Preseason Magazines

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Preseason Magazines

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May 19th

Big 12 Schedule Rankings: CU has the third-toughest schedule

From College Football News … It’s not easy to find a true layup of a slate in the Big 12 this year.

Remember, this time last season the new and improved conference was all about Utah, and Arizona and Oklahoma State. They all fell flat, Arizona State shocked everyone, and now, get ready for more of the same.

So take this ALL with several grains of salt, because we’re basing the schedule rankings on our Offseason First Look 1-136 Rankings.

We have Colorado ranked 49th going into spring ball. Beat Coach Prime’s team at home, get 49 points, beat the Buffs in Boulder, cut that in half and get 24.5 points. The lower the score, the harder the game and the overall schedule.

The No. 1 team has the hardest schedule, 16 has the easiest, and next to each team is the toughest game to easiest.

1 TCU Horned Frogs … CU the third-easiest game

2 Baylor Bears 

3 Colorado Buffaloes

Spring Strength of Schedule Score: 487.5
– 2025 Colorado Schedule Analysis
1 Oct 25 at Utah
2 Nov 29 at Kansas State
3 Nov 22 Arizona State
4 Oct 4 at TCU
5 Sept 13 at Houston
6 Oct 11 Iowa State
7 Nov 8 at West Virginia
8 Aug 30 Georgia Tech
9 Sept 27 BYU
10 Nov 1 Arizona
11 Sept 20 Wyoming
12 Sept 6 Delaware
Missing: Baylor, Cincinnati, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, UCF

Thoughts … Kansas State and Arizona State are more difficult than Utah … Georgia Tech and BYU are far more difficult than Houston and West Virginia …

4 Utah Utes … CU the third-easiest game

5 West Virginia Mountaineers … CU the second-easiest game

6 Houston Cougars … CU fourth-easiest game

7 Iowa State Cyclones … CU the third-most difficult game

8 Kansas Jayhawks

9 BYU Cougars … CU fourth-most difficult game

10 Kansas State Wildcats … CU fourth-easiest game

11 Arizona State Sun Devils … CU fourth-most difficult game

12 Oklahoma State Cowboys

13 Arizona Wildcats … CU third-most difficult game

14 Cincinnati Bearcats

15 UCF Knights

16 Texas Tech Red Raiders

… Read full story here …

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May 18th

Ranking Big 12 Quarterbacks: Kaidon Salter in double digits

From The Deseret News … The Big 12 doesn’t have a lot of names in consideration to be among the nation’s top returning quarterbacks in 2025, as the majority of top returnees on a national scale belong at schools in either the SEC, Big Ten or ACC.

That doesn’t mean the conference, though, is devoid of talent at the position.

There are 10 schools whose starting quarterbacks are returning, with another three who have a transfer quarterback in position to take over as QB1.

Only three schools truly have a quarterback competition heading into the summer months.

With that many returning starters at QB, could the Big 12 see even better play from the position during the 2025 season?

Time will tell. Until then, here’s a look at how the quarterback situations rank around the conference.

1. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State

2. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor

3. Josh Hoover, TCU

4. Rocco Becht, Iowa State

… 11. Kaidon Salter, Colorado

• 2024 stats (at Liberty): 56.3% completion percentage, 1,886 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, six interceptions; 114 carries, 587 rushing yards, seven touchdowns

Based on his past three seasons at Liberty, Salter has the experience edge over incoming five-star talent Julian Lewis to replace Shedeur Sanders as Colorado’s starting quarterback.

Salter, though, saw his numbers drop following a phenomenal 2023 season wherein he threw for 32 touchdowns and six interceptions, while also rushing for over 1,000 yards.

Imagine what Deion Sanders’ coaching staff could do with that kind of talent. It makes it easy to imagine that Salter is due for a bounceback year — and perhaps Colorado may even find ways to get Lewis involved this season.

… Read full story here …

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May 17th

CBS Big 12 Power Rankings: CU in at No. 10

From CBS Sports … The Big 12 remains the most unpredictable mass of teams in college football, but it’s still worth trying to work through the weeds. Three teams are tied for first place in odds to win the conference, but no one has better than 6-to-1 odds to win the league.

While many of the top contenders in the conference boast rosters full of returners, an offseason of movement hangs above the field. Texas Tech, for example, put together arguably the nation’s best transfer class. Utah revamped its offense with quarterback Devon Dampier and offensive coordinator Jason Beck. Houston and Colorado added high-profile quarterback transfers.

With all the movement and a razor thin margin between success and failure in the conference, we power ranked all 16 teams heading into the second year of this version of the conference. Remember, Arizona State went from picked last to winning the league last year, so everything is subject to change. Hopefully this time around, we can be a little more accurate.

Odds to win the 2025 Big 12 championship in parentheses, provided by FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Big 12 …

• 1. Arizona State
• 2. Texas Tech
• 3. BYU
• 4. Baylor
• 5. Kansas State
• 6. TCU
• 7. Iowa State
• 8. Kansas
• 9. Utah
• 10. Colorado … After two years of building around Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, the Buffs will be a normal football program in 2025. The defense is actually pretty nasty with Jaheim Oatis and Samuel Okunlola leading the way. But what will the offense look like without Sanders and Hunter to bail it out? And will the offensive line take any steps to give quarterback Kaidon Salter some help? It remains to be seen. (+2400)
• 11. Cincinnati
• 12. West Virginia
• 13. Houston
• 14. Arizona
• 15. Oklahoma State
• 16. UCF

… Read full story here …

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May 16th

Two Big 12 Coaches Make ESPN’s Top Ten List

From ESPN … Who are the 10 best coaches in college football?

There are different ways to consider the question: What coaches have the best career résumés? What coaches are on track to achieve the most success? What coaches have helped develop the most NFL talent? What coaches have overachieved based on the talent and resources they have to work with?

We left it up to our college football reporters to interpret the question how they saw fit and to weigh those factors (and any others) in whatever manner they thought made the most sense. We took their rankings, 1 through 10, and awarded points based on their picks — 10 points for first place, 9 points for second place and so on.

The results showed a clear No. 1 in Georgia’s Kirby Smart, with a bit of a gap between him and our second- and third-place finishers, both of whom appeared in everyone’s top 10. The next three coaches were bunched pretty tightly, drawing a wide range of opinions from our voters, and from there things were wide open.

Below is our top 10, listed with each coach’s career record, the points they received in our survey, a statistical nugget courtesy of ESPN Research and a comment from one or two of our voters. We also asked voters to name a coach they are surprised didn’t make the top 10 and asked one voter why the top of his ballot differed dramatically from the rest.

9. Kyle Whittingham, Utah

Record: 167-86 (all at Utah)

Points: 24

Numbers to know: With 20 seasons at Utah, Whittingham is tied with Mike Gundy as the second-longest tenured head coach at the same school in FBS, trailing only Kirk Ferentz (26 seasons at Iowa).

