The Big 12 Conference provided us with one of the most chaotic, bewildering, and frankly awesome seasons of college football action a year ago. As the 16 teams make their way to Frisco for the Big 12 Media Days, what is one burning question from the offseason that requires addressing ahead of the 2025 campaign?
Arizona State Sun Devils
Can The Sun Devils Survive Without Cam Skattebo?
From worst to first. The Arizona State Sun Devils were written off entering the 2024 campaign but emerged as the Big 12 champions in a fairytale-esque assault on the conference. No doubt Kenny Dillingham has built a culture of winning in Tempe, but even the casual bystander saw the impact that running back Cam Skattebo had on the program a year ago. Now, he’s gone.
So, the biggest question facing Arizona State heading into 2025 is how they will cope without a running back who single-handedly dragged the Sun Devils kicking and screaming past defenses, who accounted for 38.5% of the program’s total offensive yardage (2,316 scrimmage yards, split between 1,711 rushing and 605 receiving yards), who finished fifth in Heisman voting?
The answer is, with difficulty. Last fall, Skattebo earned the third-highest overall grade in PFSN RB+ (94.07, A), ranking second among Big 12 running backs. Kyson Brown returns to the running back room after tallying 540 scrimmage yards and three scores last fall. He had one game that qualified for an RB+ grade, earning a respectable 80.46 (B-) against UCF.
They also added former Army Black Knights running back Kanye Udoh, a north-south rusher who put together a 1,117-yard campaign with 6.2 yards per carry and 10 scores in 2024. Udoh has the bruising makeup that was the hallmark of Skattebo’s game and should catch the eye, but there will be more pressure on Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson to carry the team in 2025.
Arizona Wildcats
Who Steps Up to Replace Tetairoa McMillan?
With just two wins in the Big 12 and a 4-8 overall record, 2024 wasn’t the season anyone expected from the Arizona Wildcats. The coaching domino effect that started with Nick Saban’s retirement from the Alabama Crimson Tide was a suboptimal distraction for a team that had to find a new head coach and prepare for a transition to a new conference, and it showed.
One of the reasons why many analysts believed Arizona was well-positioned to compete in the Big 12 last fall, despite the coaching staff changes, was the return of quarterback/wide receiver duo Noah Fifita and Tetairo McMillan, a partnership that had dominated Pac-12 defenses in 2023. Yet, Fifita struggled (73.22 PFSN QB+ grade), and so did the offense.
Although they only averaged 21.8 points per game with a 75.41 (C) PFSN Offense+ grade, McMillan still racked up over 1,000 yards for the second successive season, earning All-American honors on his way to being a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The biggest question facing the team heading into the 2025 season is, who steps up to replace him in the offense?
Chris Hunter returns after tallying 323 yards and three scores in 2024, but he only averaged 9.2 yards per catch. Luke Wysong arrives after a career-high 840 yards for the New Mexico Lobos last fall, but he only snagged one touchdown reception. Kris Hutson was an exciting addition from Washington State, but at 5’11” and 171 pounds, he doesn’t replicate McMillan’s skill set.
Baylor Bears
Can the Bears’ Defense Support Sawyer Robertson and the Baylor Offense?
After a difficult start to the 2024 season, the Baylor Bears went on an incredible run from mid-October to late November, sweeping all Big 12 teams in front of them to end the regular season with an 8-4 record. That streak was the polar opposite of what we’ve come to expect from a Dave Aranda team, with success on offense helping mask some defensive deficiencies.
The Bears ended the year with the fifth-highest graded Big 12 unit by PFSN Offense+ (80.37, B-). A significant chunk of that unit returns, including quarterback Sawyer Robertson, running back Bryson Washington, and star wide receiver Josh Cameron.
Robertson finished the year with the third-highest PFSN QB+ grade in the Big 12 (82.9, B-). His alluring combination of arm talent and power-run physicality makes him a nice long-shot Heisman Trophy contender and ensures that no questions are hanging over the offense heading into the 2025 campaign. The defense, however, is a different matter.
Defense has been Aranda’s calling card, but they were distinctly average on that side of the ball a year ago. Nine teams put up 20 or more points on the Bears in 2024, while LSU and Iowa State racked up over 40. If that unit hasn’t improved over the offseason (they added four potential starters from the transfer portal), then it might cost Baylor a shot at the Big 12 title.
