The 2024 college football season is upon us, and we’ve already gotten a glimpse of what the Big 12 has to offer, which is heading into a year chock-full of changes.
On Thursday night, we got a glimpse at Colorado, Utah, Kansas, and UCF, all of whom have Big 12 Championship aspirations to some degree or another.
However, only two teams will be left standing at the end of the year, and with 16 teams to choose from — and about 10 with a realistic reason to believe they’ll be there — it’s going to be one of the most challenging conference races to predict in all of college football.
That’s exactly what the Heartland College Sports’ staff is doing today, though. Each member of the team will give you their picks for the Big 12 Title game, who will win it, and why.
Here we go.
Pete Mundo: Utah Def. UCF
This will mean that the Utah Utes and UCF Knights will play each other in back-to-back weeks as the teams are set to play during Week 14 on Black Friday in Orlando. I believe Utah will be undefeated going into that game and while it might be appealing to keep the undefeated streak going, Kyle Whittingham will realize that being undefeated really doesn’t matter, because winning the Big 12 and getting a bye is the most important thing to focus on based on the new 12-team Playoff. And it’s more important to be rested as the potential No. 4 seed in the Playoff, than try and focus on being the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the Playoff as an undefeated.
So Utah will take the foot off the pedal in Week 14 match up with UCF, which the Knights end up winning to get to 7-2 in the Big 12.
Utah brings in the best defense in the league, with a veteran quarterback, who, if healthy, will have himself a huge season. Utah’s homefield advantage is real and some of their toughest games (TCU, BYU and Iowa State) are at home. If they can get past Oklahoma State in late September, the Utes will be on their way to Arlington.
Bryan Clinton: Utah def. Kansas State
Now, before I go explaining anything, I am making this projection in the case that both Cam Rising and Avery Johnson remain healthy for the entire year. If either of them gets hurt, their team’s chances at winning a Big 12 title are significantly diminished.With that being said, I love what I saw out of Utah last night. Cam Rising was stellar in his return to the field — albeit against Southern Utah — and the Utes’ defense was dominant from start to finish. The offensive line is still a work in progress, so they’ll need to get that figured out, but all-in-all, Utah looked the part of Big 12 favorite in Week 1.
We won’t get a look at Kansas State until Saturday night, but if the smoke about Avery Johnson is real, the Wildcats are going to be tough to beat. I expect the defense to play its game, and K-State’s ability to control the clock and dice people up with the trio of Johnson, Dylan Edwards, and DJ Giddens will be effective. Picking Utah to win the league comes down to the edge for Rising when it comes to experience. Johnson is no stranger to the spotlight, but it’s rare to see a guy like Rising stick around for this long at the college level. I believe the Utes could be special in 2024.
Joe Tillery: Kansas State Def. Utah
I’ll take the Kansas State Wildcats to win the Big 12 Championship and advance to the CFP for one main reason: I strongly believe that at the season’s end, K-State QB Avery Johnson will be the league’s best player. When you can push out a veteran like Will Howard, and he becomes the starting quarterback for Ohio State, it speaks volumes. Johnson is an elite talent in college football and will rise to the challenge as a sophomore.
As for Utah, it goes without saying that Cam Rising has established himself as one of the premiere quarterbacks in college football. While his injury history is a factor, I trust him more than Kansas’ Jalon Daniels to stay healthy, which helps edge the Utes past the Jayhawks on the road to Arlington. The matchup between Utah and K-State features two similarly constructed teams, but the triple-threat rushing attack of Avery Johnson, DJ Giddens, and Dylan Edwards will prove to be too much to handle for Kyle Whittingham and company.
Matthew Postins: Kansas State Def. Utah
I’ve been pretty steadfast this offseason on who I believe will get to the Big 12 Championship Game — Utah and Kansas State. There are a half-dozen teams that I could see getting there, but the Utes and the Wildcats are the two teams I have the most trust in to get to AT&T Stadium in December. They have favorable schedules overall and could each get there with 11-1 records if things go right. As for who wins the game? I think that has all the makings of Kansas State-TCU from two years ago, and we all know how that one went. Kansas State beats Utah in double overtime in a game we’ll call a classic a decade from now.
Derek Duke: Utah Def. Oklahoma State
This has been the million-dollar question for those of us in the Big 12. I have been back and forth on this pick so much that I want to pull all their hair off of my head. Of course, I am one of the many who have Utah playing for a Big 12 title. The Utes have just about everything you could want out of a quality team. Cam Rising is fully healthy, and he has some weapons with which to work. Plus, I dare you to find a better defense in the conference than Utah’s.
As for their opponent, I am going to go with Oklahoma State. I know Kansas State is the popular pick, but I can’t ignore what the Cowboys are bringing back. Ollie Gordon III is the best running back in the country, and Alan Bowman returns for his tenth season. It also helps that he has guys like Brennan Presley and Rashod Owens to throw to. Defensively, they return almost all of their starters, and I expect them to take another step forward this season.