Whittingham’s status was similar to Franklin’s, with two voters (including you) having him as high as No. 5, and six not having him in the top 10. Why are you on Team Whittingham?

I tend to zoom out on these evaluations, and Whittingham’s accomplishments at a program like Utah, which lacks baked-in advantages of national powers and has been in four different conferences since 1998, is remarkable. Whittingham guided Utah to conference or division titles in the team’s final four seasons in the Pac-12. He won nine or more games seven times between 2014 and 2022. The past two seasons have been disappointing but were sidetracked by quarterback Cam Rising’s injury issues. Whittingham’s consistency in generating wins and producing NFL players despite unremarkable recruiting classes points to his talent as a coach.

10. Matt Campbell, Iowa State

Record: 99-66 (64-52 at Iowa State)

Points: 15

Numbers to know: Campbell led Iowa State to an 11-3 record in 2024, the first double-digit win season in program history.

You were by far the biggest supporter of Campbell, ranking him No. 4. Why is he worthy of that position?

There are plenty of coaches who get bonus points for doing more with less, but how many have done so much with so little so consistently as Campbell? From 1979 through Campbell’s hire in 2016, Iowa State won three bowls, had 11 players taken in the first four rounds of the NFL draft and had one nine-win season. In his nine years on the job, he has won three bowls, had 12 players drafted in the first four rounds and had two nine-win seasons, including an 11-3 mark last year.

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Also receiving votes: Brian Kelly, LSU, 13; Bill Belichick, North Carolina, 10; Curt Cignetti, Indiana, 10; Lance Leipold, Kansas,10; Jeff Monken, Army, 8; Jeff Brohm, Louisville, 6; Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State, 5; Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss, 3; Deion Sanders, Colorado, 3; Josh Heupel, Tennessee, 3; Rhett Lashlee, SMU, 3; Chris Klieman, Kansas State, 1; Kirk Ferentz, Iowa, 1

… Read full story here …

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May 13th

ESPN – Ranking CU’s off-season: “Feels like a transition year of sorts”

From ESPN … The college football offseason used to feature slight to moderate turbulence from December to February, followed by a period of calm. Not anymore.

The offseason comes in waves, upending rosters and coaching staffs, sometimes more than once, before things settle down. Every team must be prepared to minimize losses and make significant gains. Those who succeed can make history. Those who fail can also make history. Just look at Indiana and Florida State in 2024.

ESPN college football reporters Adam Rittenberg, Max Olson, Eli Lederman and Bill Connelly set out on the herculean task of ranking the offseasons for every Power 4 team, as well as national runner-up Notre Dame. Certain teams had more players enter the NFL draft or simply run out of eligibility than others. We took these losses into account but truly focused our analysis on three areas:

1. Retention of key (non-draft-eligible) players
2. Retention of key coaches or staff upgrades
3. Player additions, primarily through the transfer portal but also high school recruits

All three elements matter as these teams build for conference relevance and College Football Playoff bids. An impressive portal haul doesn’t always equate to a great offseason, especially if the team is also losing players and coaches it wanted to keep. Teams that didn’t add much from the portal, but retained coveted players and assistant coaches, meanwhile, end up with offseasons to be celebrated.

Here are our conference-by-conference rankings and team breakdowns …

The Big 12 … 

10. Colorado Buffaloes

Key additions: DT Jehiem Oatis, WR Joseph Williams, QB Kaidon Salter

Key departures: WR/CB Travis Hunter, QB Shedeur Sanders, DL BJ Green II

Top incoming recruits: QB Julian Lewis, DE London Merritt, OT Carde Smith

Biggest coaching move: Coach Prime not only retained defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, who received NFL interest and landed a new enhanced contract with Colorado, but he also added another Pro Football Hall of Famer to the staff in Marshall Faulk. An NFL MVP and a three-time offensive player of the year selection, Faulk was one of the best all-purpose running backs ever and now will work with the Buffs’ backs.

What went wrong: Critics expected Coach Prime to move on after Year 2, but he’s fully committed to leading the Buffaloes into the future and earned a five-year, $54 million extension after a breakthrough 2024 season. This was always going to be a challenging offseason with two superstars and a bunch of seniors going pro. The Buffs did lose eight players — who earned starts last season — to the portal, and Sanders had to make new hires to replace four assistant coaches. But the program is rolling right along with two exciting options at QB and another big portal class.

What went right: Lewis, the No. 12 overall recruit in the 2025 ESPN 300, flipping from USC to Colorado last November was a massive moment for this program that kicked off another busy offseason of roster additions. The Buffaloes inked four ESPN 300 recruits, secured a proven 29-game starting QB in Salter and landed one of the most talented defensive linemen in the portal in Oatis. They’ve also done a nice job of addressing their needs at wide receiver and along the offensive line. While Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are irreplaceable talents, Colorado has added plenty of help this offseason to keep this program in Big 12 title contention.

Connelly’s take: Between Salter and Lewis, maybe no one in the conference has higher upside at QB than Colorado. But the Buffaloes lost about 17 starters — including nine from a good offense — and Sanders chose not to load up quite as much in the portal. That makes this feel like a transition year of sorts.

… Read full story here …

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May 10th

Wilner’s Post-Spring Top 25 has two Big 12 teams just outside the Top Ten

From the San Jose Mercury News … The transfer portal churn has slowed to a trickle, coaching staffs are set, spring practice is finished and the first Saturday of the season is a mere 16 weekends away.

We fed all the roster moves into the Hotline’s supercomputer and set the dial for 10,000 simulations.

Just kidding.

We grabbed the nearest envelope, flipped it over and scribbled out the following update of our mid-January rankings.

11. Brigham Young

The Cougars were underrated most of last year, both by the pollsters and the CFP selection committee, and the same has been true through the offseason. But with quarterback Jake Retzlaff returning and BYU hungry to take the final step — to the Big 12 championship — we expect the success to continue, and the bandwagon to grow. (Previous: 9)

12. Texas Tech

The second-ranked transfer class in the country features 13 players with four-star ratings and, thanks to NIL money, is located in Lubbock. Add a solid lineup of returnees, and the Red Raiders just might win the Big 12 — a development that would, in fact, be very Big 12. Managing expectations will be critical for a program that hasn’t produced 10 (or more) wins since the Mike Leach era in the late 2000s. (Previous: 11)

18. Iowa State

Our apologies if you were told there would be no math, but here’s the equation: Matt Campbell + a veteran quarterback (Rocco Becht) + two key games at home (BYU and Arizona State) = high-level success in Ames. Perhaps even a conference title. (Previous: 18)

20. Arizona State

We don’t doubt that coach Kenny Dillingham’s formula can work once again, especially with a quarterback-receiver combination like Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson. But elevated expectations will change the internal dynamics. The Sun Devils won’t catch anyone by surprise or spend three months playing with house money. And they won’t have Cam Skattebo to erase any mistakes. (Previous: 16)

22. Utah

The Hotline would bet the house on a bounce-back season in Salt Lake City with playcaller Jason Beck and quarterback Devon Dampier as the twin sparks arriving from New Mexico, plus a stellar offensive tackle tandem in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu. But to be clear, the bet would involve your house, not ours. It’s the Big 12, after all. (Previous: 22)

26. Indiana
27. Florida State
28. Tennessee
29. Washington
30. Kansas State

Also considered: Army, Auburn, Baylor, Colorado, Duke, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Marshall, Memphis, Mississippi, Missouri, Navy, Syracuse, TCU, Texas A&M and Tulane.