BYU Cougars
How Does Kilani Sitake Replace Jake Retzlaff?
The BYU Cougars were in the mix for a Big 12 Championship Game berth right until the end of the 2024 season, and carried high hopes of challenging right at the top through the offseason. However, a quarterback controversy has rocked the Provo program to the core with just over a month until the start of the 2025 campaign.
Although he wasn’t officially in the college football transfer portal at the time of writing, the expectation was that starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff would be looking to find a new home after reportedly being dismissed for violating the BYU honor code. The talented quarterback was arguably the face of the team last year, and his loss this late in the process is significant.
So, where does Kilani Sitake go from here? That’s the multi-million dollar question for a team expected to challenge for a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth. Running back LJ Martin could carry the offense through the ground game, but currently, there are only two quarterbacks on the 2025 BYU football roster in a conference defined by high-powered offense.
McCae Hillstead flashed some as a freshman for the Utah State Aggies, throwing for 1,062 and 11 touchdowns, with a 71.8 (C-) PFSN QB+ grade. Treyson Bourguet is less interception-prone, but has appeared in just 10 games while completing 52.4% of his career attempts. Meanwhile, the transfer portal isn’t flush with available passers.
Cincinnati Bearcats
What Is the Ceiling for the Bearcats in 2025?
With the 12th-graded offense (77.80, C+) and the ninth-highest graded defense (76.98, C) in the Big 12 by PFSN’s suite of college metrics, the Cincinnati Bearcats were the epitome of a middling team in the conference last fall. They added a couple of wins to their inaugural campaign total (5-7 from 3-9 in 2023), but didn’t take a massive stride in Year 2 under Scott Satterfield.
What does the next step look like for the Bearcats?
The return of Brendan Sorsby is significant. The dual-threat is particularly underrated as a Big 12 passer, but has the potential to lead the offense to much more than we saw in 2024. To support his quarterback, Satterfield added a trio of talented pass catchers, including former Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M receiver Cyrus Allen and FCS All-American Jeff Caldwell.
The defense returns nose tackle Dontay Corleone, a pivotal piece of roster retention, while Matthew McDoom’s arrival from the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers demonstrates a seriousness to shoring up the secondary. Yet, between roster and strength of schedule, this team might have a six-win ceiling in 2025.
Colorado Buffaloes
How Does the Offensive Line Ensure Success for Kaidon Salter or JuJu Lewis?
The Colorado Buffaloes suffered the most significant roster losses of any Big 12 team this offseason. The program is one of just six in the conference to lose its starting quarterback after Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft selection. Meanwhile, the loss of Heisman Trophy-winning, do-it-all cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter provides its own unique difficulties for the program.
As has become the case under Deion Sanders, there are a multitude of questions hanging over the Buffaloes. We’re six weeks from the start of the campaign, and there is yet to be a decision made about who will replace the younger Sanders under center, with former Liberty Flames dual-threat Kaidon Salter battling highly-touted true freshman Julian “JuJu” Lewis.
That in itself is a significant question. Yet, a bigger one surrounds Colorado. Sanders’ play from the quarterback position for the last two seasons in Boulder has been electric, made even more impressive by his laboring behind one of the worst offensive lines in the country. The Buffaloes ranked last in the Big 12 and 111th nationally last year in PFSN OL+ (68.67, D+).
Whoever wins the starting quarterback job has their life in the offensive line’s hands, so can they protect Salter or Lewis better this fall? Jordan Seaton returns at left tackle, and experience gained by extensive playing time as a freshman should help. Four transfers will make up the rest of the starting five, headlined by Zylon Crisler (Illinois) and Zarian McGill (Louisiana Tech).
Houston Cougars
Is Dean Connors the X-Factor the Cougars Need to Succeed?
Willie Fritz inherited a dumpster fire of a roster when he took on the Houston Cougars head coach job ahead of the 2024 season. Understandably, results weren’t up to the standard we’d come to expect from the former Tulane Green Wave head coach. Heading into Year 2, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the Cougars as Houston looks to surpass a 4-8 overall record.
