While ESPN writers and executives typically chose to ignore the Big 12 Conference, one writer from ESPN made a prediction for the College Football Playoff that worked out surprisingly well for the league.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Heather Dinich included two Big 12 teams in her projected CFP field, as the No. 4 seed and the No. 12 seed.
Dinich listed Kalani Sitake’s BYU Cougars as the Big 12 Champion in her CFP prediction after the team’s impressive start in 2024. With wins over No. 21 SMU, No. 17 Kansas State, Arizona, Baylor, Wyoming, and Southern Illinois, the Cougars boast an impressive resume.
Led by junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff, BYU currently sits atop the Big 12 with a perfect 6-0 record and 3-0 in conference play. Retzlaff has been more than serviceable for Sitake’s squad this fall, throwing for 1,426 yards and a touchdown to interception ratio of 14-5.
Joining BYU on Dinich’s playoff picture is the other lone undefeated league member, Iowa State, who have also exceeded expectations in 2024. Matt Campbell’s squad holds a tie with BYU in the Big 12 standings with an unblemished record of their own. The Cyclones have taken down North Dakota, No. 21 Iowa, Arkansas State, Houston, Baylor, and West Virginia.
While the two still have a long way to go before earning a bid to the College Football Playoff, after their hot start and relatively manageable schedules going forward, the Cyclones and Cougars are certainly teams to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
