In August, The Odyssey predicted a wild free-for-all in the Big 12 featuring a dozen competent teams but no squad that would take your breath away:
In one of the shocks of 2024, let’s take a look at the Big 12 records of 4 of the preseason favorites to win the crown:
Oklahoma State 0-5
Utah 1-4
Kansas 1-4
Arizona 1-4
3-17 overall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Meanwhile, BYU was projected to have a losing record in 2024. Instead, the Cougars are undefeated and in the Top 10. The Mormons, strangely featuring a Jewish quarterback, have handed SMU and Kansas State their only defeats.
Arizona State’s rise come 1-2 years earlier than anticipated.
Coach Prime now has some semblance of a defense.
A supposedly downtrodden Houston squad has upset TCU and Utah (as well as giving Oklahoma a scare).
There may only be two non-surpriing elements in the Big 12 bizarro world:
- Iowa State and Kansas State are both quite solid and are trending toward an epic Farmageddon showdown.
- Texas Tech gives up points as rapidly as it puts them on the scoreboard
One of Pink Floyd’s songs capsulizes this year in the Big 12: “Shine On, You Crazy Diamond.”