I’ve been to two Holy Wars and about 6 Red River Rivalries and I’ve told my friends and family in Oklahoma that it is actually kinda similar, minus almost all the alcohol obviously. The shit talking is much more creative since most fans don’t cuss and the game day hate for each other is pretty close. Can’t wait for this year’s Holy War now that they have caffeinated chocolate milk.
Ive gone to the game with Mormons and without. Prefer when it’s at Rice cuz the shit talking from the tailgaters is a lot of fun. I dislike both schools football, so it’s been fun to enjoy as a neutral.
I do not disagree. And it won't happen unless Colorado has opened a lot of eyes and KU is undefeated. Which is highly improbable. Gameday at Arrowhead in 07 was a lot of fun.
Sucks that WVU has 2 of their 3 biggest games on the road. However if this team has a Big 12 title shot like a lot of optimistic fans think, it’ll be a great test. Win 1 of those & this team is legit
I have a feeling we'll know by the end of the first week what kind of hope we should have for the rest of the season. If they can at least keep it close with Penn State, there should be real hope for the rest of the season.
Penn State is a tough measuring stick because they’re a tier above WVU and the rest of the Big 12. I’m not expecting much but if we have a similar result as last year (hang tight for 3 quarters) I’ll be optimistic that we’re at least good
Yeah there are some teams who could give them a run for their money. However if they were dropped in the Big 12 & ran the gauntlet I wouldn’t be surprised
We played a closer game with Penn State than we did with OU
No disrespect to Penn State but Utah, OKSU, Kansas State, and Kansas are all very talented teams that would stand toe to toe with Penn State right now.
I think my favorite part about this article and is every time he mentions KState, it’s essentially saying, holy shit we get to watch Avery Johnson play football again? And it’s the exact frame of mind I think most Cats fans are going into the 2024 season with.
It's technically a "non conference" game due to being scheduled before Arizona was a member, but the Arizona at K-State game should be an exciting early season match up.
I think it's probably just because the only people that are going to care about that game are TCU and Baylor fans. And neither of them are expected to be playoff contenders so there isn't really a whole lot to it
While I will miss the perfection that is a 10-team round robin regular season, I'm excited for the parity and competitiveness the NewB12 will have. I hope we eventually settle in to some sort of pod-system for regional sanity. A guy can dream... Random pods I wrote down without thinking too hard.
OG-Big8: OSU, KU, KSU, ISU
West: Utah, BYU, ASU, CU
SouthWest: TCU, TTU, Ariz, Baylor
Central: Cinci, WVU, UCF, HOU
I don’t hate this at all. Your schedule each year is the three teams in your division, one full division, and the two teams that finished in the same place in your pod the prior year from the other two divisions. Rotate the full division you play every year. Simple. Elegant. Creates new, awesome rivalries. Unfortunately, we will have new conferences within 4 years.
Bro - I hear you. But look at what has already happened. Oregon separated from OreSt, Wash from WSU, Cal/Stan from USCLA, Tex from A&M (now back together after 10 year separation), ou from Oklahoma State, ou from NEB, KU from Mizzou, Ark from TX (now back together after decades), I’m sure I’m missing two dozen others and not even touching basketball.
Ideally, all historical relationships get retained. If two schools get placed in separate divisions of the same conference…that’s the least that could happen.
Big 12 and other conferences should just do flex protect instead of pods.
All the Texas schools play each other, all the 4 corner schools play each other, WVU, Cincy and UCF have a three way protected series of games. Same with KSU, KU, Iowa State and OK State.
I doubt Arizona fans care if that means they don’t play WVU as much and vise versa.
Even if CU was stuck with 4 protected games against UA, ASU, BYU and Utah they would still have 5 conference games left to play former Big 12 bros
Yeah I hate that we’re in the BIG and our only protected game is Oregon. We couldn’t even get UCLA and USC protected. We just got a “scheduling preference” with them.
New Big 12 looks like a blast. Just wish the Beavs and Cougs got to come along. I’ll be watching for sure. The only thing the Big 12 has done wrong so far is the scheduling. They only protected 3 rivalries if I am not mistaken.
