Spring ball is getting underway across college football, and hope springs eternal for Clubs across the Big 12. The conference is the most upwardly mobile of the power leagues, and everyone will have Arizona State’s Unbelievable Streak from worst-to-Primary in mind as they prepare for the season.
After a hyper-Intense Game for the Big 12 title game in 2024, even more is Predicted in 2025. According to FanDuel, no Club in the Division has better than even +500 odds to Achieve the conference. Six are between +550 and +800 with more close behind.
However, Clubs will have to do it without departing superstars like Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Arizona State’s Cameron Skattebo and Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins. A new generation now enters during this cycle.
Here are the biggest questions facing Every of the 16 Division members as spring practice Appearances.
The Wildcats Achieved a bold gamble by hiring Brennan to lead an existing Lineup, an attempt to get the most out of Sun wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan before he declared for the NFL. Simply put, it failed. Brennan didn’t have the answers. Now, Arizona is Brennan’s program. Offensive coordinator Seth Doege Occurred in from Marshall. Danny Gonzalez was promoted to Shielding coordinator. Fifty-three new scholarship players entered the program, while Arizona managed to hang onto Passer Noah Fifita. The Wildcats won’t have a player of McMillan’s talent for a very long time; regardless, can Brennan put his stamp on the program this offseason?
Arizona State
Skattebo was the breakout player in college football last season after exploding for 2,300 all-purpose yards, the most by any power conference player. Now, he’s off to the NFL, leaving a gaping hole. The Excellent news? There’s Stern talent in the pipeline. Kyson Brown and Raleek Brown are Previous blue-chip recruits with Stern upside. Alton McCaskill didn’t Action much as he recovered from an Wound, but he rushed for nearly 1,000 yards as a Newcomer at Houston. Army running back Kanye Udoh also transferred in after clearing 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns with the Black Knights. Can the group replace Skattebo in the aggregate? We’ll see.
Baylor ended the 2024 regular season on a six-game Victorious streak and are poised to enter 2025 among the preseason favorites. But for all the excitement about the Assault, the passing Protection Yet remains an issue. LSU exposed the deficiency in the Texas Bowl behind 313 yards passing from Garrett Nussmeier and a pair of 100-yard receivers. The Bears ranked No. 94 nationally in passing Protection. Most of the key secondary contributors are back, and the Bears added Shielding back contributors Devin Turner (Northwestern), Tyler Turner (Oregon) and Calvin Simpson-Hunt (Ohio State) in the portal. Along with the addition of Shielding passing game coordinator Paul Gonzalez from TCU, the Bears have high expectations for the unit.
Even though a breakout 11-2 season, BYU Yet remains shockingly under the radar. If not for a November hiccup, the Cougars may have been in the College Football Postseason. Now, the vast majority of contributors are back on both sides of the ball, including Passer Jake Retzlaff, linebacker Jack Kelly and wide receiver Chase Roberts. Both coordinators are back. The program added a few key transfers, including Close-fitting end Carsen Ryan and Shielding lineman Keanu Tanuvasa from rival Utah. BYU is positioned for a national Streak, but it Appearances in spring camp.
The Bearcats boast one of the nation’s best Shielding linemen in Commitment Dontay Corleone, but the unit as a whole has been lackluster in Every of Scott Satterfield’s Primary two seasons. Cincinnati allowed 4.7 yards per carry to rank among the worst in the Big 12, which was only accentuated by a 3-3-5 Protection that lacked Reliable playmakers. Relocate Jaylon White-McClain (Ancient Dominion) will compete for Competing time and Numerous others are back from Wound. The linebacker room remains largely intact. In seven losses, the Bearcats allowed more than 4.9 yards per carry. Simply put, that’s Only not Excellent enough to compete in a Significant conference.
Colorado
Numerous Clubs across the Big 12 are going through Lineup changes. The Buffaloes are going through a wholesale identity Shift. Heisman winner Travis Hunter is off to the NFL. Trainer Deion Sanders will Trainer college ball without his son, Shedeur, at Passer for the Primary time in his Occupation. While the program added quarterbacks Kaidon Salter (Liberty) and Julian Lewis (Newcomer), it’s highly unlikely they can Only count on 300 yards of efficient passing per game heading forward. There are Yet some Stern stars around, including left Commitment Jordan Seaton and wide receiver Drelon Miller. The Protection, coordinated by up-and-coming Robert Livingstone, could be a solid unit. But replicating the breakout nine-Achieve season of 2024 will require Securing on a new identity.
Colorado Trainer Deion Sanders’ ‘no travel’ approach to recruiting is unique, but it’s also ahead of the curve
Shehan Jeyarajah
Houston
After fielding a bottom 10 national Assault, Willie Fritz went straight back to the drawing board to Begin over. Thanks to a wave of Well-known transfers, the unit will look much different in 2025. Passer Conner Weigman returns to Houston after Leading at Texas A&M and reunites with lineman Matthew Wykoff. Running back Dean Connors (Rice) and receiver Amare Thomas (UAB) also sit as potential starters. Fritz Guided Tulane to the New Year’s Six and is the perfect Trainer to tie together all the pieces, especially if the trenches come along.