… Read full story here …

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May 8th

Big 12 championship odds: K-State; ASU; Texas Tech favorites – CU at 18:1

From azcentral.com … Who is the favorite to win the Big 12 football championship in 2025?

It depends on which odds you look at.

Early Big 12 football championship odds for 2025 have been released by FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook and they have some differences for betting on the Big 12 champion in the upcoming season.

One of the sportsbooks favors the Texas Tech Red Raiders to win the Big 12 Conference championship game next season, while the other two have the Kansas State Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils tied in the futures odds for the Big 12 champion.

Check out the 2025 Big 12 Championship winner odds from all three sportsbooks right now:

Big 12 football championship odds 2025 from FanDuel Sportsbook:

• Texas Tech: +550
• Arizona State: +600
• Kansas State: +650
• Baylor: +700
• Utah: +700
• BYU: +800
• Iowa State: +1200
• Kansas: +1200
• TCU: +1300
• Colorado: +1800
• Houston: +3500
• West Virginia: +3500
• Cincinnati: +4000
• UCF: +5000
• Oklahoma State: +5000
• Arizona: +6500

Big 12 football championship odds 2025 from BetMGM Sportsbook:

• Kansas State: +550
• Arizona State: +550
• Texas Tech: +600
• BYU: +800
• Baylor: +800
• Kansas: +800
• Utah: +1000
• Iowa State: +1400
• Colorado: +1400
• TCU: +1600
• Oklahoma State: +3000
• West Virginia: +3000
• Cincinnati: +4000
• UCF: +4000
• Houston: +5000
• Arizona: +6600

Big 12 football championship odds 2025 from DraftKings Sportsbook:

• Kansas State: +475
• Arizona State: +475
• Texas Tech: +700
• BYU: +700
• Baylor: +800
• Utah: +1000
• TCU: +1000
• Iowa State: +1200
• Kansas: +1500
• Colorado: +1800
• Cincinnati: +3500
• Houston: +4000
• UCF: +4500
• Oklahoma State: +5500
• West Virginia: +6500
• Arizona: +7000

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May 7th

Big 12 quarterback rankings: Kaidon Salter in double digits in pecking order

From the San Jose Mercury News … These quarterback rankings should not be considered equivalent to the Big Ten version published on the Hotline last week. They should be viewed as an improvement on the original because, frankly, we have more to work with.

The Big 12’s lineup of quarterbacks is deeper, savvier and better than the Big Ten’s collection based on what we know to this point in the offseason cycle.

Once you move past the top three or four in the Big Ten, there are more questions than answers and too many transfers to count (plus a few freshmen).

The Big 12 is loaded with veterans who have won big games at their current school.

The player ranked seventh on our list beat Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl in 2023.

The player ranked eighth has 49 career touchdown passes.

Their counterparts in the Big Ten possess more long-haul potential but far less experience. Their ceiling is higher, but their floor is lower. And when it comes to quarterback play, the street level has value.

The following Hotline rankings are based on three components: proven production, familiarity with the system/playcaller and surrounding talent.

1. Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt: One of the Big 12’s breakout stars in 2024 will carry unprecedented expectations into the fall without his backfield partner, tailback Cam Skattebo. If Leavitt makes the leap with processing and understanding and manages the pressure, he could emerge as a Heisman Trophy contender. The alternative: Progress slows, inconsistency emerges and he’s not even on the top tier within the conference.

2. Kansas State’s Avery Johnson: The full Johnson experience was on display last season, his first as KSU’s starter. We fully expect more consistency, fewer mistakes — he threw 10 interceptions last season — and elevated comfort in the pocket. No quarterback in the conference has greater upside as a dual-threat playmaker.

3. Iowa State’s Rocco Becht: The two-year starter with 48 career touchdown passes is back for a final tour of the conference. Smart, tough and content with the low profile that comes with plying your trade in Ames, Becht must improve his completion percentage (59.4) in order to ascend to the top of the conference.

4. Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson: The former benchwarmer is easy to overlook when assessing the Big 12’s lineup of quarterbacks. But his performance in the second half of 2024 and chemistry with playcaller Jake Spatial have positioned Robertson for a first-rate fall.

… 12. Colorado’s Kaidon Salter: Don’t be fooled by Salter’s prior place of business, Liberty. He possesses all the ingredients (arm, legs, experience) to emerge as one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12. But as always, Colorado’s offensive line play is a major question. Salter could take more punishment than he ever dreamed of.

… Read full story here …

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CBS Bowl Projections: CU doesn’t make the cut

From CBS Sports … The Pac-12 won’t be fully functional again until 2026 when Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, and UTEP will make the move. Until then … Oregon State and Washington State will work with the Mountain West for regular season scheduling, but will still be eligible for bowls with ties and affiliations with the former Pac-12.  Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, and Washington will all be eligible for these bowls.

Playoff – Oregon (No. 8 seed) at home v. No. 9 seed LSU

– Holiday Bowl – Washington v. Pittsburgh
– LA Bowl – UCLA v. Utah (Utah filling in for a Mountain West team)
– Las Vegas Bowl – Arizona State v. Nebraska
– Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl – Oregon State v. BYU
– Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl – Washington State v. Syracuse
– Valero Alamo Bowl – USC v. Kansas State

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May 5th

CBS Sports post-spring Top 25: Six Big 12 teams make the list

From CBS Sports … Researching fluid rosters in the offseason and developing a top 25 college football ranking is more difficult than ever, but it’s much easier when spring practices end and the transfer portal window closes. Rosters are still not set, and some impact players have not yet practiced with their teams (looking at you, Nico Iamaleava), but the post-spring snapshot is as clear a preview of the 2025 season as we can ascertain until preseason camps open in August.

Unsurprisingly, the SEC leads the pack in CBS Sports’ post-spring top 25 with nine representatives, but the premier teams in the Big Ten have the early lead at the top of the rankings. Ohio State might still have the most talented roster after winning the national title in January, while Penn State is in its best position yet under James Franklin to contend for a national title, especially after a fantastic spring portal haul.

Despite the top-tier talent at the top of the Big Ten, the league only has five teams in the top 25. The Big 12 has the second-best representation with six teams. Veteran rosters will carry the Big 12 banner in the fall, and Texas Tech might rocket up the rankings with the fuel of the nation’s No. 2 portal class. Like last season, the Big 12 might feast on itself with dozens of one-possession games, but the entertainment will be worth the sacrifices.

