brennan has Arizona in a great position to compete in the conference. 6 Iowa State is ranked No. 6, but the Cyclones might be the most underrated team in the country. Many turned against ISU after a 1-2 start, but the ‘Clones went 6-3 in Big 12 play and played for the conference crown in November. Iowa State now ranks second nationally in returning production and is the only program ranked in the top five in returning offensive and defensive production. Running back Abu Sama III could be the X-factor after averaging 7.3 yards per carry as a freshman. If he can transform into a complete running back, Iowa State could easily find itself in the title game. 7 The vibes have never been better during the Neal Brown era in Morgantown, after a last-place prediction in the preseason ended with nine wins and a Mayo Bowl victory. The three-headed backfield of quarterback Garrett Greene and running backs Jaheim White and CJ Donaldson returns for another campaign, while the improving defense got another chance at talent. The ceiling for this team likely rests on replacing NFL offensive lineman Zach Frazier and whether Greene can be more productive as a passer. Regardless, the floor is higher than ever and that’s a good place to be. 8 The Knights were positioned as a potential dark horse contender in their first Big 12 season, but UCF struggled to handle the strength and volume of Big 12 opponents, going 1-7 against legacy Power Five teams. UCF hit the portal hard and landed some big hitters, including quarterback KJ Jefferson, EDGE Nyjalik Kelly and linebacker Jesiah Pierre. Jefferson should add some physicality to Gus Malzahn’s high-powered offense and keep the pressure on a developing defense. That said, it’s hard to be confident that UCF’s physicality will reach a level of containment until we see that. 9 The Red Raiders didn’t live up to high expectations in Joey McGuire’s second season, but Texas Tech quietly finished with a Big 12 winning record in consecutive seasons for the first time since Mike Leach was fired in 2009. The return of running back Tahj Brooks sparks what should be a fun, electric offense with the addition of five-star receiver Micah Hudson, the top recruit in program history. Defensively, the Red Raiders have been solid under Tim DeRuyter. Close game fortunes changed in 2023, but it could change again and bring Texas Tech back into the Big 12 title conversation. 10 Frogs fans have been treated to whiplash the past three years after sandwiching a trip to the national title game with two 5-7 seasons. TCU never seemed to recover from its loss to Colorado in one of the most-watched games of the season and went 0-4 in one-score games. Sonny Dykes brought in another transfer class filled with former blue-chips, including Notre Dame DL Nana Osafo-Mensah and Texas CB Austin Jordan. However, the lack of quarterback Josh Hoover this spring adds some nervous energy as TCU enters a pivotal season. 11 Colorado’s jumble of contradictions makes it perhaps the most difficult team to project nationally. The Buffs finished last in the Pac-12 in 2023, but featured two of the best players in the country in corner Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Colorado posted perhaps the worst rushing game in America, but all the offensive linemen and running backs were gone. On paper, they seem to have improved OL’s position, but that also happened last year, before the historically bad results. The transfer talent on the defensive line is off the charts, but the defense is a little shakier. From an in-depth perspective, there’s almost no way to know what Colorado has with all the turnover, not to mention the movement of half of its coaching staff and both players. Ultimately, unpredictability lands them in the mid-tier of the conference. 12 Baylor hasn’t spent much time in the cellar, but a 3-9 campaign was the worst by a returning coach since 2007. Instead of making a change, Baylor’s athletic department is making an expensive gamble that Dave Aranda can fix the ship for the second time in four years. There are some reasons for optimism. The Bears hired offensive coordinator Jake Spavital (Cal) and running backs coach Khenon Hall (SMU) from ACC schools to transition to a spread offense, and made a big splash by adding MAC Player of the Year QB DeQuan Finn, from Toledo. Anything short of a bowl game and Aranda is likely out. Is Baylor ready for the challenge? 13 BYU’s defense took modest steps forward in its first year under respected defensive coordinator Jay Hill, but the offense was a total mess. The Cougars ranked last in the Big 12 in essentially every offensive category, including passing and running the ball. Unlike last season, BYU chose to limit its transfers, but three of its seven signings are quarterbacks. Former Baylor starter Gerry Bohanon and former No. 1 JUCO quarterback Jake Retzlaff are the favorites for the job, but the position doesn’t matter much if BYU can’t protect and function better. 14 The vibes surrounding Scott Satterfield’s program have been decidedly muted since he arrived, and haven’t changed much during the off-season. Quarterback transfer Brendan Sorsby injected some life into the offense alongside running back Corey Kiner and should be more consistent than the departed Emory Jones. However, the normally reliable defense may be the biggest concern after allowing the most yards per play in the Big 12. Despite fielding future NFL defensive lineman Dontay Corleone, the Bearcats allowed an astonishing 5.4 yards per play. rushing, the worst in the league by a mile. 15 Former Cougars coach Dana Holgorsen had a huge contract, but school leaders were so distraught by his recruiting failures — including zero top-50 classes despite selling out of the Big 12 — that they decided to make a change. Willie Fritz works miracles and should eventually win games in Houston, but the roster is far from ready. An initial 4-8 record when he arrived at Tulane could be instructive as Fritz installs a new approach. 16 Kenny Dillingham brought immense energy and enthusiasm to the program, but results were wildly inconsistent as the Sun Devils battled injuries. Adding to the complication, three of the four quarterbacks who started games last season were reassigned, leaving only returner Trenton Bourguet and inconsistent transfers Jeff Sims and Sam Leavitt on the roster. Dillingham is steadily raising the talent level, but if neither quarterback gets it right, it could be another long year in Tempe.