Average FPI ranking: 54.9
Bowl record: 5-4
Final AP Top 25 teams: Texas (3), Oklahoma (15), Oklahoma State (16), Kansas State (18), Kansas (23)
For a conference that is losing its two heavyweights in Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC next season, 2023 was a solid one.
The Longhorns won the conference and earned a playoff bid, marking the first time since 2019 the Big 12 was represented. Texas losing 37-31 to Washington dashed hopes for a Big 12 team to play for a national title for the first time in the four-team playoff era.
Elsewhere, the Big 12 had two other teams finish with double-digit wins, as Oklahoma finished 10-3 and Oklahoma State 10-4. There were also three teams that had 9-4 seasons in West Virginia, Kansas State and Kansas.
The four newcomers in the conference—UCF, BYU, Cincinnati and Houston—struggled a bit to get accustomed to Big 12 play. The Knights had the best season of the three, finishing 6-7 on the year with a 3-6 record in conference play. Houston went 4-8 and fired head coach Dana Holgorsen, BYU finished 5-7, and Cincy went 3-9.
In 2024, the conference will look a lot different, with former Pac-12 members Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado set to join. If it can get at least a couple teams in the expanded 12-team playoff, it'll be an improvement for the new-look Big 12.
