New-look Big 12: Teams ranked by all-time football wins
The Big 12 Conference looks much different than it did even two weeks ago when the Colorado Buffaloes stunned the world and left the Pac-12. All of Arizona State, Arizona and Utah have followed suit in recent days, and now the Big 12 looks loaded for the 2024 season and going forward.
The talent on the football field will be at a major level when the changes are implemented, and it’s worth examining the Big 12’s all-time winningest programs with a new era right around the corner.
Don’t get confused, there are 16 Big 12 schools (for now). Here are the winningest football programs (h/t Schuyler Callihan of Mountaineers Now):
CENTRAL FLORIDA KNIGHTS: 289
First year: 1979
The UCF Knights are last on the list with 289 wins, although they are newer to the FBS than the other programs on the list.
HOUSTON COUGARS: 468
First year: 1946
The Houston Cougars have 468 wins, which is way ahead of UCF but still the second-lowest in the new Big 12.
IOWA STATE CYCLONES: 559
First year: 1892
The rest of the Big 12 has at least 500 wins all-time, and Iowa State sits at 559. Matt Campbell, a former candidate for USC’s head job, has done well with the Cyclones.
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS: 561
First year: 1896
Kansas State this low is a bit surprising, but they are still just ahead of Iowa State.
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS: 590
First year: 1925
Texas Tech has 590 wins, and while the days of Patrick Mahomes and Kliff Kingsbury are long gone, Lubbock is buzzing with excitement.
KANSAS JAYHAWKS: 594
First year: 1890
Kansas was a pleasant surprise last year and should be dangerous for the foreseeable future. The Jayhawks have 594 wins and are the last team before the 600 club comes to play.
BYU COUGARS: 612
First year: 1922
Kalani Sitake has been a staple at BYU. The Cougars went from the Mountain West to the Big 12 and should be a tough program to face.
ARIZONA WILDCATS: 623
First year: 1931
The Wildcats have and likely always will be a basketball school, although Jedd Fisch and Jayden de Laura have the program on the rise.
BAYLOR BEARS: 627
First year: 1898
Baylor being 8th is surprising, but it’s difficult to win in the Big 12 as it was before, especially with Oklahoma and Texas there.
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS: 628
First year: 1890
Oklahoma State has one win more than Baylor. That’s it, and Mike Gundy has this Cowboys team looking dangerous every season.
ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS: 635
First year: 1931
Arizona State is done with the Herm Edwards era, finally, and Kenny Dillingham has a tough job ahead.
CINCINNATI BEARCATS: 658
First year: 1885
Luke Fickell made Cincinnati a college football powerhouse before he left for Wisconsin, but the Bearcats being 5th on this list shows how good this program is.
TCU HORNED FROGS: 679
First year: 1896
TCU was a tough out in the Mountain West before moving to the Big 12, and the Horned Frogs just made the College Football Playoff title game. They aren’t going away anytime soon.
UTAH UTES: 711
First year: 1905
Utah has back-to-back Pac-12 titles and will aim for a three-peat before the Utes dash to the Big 12.
COLORADO BUFFALOES: 719
First year: 1890
The Buffs have been very bad lately, but Deion Sanders should change that. However, let’s not forget about the glory days in Boulder.
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS: 774
First year: 1891
West Virginia has the most wins of all the programs and by a comfortable margin. The question is, can they compete for the foreseeable future?
