2024 was monumental for the Big 12 and will go down as one of the most unforgettable athletic seasons that the conference has ever had.
There were championships, trophies, upsets, and unforgettable games throughout the last 12 months, and we’ve gathered the best of them in the Heartland College Sports All-Big 12 Athletic Awards for 2024.
2024 Big 12 Story of the Year
The Big 12 Officially Becomes a 16-Team Conference
After years of preparation, we finally saw Texas and Oklahoma, original members of the Big 12, leave the league for the SEC. As weird as that was, we also saw the league pivot and officially added Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah to its membership. The result, at least for football, was the wildest Championship race the league has ever seen. If the other sports follow suit, it might have folks asking what took so long to make the switch.
2024 Big 12 Team of the Year
Oklahoma Sooners Softball
The 2024 Oklahoma Sooners’ softball team wasn’t just special, it was a once-in-a-lifetime collection of talent. Under an incredible group of graduating seniors, OU won its fourth consecutive national championship, taking down Texas in an All-Big 12 title series in Oklahoma City. This team set all sorts of NCAA records, but perhaps their most notable one will be a 71-game winning streak that extended from early last year into the middle of the 2024 season. Not only is OU Softball the Big 12 Team of the Year, but they’re among the best sports teams ever.
2024 Big 12 Player of the Year
Travis Hunter, Colorado Football
This was the easiest choice on the entire list, and I don’t think there’s any arguing that Travis Hunter was the best player in the Big 12 this season. If there was an award to be won, Hunter brought it home, as he earned the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, AP College Football Player of the Year, Bednarik Award, Biletnikoff Award, Lott Trophy, Unanimous All-American, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and First-Team All-Big 12, among other honors. Now, he can add this honor to his list.
2024 Big 12 Coach of the Year
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State Football
Arizona State was nearly the Big 12 Team of the Year, but their head coach, Kenny Dillingham, is the runaway selection for Big 12 Coach of the Year. The Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12 in Dillingham’s second year at the helm, but he didn’t get the memo and led ASU to a conference title in their first year in the Big 12. Dillingham’s group was incredible down the stretch, winning the last five games of the regular season before blasting Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship. He enters 2025 as one of the best young coaches in college football.
2024 Big 12 Game of the Year
There were a few options for this one. Colorado’s 38-31 (OT) win over Baylor nearly got the nod, but we’re rolling with Kansas State’s overtime upset of No. 4 Kansas back in February. The Wildcats had lost four games in a row coming into this game, with three of them cobing in blowout fashion. Tylor Perry scored 21 of his 26 points in the second half and overtime to lead the Wildcats to a 75-70 (OT) win in the 300th edition of the Kansas-Kansas State basketball rivalry.