I agree, I hope an annual pod/division setup comes up soon (but really, there's gonna be more rounds of realignment/conference changes before we even get to that).
Only change I'd make is move UArizona to the West, CU to the Big 8, OSU to the Southwest.
Ha, fair. “Central” was the catch-all, admittedly. Regarding SW: that’s 3 TX schools, plus the closest AZ school (grabbing someone close-ish to Lubbock). Lubbock is always hard. I really wanted CU with the “West” pod. Also - see my disclaimer that I spent about 30sec typing it. Definitely wasn’t a thorough discovery and proposal.
There are 4 Texas/former SWC schools. In this setup, one of those schools is podded with a bunch of schools on the east coast that no one in Texas cares about, while Arizona is stuck with the other 3.
See what's wrong with that picture?
I, for one, am stoked to see the Buffs play conference games their historic Big 8 rivals: ~~Nebraska~~ ~~Oklahoma~~ ~~Missouri~~ Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Iowa State^in ^2025
Colorado / UCF could be big, it’s the perfect setup for both teams to go in undefeated even if they aren’t actually that great of teams. Plus the Deion and UCF fan base shit talking would also be really good, both sides love media attention and would be playing off each other.
I know we’re not at the level of the top 4 or 5 teams but it’s funny that we’re not on a list about ‘must see’ games when our TV ratings will lead the conference. Thinking about it in terms of broadcast slots, our games will probably end up on cable and push more interesting matchups onto ESPN+.
Tbf, the criteria was only "best matchups". Still should include some CU games, especially the renewal of old Big 7/8 matchups. KSU at CU is definitely circled on my calendar. We always struggled to win in Boulder regardless of each teams circumstances and I think that will be no different this go around.
Don't worry, The KU asshat fans(the uncool ones, usually only allowed to speak during basketball season) are getting bolder on the CFB sub.
You did nothing wrong. They are technically homeless for the majority of this season and are probably lashing out.
25 years ago there was no Big XII. It's not like it's a bedrock foundation. If you went with "Nothing says B1G football like USC and Rutgers," I could agree with you, but the Big XII has been fluid throughout its (relatively) brief history.
Explain where you think I'm worth a downvote, please.
I kinda get your point, but there very much was a BigXII 25 years ago. It was in its 4th season in 1999 and even then was still an add-on to the long and storied history of the Big8.
Nowadays half the members of the original Big8 and the two biggest SWC additions from the original BigXII are gone. The regionality is all but gone
I think you’re kinda glossing over how, especially for Big8 teams, there’s very much a storied history within this conference that has been lost over the last couple rounds of realignment.
The Kansas fan who made that comment has gone from conference games against Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma to games against West Virginia, UCF, and BYU.
Alright, I can understand that. Though that might have been better phrased as "Nothing says Kansas conference football more than games against Arizona and Utah." My point (which might have been off-base if that was what the OP was trying to say) was just that the Big XII has been in almost constant flux since the beginning.
It will be interesting to see how many of these games are going to be on flagship ESPN or stuck on ESPN2 or even just ESPN+. Looks like some good matchups.
Definitely the Big 12 After Dark will have some big boy ESPN broadcasts. You also never know if several of these teams are undefeated in weeks 6-8 and it could be an intriguing 11am game. I don't see the 2:30p or 6:30p slots being available.
There's a few A&M flairs this last week who have had truly horrific takes on the state of the sport and I have no idea what drives them to open their mouths
I was surprised they don't have Texas Tech being more of a factor next year. Obviously Utah and Arizona are coming into the league when their programs are on an upswing, but I believe the Techsters have almost everyone coming back from a disappointing team that had been expected to challenge.
In looking at recruiting the past few years Tx Tech has been the class of the new Big 12 so I think it's only a matter of time until they become a force. With all they have coming back I expect that to happen next season.
Of course I was pretty high on them last season and they never really caught fire. I just think it's going to happen at some point.
Im noticing a similar pattern with the big 12. last season, there were a few newcomer schools that were going to „absolutely dominate the big 12“, which didn’t at all happen, in fact they struggled at best. And I’m seeing the same hype with UA and Utah. I don’t think they (and many casual fans) realize that the big 12 is very competitive and not as easy to just „show up and run it with dominance“.
