In the next few days, the Big 12 will be issuing its 2023 Preseason Football Poll, which has been dominated during the past decade by the Oklahoma football program.
Before last year’s annual preseason media poll, the Sooners had been voted the preseason favorite in the six previous polls and seven of the last 10. In short order we will find out who the media representatives who follow and report on Big 12 football believe is the team to beat this season as well as the primary challengers.
In the meantime, yours truly has done his own assessment of how the Big 12 season will play out, which this year includes four new conference members. Fourteen teams will play a total of 105 regular-season games. I have examined all 105 games, including 63 conference matchups, and come up with a preseason projection of what the final conference standings could look like.
Spoiler alert: Texas and Oklahoma will spend their final season in the Big 12, sending a parting message that will most likely be viewed as disrespectful by the rest of league: A one-two conference finish and a Red River Showdown for the Big 12 Championship.
I project the Sooners to reach the 10-win level as Brent Venables predicted and because, as the OU head coach also predicted, of an improved defense. OU will be 5-0 heading into the annual Red River rivalry game with Texas, but the Sooners will lose to the Longhorns for a second straight season, although by a much closer margin than last year’s 49-0 blowout. The Sooner will lose just one more in the regular season, to Oklahoma State in what could be the final Bedlam game for a while.
Here is how I project the 2023 Big 12 football final standings (ties have been decided by tiebreaking rules):
Conference Games Only All Games
1. Texas Longhorns 8-1 10-2
2. Oklahoma Sooners 7-2 10-2
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys 6-3 8-4
4. Kansas State Wildcats 6-3 8-4
5. TCU Horned Frogs 5-4 8-4
6. Baylor Bears 5-4 7-5
7. Texas Tech Red Raiders 5-4 7-5
8. BYU Cougars 4-5 7-5
9. Cincinnati Bearcats 4-5 5-7
10. UCF Knights 4-5 6-6
11. Iowa State Cyclones 3-6 5-7
12. Kansas Jayhawks 3-6 5-7
13. Houston Cougars 3-6 4-8
14. West Virginia Mountaineers 2-7 3-9
Texas (10-2, 8-1)
Wins: Rice, Wyoming, @Baylor, Kansas, OU in Dallas, @Houston, BYU, Kansas State, @Iowa State, Texas Tech
Losses: @Alabama, @TCU
Oklahoma (10-2, 7-2)
Wins: Central Arkansas, SMU, @Tulsa, @Cincinnati, @Iowa State, UCF, @Kansas, @West Virginia, @BYU, TCU
Losses: Texas in Dallas, @Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State (8-4, 6-3)
Wins: Central Arkansas, South Alabama, Kansas State, Kansas, Cincinnati, Oklahoma, @Houston, BYU
Losses: @Arizona State, @Iowa State, @West Virginia, @UCF
Kansas State (8-4, 6-3)
Wins: Southeast Missouri State, Troy, UCF, TCU, Houston, Baylor, @Kansas, Iowa State
Losses: @Missouri, @Oklahoma State, @Texas Tech, @Texas
TCU (8-4, 5-4)
Wins: Colorado, Nichols State, @Houston, SMU, West Virginia, BYU, Texas. Baylor
Losses: @Iowa State, @Kansas State, @Texas Tech, @Oklahoma
Baylor (7-5, 5-4)
Wins: Texas State, Long Island, Texas Tech, @Cincinnati, Iowa State, Houston, West Virginia
Losses: Utah, Texas, @UCF, @Kansas State, @TCU
Texas Tech (7-5, 5-4)
Wins: @Wyoming, Tarleton State, @West Virginia, Houston, Kansas State, TCU, UCF
Losses: Oregon, @Baylor, @BYU, @Kansas, @Texas
BYU (6-6, 4-5)
Wins: Sam Houston, Southern Utah, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, @West Virginia, Iowa State
Losses: @Arkansas, @Kansas, @TCU, @Texas, Oklahoma, @Oklahoma State
Cincinnati (5-7, 4-5)
Wins: Eastern Kentucky, Iowa State, UCF, Houston, Kansas
Losses: Pittsburgh, Miami (Ohio), Oklahoma, @BYU, Baylor, @Oklahoma State, @West Virginia
UCF (6-6, 4-5)
Wins: Kent State, Villanova, Baylor, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Houston
Losses: @Boise State, @Kansas State, @Kansas, @Oklahoma, @Cincinnati, @ Texas Tech
Iowa State (5-7, 3-6)
Wins: Northern Iowa, @Ohio, Oklahoma State, TCU, Kansas
Losses: Iowa, @Oklahoma, @Cincinnati, @Baylor, @BYU, Texas, @Kansas State
Kansas (5-7, 3-6)
Wins: Missouri State, Nevada, BYU, UCF, Texas Tech
Losses: Illinois, @Texas, @Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, @Iowa State, Kansas State, @Cincinnati
Houston (4-8, 3-6)
Wins: University of Texas-San Antonio, Rice, Sam Houston, West Virginia
Losses: TCU, @Texas Tech, Texas, @Kansas State, @Baylor, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, @UCF
West Virginia (3-9, 2-7)
Wins: Duquense, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati
Losses: @Penn State, Pittsburgh, Texas Tech, @TCU, @Houston, @UCF, BYU, @Oklahoma, @Baylor