One Thing Each Team Should Hope for with 2024 Big 12 Schedule Release
The Big 12 will release its full 2024 football schedule on Tuesday, January 30, according to a report from The Athletic’s Max Olson on Sunday.
While the conference unveiled all of the upcoming matchups for its first season as a 16-team league back in November, dates, times, and bye weeks have yet to be released to the public.
Knowing the matchups is certainly something to get excited about, but how those matchups stack and when they take place is often what plays a factor in the outcome.
Not all schedules are created equal and there’s no doubt that at least one fan base is going to be upset about the timing of their bye weeks, road trips, etc. All that aside though, what is one thing that each fan base in the Big 12 should be hoping for when the 2024 schedule is released next week?
Arizona Wildcats
An Early Roadtrip to Utah
When taking an early look at the Wildcats’ 2024 schedule, the games that stand out are road trips to Utah and UCF. UCF should be improved and will be quite the trip for Arizona, but I would still favor them in that contest. However, with the hurting that Arizona put on Utah in 2023 (42-18) and Cam Rising back under center, I think the Utah game is going to be their toughest out. Getting Utah early would mean avoiding a late-season matchup against Kyle Whittingham, facing Rising while he’s still getting back into his groove, and avoiding potential weather that could benefit the Utes.
Arizona State Sun Devils
A Manageable Start (If Possible)
I want to be the first to say that I believe Kenny Dillingham has what it takes to get Arizona State out of the tumultuous situation that it’s in right now, and given the time, he will do just that. With that being said, the Sun Devil got stuffed into a locker when it comes to scheduling in 2024. A tricky nonconference slate that includes home tilts against Wyoming and Mississippi State and a trip to San Marcos to take on Texas State looks like a breeze compared to their list of Big 12 opponents: Arizona (A), BYU (H), Utah (H), Kansas (H), UCF (H), Cincinnati (A), Kansas State (A), Oklahoma State (A), Texas Tech (A). BYU and Cincinnati are the only teams on that list that didn’t go bowling in 2023, while the combined record of the rest of their 2024 Big 12 opponents was 59-33. That’s not exactly a welcoming gift. Perhaps getting the Cougars and Bearcats early can get things going for ASU.
BYU Cougars
A Fortuitous Home Stand in November
Like Arizona State, BYU appears to have one of the more difficult 2024 schedules in the Big 12 ahead of them. Their home slate will be fantastic for ticket sales, but in terms of difficulty, it’s about as tough as you’ll find in the conference: Arizona, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State, and Houston. Outside of their trip to Salt Lake City to take on Utah, the road games look a little more forgiving, with trips to Arizona State, Baylor, and UCF on the board. There will be a home stand at some point, and hopefully, it’s later in the year for BYU’s sake. If the Cougars can get some luck and have their bye week align with one of their tougher opponents coming off an emotional game or long trip, it could be the difference in them going bowling or not.
Utah Utes
Late Season Matchups vs. Oklahoma State, Arizona
Kyle Whittingham is one of the best coaches in the country, and his ability to game plan and scheme to opponents’ weaknesses is a big strength for Utah. Overall, the inaugural Big 12 schedule is forgiving for the Utes, as they’ll face five teams that failed to go bowling in 2023. Their toughest games, on paper, are a home tilt vs. Arizona and a road trip to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State. The Utes have proven to be formidable in late-season games under Whittingham, and Cam Rising returning to Salt Lake City gives them a chance to compete for a Big 12 title in 2024. If Rising can knock off all the rust and be at his best by November, it would be ideal for their matchups against the Pokes and Wildcats to fall late in the year.