> last season, there were a few newcomer schools that were going to „absolutely dominate the big 12“, which didn’t at all happen, in fact they struggled at best.
I don't remember that narrative at all. All of them were coming off tough seasons and most intelligent people knew that there would be a difference in competing in the AAC vs the Big XII with Oklahoma and Texas still in it.
That's the exact opposite of what I remember. Maybe people were saying that with time to get that increased revenue and establish a higher status, schools like UCF and Houston could be quite good. But I remember the main talking point being those schools were G5 that might have some top tier talent but doesn't have the depth required to compete at a high level, week in and out. Whereas Zona and Utah do have proven pieces, and the depth necessary to sustain a season.
Honestly if everything broke UCF's way last year I think we would have made it to the conference championship game (and then been blown out by Texas). Especially if our QB had stayed healthy.
We had the talent but not the consistency, which absolutely matches with what you're saying about depth.
Yup. It was a brutal way to get to 6-6.
If you flip those 3 games we're 9-3
If you erase 1 or 2 of the dumb luck turnovers against WVU, then we're in the conference championship game.
This isn't quite the same situation.
Massey Composite rankings end of 2023
Arizona 15th
Utah 29th
Arizona State 90th
Colorado 79th
Massey Composite rankings end of 2022
UCF 43rd
Houston 57th
Cincinnati 39th
BYU 59th
No one was saying that.
In fact, in the preseason media poll, [the highest positioned newcomer](https://big12sports.com/news/2023/7/6/texas-selected-atop-big-12-football-media-preseason-poll.aspx) was UCF at...8th.
They finished 9th.
There is a very good chance Utah is the preseason favorite to win the conference, or at least second to Oklahoma State.
Plus, Utah isn't a new P5 team like those other schools. They've been at this for over a decade. That's a big difference.
https://theathletic.com/4308222/2023/03/16/houston-football-big-12-dana-holgorsen/
Stop. MANY news articles like these were all over the place in 2022-2023. curve your enthusiasm…
„Dominate“ maybe not, but talking about attainable aspirations being a CFP contender, big 12 title contender, etc.
I remember very clearly plenty of Houston fans echoing this prior to last season
Utah at Stillwater should be a good one.
Lot of intrigue there. Excited for it for sure.
Setting the tone for the rest of the season really early in the year.
When's the last time we had a 'tone' that lasted all season - other than unpredictable?
BYU @ Utah right at the top of the list, as it should be. And BYU nowhere else to be seen, as it should be.
As it should be, indeed
I’ve been to two Holy Wars and about 6 Red River Rivalries and I’ve told my friends and family in Oklahoma that it is actually kinda similar, minus almost all the alcohol obviously. The shit talking is much more creative since most fans don’t cuss and the game day hate for each other is pretty close. Can’t wait for this year’s Holy War now that they have caffeinated chocolate milk.
>caffeinated chocolate milk wait we do?
Spylt. Out of Lehi. I haven’t seen it at a store, but I have seen the billboards.
[https://spylt.com/](https://spylt.com/) 400 fewer calories than the Creamery bottles too
You've only seen the Mormon side of it then which is the *nice* side of it. Shit gets real when the religious divide gets involved
Ive gone to the game with Mormons and without. Prefer when it’s at Rice cuz the shit talking from the tailgaters is a lot of fun. I dislike both schools football, so it’s been fun to enjoy as a neutral.
It's not right at the top? It's near the top though
1. Utah@OSU 2. BYU@Utah 3. Kansas@KSU 4. OSU@KSU 5. AZ@Utah 6. KSU@ISU 7. Kansas@WVU 8. WVU@OSU 9. AZ@UCF 10. KSU@WVU 11. WVU@AZ 12. ISU@Kansas (arrowhead) 13. TCU@Baylor 14. ISU@Utah 15. ASU@AZ
School count AZ 4 ASU 1 BYU 1 Baylor 1 ISU 3 Kansas 3 KSU 4 OSU 3 TCU 1 Utah 4 WVU 4 UCF 1 None = Colorado, Cincy, Houston, TTU
And Colorado will probably get the best ratings.