Most of those center on the offense. The Houston defense allowed just 22.9 points per game last fall, and earned the fifth-highest grade by PFSN Defense+ (79.37). But the offense was putrid, averaging just 14.0 points per game and receiving the second-lowest PFSN Offense+ grade (69.21, D+).
Part of the issue was inconsistency at the quarterback position, with Donovan Smith and Zeon Chriss both seeing extensive action, but throwing more interceptions than touchdown passes. Neither surpassed 1,000 passing yards, either. Yet, their efforts were thwarted by an offensive line that was the second-worst in the Big 12 by OL+ (71.84, C- grade) and a lack of a run game.
We interrupt this broadcast for DEAN CONNORS 🚂 pic.twitter.com/3n5Qku6DA2
— Rice Football (@RiceFootball) November 3, 2024
There has been a lot of focus on the offseason acquisition of quarterback Connor Weigman, but is Dean Connors actually the player to watch this fall? The former Rice Owls running back has averaged 5.5 yards per carry for his career. He’s also a dynamic receiving back with consecutive campaigns over 400 receiving yards and double-digit total touchdowns.
Iowa State Cyclones
Can Chase Sowell and Xavier Townsend Replace Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins?
With his combative, never-quit, play style and obvious arm talent, Rocco Becht helped take the Iowa State Cyclones to the Big 12 Championship Game in 2024. After successive seasons with 3,000+ yards and 20+ passing touchdowns, he could have gone to the NFL, forging his own professional path. Yet, he’s returned to Ames to try and take the team to a first Big 12 title.
The Cyclones’ quarterback position is unquestioned. They also have a blossoming offensive line, return two high-impact running backs in Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III, and despite some losses on the defensive side of the ball, have enough talent there to be unconcerned about drop-off from a unit that allowed 22.9 points per game as a top-50 scoring defense in 2024.
However, there is a significant question hanging over Iowa State. How does Matt Campbell replace the lost production of Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins? The two represented 66.4% of the Cyclones’ 3,580 receiving yards in 2024, and also accounted for 17 of Becht’s 25 passing touchdowns. It’s a substantial deficit that the program has to replace in 2025.
Enter Chase Sowell and Xavier Townsend. After two successive 600+ yard seasons for the East Carolina Pirates, Sowell is back at the Power Four level as one of the most sought-after transfer wide receivers. His 2.97 yards per route (as per TruMedia) was higher than both Noel’s (2.73) and Higgins’ (2.78) during the 2024 season, giving some cause for optimism.
Kansas Jayhawks
What Does the Jayhawks’ Offense Look Like Without Devin Neal?
The Kansas Jayhawks received the highest PFSN Offense+ grade (85.61, B) of any Big 12 unit in 2024 after a slow (1-5) start to the season gave way to a 4-2 final six-game stretch that included wins over three ranked opponents (Iowa State, BYU, and Colorado) that helped shape the chaotic climax to the campaign.
After losing Andy Kotelnicki to the Penn State Nittany Lions, there had been fears for a unit that had been one of the most exciting in the country in 2023, powering a 9-4 campaign that set a new standard for Kansas football. The slow start played into those, while the strong finish and subsequent promotion of Jim Zebrowski allayed them somewhat.
There will be one vital component of Kansas’ offensive success missing for the 2025 campaign, however. Running back Devin Neal established himself as a program legend, a hometown hero who represented the best of Jayhawks football both on and off the field. He was the offense for the past three seasons, tallying over 1,200 scrimmage yards and double-digit scores in each.
Neal ended the 2024 season with a 91.31 PFSN College RB+ grade, the third-highest in the Big 12, the sixth-best in the nation, and a top-25 marker since 2019. While the Jayhawks return quarterback Jalon Daniels and a host of talented offensive players, how the program adapts to the loss of a Kansas legend could define their entire 2025 campaign.
Kansas State Wildcats
Do the Wildcats Have an Avery Johnson Problem?
DraftKings Sportsbook makes the Kansas State Wildcats the joint-favorite to win the Big 12 title in 2025, and there are plenty of reasons to believe in Chris Klieman’s team. Under his leadership they’ve become a consistent challenger in the conference, and since the departure of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners, they’re seen as one of the standard-bearers.
