2024 marked the Colorado Buffaloes’ first season back in the Big 12 after 13 seasons in the Pac-12, but the conference looked vastly different from when they left. Of the 16 teams in the conference this season, only seven, including CU, were Big 12 members during the 2010 season. That meant the Buffs and head coach Deion Sanders had to get acquainted with a new set of teams and their leaders.
We’ll see how next season shakes out, but a host of unexpected head coaches led their teams to the top of the Big 12 in 2024 while coaches who were expected to dominate the new-look conference stumbled. At the time of writing, only two teams have replaced their head coaches, with Scott Frost now at UCF and Rich Rodriguez now at West Virginia.
Below are my end-of-the-season Big 12 football head coach rankings, along with 2024 salary information from the USA TODAY Sports College Football Head Coach Salaries Database:
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Brent Brennan was given the keys to a 10-3 team that returned weapons on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Noah Fifita, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and cornerback Tacario Davis. Brennan’s Wildcats struggled to adapt to his scheme and limped to a 4-8 record. He will have a chance to turn the ship around but must show improvements quickly if he wants to stick around long-term.
Salary: $3,100,000
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Gus Malzahn’s UCF Knights were a major disappointment in the Big 12 this season. A great start powered by a dominant running game was derailed by back-to-back losses to the Colorado Buffaloes and Florida Gators. Malzahn has since left the Knights to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State. UCF decided to bring back former head coach Scott Frost to replace Malzahn.
Salary: $4,000,000
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The Mountaineers couldn’t take the next step under head coach Neal Brown, who was fired after the regular season. In six seasons with the team, West Virginia was 37-35 under Brown. The Mountaineers took a page from UCF’s book and brought back another former head coach, Rich Rodriguez.
Salary: $4,000,000
Syndication: The Enquirer
While Scott Satterfield and the Cincinnati Bearcats improved by wins games in 2024, it should have been more. The Bearcats appeared to be a darkhorse conference title contender and a shoo-in for a bowl game before a five-game losing streak derailed a 5-2 start.
Salary: $3,600,000
Syndication: The Oklahoman
Houston struggled under head coach Willie Fritz in his first year with the Cougars, but I believe in Fritz and his ability to rebuild programs. The Cougars had a sneaky good year on the defensive side of the ball, ranking fourth in the conference in points allowed. If Fritz can improve his conference-worst scoring offense, Houston could become a Big 12 contender in future years.
Salary: $4,500,000
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I can’t get a handle on Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks. Is Kansas the team that beat three straight ranked conference opponents or the team that was 2-7 besides that streak? 2025 is a pivotal year for Leipold as his high salary should mean wins and conference titles, not losing seasons.
Salary: $7,500,000
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After numerous winning seasons for Mike Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 2024 was a rare down year for this duo. An undefeated nonconference slate was followed by a winless conference slate, causing the Cowboys and Gundy to work out a restructured contract. Despite the struggles, I still believe Gundy is a great coach, and I expect winning football to return to Stillwater.
Salary: $7,750,000
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This was another surprising result as Kyle Whittingham has proved himself to be one of the better head coaches in the country. Injuries at the quarterback position hampered this preseason conference favorite, but it looks like Whittingham has fixed this problem moving forward after signing New Mexico transfer QB Devon Dampier.
Salary: $6,525,000
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Sonny Dykes and his TCU Horned Frogs enjoyed a return to form this season. Dykes led TCU to a 9-4 record that included a 34-3 win in the New Mexico Bowl over Lousiana.
Salary: $5,008,414
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Dave Aranda found a quarterback in Sawyer Robertson and probably saved himself from being removed from the head coaching position at Baylor. The Bears were a surprise bright spot in the Big 12 with their 8-5 campaign.
Salary: $4,540,885
Syndication: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Joey McGuire has to improve his defense if Texas Tech wants to rise out of the middle of the conference. While the Red Raiders enjoyed incredible offensive production, they couldn’t stop anyone on defense, allowing 34.8 points a game.
Salary: $4,247,960
Syndication: The Topeka Capital-Journal
Chris Klieman has done a great job with the Kansas State Wildcats, but 2024 was mildly disappointing for KSU. After a 4-6 season in 2020, Klieman has won at least eight games in four straight seasons. In 2024, his Wildcats were in the top half of scoring offense and scoring defense but struggled in conference play with a 5-4 record.
Salary: $5,250,000
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The Colorado Buffaloes took a huge step forward in their second season under head coach Deion Sanders. While the ending wasn’t pretty, CU improved its record by five wins and played in its first bowl game since 2020. Now, Coach Prime must replace two superstars in quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
Salary: $5,700,000
Syndication: The Ames Tribune
Matt Campbell did what had never been done at Iowa State, winning 10 games for the first time in school history. The Cyclones ended the year with a thrilling 42-41 win over the Miami Hurricanes in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Salary:$4,009,886
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Kalani Sitake and the BYU Cougars looked College Football Playoff-bound before a two-game losing streak cost them a chance at the Big 12 championship game. Still, the Cougar rebounded to win the Alamo Bowl and look like a Big 12 mainstay for years to come.
Salary: Undisclosed
Syndication: Arizona Republic
After a 3-9 first year in Tempe, Kenny Dillingham led the Sun Devils to an 11-3 record that included a Big 12 championship game win and an appearance in the CFP. ASU nearly scored a quarterfinals upset of the Texas Longhorns before falling in overtime. Nobody saw this season coming from Arizona State.
Salary: $3,950,000