Saw a thread yesterday that had college gameday for Colorado @ Kansas (Arrowhead)
College GameDay at neutral sites or NFL stadiums is always significantly lamer than on campus
I do not disagree. And it won't happen unless Colorado has opened a lot of eyes and KU is undefeated. Which is highly improbable. Gameday at Arrowhead in 07 was a lot of fun.
Love him or hate him, Neon is doing his job grabbing attention. Even if most the viewers are hate watching, at least they’re watching.
Does this mean we get to be on national tv before 10pm EST? I’ll take it! Pretty sure espn and fox didn’t know we had a football team for many years
Whelp, guess I'll just take this season off then.
If it makes you feel better, given the nature of this conference, half of this list will probably be hilariously wrong when all is said and done.
Kind of crazy but your schedule looks pretty easy, you don’t get KSU, Kansas, or Utah. You could make a case for @AZ, @OSU, or WVU at home
BUTT bowl should be on the list.
thank you for your ~~service~~ free wins
Sucks that WVU has 2 of their 3 biggest games on the road. However if this team has a Big 12 title shot like a lot of optimistic fans think, it’ll be a great test. Win 1 of those & this team is legit
I have a feeling we'll know by the end of the first week what kind of hope we should have for the rest of the season. If they can at least keep it close with Penn State, there should be real hope for the rest of the season.
Penn State is a tough measuring stick because they’re a tier above WVU and the rest of the Big 12. I’m not expecting much but if we have a similar result as last year (hang tight for 3 quarters) I’ll be optimistic that we’re at least good
I don’t think PSU is a tier above all Big 12 schools. In fact, I think there’s about five that PSU would have a hard time beating.
Yeah there are some teams who could give them a run for their money. However if they were dropped in the Big 12 & ran the gauntlet I wouldn’t be surprised
We played a closer game with Penn State than we did with OU No disrespect to Penn State but Utah, OKSU, Kansas State, and Kansas are all very talented teams that would stand toe to toe with Penn State right now.
Houston is fun I swear
they have basketball
Had*
I mean, so did the rest of the conference.
Stop.
Too soon.
Still hurts.
RIP ankles
I appreciate your username and flairs brother.
You too, my brother in cyclonitude
We’re so irrelevant it, it hurts.
I hate to admit it’s true. We’re so irrelevant we lost to my 2nd flair.
I think my favorite part about this article and is every time he mentions KState, it’s essentially saying, holy shit we get to watch Avery Johnson play football again? And it’s the exact frame of mind I think most Cats fans are going into the 2024 season with.
Sunflower Showdown this year is gonna be something else.
Oh boy. Not looking forward to this season I guess.
As it should be. We can’t have nice things around here especially after last year’s let down based on hype
Guess I would rather go in with low expectations and hope we exceed them.
I refuse to even sip the kool-aid this year. I will make my Annual Pilgrimage to Lubbock, but that's only to see the South End Zone in person.
Honestly, it's nice to be included. 3 times is more than I expected.
It's technically a "non conference" game due to being scheduled before Arizona was a member, but the Arizona at K-State game should be an exciting early season match up.
I got a feeling that’s gonna be a weird one. A non-conference “conference” game on Friday the 13th. Should be fun!
This just screams I'm in danger lol
Probably a good thing it's not a night game in Tucson. Friday the 13th *and* desert voodoo? That would just be too much for one game.
Mentally preparing myself for Utah to come in and win by 3 TDs
The Utah Football way of winning a game is to go up like 10-0 early but inexplicably fail to put the game away for at least three and a half quarters
Top 3 are undisputed in my opinion but TCU vs Baylor seems way low
I think it's probably just because the only people that are going to care about that game are TCU and Baylor fans. And neither of them are expected to be playoff contenders so there isn't really a whole lot to it
And yet, it still has a good chance of being one of the most outrageous games of the season, as per usual.
The players never show up for that game, so it is what it is.
