![]() ![]() Combined with Kansas’ general improvement, that type of development resonates with prospects.ĭefensive backs coach Jordan Peterson, who I wrote about briefly this month, deserves a shout-out as well. He elevated the likes of quarterback Jalon Daniels and cornerback Cobee Bryant and plucked quality contributors via the transfer portal such as Mike Novitsky ( Buffalo), Dominick Puni ( Central Michigan) and Lonnie Phelps (Miami Ohio). He’s familiar with the region and has a strong eye for talent. noted, it’s still early, but right now it represents a significant improvement from the 60s, where the Jayhawks have ranked in recent seasons. 41 in the national rankings for the 2024 class at the time this went to publication, which would be the program’s highest-rated class in a decade. I know it means very little this early in the cycle, but what’s behind their big gets and how promising is their recruiting future? Lance Leipold and his staff seem to be nailing it. WilliamsĪ lot of nice commitments lately for the Jayhawks. (Heartland College Sports wrote a helpful article on this last October.) Multiple sources familiar with the league’s revenue projections told The Athletic they expect schools to at least be in the upper $40 million range once the new TV deal kicks in. If you project all of those, you can reasonably get in that $50-million-per-school range. In actuality, the $31.7 million per school is the projected TV revenue, while the $50 million per school is the total conference distribution, which includes money from conference championship games, bowl and College Football Playoff revenues, NCAA Tournament credits (a significant source in the Big 12) and other league-wide revenue streams, of which commissioner Brett Yormark seems to have no shortage of ideas. The Sooners will avenge a down season to make one last run atop the regular-season standings, only for Kansas State to play spoiler for the second year in a row and upset Oklahoma in the title game. Both teams were among the top three in the league in scoring defense last year, too, with defensive staff and scheme stability at both schools. The Longhorns also return their entire O-line, they stocked up at receiver and Quinn Ewers should be better. I love how many players the Wildcats return, especially on offense: eight starters, including the entire offensive line and quarterback Will Howard. Who will be in the conference championship game in December? - Josh L. I can’t say I have a good feel for it, but it should be fun to watch. Best guess long-term? I’d go with Baylor, Kansas State or Oklahoma State, but you could easily argue for Texas Tech, TCU or any of the newcomers. A year later, TCU emerged out of nowhere. Eighteen months ago, the most reasonable answer would have been Oklahoma State, Baylor or even incoming Cincinnati, with the Bearcats fresh off a CFP berth. Projecting which one or two schools that might be? Honestly, I have no clue. I think it’s more likely the on-field results of the next decade will determine who fills those vacancies at the top. Maybe a new Big 12 that could be the most competitive top to bottom will stay that way for a while, which would be a distinct and entertaining development in a sport short on parity. It doesn’t always translate to on-field success, as the “Horns Down” brigade will be quick to point out, but power conferences have historically had alpha dogs. ![]() But there’s a foundation there, with good recruiting and transfer portal usage, a great location, a school and donors willing to spend and a history of winning in this century under Sonny Dykes’ predecessor, Gary Patterson. It will be difficult to repeat that success. The Horned Frogs did something no other continuing Big 12 school has done - made the College Football Playoff. This will be a big year for that program. There’s an institutional commitment there, but Gundy is who he is. The Cowboys played for the conference title two years ago and have won double-digit games seven times since 2010, but only once in the last five years. Oklahoma State has stability in its favor, with Mike Gundy being the league’s longest-tenured head coach. Read more: College football preseason top 25: Austin Mock’s model ranks the best teams The Wildcats are moving in the right direction. Kansas State seems to have something going under Chris Klieman after winning the Big 12 last year and winning at least eight games in three of his first four seasons. ![]()
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