Big 12 football predictions for 2024: Utah leads deep field in new-look conference race
By Stewart Mandel8h ago
The new Big 12 may lack national championship contenders, but it could be extremely competitive. That starts with its impressive group of coaches, including three who made my top 10 in the country this spring — Kansas’ Lance Leipold, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy. Kansas State’s Chris Klieman, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and new Houston coach Willie Fritz made my list, too.
I could see any of six teams — Utah, Kansas State, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Kansas or Iowa State — winning the league this season, without much separation between them. (And West Virginia and UCF aren’t that far behind). But as I dug deeper into depth charts and schedules this week, I realized one team does stand out above the others.
Big 12 predictions
| Team | Big 12 record | Overall record |
|---|---|---|
 Utah | 8-1 | 11-1 |
 Kansas State | 7-2 | 10-2 |
 Arizona | 6-3 | 8-4 |
| 6-3 | 9-3 |
 Iowa State | 6-3 | 9-3 |
 Oklahoma State | 6-3 | 9-3 |
 West Virginia | 6-3 | 8-4 |
| 5-4 | 7-5 |
 TCU | 4-5 | 7-5 |
 Texas Tech | 4-5 | 6-6 |
 Arizona State | 3-6 | 5-7 |
 Baylor | 3-6 | 5-7 |
 Colorado | 3-6 | 5-7 |
 BYU | 2-7 | 5-7 |
 Cincinnati | 2-7 | 4-8 |
 Houston | 1-8 | 3-9 |