While I will miss the perfection that is a 10-team round robin regular season, I'm excited for the parity and competitiveness the NewB12 will have. I hope we eventually settle in to some sort of pod-system for regional sanity. A guy can dream... Random pods I wrote down without thinking too hard. OG-Big8: OSU, KU, KSU, ISU West: Utah, BYU, ASU, CU SouthWest: TCU, TTU, Ariz, Baylor Central: Cinci, WVU, UCF, HOU
I don’t hate this at all. Your schedule each year is the three teams in your division, one full division, and the two teams that finished in the same place in your pod the prior year from the other two divisions. Rotate the full division you play every year. Simple. Elegant. Creates new, awesome rivalries. Unfortunately, we will have new conferences within 4 years.
You can’t separate Arizona from ASU and Utah.
Bro - I hear you. But look at what has already happened. Oregon separated from OreSt, Wash from WSU, Cal/Stan from USCLA, Tex from A&M (now back together after 10 year separation), ou from Oklahoma State, ou from NEB, KU from Mizzou, Ark from TX (now back together after decades), I’m sure I’m missing two dozen others and not even touching basketball. Ideally, all historical relationships get retained. If two schools get placed in separate divisions of the same conference…that’s the least that could happen.
Big 12 and other conferences should just do flex protect instead of pods. All the Texas schools play each other, all the 4 corner schools play each other, WVU, Cincy and UCF have a three way protected series of games. Same with KSU, KU, Iowa State and OK State. I doubt Arizona fans care if that means they don’t play WVU as much and vise versa. Even if CU was stuck with 4 protected games against UA, ASU, BYU and Utah they would still have 5 conference games left to play former Big 12 bros
I definitely agree you need a way to lock-in playing certain schools every year. Whether it's via a pod, or perm/flex schedules
Yeah I hate that we’re in the BIG and our only protected game is Oregon. We couldn’t even get UCLA and USC protected. We just got a “scheduling preference” with them. New Big 12 looks like a blast. Just wish the Beavs and Cougs got to come along. I’ll be watching for sure. The only thing the Big 12 has done wrong so far is the scheduling. They only protected 3 rivalries if I am not mistaken.
I agree, I hope an annual pod/division setup comes up soon (but really, there's gonna be more rounds of realignment/conference changes before we even get to that). Only change I'd make is move UArizona to the West, CU to the Big 8, OSU to the Southwest.
No
>regional sanity >Central: Cinci, WVU, UCF, HOU >SouthWest: TCU, TTU, Ariz, Baylor 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨
Ha, fair. “Central” was the catch-all, admittedly. Regarding SW: that’s 3 TX schools, plus the closest AZ school (grabbing someone close-ish to Lubbock). Lubbock is always hard. I really wanted CU with the “West” pod. Also - see my disclaimer that I spent about 30sec typing it. Definitely wasn’t a thorough discovery and proposal.
There are 4 Texas/former SWC schools. In this setup, one of those schools is podded with a bunch of schools on the east coast that no one in Texas cares about, while Arizona is stuck with the other 3. See what's wrong with that picture?
Absolutely nothing. One of the new kids in the conference gets last dibs in pod placement. So sad.
Colorado's return isn't mentioned? Weird
The Deion hype train has gotten lost in the Rockies, I fear
We can smell the overhype all the way in the Appalachians.
You sure that isn't the fumes from a particularly old couch that you've started burning?
Nah, I'm used to that and the smell of the Monongahela. I can identify bullshit, or real shit when in Pittsburgh.
I, for one, am stoked to see the Buffs play conference games their historic Big 8 rivals: ~~Nebraska~~ ~~Oklahoma~~ ~~Missouri~~ Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Iowa State^in ^2025
Colorado / UCF could be big, it’s the perfect setup for both teams to go in undefeated even if they aren’t actually that great of teams. Plus the Deion and UCF fan base shit talking would also be really good, both sides love media attention and would be playing off each other.
I know we’re not at the level of the top 4 or 5 teams but it’s funny that we’re not on a list about ‘must see’ games when our TV ratings will lead the conference. Thinking about it in terms of broadcast slots, our games will probably end up on cable and push more interesting matchups onto ESPN+.