I was tempted to place Clemson closer to No. 1 after visiting the campus in the spring. The roster is stacked and, most importantly in this age of attrition, the roster has remained mostly intact over the last three years. Dabo Swinney has his best team since the mid-2010s.

Sadly, the Group of Five is not represented in the post-spring top 25, though it’s a given that at least two teams will jump into the top 25 at some point this season; it happens every year, folks!  Let’s hope the trend continues for the sake of parity. I’ve got my eyes on Dan Mullen’s UNLV squad.

From the Big 12 … 

No. 13 … Kansas State … Avery Johnson is must-see TV when Kansas State’s offense is on the field. He can be inconsistent at times, but when he’s clicking with his receivers and running back Dylan Edwards is gashing defenses, the Wildcats’ offense is pure cinema. The defense is holding K-State back from a top-10 ranking this summer. Transfers will comprise the third level, and until we see them in action, it’s difficult to ascertain whether the Wildcats have improved.

No. 14 … BYU … Quarterback Jake Retzlaff leads one of the Big 12’s more explosive offenses, but the defense needs some help in the trenches and attrition left a few holes on the roster. BYU didn’t utilize the portal as much as one might hope, adding eight players to rank 95th nationally, according to 247Sports. Still, the additions were mostly linemen — all of whom are solid. The defense is what could carry the Cougars into the playoff hunt.

No. 15 … TCU … Josh Hoover turned TCU around after a 3-3 start last season, winning six of the last seven games to place the Horned Frogs back on the Big 12 map. Hoover garnered interest from Tennessee, but the 4,000-yard passer stayed in Fort Worth and TCU is much better for it. The defense returns key starters, and if production rises out of the middle of the pack in the conference, the Horned Frogs could make a championship run.

No. 17 … Arizona State … Quarterback Sam Leavitt, one of the nation’s top 15 quarterbacks, is returning but everyone is focused on how the Sun Devils replace do-everything running back Cam Skattebo. Otherwise, plenty of production returns on both sides of the ball, and I love the addition of Army running back Kanye Udoh, who rushed for more than 1,100 yards last season.

No. 19 … Iowa State … Iowa State’s memorable season nearly went historic, but the run defense was suspect, allowing 5.4 yards per carry and ultimately derailing the Cyclones from winning the Big 12. That must improve. Quarterback Rocco Becht should lift the offense as it breaks in new receivers.

No. 21 … Texas Tech … Texas Tech might be the best team in the Big 12 on paper, but fitting the pieces from the nation’s No. 2 portal class is key. The most expensive roster in the conference is built to win with transfers loaded with starting experience, and the late re-addition of five-star receiver Micah Hudson is the cherry on top.

Just missed the cut: Baylor, Boise State, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Texas A&M,  UNLV, USC, Utah

… Read full story here …

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March 31st

Pro Football Focus: Jordan Seaton one of the top ten returning offensive tackles in the nation

… Note … Of the ten players on the PFF list, Seaton, a true sophomore, is the only one who will not be draft eligible in April, 2026 … 

From Pro Football Focus … With the 2024 college football season in the books, it’s time to turn our attention to 2025 by ranking the top returning players at every position.

Next up is offensive tackle. While there aren’t as many proven superstars returning as there have been for other positions, there’s still some intriguing talent with immense potential.

Below is a list of PFF’s top 10 returning offensive tackles in college football, in addition to an honorable mention nominee. Please note that NFL projection was not taken into account in these rankings.

4. Jordan Seaton, Colorado

Colorado’s inability to protect Shedeur Sanders in 2023 was a major reason why the Buffaloes could only go 4-8. In response, head coach Deion Sanders signed the top-ranked offensive tackle recruit in Seaton, who was immediately tasked with protecting his son’s blind side at left tackle.

The former five-star recruit did just that, earning a 75.3 pass-blocking grade that was over 13 points higher than any other true freshman tackle. In a seven-game stretch from Week 3-11, he earned an 85.5 pass-blocking grade with no sacks and only one hit allowed on 317 pass-blocking snaps. Seaton is already one of the better pass protectors in college football at just 19 years old and has a high ceiling at the position.

… Read full story here …

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March 28th

CBS Big 12 Over/Under takes: Ten Teams Achieve Overs and Six Suffer Unders

Notable … If CBS’s game-by-game predictions below prove accurate, the Buffs will win their first four games, and then fall off a cliff. losing six of their last eight games … 

From CBS Sports … Last season proved the Big 12 is the most upwardly mobile power conference in college football. Arizona State, picked to finish last in the Big 12, won the league and reached the College Football Playoff. Furthermore, the Big 12 produced a new championship game participant for the seventh time in eight years.

We are keeping all that in mind as we take an early look at the Vegas win totals of every Big 12 team heading into the 2025 season. Granted, things can change during spring practice, and the post-spring transfer portal can still bring surprises. However, the most impactful players are already on campus.

Thanks to the chaos in the first year of the 16-team Big 12, our picks were nearly disastrous last season. We went 3-12-1 on over/under picks, notably whiffing on first-place Arizona State (under 4.5) and last-place Oklahoma State (over 8). That’s a reminder to Big 12 fans: This might be your year.

Here’s our predictions for Big 12 teams against their Vegas win totals heading into 2025. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Arizona … Pick: Under 5.5 (-122)

Arizona State … Pick: Over 8.5 (-144)

Baylor … Pick: Over 7.5 (+110)

BYU … Pick: Over 7.5 (-158)

UCF …  Pick: Under 6.5 (-144)

Cincinnati … Pick: Under 6.5 (-134)

Colorado … Over/under 6.5 wins

Wins: Georgia Tech, Delaware, at Houston, Wyoming, Iowa State, Arizona
Losses: BYU, at TCU, at Utah, at West Virginia, Arizona State, at Kansas State

Analysis: The second phase of the Coach Prime experiment gets underway in 2025. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman winner Travis Hunter are gone to the NFL. Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and star freshman Julian Lewis will give the Buffs some juice at quarterback, but CU will likely have to ride its defense to contention. Colorado will get back to bowl eligibility, but there’s just too much turnover across the roster without the obvious star skill talent to replace it. Pick: Under 6.5 (+104)

Houston … Pick: Over 5.5 (-170)

Iowa State … Pick: Over 7.5 (+104)

Kansas … Pick: Over 7.5 (-144)

Kansas State … Pick: Over 8.5 (+128)

Oklahoma State … Pick: Under 5.5 (-188)

TCU … Pick: Over 6.5 (-12)

Texas Tech … Pick: Over 8.5 (+134)

Utah … Pick: Over 7.5 (+118)

West Virginia … Pick: Under 5.5 (-132)

… Read full story here …

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March 26th

ESPN: Strengths and Weaknesses of the Big 12’s Top Teams

From ESPN… With spring ball underway, it’s becoming more and more apparent how our Way-Too-Early Top 25 teams will perform come fall. But whether it’s inexperience showing or a complete makeover of a wide receiver room, there are plenty of things these teams are leaning on, such as an elite defense or a veteran quarterback.

