Changing of the Guard in Big 12? Rothstein Drops Kansas, Baylor

On a recent episode of Inside College Basketball Now, Jon Rothstein said, “We have a changing of the guard in the Big 12 Conference,” pointing to a shift away from longtime staples Kansas and Baylor.

For years, those two programs were considered the standard, with Bill Self and Scott Drew dominating the league’s top tier. That’s no longer the case, at least not in Rothstein’s eyes.

“I’m going to go through my Big 12 Preseason Power Rankings here in just a second, but I’ll tell you this,” Rothstein said. “Kansas and Baylor are not picked in the top five.”

It’s a striking claim, especially when it comes to Kansas. Under Bill Self, the Jayhawks haven’t gone back-to-back seasons without at least reaching the Sweet Sixteen, until now. The past two years have seen early tournament exits, uneven regular-season play, and injuries that stalled momentum. Rothstein noted that this is statistically the worst two-year stretch of Self’s career.

Baylor’s absence from the top five is just as telling. The Bears won a national title in 2021 and have remained a tournament fixture, but Rothstein’s outlook reflects a belief that the roster turnover and defensive inconsistencies have pushed them further down the league’s pecking order.

So who’s replacing them at the top? Rothstein didn’t name his full list in the clip, but all signs point to Houston, Iowa State, and BYU as programs surging toward the top of the Big 12. The Cougars, in particular, have earned national respect as a defense-first, culture-driven machine under Kelvin Sampson.

For now, Rothstein’s take draws a line. Kansas and Baylor are still in the picture, but not leading it.