Ranking the Next First Time Big 12 Conference Football Champion
There is always a first time for everything. Whether it is trying a new food, drink or adventure, you must start somewhere. However, sometimes things never change. Take the Big 12 conference for example. Oklahoma has won six-straight conference championships and still has a strong hold on the conference.
It has been seven years since we crowned a first-time conference champion in the Big 12. The last teams to do it were Baylor (2013) and TCU back in 2014 when the conference couldn’t decide on one winner as both TCU and Baylor split the title that season.
Yet here we are in the year 2021 and we still have four schools who have never hoisted a Big 12 trophy. Texas Tech, Kansas, Iowa State and West Virginia have yet to win a conference crown but that doesn’t mean it will never happen. With that said, which out of these four schools are the most likely to hold up the trophy in Jerry World? Look no further as I have ranked them for you from most likely to least likely.
1. Iowa State Cyclones
No matter if you are looking for the short term or long term Big 12 title contender, Iowa State may be the school you pick. Of course, returning 20 starters and head coach Matt Campbell may have something to do with that as well. The Cyclones return a ton from last year’s squad that made it to the Big 12 title game and will likely be back there again this year to try and win their first Big 12 football crown. And even if those dreams fall short, Matt Campbell has turned the Iowa State football program into a winner.
2. West Virginia Mountaineers
I know West Virginia is still in of a bit of a rebuilding mode but don’t sleep on the Mountaineers. Jarret Doege returns at quarterback along with a ton of other talent on offense that needed to gain some experience. Defensively, they should still be solid and even though they may not be at the top this season, I do have faith in what Neal Brown is doing in Morgantown.
3. Texas Tech Red Raiders
By no means is Texas Tech on the same level of Kansas but there is still a ton of work to be done in Lubbock as Matt Wells is likely on the hot seat. Tech is desperate to try and turn things around and I will be honest, I am not sure if Wells is the man to get it done there. The defense has been poor over the last two seasons, and while Tech has some weapons at receiver (like they typically do), the quarterback situation is still a little dicey. That concerns me going into year three for Matt Wells and I have a feeling the Red Raiders will be looking for a new coach possibly after the 2021 season.
4. Kansas Jayhawks
Do I really need to explain my answer here? Kansas needs to focus on winning a conference game before any talk of a Big 12 title comes around. If I ranked all the power five schools in order to knock off the Sooners or win a conference championship, the Jayhawks would still be last on my list.
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