Our college football experts break down every team’s strength and weakness.

9. BYU Cougars

Strength: Overall defense. It would definitely be fair to point to the return of quarterback Jake Retzlaff as an obvious strength; anytime you return the starting quarterback from an 11-win team, you’re in good shape. But this BYU team won with defense, and it has enough key players returning to expect it to be one of the best units in the country again.

Weakness: Defensive line. As good as the defense will be, there are some holes to fill on the line. This is nitpicking, though. Tyler Batty’s departure is the one that looms largest, both in terms of production and leadership. But Blake Mangelson, Isaiah Bagnah and John Nelson were also key contributors, and the depth without them is questionable.

11. Iowa State Cyclones

Strength: Quarterback. Rocco Becht, who threw for 3,505 yards with 25 touchdowns in 2024, will return for his third year as ISU’s starter. There were some inconsistencies throughout last season, but Becht will be among the best quarterbacks in the Big 12. He was particularly good in the bowl game against Miami, throwing for three touchdowns in a 42-41 win.

Weakness: Receiver. Let’s just call it a question mark. The Cyclones relied on two of the best receivers in the country last season — Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins — and they accounted for 167 of the 277 catches on the team (60.3%). No other true receiver had more than 11 catches. With that type of production to replace, the team is starting over.

14. Arizona State Sun Devils

Strength: Coaching. We’re mostly focusing on players here, but let’s make an exception at ASU. The job Kenny Dillingham has done at his alma mater is one of the most impressive turnarounds we’ve seen in college football in recent years. To go from the bottom of the Pac-12 to the playoff in consecutive seasons is almost inconceivable. It should give ASU fans the confidence that they’ll be competitively relevant as long as he’s around.

Weakness: Running back. The question here is how the Sun Devils will fill the void left by Cam Skattebo. He ran for 1,711 yards, had another 605 in receiving yards and was one of the best players in college football. Maybe it’s unfair to say their running backs are a weakness; the opportunity to prove otherwise just wasn’t there last season. Kanye Udoh’s arrival from Army, where he ran for 1,117 yards last season, is promising, though, and Kyson Brown did have a 100-yard rushing performance against Arizona.

16. Kansas State Wildcats

Strength: Big plays. In his second season as the starting quarterback, Avery Johnson (responsible for 32 TDs last year, one of three Power 4 QBs with 2,700 yards passing and 600 rushing) can get the ball to running back Dylan Edwards, (7.4 yards per carry), Jayce Brown (17.5 yards per catch) and New Mexico transfer WR Caleb Medford, who has averaged 18.5 yards per catch on 29 career receptions.

Weakness: A DB makeover. The Wildcats lost the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, Brendan Mott, who was a pass-rush disruptor, along with their three top corners (including draft prospect Jacob Parrish), from a defense that ranked 77th versus the pass last season. But they have added transfer corners Jayden Rowe (Oklahoma) and Amarion Fortenberry (South Alabama) along with safeties Gunner Maldonado (Arizona) and Mar’Quavious Moss (West Georgia), so we’ll see if they can fill the gaps left behind.

… Read full story here …

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March 20th

CBS Sports: Five Big 12 College Football Playoff Contenders for 2025

From CBS Sports … The Big 12 remains the most upwardly mobile power conference in college football, which makes the race for a College Football Playoff spot a battle. Last season, nine of the 16 teams were still in the conference title race by the final weeks of the season, and Arizona State — picked last place in the preseason media poll — won the league.

The race will be wide-open again, meaning that everyone across the conference has a chance. Still, a few teams rank above the rest coming into the year. Many of the top quarterbacks in the conference return, including Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt, BYU’s Jake Retzlaff and Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson. Other programs, like Texas Tech, are betting big on offseason additions to reach conference contention.

With nearly nine months to go until the CFP’s Selection Sunday, here are the Big 12’s top five contenders in 2025.

Arizona State

In so many ways, the 2024 season was far ahead of schedule. The Sun Devils were picked last place in the Big 12 but turned around to win the league and qualify for the CFP. The quickened timeline helps because the vast majority of contributors on the roster are back.

BYU

By my money, the Cougars were the most undervalued team in college football last season. Despite going on the road and beating CFP-bound SMU and finishing 10-2 — with their two losses coming by a combined nine points — the Cougars were No. 17 in the final CFP Rankings, behind three-loss Clemson. Luckily, the core of the team is back for another bite at the apple.

Baylor

No one in the Big 12 was better in the second half of 2024 than the Baylor Bears. Baylor zoomed through the latter half of Big 12 play, ending on a six-game winning streak with a dominant 28-point win over a Kansas team fresh off three straight victories.

Kansas State

The Wildcats had a disappointing season, but that says more about the expectations in Manhattan. Growing pains were expected after handing the keys to first-year starting quarterback Avery Johnson, who completed only 58% of his passes. Ultimately, KSU lost three of their last four games by a combined 23 points to finish 8-4.

Texas Tech

No team in the Big 12 is swinging harder for the fences than Texas Tech. The Red Raiders reeled in a top-three transfer class, including four players ranked in the top 50, all in the trenches. The defense ranked among the worst in the country last season, but safety Cole Wisniewski and defensive end Romello Height join linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, one of the nation’s most underrated players, to try to deliver quicker results. The offense, led  by returning quarterback Behren Morton, should again be one of the Big 12’s best.

… Read full story here …

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March 15th

Athlon’s Spring Rankings has CU at No. 41 nationally

… Last season’s fall Athlon preseason magazine had CU as the No. 50 team in the nation; No. 11 in the Big 12 … 

From Athlon Sports … Spring practice is the first opportunity to get an extended look at all 136 college football teams for the 2025 season. And with transfers, freshmen, and coaching changes all on display with their new teams this spring, it’s never too early to start evaluating all programs and assessing how predictions, rankings, and projections look for ’25.

Texas takes the top spot in the pre-spring 136 team rankings for ’25, with defending champion Ohio State at No. 2. Penn State isn’t far behind at No. 3, with Georgia, Notre Dame, Clemson, and Oregon rounding out the next tier.

Boise State is the highest-rated Group of 5 team at No. 24, with Tulane, Navy, Army, UNLV, James Madison, and South Florida headlining the second tier.

With transfer portal movement ahead this spring and more team evaluations ahead this offseason, this list could look very different by June. However, with some clarity about rosters for every team entering spring practice, here is Athlon Sports’ (pre-spring) Way-Too-Early Top 136 for 2025:

From the Big 12 … 

• 13. Arizona State
• 14. Kansas State
• 19. BYU
• 23. Iowa State
• 30. Texas Tech
• 31. Utah
• 32. Baylor
• 36. TCU
• 39. Georgia Tech
• 40. Kansas
• 41. Colorado …Quarterback Shedeur Sanders and receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter will be missed. However, the Buffaloes have plenty of staying power behind coach Deion Sanders.
• 58. Houston
• 64. West Virginia
• 65. Cincinnati
• 66. Arizona
• 72. Oklahoma State
• 75. UCF
• 89. Colorado State 
• 100. Wyoming
• 123. Delaware 

… Read full story here …

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March 11th

List of Top 25 Coaches from the Athletic includes Coach Prime

From Bruce Feldman at The Athletic … The top three in my annual ranking of the best coaches in college football was easy. After that, things got more complicated.