Colorado Buffaloes
Big-Time QB Battles in “Primetime”
Until we see the 2024 product on the field, it’s going to be difficult to predict what Colorado’s first season back in the Big 12 is going to look like. However, if there’s one thing we know, it’s that people will watch, especially if Deion Sanders is winning games. Colorado has a superstar in Shedeur Sanders at quarterback, and the Buffaloes schedule has several big-name quarterbacks on it as well. Matchups against Avery Johnson (K-State), KJ Jefferson (UCF), Cam Rising (Utah), and Noah Fifita (Arizona) would give the media all the ammunition needed to make those matchups “Primetime” television. So, if that means Colorado plays a game or two on Friday nights or gets one of the Big 12 contenders in a night game late in the year, the Big 12 can make the most of its TV potential by setting up Colorado to be successful in those games, at least in terms of viewership.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
A November to Remember
Since Joey McGuire took over as the head coach at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders have morphed into a late-season team. In his two seasons at the helm, McGuire has led TTU to a 6-2 record in the month of November, with both losses coming to teams that went on to earn College Football Playoff berths. With that in mind, it would best serve Texas Tech to get the more favorable matchups out of the way early in the season and have the harder games saved until that magical four-week stretch of November. Objectively, those games should be against Oklahoma State (A), Arizona (A), Iowa State (A), and West Virginia (H). One home game in the month of November might sound like a bad idea, but if the Red Raiders go 3-1 in those games, they’re likely right in the mix to be in Arlington come the first weekend in December.
Baylor Bears
A More Favorable Start Than 2023
Baylor is coming off perhaps its most disappointing season of the Dave Aranda era, going 3-9 with no wins against pre-existing Big 12 teams. The Bears ended the year on a five-game skid, but their season was pretty much shot right from the get-go. Baylor was set up for success to begin the year, getting each of its first four games in Waco. Then, they actually played the games, and went 1-3 in those contests; the lone victory coming against the Long Island Sharks. If not for the biggest comeback in Baylor football history (28 points) against UCF, the Bears would’ve had just one victory against FBS opponents. This year, Baylor gets Tarleton State and Air Force at home but will play a nonconference tilt against Utah in Salt Lake City. Games against Houston, Colorado, or BYU to start the season might be nice for a team that just needs to get things started on the right foot.
TCU Horned Frogs
A Late Bye Week
TCU is one of the only teams in the Big 12 that will face 11 Power Four opponents next season, with Stanford and SMU both joining the ACC in 2024. Aside from their game against Long Island (Date TBA), the Horned Frogs have a slate of teams that will quickly turn the 2024 season into a grind. The Horned Frogs have home games against Arizona, Texas Tech, Houston, Oklahoma State, and UCF. The road games against Utah, Baylor, Kansas, and Cincinnati are a little more forgiving, but still provide plenty of challenge for a team that didn’t go bowling in 2023. TCU’s game against LIU will likely be early in the season and should be a glorified bye week. So, the Horned Frogs need to hope for the latest bye week possible, allowing them to rest and heal up for the final stretch of the season.
Houston Cougars
An Adjustment Period for Willie Fritz
Dana Holgorsen is out and Willie Fritz is in for the 2024 season, and that alone is plenty of reason to be excited. However, the schedule isn’t exactly a cakewalk for Fritz in year one. The nonconference schedule provides games against UNLV (9-5 in ’23), Oklahoma (10-3 in ’23), and Rice (6-7 in ’23; beat UH 43-41 in 2OT), while the Big 12 slate will give Houston what should be five of the top six teams in the league. With teams like Cincinnati and Baylor on the schedule, both of whom are comparable to UH at this point in time, Cougar fans should be hoping for those games to land early in the season so Coach Fritz can work out the kinks before teams like Utah and Kansas State come knocking.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
An early season trip to Manhattan
If Oklahoma State can get Avery Johnson and the Wildcats before the second week in October, I think there’s a real shot at the Pokes running through their schedule unscathed. While I still think they’re more than capable of going into Manhattan and beating K-State later in the year, I’d feel much better about their chances of doing so before Johnson is fully in command of the Wildcats’ offense. OSU’s toughest games of the year are at K-State and two home tilts against Utah and West Virginia. That’s more than manageable for Mike Gundy and the boys, especially with everything they return from the 2023 team.