The program has only once dropped below eight victories in Klieman’s tenure and has a winning record in the Big 12 in each of the last three seasons. The Wildcats finished 2024 with an 80.33 College Offense+ grade (sixth in the Big 12), 80.95 College Defense+ grade (third in the Big 12), and 85.85 College OL+ grade (third in the Big 12).
Furthermore, running back DJ Giddens was a top-25 graded running back by PFSN College RB+. Yet, the combination of those grades only saw Kansas State finish with five wins in 2024, some way short of expectations and the teams ahead of them, which begs a significant question.
Does Kansas State have an Avery Johnson problem? The young quarterback replaced Will Howard (now a national champion, incidentally) as the starter for the Wildcats last fall, producing some eye-opening performances and appearing to repay the faith Klieman showed in him. Yet, his 77.4 (C+) College QB+ grade ranked 11th in the Big 12, showcasing some room to grow.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Zane Fores or Hauss Hejny? Does It Even Matter?!
After just the second losing season of Mike Gundy’s tenure as the Oklahoma State Cowboys, there are more question marks flying around Stillwater than perhaps any program in the country. A chaotic offseason a year ago gave way to a dismal campaign without a Big 12 win, with the head coach taking a pay cut this winter to ensure more funds are allocated to finding the answers.
Did they find any?
As we barrel roll towards the start of the 2025 campaign, we don’t know if Zane Flores or TCU transfer Hauss Hejny will be the starter under center for an offense that was one of the worst in the conference a year ago. Flores is in his third season with the program, yet still described as “developing”, while Hejny was a high-value recruit who didn’t complete a pass at TCU in 2024.
While it’s unclear who the starter will be, there are also uncertainties over the supporting cast, while an offensive line that received a 78.47 OL+ grade (11th in the Big 12) has been remodelled using predominantly former JUCO and FCS transfers. Ultimately, the cohesion and talent on the line could prove to be the biggest question mark facing Gundy and the Cowboys.
TCU Horned Frogs
Do the Frogs Have the Ground Game to Support Josh Hoover?
Josh Hoover is the real deal. The TCU Horned Frogs quarterback is the highest-graded returning quarterback to the Big 12 this fall, after his 3,949 passing yards, 27 touchdown passes, 66.5% completion, and four rushing touchdowns helped power a nine-win campaign for Sonny Dykes and an 83.1 (B) College QB+ grade that was just outside the top 10 for all passers last year.
There’s no doubt about Hoover ahead of the 2025 campaign. Neither is there any concern about the passing weapons at his disposal. Eric McAlister is one of the top receivers in the country, and with Jack Bech’s departure to the NFL, it would be a surprise if the former Boise State Bronco doesn’t turn the third-most yards per route run last season into a 1,000-yard campaign.
They also added some support in the form of Joseph Manjack IV and Jordan Dwyer, a talented former FCS pass catcher at Idaho who tallied 78 catches, 1,192 yards, and 12 touchdowns in 2024.
But, without a ground game, what is the ceiling for this TCU offense? They finished 13th in the Big 12 a year ago with just 113.92 yards per game and lost their leading rusher (Cam Cook) to Jacksonville State. While everyone remembers the heroics of Max Duggan in the Frogs’ College Football Playoff season, that team had a solid ground game foundation that this unit doesn’t.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Is This the Year Joey McGuire’s Red Raiders Match Expectation With Results?
Expectation is something that has followed the Texas Tech Red Raiders everywhere since Joey McGuire took over the reins at the start of the 2022 college football season. The coach himself landed in the top 50 of the college football head coach rankings recently compiled by PFSN’s Joe Broback, and everything that has happened in Lubbock points to big things being achieved.
The Red Raiders have become a major player in the college football transfer portal. Using NIL, they’re consistently able to mix it up with bigger brands in the world of high school recruiting. That is perhaps best evidenced by the recent capture of five-star offensive lineman Felix Ojo, who spurned Texas for a three-year, $5.1 million revenue share deal with the Big 12 team.
Between portal prowess, high school recruiting success, roster retention, and culture creation, McGuire has Texas Tech set up as well as any program in the Big 12. Yet, there’s still something missing. Results.
