If the Big 12 Conference championship game were played this weekend, it would be BYU vs. Colorado.
The Cougars and Buffaloes both rallied to win after trailing by double-digits last weekend, and the comebacks kept BYU and Colorado atop the Big 12 standings, with three weeks left in the regular season.
Still, there are four teams tied at 4-2 in league play just behind the Cougars and Buffaloes.
Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”
Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.
How will everything shake out over the final few weeks? It should be fun to watch.
Here’s our look at how the Big 12 stacks up through the 11th week of the 2024 season:
1. BYU Cougars (9-0, 6-0 Big 12)
- Poll movement: No change
- Last week: Beat Utah, 22-21
- Next game: Saturday vs. Kansas, 8:15 p.m. MST (ESPN)
What a wild one in Salt Lake City. Three-quarters of the way through the regular season, the Cougars are all alone atop the Big 12 standings after rallying to beat Utah in a controversial thriller.
It was a win that continues to fuel the narrative that BYU is a team of destiny, while not being a dominant team. For the second time in three games, the Cougars used a last-minute scoring drive to put the game-winning points on the board — and both times, it has come against a Big 12 team near the bottom of the standings.
Still, the Cougars remain unbeaten and in control of their own destiny — both within the conference, and on a national scale. If BYU can earn a spot in the Big 12 championship game — the Cougars need two more wins to ensure their spot — and then win the league, they’ll be headed to the College Football Playoff. Up next, though, is a Kansas team that looks much more dangerous than its 3-6 record, after the Jayhawks knocked off Iowa State last week.
2. Colorado Buffaloes (7-2, 5-1 Big 12)
- Poll movement: No change
- Last week: Beat Texas Tech, 41-27
- Next game: Saturday vs. Utah, 10 a.m. MST (Fox)
Colorado found itself down 13 one quarter into its matchup against Texas Tech, but the Buffaloes surged ahead after that and showed why they are one of the most dangerous teams in the Big 12. With their third-straight win and a 5-1 league record, Colorado will play in the conference championship game if the Buffaloes win out.
The path to the Big 12 championship game looks favorable for Colorado — the Buffaloes have home games against Utah and Oklahoma State wrapped around a game at Kansas. The Utes and Cowboys have a combined one Big 12 victory, while the Jayhawks are 2-4 in league play.
3. Arizona State Sun Devils (7-2, 4-2 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Climbed two spots
- Last week: Beat UCF, 35-31
- Next game: Saturday at No. 16 Kansas State, 5 p.m. MST (ESPN)
The Sun Devils continue to impress, as they won for the fourth time in five games. UCF had its chances to win at Arizona State, but the Sun Devils had an answer even after trailing 17-7 and falling behind again early in the fourth quarter — Sam Leavitt’s third touchdown pass of the night, to Jordyn Tyson with 4:55 to play, ended up being the game-winner.
Another big challenge awaits the surging Sun Devils this week. Can Arizona State pull off a win at Kansas State and keep its Big 12 hopes alive? This is the first of back-to-back games against ranked opponents, with a home tilt against No. 6 BYU two weeks away.
4. Kansas State Wildcats (7-2, 4-2 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Climbed two spots
- Last week: Bye
- Next game: Saturday vs. Arizona State, 5 p.m. MST (ESPN)
This isn’t where a lot of people expected Kansas State to be at this point in the season, needing some help to find its way into the Big 12 championship game. The loss to Houston preceding the Wildcats’ bye week was shocking, and it leaves Kansas State in a position where it doesn’t control its own destiny with three weeks left in the season.
Still, the Wildcats are viewed as a top-20 team nationally despite this, and they’ll have the chance to prove themselves down the stretch. Two of Kansas State’s final three opponents — Arizona State and Iowa State — are also 4-2 in league play right now and in position to climb back into the Big 12 title race if BYU and/or Colorado falter.