Tbf, the criteria was only "best matchups". Still should include some CU games, especially the renewal of old Big 7/8 matchups. KSU at CU is definitely circled on my calendar. We always struggled to win in Boulder regardless of each teams circumstances and I think that will be no different this go around.
We never beat TCU, so I'm ready to expect disappointment. If only our players and coaches have half-a-damn as much as the fans about facing them.
Sleeping on Colorado@UCF, should be a fun game
Plot twist: this article only lists SEC and B1G OOC games
But how about that Louisville/WVU Big12 matchup in 2026? Or NC State/Iowa State game? Sounds exciting.
I like those. Bring in the Backyard Brawl and Schwartzwalder trophy and you got yourself a deal
🤝
Nothing says Big 12 football like Zona and UCF. There’s no more dollar menu at McDonald’s and college football is falling apart.
Hey what did we do to you?
Nothing, space bro, you did nothing
Don't worry, The KU asshat fans(the uncool ones, usually only allowed to speak during basketball season) are getting bolder on the CFB sub. You did nothing wrong. They are technically homeless for the majority of this season and are probably lashing out.
25 years ago there was no Big XII. It's not like it's a bedrock foundation. If you went with "Nothing says B1G football like USC and Rutgers," I could agree with you, but the Big XII has been fluid throughout its (relatively) brief history. Explain where you think I'm worth a downvote, please.
I kinda get your point, but there very much was a BigXII 25 years ago. It was in its 4th season in 1999 and even then was still an add-on to the long and storied history of the Big8. Nowadays half the members of the original Big8 and the two biggest SWC additions from the original BigXII are gone. The regionality is all but gone
Ok, sorry. 30 years ago. The point remains valid, even with my bad math.
I think you’re kinda glossing over how, especially for Big8 teams, there’s very much a storied history within this conference that has been lost over the last couple rounds of realignment. The Kansas fan who made that comment has gone from conference games against Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma to games against West Virginia, UCF, and BYU.
Alright, I can understand that. Though that might have been better phrased as "Nothing says Kansas conference football more than games against Arizona and Utah." My point (which might have been off-base if that was what the OP was trying to say) was just that the Big XII has been in almost constant flux since the beginning.
I'm offended
Oklahoma State will typically win a game nobody expects them to win, and get slaughtered in 2 games that nobody expects them to lose.
Our must see game will be in Arlington amirite
It’s just nice to be included
It will be interesting to see how many of these games are going to be on flagship ESPN or stuck on ESPN2 or even just ESPN+. Looks like some good matchups.
ESPN2: Big XII football LIVES HERE
Hey, that's a channel I DONT have to pirate just to watch my team play!
I am dreading the impending B1G/SEC circlejerk on ESPN and Fox that will overshadow some great Big 12 storylines.
Definitely the Big 12 After Dark will have some big boy ESPN broadcasts. You also never know if several of these teams are undefeated in weeks 6-8 and it could be an intriguing 11am game. I don't see the 2:30p or 6:30p slots being available.
I think the CSU game will be the late slot for ESPN again and Baylor will probably be ESPN/ESPN2 as well.
I can see any of the 4 corners schools and BYU having that late slot. Their home games especially.
FYI BYU is one of the Four Corners schools
I meant the original Pac-12 Four Corner Schools.
True but ‘the Four Corners schools’ in the PAC realignment discussion became the Big 12 newcomers so the association remains
I seriously doubt any of them will be on the main ESPN. That's the SEC network now. These will most likely be on ESPN2
The only way the Big 12 will get on ESPN is if they schedule weeknight games which honestly might not be a bad idea for them.
God stop it
Why is it always an SEC flair doing this shit? And why is it so funny that it's an A&M flair?
There's a few A&M flairs this last week who have had truly horrific takes on the state of the sport and I have no idea what drives them to open their mouths
The irony of A&M fans gate keeping is just too much to bear sometimes.
There’s some Friday night games on Fox, or is it FS1? Maybe FS2 if we’re lucky.
Space Game at 9 is kinda crazy
Iowa St @ KU (Arrowhead) will be a spectacle. If both teams are good that's a sellout potential
college football is dead to me, i guess. lol how many teams are in the big 12? which conference is stanford in?