How much does recency bias factor in? For me, not as much as it does for Stewart Mandel, whose Top 25 can be found here. I’ve always given coaches more credit for what they did at their previous stops than he does, but I’ve become more of a creature of the moment than I used to be.

One caveat: Even with all of the shake-up in the sport, it’s hard to include coaches who haven’t spent at least three seasons as a head coach (that means no Kenny Dillingham, despite a fantastic second season at Arizona State). It’s just too short of a shelf life to compare resumes with other coaches.

Read Mandel’s Top 25 coach rankings here. 

From the Big 12 … 

9. Matt Campbell, Iowa State (2024: NR)

He has been a fantastic hire for the Cyclones. Last year, he led Iowa State to its first double-digit-win season, as it went 11-3 and defeated three ranked teams: Iowa on the road, Kansas State at home and Miami in the bowl game. It was his seventh winning season in the past eight years and fourth season of eight-plus wins at a program that had only one eight-win season from 1979-2016. In addition, Campbell led Iowa State to the only top-10 finish in program history in 2020. He’s still only 45.

11. Chris Klieman, Kansas State (2024: No. 12)

Klieman is 48-28 with the Wildcats, including 28-12 in the past three years. Ask rival Big 12 coaches, and they’ll say that Klieman’s teams are consistently among the best-coached teams in the conference in how they game-plan and make in-game adjustments. Also on his resume: four FCS national titles at North Dakota State.

Klieman has three wins in games against top-10 opponents in the past three years (although the Wildcats didn’t face one of those teams in 2024).

12. Kyle Whittingham, Utah (2024: No. 8)

Whittingham drops a few spots after the Utes went 5-7 in a season in which they were ravaged by injuries at key positions. The 65-year-old is just 13-12 the past two years after he led Utah to back-to-back Rose Bowls in 2021 and 2022. The Utes have finished ranked in the AP poll 11 times, and Whittingham is responsible for eight of those teams. (He had a ninth team that went 10-3 in 2010 and finished No. 23 in the coaches poll but didn’t wasn’t ranked in the AP.)

14. Lance Leipold, Kansas (2024: No. 3)

After the Jayhawks fell to 5-7, the 60-year-old dropped from No. 3. His record at KU may seem underwhelming at 22-28 and 13-23 in Big 12 play, but KU was a complete disaster before he showed up. In his third season, Kansas finished ranked and notched a top-10 win for the first time in 16 years. Before going to Kansas, he got Buffalo into the Top 25 for the first time in its history. Before that, he won six Division III national titles at Wisconsin-Whitewater.

17. Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia (2024: No. 25)

Rodriguez is back home in Morgantown after Jacksonville State reached a bowl game in each of its first two seasons after making the move to the FBS level. Previously, he went 60-26 from 2001-07 at West Virginia to become the second-winningest coach in program history, behind his old coach, Don Nehlen.

Rodriguez, the godfather of the spread-option, led the Mountaineers to three consecutive top-10 seasons, including a No. 5 ranking in 2005, which matched the program’s best finish ever. In six seasons, Rodriguez led WVU to the same number of top-10 finishes as the rest of its coaches combined. He won 26 games in his first three seasons at Arizona; the Wildcats had never won more than that in any three-year stretch.

18. Deion Sanders, Colorado (2024: NR)

It’ll be fascinating to see how the Buffaloes do during the next few years without Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. Deion Sanders has earned the benefit of the doubt here for his ability to run a program. He’s 40-18 at two programs — Jackson State and Colorado — that struggled before he took over.

In his first game at Colorado, the Buffs knocked off a ranked TCU team that played in the national title game its previous game. He almost instantly made CU nationally relevant for the first in more than two decades. Last year, he led Colorado to a 9-4 mark and a Top 25 finish for only the second time in 20 seasons. He showed a keen eye for staffing by hiring defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, giving the former Cincinnati Bengals assistant his first job as a play caller, and that proved to be a brilliant move.

Sanders went 27-6 at a Jackson State program that was coming off six consecutive non-winning seasons.

Dropped out: Florida State’s Mike Norvell (No. 10), Kentucky’s Mark Stoops (No. 14), Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson (No. 16, retired), Nebraska’s Matt Rhule (No. 18), Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell (No. 19), Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy (No. 20), Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith (No. 22), Auburn’s Hugh Freeze (No. 23) and Washington’s Jedd Fisch (No. 24)

Just missed: TCU’s Sonny Dykes, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, BYU’s Kalani Sitake, Stoops, Gundy, Norvell, Rhule, Fisch, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, Fickell

… Read full story here …

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March 7th

Athlon Sports Big 12 Power Rankings (not impressed by CU)

… In case you are wondering, last season, Athlon had CU as the No. 11 team in the Big 12 … and had Utah winning the Big 12 championship … 

From Athlon Sports …

Spring practice is already underway or will soon start for all 16 teams in the Big 12 for the 2025 college football season. Although it’s tough to get an accurate read on teams from practices in the spring, this is the first set of official workouts and provides some insight into rosters, coaching outlooks, transfers or impact freshmen for the upcoming year.

Defending champion Arizona State leads the way in the pre-spring power rankings in the Big 12 for the 2025 season. However, the Sun Devils have plenty of company. Kansas State, BYU, Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor, Utah, and Kansas are all capable of reaching the conference title game in ’25. Additionally, Colorado will be a factor again under coach Deion Sanders. Houston is also a team to watch in coach Willie Fritz’s second year.

Big 12 Football: Spring 2025 Power Rankings

1. Arizona State

2. Kansas State

3. BYU

4. Iowa State

5. Texas Tech

6. Utah

7. Baylor

8. TCU

9. Kansas

10. Colorado … Quarterback Shedeur Sanders and receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter will be missed. However, the Buffaloes have plenty of staying power behind coach Deion Sanders.

11. Houston

12. West Virginia

13. Cincinnati

14. Arizona

15. Oklahoma State

16. UCF

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March 5th

ESPN’s Greg McElroy: “CU might be able to replicate or at least get close to replicating their win total”

From YouTube …

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March 4th

ESPN Big 12 Spring Preview – “Don’t disappoint us, Big 12”

From ESPN … There’s no conference quite as unpredictable as the Big 12.

Two seasons ago, TCU was coming off a 5-7 season, was picked to finish seventh in the league, then went undefeated in the regular season and beat Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl before losing to Georgia in the national title game, finishing 13-2. The next season, they finished 5-7 again.

Last year, Arizona State, coming off a 3-9 season, was picked to finish 16th in its first year in the league, then won the conference title and took Texas to the wire in a 39-31 loss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Peach Bowl. Utah, the preseason favorites and another newcomer, finished 5-7, its worst season since 2013. Entering Week 14 of the 2024 season, nine teams were still in mathematical contention for the league title.