After going 7-5 in the 2022 regular season, then beating the Ole Miss Rebels in the Texas Bowl, the expectations were that Texas Tech would kick on and assert itself in the Big 12. A 6-6 regular season followed. Last season, they hit the most conference wins for a Red Raiders team since the late, great Mike Leach was in town. The team needs to back that up this fall.
UCF Knights
Is Scott Frost 2.0 A Mistake?
Scott Frost guided the UCF Knights to the best times of their relatively short FBS tenure. No coach in the history of the program has achieved more wins in a single season (13), achieved a higher AP Poll ranking (six), or guided the team through an undefeated season. He helped turn the Knights into a nationally recognizable brand, all in the space of one season.
As the team slumped to its worst record since 2015, it is only natural to want to rekindle those former glories. Yet are the UCF Knights about to make that age-old mistake of returning to your ex in the hope you can rekindle once-held passions while the reality proves something far from romantic?
The former UCF head coach had a troubled time in his last head coaching role, providing fewer wins in his final four seasons with the Nebraska Cornhuskers than he did in that epic 2017 campaign with the Knights. That season stands as his only one with a winning record, having gone 6-7 in his debut at UCF in 2016, and no better than 5-7 with Nebraska.
There are lots of ifs and buts around a roster that welcomes as many as 17 transfer portal starters and battles the departure of R.J. Harvey, but the biggest one might be whether the program has made a mistake returning to a lover that once spurned it in pursuit of what he perceived as a prettier prize.
Utah Utes
Is Jason Beck’s Offense the Missing Piece for a Big 12 Title Contender?
Utah’s first season in the Big 12 was an unmitigated disaster. The former Pac-12 power produced a 5-7 campaign that was powered by just two conference wins, as injuries and inconsistency at the quarterback position derailed a team and put pressure on Kyle Whittingham, a head coach with a succession plan in place who must have contemplated his retirement multiple times in 2024.
Lost among the offensive trials and tribulations of last season was a Utah defense that might not have been as visibly dominant as the Devin Lloyd-led units that resulted in Pac-12 titles, but was consistently carrying the weight of the entire program on its shoulders. They were a top-25 scoring unit nationally, and the highest-graded Big 12 defense with an 85.53 Defense+ mark.
A substantial chunk of that defense returns, which flips the focus back onto the Utes offense. Whittingham made significant changes to that side of the ball this offseason, bringing in former New Mexico Lobos offensive coordinator Jason Beck to run the offense and coach the quarterbacks. He brings one of the top dual-threat playmakers in the country with him, Devon Dampier.
Is Beck’s offense the missing piece? Only time will tell, but the Lobos had the 80th-graded unit in the nation (73.81, C) last year, substantially better than the Utes’ 69.05 (D+) grade that propped up the Big 12 a year ago. Putting Dampier behind an offensive line with two of the best tackles in the nation (Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu) should only enhance his playmaking.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Forget Rich Rodriguez’s Offense, Did the Mountaineers Do Enough to Fix the Defense This Offseason?
The West Virginia Mountaineers cut bait with Neal Brown after a 6-6 campaign. In search of former glory and competitiveness in the Big 12, they turned to a familiar face, bringing in Rich Rodriguez, who compiled a 60-26 record the first time around in Morgantown. He’s fresh off a CUSA title-winning campaign with Jacksonville State that showcased his offensive prowess.
Understandably, attention has been focused on how Rodriguez can operate the uptempo offense that powered the Gamecocks’ success with the Mountaineers. West Virginia has an exciting running back in Jahiem White, added former SMU and Miami (FL) rusher Jaylin Knighton, and brought in a raft of offensive upgrades to try and replicate his exciting run game.
Still, a more substantial question remains. Jacksonville State built its success on a dominant defense in CUSA, and West Virginia has historically been able to produce impact-makers at every level of the defense. That was noticeably lacking for the Mountaineers last season, finishing last in the Big 12 with a 67.05 (D+) graded unit, as per PFSN College Defense+.
As many as seven transfers could start on that side of the ball, while the number of defensive portal acquisitions for the Mountaineers runs into the 20s. Rodriguez is clearly mindful of the need to upgrade that unit, but did he do enough?
