With the college football season set to kickoff this weekend, Chris Vannini of The Athletic released his 1-134 rankings. The Big 12 conference did not see a single team rank inside the Top 10 to start the season.
The Utah Utes were the top-ranked team from the Big 12. Kyle Whittingham and his Utes checked in at 11th in the rankings. That was just behind the Missouri Tigers at 10 and just ahead of Penn State at 12.
The second-ranked Big 12 team is the Iowa State Cyclones. The Cyclones, who went 7-6 last season, started 2023 at 56. This year, they are 19th, just behind their in-state rival Iowa. Checking in just after Iowa State is Kansas State and Kansas. Both the Wildcats and Jayhawks went 9-4 last season. Oklahoma State was next, ranked at 22nd.
Arizona rounded out the Top 25 right at 25th in the rankings. When discussing Utah for the 2024 season this is what Vannini had to say about the Utes:
Utah looks like the Big 12 favorite with quarterback Cam Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe back, along with most of its really good defense.
He also went on to discuss the other Big 12 teams in the rankings:
I feel like Iowa State is being overlooked and will be a Big 12 contender. The Cyclones bring back almost everything from last season and don’t have a surprise gambling scandal hanging over things like last year. Kansas State and Kansas should have two of the most exciting offenses in the country, but will that be enough to contend for the Big 12? Oklahoma State is constantly slept on but won 10 games again last year and has the best running back in the country in Ollie Gordon II. New coach Brent Brennan walks into a good situation at Arizona with rising star quarterback Noah Fifita.
The first Big 12 game of the season is August 29th, as Central Florida hosts New Hampshire, one of four conference games that night.