None of them was Oklahoma State, which finished 10-4 in 2023 and fell to 3-9 and 0-9 in conference games in 2024 despite returning Ollie Gordon II. Baylor, which was 3-9 in ’23, finished 8-5. TCU bounced back to 9-4 last year.

You get the idea. Anyone can show up at any time. Even the league’s two new coaches are returning to past glory, as Rich Rodriguez took the winding roads back to West Virginia and Scott Frost returned from orbit to UCF.

If last year is any indication, nothing we think between now and December will matter. That’s why it’s exciting to start spring practice, when everyone is undefeated and anything is possible. Don’t disappoint us, Big 12.

Colorado … 2024 record: 9-4 (7-2 Big 12)

Spring storyline: Can Colorado remain a Big 12 contender in the post-Shedeur Sanders/Travis Hunter era? The Buffaloes found an experienced replacement for Sanders in Liberty quarterback transfer Kaidon Salter, though the 29-game starter is expected to face competition from five-star freshman Julian Lewis. Defensive backs DJ McKinney, Carter Stoutmire, Preston Hodge and Colton Hood return to a secondary that finished 40th in passing yards per game last season.

Position of intrigue: Wide receiver. Between the departures of Hunter and fellow pass catchers LaJohntay Wester, Will Sheppard and Jimmy Horn, Colorado enters the spring down 255 receptions, 3,251 receiving yards and 32 touchdowns of production from a year ago. That leaves Drelon Miller and Omarion Miller as the program’s only returning receivers who hit double-digit receptions in 2024, while Tulsa wide receiver transfer Joseph Williams — the reigning AAC Freshman of the Year — arrives to a position group screaming for fresh production.

Player to watch: Alabama defensive tackle transfer Jeheim Oatis started 13 games and recorded 52 tackles, five pass breakups and 1.5 sacks in two-plus seasons with the Crimson Tide. He could emerge as a key piece at the heart of a new-look interior defensive line unit at Colorado this fall.

… Read full story here …

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March 1st

Bill Connelly’s ESPN+ preseason rankings has CU at No. 48 nationally

… Connelly’s numbers, based on “returning production”, “recent recruiting”, and “recent history”, has never been good to CU and Coach Prime’s methodology of building a program. Being at No. 48 is a step up for CU. For comparison’s sake, Connelly had CU at No. 88 nationally before the the 2023 season, and No. 60 before the 2024 season …  

From Bill Connelly at ESPN … We’re less than six months from the start of the 2025 college football season. While the rhythm of the offseason has changed significantly in recent years and we know rosters won’t be set until after the spring transfer window has closed, it’s almost never too early to preview and projecting the coming season as best we can.

We’ve completed the first step in that process: the posting of the initial returning production rankings. Now it’s time for Step 2. Based on current rosters, it’s time to post the initial SP+ ratings for the 2025 season.

I will update these numbers in May and August after there have been further transfers and roster changes, and my annual preview series will begin after the May numbers are posted. But for now, let’s establish the 2025 hierarchy.

A reminder on SP+: It’s a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking. Along those same lines, these projections aren’t intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the season. These are simply early offseason power rankings based on the information we have been able to gather.

In addition to the rankings of every FBS team (overall, offense, defense and special teams), we’ll look at conference breakdowns and how SP+ matches up with the eyeball test in terms of which teams seem to be overrated and which could be underrated at this early stage.

From the Big 12 … 

• No. 19 … Kansas State
• No. 26 … TCU
• No. 27 … BYU
• No. 28 … Iowa State
• No. 29 … Arizona State
• No. 32 … Utah
• No. 33 … Texas Tech
• No. 36 … Baylor
• No. 48 … Colorado
• No. 49 … Kansas
• No. 55 … Cincinnati
• No. 56 … UCF
• No. 64 … West Virginia
• No. 66 … Arizona
• No. 73 … Oklahoma State
• No. 78 … Houston

… Continue reading story here …

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February 25th

National Championship Betting Odds: CU third in the Big 12 (at 100:1)

From DraftKings.com … Big 12 odds on winning the national championship:

• Arizona State … 90:1
• Kansas State … 90:1
• Colorado … 100:1
• Utah … 120:1
• Iowa State … 120:1
• BYU … 150:1
• Baylor … 250:1
• TCU … 250:1
• Kansas … 250:1
• UCF … 300:1
• Texas Tech … 300:1
• West Virginia … 300:1
• Oklahoma State … 500:1
• Arizona … 1000:1
• Houston … 1000:1
• Cincinnati … 1000:1

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February 23rd

Arizona Republic: CU to beat Georgia Tech, but still finish only 6-6

From the Arizona Republic … The Big 12 football season begins Aug. 23 and concludes Nov. 29, with all 16 teams playing 12 regular-season games.

That’s a lot of college football games for the conference.

Who will win each game on the 2025 Big 12 football schedule?

Here’s our predicted record for each team in the conference in the 2025 season, with our predicted wins, losses and order of finish.

Click on each team for the schedule and score predictions for every game for that team in the 2025 college football season.

If these predictions are any indication, we could be in for another wild Big 12 football season.

• 1. Arizona State … 10-2, 7-2
• 1. BYU … 10-2, 7-2
• 1. Kansas … 9-3, 7-2
• 4. Kansas State … 9-3, 6-3
• 4. Iowa State … 9-3, 6-3
• 4. Texas Tech … 9-3, 6-3
• 4. Baylor … 8-4, 6-3
• 8. Utah … 8-4, 5-4
• 8. TCU … 7-5, 5-4
• 10. Colorado … 6-6, 3-6

  Wins: Georgia Tech, Delaware, Houston, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona,

  Losses: BYU, TCU, Iowa State, West Virginia, Arizona State, Kansas State

• 10. West Virginia … 6-6, 3-6
• 10. Oklahoma State … 5-7, 3-6
• 10. Arizona … 5-7, 3-6
• 14. UCF … 4-8, 2-7
• 14. Houston … 4-8, 2-7
• 16. Cincinnati … 3-9, 1-8

… Read full story here …

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February 21st

Three Big 12 Teams (not named CU) gamble big on Transfer Classes

From The Athletic … Whether a program is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance or a losing season, the goal with every transfer portal addition is to upgrade the roster.

Some programs and coaches need those boosts a lot more than others. That means some incoming transfer classes will have more pressure on them than others. So let’s examine which portal classes will hold the most stakes next season.

Arizona

The new-car smell wore off pretty quickly for Brent Brennan in Tucson. After winning 10 games under Jedd Fisch in 2023, the Wildcats went 4-8 in Brennan’s first season despite having a nucleus that should’ve been good enough to contend for a bowl. The Wildcats were uncompetitive in several losses. The offense ranked 114th in scoring (21.8 points per game), and the defense ranked 109th (31.8). It was an awful season all around. Brennan replaced both coordinators, which is never a good sign just one season into a tenure.