Kansas Jayhawks
A Chance to Take Advantage of Favorable Matchups
Lance Leipold and the Kansas Jayhawks are coming off their best season since 2007, a 9-4 campaign that ended with a Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory over UNLV. Now, one of the darlings of college football over the past two seasons has been granted perhaps its most favorable schedule in recent memory. The Jayhawks get Colorado, TCU, Houston, and Iowa State at home, while drawing Arizona State, BYU, Baylor, Kansas State, and West Virginia on the road. That means only three of KU’s eight conference opponents went bowling in 2023. If Kansas can get a bye week ahead of their road trip to either West Virginia or Kansas State, this would be their best chance of reaching double-digit wins since that Orange Bowl run all those years ago.
Kansas State Wildcats
Back-to-Back Games Against Top Contenders
Kansas State has 10 Big 12 teams on the docket in 2024, though their home game against Arizona will be counted as a nonconference game since it was scheduled before the new Wildcats came into the league. Most times, I would default to saying that teams should want all the time they can get between tougher opponents, but that didn’t seem to do the Wildcats any favors in 2023. Check out what happened in the weeks leading up to K-State’s four losses in 2024:
- Def. Troy 42-13 in Week 2 (L to Missouri in Week 3)
- BYE in Week 5 (L to Ok. State in Week 6)
- Def. Houston 41-0 in Week 9 (L to Texas in Week 10)
- Def. Kansas 31-27 in Week 12 (L to Iowa State in Week 13)
Whether it was a blowout over an inferior opponent, a bye week, or a win over their in-state rival, it seemed that any time something tested their focus, K-State fell the following week. This time around, stack those tough games up and let them keep their nose to the grindstone. For a Chris Klieman-led team, that feels like a recipe for success.
Iowa State Cyclones
Space to Navigate Tough Road Tests
Iowa State’s 2024 schedule provides a few challenging road trips that will likely define the direction that their season goes. An early trip to Iowa City for the CyHawk Game won’t affect the Big 12 standings, but is still extremely important, while trips to Kansas, Utah, and West Virginia appear to be the most likely pitfalls on the rest of the schedule. The Cyclones were 4-1 on the road in Big 12 play last season and will need to find that success yet again in 2024. Having home games or favorable matchups spaced at least two weeks between those three road trips would be a big win for Matt Campbell and Co.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Road Trips to Manhattan, Ames Spread Out
The Big 12 clearly felt bad for Cincinnati after a 3-9 season in 2023, as they did the Bearcats all kinds of favors with the 2024 schedule. Cincy not only dodges both Arizona and Utah, but they also miss Oklahoma State and Kansas in Big 12 play. Their collection of road trips does provide a challenge, as going into Manhattan and Ames will not be easy. However, if they can get a few games stacked between those two contests, it should set up nicely for Cincinnati to have a bounce-back season.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Time to Rest Between Cross-Country Travel
Being the northeastern-most school in the Big 12 has its perks and pitfalls, as the effects of travel provide an advantage at home and an issue on the road. In 2024, the Mountaineers will leave the state of West Virginia just five times, but three of those trips will be over 1,000 miles away (by car). Road games in Stillwater (1,084 miles), Lubbock (1,464 miles), and Tucson (2,073 miles) will put West Virginia on the road as much as any team in the conference, and that will impact them if they don’t have adequate time to rest between trips. Spacing those three games out as much as possible is probably the move, although I guess it’s plausible to play them in consecutive weeks and just stay on the road. I hope the Big 12 wouldn’t do that to the coaches and players, though.
UCF Knights
Climate Plays a Positive Role for Knights
Just as teams like Colorado, Utah, and BYU have the advantages of playing at home in the altitude, UCF plays in the heat and humidity of Florida all season long. With the Big 12 as spread out as it’s ever been, there’s going to be stark differences in the climates that some teams are used to versus others. In 2024, the Knights are set to host BYU, Utah, Colorado, Cincinnati, and Arizona. The first four teams on that list will be used to frigid temperatures and snow come November. Meanwhile, the average high in Orlando this past November was right at around 80 degrees. Have you ever gone from one extreme climate to the other in a matter of hours? It’s not exactly an easy transition. Likewise, UCF will travel to Iowa State and West Virginia, so the best-case scenario for UCF would be for those games to happen early on in the year.
