In a recent collaboration from 247Sports’ Brad Crawford and CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm, seven teams from the Big 12 Conference were listed in danger of missing bowl eligibility in 2024.
28 different power conference teams were projected to miss bowl eligibility on the list, seven of which belong to the Big 12 Conference.
IOWA STATE CYCLONES
“Missing a bowl game for the second time in three years would be a massive disappointment for Iowa State, which returned to the postseason last fall in a seven-win campaign,” 247Sports’ Carter Bahns wrote. “Matt Campbell returned nearly every single starter from that squad, including quarterback Rocco Becht, who should be in the upper half of Big 12 signal-callers as a more experienced weapon in 2024. Despite all of the continuity, the Cyclones missed out on a bowl berth in 247Sports’ projections amid a year full of toss-ups in an extremely competitive Big 12.”
BAYLOR BEARS
“This has all the makings of a make-or-break year for Dave Aranda, who has still yet to deliver consistent results in his debut head coaching gig,’ Bahns said. “Since his tremendous 12-win campaign, Aranda posted back-to-back losing seasons and is fresh off a putrid three-win year. New offensive coordinator Jake Spavital and transfer quarterback Dequan Finn could breathe new life into the group, but it is hard to say the Bears made enough meaningful upgrades to go over their projected win total and return to postseason play.”
COLORADO BUFFALOES
“Colorado’s commitment to the transfer portal sparked varying degrees of confidence in the Buffaloes during Year 2 of the Deion Sanders era,” Bahns said. “While some view this program as a Big 12 championship contender, others note the potential for the bottom to fall out underneath a squad with a unique culture. 247Sports and CBS Sports both project the Buffaloes to miss a bowl game for the second time in as many years under Coach Prime, but it could be a much closer call in 2024 than it was last season, given perceived upgrades to the offensive and defensive lines.”
Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, and Houston were the four final teams to miss bowl eligibility. However, the group did not receive a write-up to justify the selections. Five of the seven teams predicted to miss a bowl game, including Colorado, Arizona State, BYU, and Houston, joined the league within the last two seasons.
Iowa State and Baylor were the two members outside the group predicted to miss bowl eligibility. While Baylor still has a lot to figure out in the fall, Iowa State has received some serious buzz as a Big 12 title contender.
Regardless, each team on the list will have an opportunity to prove national outlets wrong when the 2024 college football season kicks off in less than two weeks.