He had to replace a good amount of talent and experience that entered the portal, too, like offensive lineman Wendell Moe Jr. (Tennessee), cornerbacks Tacario Davis (Washington) and Emmanuel Karnely (Miami), and linebacker Jacob Manu (Washington).

Brennan needs to display some massive improvement next season or things will get dicey. To remake the roster, Brennan and Arizona emphasized production in this past portal cycle.

Ismail Mahdi, who has rushed for 2,322 yards at Texas State over the past two seasons, was a headline addition. Luke Wysong posted 840 receiving yards for New Mexico last season and was another good add. Both should be key pieces for new offensive coordinator Seth Doege and returning starting quarterback Noah Fifita.

The Wildcats landed several players who had impressive production at the FCS level. Linebacker Blake Gotcher led the FCS with 162 tackles for Northwestern State last season. Defensive lineman Malachi Bailey recorded nine sacks in each of his three seasons with Alcorn State. Tight end Cameron Barmore posted 913 yards receiving and 13 TD catches at Mercyhurst last fall. Receiver Javin Whatley had 2,125 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns over three seasons at Chattanooga. Linebacker Riley Wilson notched 26.5 tackles for loss during the past two years at Montana State.

It’s a long list. Arizona tried to address some holes in the secondary and along the line of scrimmage. It’s a group of 20-plus transfers, and Brennan needs as many of them as possible to contribute this fall.

Cincinnati

The decision to hire Scott Satterfield was questionable, and nothing during his Bearcats tenure has changed those initial doubts, as Satterfield is 8-16 in two seasons.

The Bearcats brought in running back transfer Tawee Walker, who rushed for 864 yards and 10 scores for Wisconsin in 2024. Receiver Jeff Caldwell was a finalist for the Payton Award (for the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS) for Lindenwood in 2024 and is intriguing. Cincinnati needs more big-play threats after producing just 46 plays of 20-plus yards in 2024, which was 105th nationally.

Defensive back Matthew McDoom (10 pass breakups, three interceptions for Coastal Carolina in 2024) was one of the best defensive additions this offseason.

Texas Tech

The Red Raiders’ class ranks third nationally, per 247 Sports. That might have caught people off-guard, but Texas Tech has been building to this moment for a while. It’s a credit to Red Raiders general manager James Blanchard, coach Joey McGuire and the co-founder of the program’s collective, Cody Campbell, who spent a lot of money to put the class together. They built the roster and added several high-profile transfers like tackle Howard Sampson (North Carolina), edge rusher Romello Height (Georgia Tech) and running back Quinten Joyner (USC).

Texas Tech has entered a season with preseason buzz before. In 2023, some viewed the program as a Big 12 dark horse. It opened the season with a loss to Wyoming and finished 7-6. McGuire has yet to win more than eight games in his three seasons.

But Texas Tech has pushed in all its chips and will field a roster it believes should win the Big 12 in 2025. The Red Raiders beat Arizona State and Iowa State, the teams that played for the Big 12 title last year, and were one win away from being in the mix.

… Read full story here …

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February 15th 

College Football News: “CU will be good, but it won’t make a big push for the Big 12 Championship”

From College Football News …

Best Case Scenario: Colorado reloads fast, life goes on without some of last year’s stars, and it beats Georgia Tech, Wyoming, and BYU at home in a hot September, and pulls off a win over TCU to get off to a 6-0 start.

It splits the road games against Kansas State and Utah, and overcomes an off-day loss to still make the Big 12 Championship.

Worst Case Scenario: Georgia Tech pulls off the win in Boulder, Houston gets a win at home, and BYU comes into town and leaves with a win. All of a sudden, everything is falling apart, and the midsection of at TCU, Iowa State, and at Utah doesn’t help.

The team has six losses going into November and misses out on a bowl game.

Season Prediction: (Feb 4) Colorado will be good, but it won’t make a big push for the Big 12 Championship. It’ll drop at least two of the four Big 12 home games, and two more of the conference road dates. Getting to a bowl game won’t be too much of a problem, but it won’t be the big-step-forward season Deion Sanders and company will want.

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February 9th

FanDuel Over/Under win total puts CU at 6.5 wins 

... Vegas had CU’s over/under win total at 3.5 wins for 2023 (CU finished 4-8); and at 5.5 for 2024 (CU finished 9-4) … 

From FanDuel via Heartland Sports … The 2025 college football season is months away, but we’re already getting a chance to look ahead and start placing bets on what things are going to look like.

FanDuel has gotten way out ahead of the other sportsbooks and has already provided odds for the national championship winner, conference championship winners, and even some very early Heisman odds.

One of the more intriguing things bettors look for, especially those who follow a specific team, is win totals. Those are starting to trickle out, too, and this week, FanDuel has released 2025 win totals for three Big 12 teams.

The first Big 12 team is Colorado, which is getting a win total of 6.5 games in 2025. The Buffaloes are coming off a 9-4 season in Year 2 under Deion Sanders but lost Heisman winner Travis Hunter and All-Big 12 quarterback Shedeur Sanders to the NFL.

Here’s a look at their opponents in 2025:

Colorado Opponents (2025)

• vs. Georgia Tech (Sat, Aug. 1)
• vs. Delaware (Sat, Sept. 6)
• vs. Wyoming (Sat, Sept. 20)
• vs. Arizona
• vs. Arizona State
• vs. BYU
• vs. Iowa State
• @ Houston
• @ Kansas State
• @ TCU
• @ Utah
• @ West Virginia

Next is Kansas, who gets a win total of 7.5 games. The Jayhawks were among the most disappointing teams in the Big 12 this past season, finishing with a 5-7 record and multiple one-possession losses. However, KU returns Jalon Daniels and hopes to turn things around in 2025.

Here’s a look at their opponents in 2025:

Kansas Opponents (2025)

• vs. Fresno State (Sat, Aug. 23)
• vs. Wagner (Sat, Aug. 30)
• @ Missouri (Sat, Sep. 6)
• @ Arizona
• @ Iowa State
• vs. Utah
• vs. Oklahoma State
• vs. Kansas State
• vs. Cincinnati
• vs. West Virginia
• @ Texas Tech
• @ UCF

The final Big 12 team with a win total available this week is Iowa State, who finished with an 11-3 record and as the Big 12 runner-up in 2024. However, Vegas sees some regression for the Cyclones in 2025, as their win total is just 7.5 games.

Here’s a list of their 2025 opponents:

Iowa State Opponents (2025)

• vs. Kansas State (Sat, Aug. 23)*
• vs. South Dakota (Sat, Aug. 30)
• vs. Iowa State (Sat, Sep. 6)
• @ Arkansas State
• @ Cincinnati
• @ Colorado
• vs. Arizona
• vs. Arizona State
• vs. BYU
• vs. Kansas
• @ Oklahoma State
• @ TCU

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Tags: Kaidon Salter
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