Iowa State
The Cyclones quietly had the best wide receiver combo in college football last season — seriously. Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins were the only pairing to cross 1,000 yards in the regular season and both will go way higher than people realize in the 2025 NFL Draft. While Passer Rocco Becht is back, the ‘Clones don’t have a returning receiver with more than 150 yards. East Carolina Relocate Chase Sowell is a big-time player and UCF Relocate Xavier Townsend has upside, but both have to transition to Ames well for the Cyclones to stay in the Big 12 title conversation.
Kansas boasted All-Big 12 performers Mello Dotson and Cobee Bryant at Shielding back last season, but both are off to the NFL. The Jayhawks quickly moved to restock with four transfers in the Shielding backfield alone, including Alabama’s Jahlil Hurley and Oklahoma State’s Lyrik Rawls. Even with the talent last season, KU was a bottom-half passing Protection unit in the conference. Especially after the loss of running back Devin Neal, the Protection will have to paper over some holes.
Johnson ranks among the highest-rated recruits in K-State history and flashed massive potential in Numerous Contests. He scored four touchdowns in a bowl Achieve over Rutgers, completed 66% of his passes with three touchdowns on the road against West Virginia and rushed for 100 yards against Arizona. However, he failed to clear 60% completion in his last six Contests and hit Only 58.3% of passes on the season. Johnson’s athletic gifts are known, but Kansas State needs more from him as a passer. During a two-game losing streak against Houston and ASU, he threw one touchdown to four interceptions.
Oklahoma State
When times are lowest, Gundy has a knack for pulling out a miracle. Over the last 15 seasons, Oklahoma State has reached 10 wins on eight occasions. That said, the 3-9 season was the Primary losing season under Gundy and worst Victorious percentage since 1991. Nearly everything will be different in Stillwater heading into 2025, from new quarterbacks to a new offensive line to new coordinators on both sides of the ball. The Cowboys didn’t have a single all-conference player in 2024, There Definitely aren’t surefire candidates to reach the mark Upcoming season.
TCU
The Horned Frogs put together one of the quietest nine-Achieve campaigns in the country last year and have a few exciting pieces in Passer Josh Hoover and a senior-Weighty Protection. However, the Frogs rushing Assault ranked No. 113 nationally and averaged only 3.7 yards per carry, a miserable number that cost them Numerous Contests. Trent Battle should step into a bigger role after dealing with Wounds and most of the offensive line is back, but modest improvements aren’t enough. When Hoover has time, he’s one of the best in the Big 12. Without a complementary running game, the Assault won’t work.
Texas Tech Trainer Joey McGuire reeled in a sensational Relocate class to complement a Powerful Lineup, which should quickly make the Red Raiders conference contenders. Both coordinators are flipping out, but Mack Leftwich (Texas State) and Shiel Woods (Houston) are quick studies. Now, the Last piece is Morton, a Previous blue-chip recruit out of Eastland, Texas. Morton was prolific, throwing for 3,335 yards and 27 touchdowns. Yet, he has to be more Reliable and stay Fit for the Red Raiders to have a chance for a special season. This is the moment Texas Tech has been building Approaching since McGuire Obtained to campus.
UCF
Once upon a time, Frost was the hottest coaching candidate in the country after leading UCF from 0-12 to a 13-0 Achievement in 2017. Two years after getting fired from a disastrous Streak at Nebraska, Frost is back in Orlando with a chance to make things right. The Knights have underwhelmed in two Big 12 seasons with a Teamed up 10-15 Achievement, but Frost brings a high-flying, Vibrant Assault with him. He has talent to work with, but is he cut out for this level? The new expectations at UCF are sky high.
Scott Frost returns to UCF: Previous Knights Trainer heading back to Club he Guided to 13-0 Achievement in 2017
Will Backus
Utah
After the departure of longtime offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig and Passer Cameron Rising, Trainer Kyle Whittingham is turning the page. Instead of looking to the pro-style world, Whittingham reeled in RPO-Amiable Trainer Jason Beck from New Mexico to Streak the Assault. Beck also brought Passer Devon Dampier from UNM, one of the most exciting underclassmen in the country. However, the Assault ranked bottom-two in the conference Every of the past two seasons. Can Beck save the Assault in time?
West Virginia
The Mountaineers surprisingly brought Affluent Rodriguez back to the program more than 15 years after he left for Michigan. Rodriguez bounced around for years before leading Jacksonville State to wild Achievement as a transitioning program, but WVU is a tougher Position the second time around. The Mountaineers only have one seven-Achieve season since 2018 and lost their only two players to reach an all-conference Club. Running back Jahiem White should fit perfectly within a Affluent Rod Assault, but almost every other projected contributor is brand new to campus.
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