5. Iowa State Cyclones (7-2, 4-2 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Dropped one spot
- Last week: Lost to Kansas, 45-36
- Next game: Saturday vs. Cincinnati, 6 p.m. MST (Fox)
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the Cyclones — two weeks ago, Iowa State was undefeated and ranked No. 11. Now, the Cyclones are losers of two straight, have seen their Big 12 hopes change drastically and are coming off a loss to a Kansas team that previously had just two wins.
Will Iowa State start to turn things around against Cincinnati? The Bearcats have also lost two straight and, like the Cyclones, have fallen further behind in the conference race. Iowa State needs to recapture its winning ways and get some help if it has any hope of getting back in the race for the Big 12 title and the automatic College Football Playoff berth.
6. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-4, 4-3 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Dropped three spots
- Last week: Lost to then-No. 20 Colorado, 41-27
- Next game: Nov. 23 at Oklahoma State, TBD
One quarter into its game against the Buffaloes, it looked like Texas Tech might pull off a second-straight win over a top-25 team — the Red Raiders were up and had the momentum. Colorado took the game over, though, and handed the Red Raiders their third loss in four weeks — while they’re not technically out of the race to make the Big 12 championship, the path is extremely narrow.
Up next is a bye for a Red Raiders team that could use a break before the final push. Texas Tech is already bowl eligible, but it can improve its postseason outlook if the Red Raiders can beat Oklahoma State and West Virginia in the final two weeks of the season.
7. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-4, 4-2 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Climbed three spots
- Last week: Beat Cincinnati, 31-24
- Next game: Saturday vs. Baylor, 2 p.m. MST (ESPN2)
West Virginia has almost quietly gone about sticking in the Big 12 race and is on a two-game winning streak after beating Cincinnati on the road. The Mountaineers were up 17-7 at halftime and forced three turnovers, including a fumble return for a touchdown with just three and a half minutes to go that sealed the victory.
Can West Virginia stay in the Big 12 hunt? They’re one of four teams tied at 4-2 in league play, and if the top two teams falter, the Mountaineers are in position to make the final weeks interesting. West Virginia plays its next two games at home — against Baylor and UCF — before finishing the year at Texas Tech.
8. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-4, 3-3 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Dropped one spot
- Last week: Lost to West Virginia, 31-24
- Next game: Saturday at Iowa State, 6 p.m. MST (Fox)
The Bearcats’ chances of being a major factor in the conference race down the stretch took a big hit with their second-straight loss, this one at home against West Virginia. Now, the challenge is likely to get bowl eligible one year after Cincinnati won just three games.
It will be a challenge, for sure. The Bearcats’ next two opponents are Iowa State and No. 16 Kansas State — both games are on the road — before Cincinnati ends the year at home against TCU. One thing that should give Bearcats fans hope is that they’ve been competitive in Year 2 in the Big 12, even in the losses.
9. Baylor Bears (5-4, 3-3 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Dropped one spot
- Last week: Bye
- Next game: Saturday at West Virginia, 2 p.m. MST (ESPN2).
Baylor is trending the right way heading into its final three games of the season, with the Bears on a three-game winning streak. Unlike some of their other Big 12 compatriots, Baylor also has an advantage of not playing any more of the top — i.e. ranked — league teams down the stretch.
Where it will be difficult for Baylor is that the Bears are on the road the next two weeks — at West Virginia and at Houston — before hosting Kansas in the regular-season finale. In the chaotic, weird year that 2024 has been in the conference, it’s about as plausible to see Baylor go 3-0 as it is to have the Bears finish 1-2 or 0-3. One more win, though, and they’ll be bowl eligible.
10. Houston Cougars (4-5, 3-3 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Dropped one spot
- Last week: Bye
- Next game: Friday at Arizona, 8:15 p.m. MST (FS1)
Before their two most recent games, it was easy to make the argument that the Cougars were one of the bottom three of four teams in the Big 12. After Houston beat Utah, then upset Kansas State, though, the Cougars don’t appear to be the pushover that they did just a few weeks ago.
Yes, Houston has had its offensive challenges this season — especially before Zeon Chriss took over at quarterback — but now the Cougars have the chance to get bowl eligible if they can pick up two more wins. Houston has also shown it is capable of playing spoiler to other teams’ aspirations, which can’t be discounted after the wins over the Utes and Wildcats.