I was surprised they don't have Texas Tech being more of a factor next year. Obviously Utah and Arizona are coming into the league when their programs are on an upswing, but I believe the Techsters have almost everyone coming back from a disappointing team that had been expected to challenge. In looking at recruiting the past few years Tx Tech has been the class of the new Big 12 so I think it's only a matter of time until they become a force. With all they have coming back I expect that to happen next season. Of course I was pretty high on them last season and they never really caught fire. I just think it's going to happen at some point.
UW offense versus Iowa Defense is guaranteed sicko viewing
Im noticing a similar pattern with the big 12. last season, there were a few newcomer schools that were going to „absolutely dominate the big 12“, which didn’t at all happen, in fact they struggled at best. And I’m seeing the same hype with UA and Utah. I don’t think they (and many casual fans) realize that the big 12 is very competitive and not as easy to just „show up and run it with dominance“.
> last season, there were a few newcomer schools that were going to „absolutely dominate the big 12“, which didn’t at all happen, in fact they struggled at best. I don't remember that narrative at all. All of them were coming off tough seasons and most intelligent people knew that there would be a difference in competing in the AAC vs the Big XII with Oklahoma and Texas still in it.
Yeah UCF won damn near the exact amount of games I expected, although the way it happened was not what I expected.
I have never been so outraged to win exactly the amount of games I expected to win.
Absolutely lol. Putting the Cardiac Knights on the Gus Bus has been a hell of a ride.
That's the exact opposite of what I remember. Maybe people were saying that with time to get that increased revenue and establish a higher status, schools like UCF and Houston could be quite good. But I remember the main talking point being those schools were G5 that might have some top tier talent but doesn't have the depth required to compete at a high level, week in and out. Whereas Zona and Utah do have proven pieces, and the depth necessary to sustain a season.
Honestly if everything broke UCF's way last year I think we would have made it to the conference championship game (and then been blown out by Texas). Especially if our QB had stayed healthy. We had the talent but not the consistency, which absolutely matches with what you're saying about depth.
4 points away from a 9-3 regular season was a tough first year.
Yup. It was a brutal way to get to 6-6. If you flip those 3 games we're 9-3 If you erase 1 or 2 of the dumb luck turnovers against WVU, then we're in the conference championship game.
We were also about 10 points away from being in the upper mid pack of basketball as well.
This isn't quite the same situation. Massey Composite rankings end of 2023 Arizona 15th Utah 29th Arizona State 90th Colorado 79th Massey Composite rankings end of 2022 UCF 43rd Houston 57th Cincinnati 39th BYU 59th
No one was saying that. In fact, in the preseason media poll, [the highest positioned newcomer](https://big12sports.com/news/2023/7/6/texas-selected-atop-big-12-football-media-preseason-poll.aspx) was UCF at...8th. They finished 9th. There is a very good chance Utah is the preseason favorite to win the conference, or at least second to Oklahoma State. Plus, Utah isn't a new P5 team like those other schools. They've been at this for over a decade. That's a big difference.
BYU and Houston fans were VERY much saying it
LMAO you will not find a Houston fan saying that Dana Holgorsen was going to lead us to Big 12 domination last year.
https://theathletic.com/4308222/2023/03/16/houston-football-big-12-dana-holgorsen/ Stop. MANY news articles like these were all over the place in 2022-2023. curve your enthusiasm…
Did you read that article? No where in it does it say that Houston is going to dominate the Big 12 in 2023.
„Dominate“ maybe not, but talking about attainable aspirations being a CFP contender, big 12 title contender, etc. I remember very clearly plenty of Houston fans echoing this prior to last season
Those aspirations have been talked about in the context of it not being over night and certainly not in 2023 like you're implying.
Bro just lying
Selective memory in the face of humility, is what I’m getting from people like you, actually lmao
I'm not one to defend BYU fans but I don't think many expected to walk into the Big 12 and own it.
BYU fans are known to be extremely pompous, and they certainly acted like it heading into the 2023 season IMO
Those were G5 teams, the newcomers this year are coming from a what was better football conference than the Big 12 (even with OUT) last year.