ESPN Ranks Which Big 12 Teams Won and Lost the Offseason

While it may not be the easiest thing in the world to do, a group of ESPN writers took a shot at ranking the offseason for each member of the Big 12 Conference.

The group of writers included Adam Rittenberg, Max Olson, Eli Lederman, and Bill Connelly, who worked together to determine which program had the best and worst offseason luck.

• No. 1 – Texas Tech
• No. 2 – Arizona State
• No. 3 – Baylor
• No. 4 – Iowa State
• No. 5 – Kansas State
• No. 6 – TCU
• No. 7 – Utah
• No. 8 – Cincinnati
• No. 9 – BYU
• No. 10 – Colorado
• No. 11 – Houston
• No. 12 – Oklahoma State
• No. 13 – West Virginia
• No. 14 – Kansas
• No. 15 – Arizona
• No. 16 – UCF

The two top teams by ESPN’s standard are the two that have been discussed heavily throughout the offseason. Arizona State, led by star quarterback Sam Leavitt, will be tasked with following up on their incredible season in a new role: the hunted instead of the hunter.

In addition to the role switch, they will need to find some production in the rushing attack after losing one of their best players, Cam Skattebo, to the NFL Draft. Army transfer Kanye Udoh looks like the man for the job, but it also wouldn’t be shocking to see them roll out a bit of a rotation approach.

For Texas Tech, it’s all about turning expectations into reality. We’ve seen explosive offseason adds before from Joey McGuire, but this year feels different. Will it come true? Only time will tell, but both programs should expect to see their name near the top of the Big 12 Preseason Media Poll this fall.

Outside of the duo, the question becomes, which team will emerge from the next tier of offseason winners?

Can Baylor maintain their turnaround from 2024 with one of the league’s bright stars at quarterback? Will Iowa State find a way to replace its two star wideouts and return to the Championship Game? Can Avery Johnson take another step forward in Manhattan and get Kansas State to the promised land?

No one knows just yet, but if one thing is for sure, it’s that the season is set to be one of the most exciting years in Big 12 history.