11. TCU Horned Frogs (6-4, 4-3 Big 12)
- Poll movement: No change
- Last week: Beat Oklahoma State, 38-13
- Next game: Nov. 23 vs. Arizona, TBD
The Horned Frogs had a nice bounce-back effort, soundly beating the league’s most struggling program, Oklahoma State, one week after a last-second loss against Baylor. TCU easily became bowl eligible after taking a 24-0 lead into halftime on the Cowboys.
Can the Horned Frogs finish strong? After a bye week, they’ve got struggling Arizona at home. TCU then finishes the regular season at Cincinnati. There’s a chance for an 8-4 finish to the year and a solid bowl matchup if TCU can continue building on its recent strong play.
12. Kansas Jayhawks (3-6, 2-4 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Climbed two spots
- Last week: Beat then-No. 17 Iowa State, 45-36
- Next game: Saturday at No. 6 BYU, 8:15 p.m. MST (ESPN)
The Jayhawks have been a tough matchup all year — five of their six losses have come by six points or less — and they broke through last weekend with a big win over ranked Iowa State. Devin Neal became the program’s all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns during the win, and Kansas built a 31-13 lead before the Cyclones outscored them in the fourth.
After one matchup against a ranked team, the Jayhawks get another — facing No. 6 BYU on the road. That precedes a home matchup against No. 17 Colorado, before finishing the year at Baylor. It’s a difficult end-of-year stretch where Kansas would need to win every game just to become bowl eligible.
13. UCF Knights (4-6, 2-5 Big 12)
- Poll movement: Dropped one spot
- Last week: Lost to Arizona State, 35-31
- Next game: Nov. 23 at West Virginia, TBD
For the second time in conference play, the Knights had a chance to knock off one of the league’s top teams — UCF had Iowa State on the ropes earlier this year before losing in the final minute. Instead, the Knights came up short against Arizona State after the Sun Devils retook the lead with just under five minutes to play.
Now, the question is, can UCF win its final two games to become bowl eligible? ESPN’s Football Power Index currently has the Knights as the favorites both in their road game at West Virginia and in the regular-season finale against Utah in Orlando.
14. Utah Utes (4-5, 1-5 Big 12)
What a brutal way to lose the rivalry game.
Utah had BYU facing an 11-point deficit going into the second half, and the Utes defense held the Cougars to just one offensive touchdown and 1 of 12 on third downs. But a controversial ending went the way of BYU, and Utah is now on a five-game losing streak.
The Utes have another difficult matchup this weekend. Colorado is just one game behind unbeaten BYU in the Big 12 standings and is playing as well as anyone in the league — plus, it’s a road game for Utah. A loss would push the Utes into must-win territory to become bowl eligible, while a victory would help right the ship some and keep bowl hopes more attainable.
15. Arizona Wildcats (3-6, 1-5 Big 12)
- Poll movement: No change
- Last week: Bye
- Next game: Friday vs. Houston, 8:15 p.m. MST (FS1)
The Wildcats have become an afterthought in the Big 12 this season during a trying first year under head coach Brent Brennan. They’ve lost by an average of 20.8 points per game during their current five-game slide.
Arizona’s next matchup — a Friday night home tilt against Houston — looks like the most winnable of the Wildcats’ final three games, and yet the Cougars are coming off back-to-back surprise wins. Can Arizona build up some momentum over the season’s final few weeks?
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-7, 0-7 Big 12)
- Poll movement: No change
- Last week: Lost to TCU, 38-13
- Next game: Nov. 23 vs. Texas Tech, TBD
There is a bit of a respite for the Cowboys this week, as they are on a bye. Still, it’s been a brutally tough year for Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State, with the team on a seven-game losing streak — and the team has looked less competitive as the losses have piled up.
There will be no postseason for Oklahoma State — thus far, it’s the only Big 12 school that is ensured to have a losing record. The Cowboys will end the year with a home game against Texas Tech, followed by a road matchup at Colorado.
