Where did Big 12 teams land in Athlon Sports 1-133 rankings for the 2023 season?
The 2023 Big 12 season is going to be one like none other. With a strong amount of parity in the league, the race to Arlington will go on until the final weekend of the regular season this fall.
If CBS Sports Big 12 win projections are any indication, eight teams will finish within two wins of each other by the end of the year. Now, how that plays out in the conference is anyone’s guess, but there’s a group of five or six teams that could reasonably contend for the Big 12 title in 2023.
Over at Athlon Sports, Steve Lassan released his updated 1-133 rankings for the Football Bowl Subdivision. Where did the Big 12 members land? Let’s take a look.
Texas Longhorns
Big 12 Rank: 1
National Rank: 11
If West Virginia at the bottom is a familiar refrain then Texas at the top is a similar tune.
The Longhorns are pretty much everyone’s preseason favorite to win the Big 12. They’ve got a lot of talent returning on both sides of the ball despite the losses of leaders Bijan Robinson and DeMarvion Overshown.
Xavier Worthy is one of the best wide receivers in the country and J.T. Sanders might be the best tight end in the country not named Brock Bowers. Texas will be good this season. But they’ve been good in the past and fallen flat. Will this year be the year that Texas is really back?
Oklahoma Sooners
Big 12 Rank: 2
National Rank: 16
Despite a 6-7 season in 2022, there’s still a lot of positive buzz about the Oklahoma Sooners. Some of that is the brand, one that hadn’t had a losing season since 1998. The other part of it is what they’ve done in the transfer portal and Brent Venables’ prowess as a defensive head coach. The Sooners won’t have one of the worst defenses in the country in 2023, and because of that, they’ll be one of the best teams in the conference this season.
Kansas State Wildcats
Big 12 Rank: 3
National Rank: 18
Chris Klieman has done nothing but point Kansas State’s arrow up since arriving in Manhattan. Even after Adrian Martinez went down a year ago, the Wildcats didn’t miss a beat, riding Will Howard to a Big 12 title. Howard’s back to see if they can go back-to-back for the first time in the Big 12.
TCU Horned Frogs
Big 12 Rank: 4
National Rank: 23
The TCU Horned Frogs bought themselves a lot of goodwill with their run to the College Football Playoff title game. Though they were shellacked by the Georgia Bulldogs, TCU still accomplished something that no Big 12 team has in the CFP era. They have a lot of talent that will be tough to replace, but Sonny Dykes is a really good head coach and Chandler Morris has shown flashes, so that’s a start.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Big 12 Rank: 5
National Rank: 28
Joey McGuire and the Texas Tech Red Raiders took a step in a positive direction in 2022 with wins over both Texas and Oklahoma. Now, they’re hoping to step into the Big 12 title game in year two under McGuire.
Kansas Jayhawks
Big 12 Rank: 6
National Rank: 43
Sixth in the Big 12 feels a bit rich for a Kansas team that started the 2022 season with a bang, but finished with a fizzle. Jalon Daniels is one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, so that’ll give the Jayhawks a chance to climb in contention. However, he can’t do it himself. The rest of the squad will have to improve, in particular on the defensive side of the ball.
Baylor Bears
Big 12 Rank: 7
National Rank: 44
Under Dave Aranda, Baylor’s been bad, Big 12 champions, and then middle of the pack. What’s in store for the Bears in 2023 is anyone’s guess. What we do know is that they’ll bring back another really strong offensive line to lead a really strong rushing attack.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Big 12 Rank: 8
National Rank: 45
There are a lot of people expecting Oklahoma State to have a bounce-back season in 2023. I’m not one of them. On paper, they look to have taken a step back, but in a wide-open Big 12, anything’s possible.
UCF Knights
Big 12 Rank: 9
National Rank: 53
Of the new Big 12 schools, UCF is the team that’s garnered the most buzz this offseason. They’ve got a head coach with experience and success at the Power Five level in Guz Malzahn to lead the way. Now at the Power Five table, can the “2017 national champions” make an impact?
Iowa State Cyclones
Big 12 Rank: 10
National Rank: 54
The defense wasn’t the problem for Iowa State in 2022, it was their offense. If they can take a step in a positive direction in year two with Hunter Dekkers leading the way, the Cyclones could creep into Big 12 title contention.
BYU Cougars
Big 12 Rank: 11
National Rank: 58
If BYU’s defense can hang in the Big 12, the Cougars will have a chance to make some noise. But they’ll need Kedon Slovis to have a career year to help them reach bowl eligibility in year one in their new conference.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcats Football Spring Game April 15 2023. Stephanie Scarbrough/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
Big 12 Rank: 12
National Rank: 60
Cincinnati is one of those teams that could end up really good because of their defense. The question is, how far can Emory Jones take the offense?
Houston Cougars
Big 12 Rank: 13
National Rank: 61
Houston will be a fun team to watch in 2023. They’ll score a lot of points, but also play a lot of close games too because of the lack of defense. Watch for Donovan Smith to have a breakout season under Dana Holgorsen.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Big 12 Rank: 14
National Rank: 65
A familiar refrain for the West Virginia Mountaineers here from Athlon Sports. WVU was projected to win just three games by CBS Sports and many feel it will be a bottom-of-the-barrel type season for Neal Brown’s crew.
