With kickoff right around the corner, what better way to get into the football mood than a little preseason series? For the next few days, I will tell you which three teams are the best, worst, underrated, and overrated heading into the season. Today, I will share my three worst Big 12 teams in 2024.
Houston Cougars
The good news for the Cougars is that Donovan Smith will return at quarterback. Smith passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 22 touchdowns in his first season with Houston. Plus, his size makes him a red-zone threat as a ball carrier. However, there will be plenty of new faces surrounding him as he lost his two best receivers, Matthew Golden and Sam Brown, to the transfer portal on top of replacing four starters on the offensive line, including All-Big 12 left tackle Patrick Paul. Last season, Houston had one of the worst rushing offenses in the conference and was second to last in red zone offense and third down conversions.
The defense will look completely different, which may end up being a good thing since the Cougars were near the bottom in almost every major statistical category. Houston welcomes in new defensive coordinator Shiel Wood from Troy, and the Cougars will switch to a 3-4 scheme. New head coach Willie Fritz has a lot to address in all three phases. He has been a proven winner at every stop, but what he needs is a little time and patience from the fan base because this is, without a doubt, a transitional period for the program.
BYU Cougars
It’s no secret that BYU took a major step back last season when they joined the Big 12 Conference. The Kedon Slovis experiment at quarterback didn’t work, and then Jake Retzlaff took over for the final four games of the season. The Cougars went 0-4 to finish the year. Retzlaff now has some competition with USF transfer (and former Baylor Bear) quarterback Gerry Bohanon and Utah State transfer McCae Hillstead.
The Cougars return a few starters up front as well as their top five receivers from 2023, headlined by Kody Epps, Darius Lassiter, and Chase Roberts. Last season, BYU was dead last in rushing yards per game and will need a stronger run game in 2024 if they hope to get the offense out of the ditch.
Unfortunately, the Cougars’ defense was also stuck in the mud in 2023. BYU gave up over 34 points per game in Big 12 play and over 200 yards on the ground per game. Also, the Cougars couldn’t generate a pass rush, tying for dead last in the country in sacks.
The question of whether BYU will improve remains to be answered, but I am not counting on it. I would be very shocked if this team made a bowl game this season, and Kalani Sitake’s seat is going to be extremely hot if they don’t.
Arizona State Sun Devils
To say last season was a mess would be an understatement for Arizona State. Head coach Kenny Dillingham had to be a little creative at times because the Sun Devils frequently played non-quarterbacks under center due to injuries. While Jaden Rashada ended up transferring to Georgia in the spring, much of that had to do with Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt showing enough to prove himself the starter in spring ball. The Sun Devils also went out and added Nebraska transfer quarterback Jeff Sims to the mix, so that should give them some improved depth with Rashada out.
The good news for Leavitt and Co. is that the ASU offense should have some good weapons to work with. Jordyn Tyson returns after taking a year to recover from a knee injury late in 2022. Troy Omeire, Jake Smith, and Melquan Stovall return, along with running back Cam Skattebo, who rushed for 783 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023.
Defensively, Arizona State will have plenty of new faces as they brought in a bunch of FBS transfers. But this defense does have some key returners coming back in 2024. Leading tackler Shamari Simmons returns as safety, as do pass rushers Clayton Smith and Prince Dorbah.
While I do believe that Arizona State will look better in 2024, I just don’t think that they are ready to compete in the Big 12 right away. Of the three teams on this list, the Sun Devils, by far, have the most upside.
