2024 Big 12 Football Bowl Projections Following Week 8
Oct 20, 2024, 3:28 PM
PROVO, UT - OCTOBER 18: LJ Martin #27 of the Brigham Young Cougars gets past a tackle attempt by Lyrik Rawls #6 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the first half of their game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on October 18, 2024 in Provo, Utah.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark confidently said that his conference for football would have a lot of good teams. In fact, he went beyond that by saying the Big 12 “will be the deepest conference in America and every week will matter.”
He seems to be correct on that front, for the most part. The league has two dominant teams with BYU and Iowa State undefeated and a third team Kansas State has one loss and is ranked 16th in both polls. Plus, Arizona State and Cincinnati are getting votes in the AP poll.
The middle of the league has been proven to beat each other up on a given week. Yormak’s deepest comments aren’t quite there yet but seating every week will matter is accurate. There are seven teams with one or two conference losses.
That’s a wrap on another wild weekend of #Big12FB pic.twitter.com/LFKvRvknI0
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 20, 2024
Then, there are teams that earned first-place votes in the preseason are at three conference losses in Utah, Kansas, and Arizona. The other is Oklahoma State and they have four conference losses. Only Kansas State is living up to the preseason expectations as a potential Big 12 champion.
Each week this league has close games and unexpected results. Our Big 12 bowl projections are proving to be just as interesting.
Middle Of Big 12 Is A Jumbled Mess, Bowl Projections Reflect That
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, there are 11 teams projected to get to six wins or more. Oklahoma State and West Virginia are both 3-4 but sitting at 48% and 47.9% to get to bowl eligibility.
For another week in a row, there are 11 Big 12 teams projected to go bowling, and while the Cowboys are just under 50% per FPI they are in a postseason game over Baylor who is given a 56.9% chance to get to the magic six-win mark.
The order of these games keeps shifting. Utah’s loss to TCU drops the Utes even further in the bowl projections this week with three league losses and just 3-4 overall. However, their matchup vs. Army in this week’s bowl prognostications could be a good game as the Black Knights are currently undefeated.
There does not seem to be a firm team to move to that wants to be in that fourth spot behind BYU, Iowa State, and Kansas State. The closest teams seem to be Colorado and Cincinnati as both have just one league loss. Texas Tech also has a conference loss in a surprising 59-35 loss to Baylor.
For another week in a row, the Big 12 is projected to have two teams in the College Football Playoff field.
12 Bowl Projections: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Thursday, December 26
5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Matchup: Minnesota vs. TCU
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Friday, December 27
12:00 or 3:30, ESPN
Amon G Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Matchup: Navy vs. Oklahoma State
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Friday, December 27
7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, TN
Matchup: Vanderbilt vs. UCF
DIRECTV Holiday Bowl
Friday, December 27
8:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA
Matchup: Cal vs Colorado
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Friday, December 27
10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Reliant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Matchup: South Carolina vs. Arizona
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Saturday, December 28
3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Matchup: Notre Dame vs. Texas Tech
Valero Alamo Bowl
Saturday, December 28
7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Matchup: Washington State vs. Kansas State
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Saturday, December 28
9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Matchup: Army vs. Utah
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Projection
Tuesday, December 31
2:00 p.m. ET, CBS
Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
Matchup: Georgia Tech vs. Arizona State
Texas Bowl
Tuesday, December 31
3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Matchup: LSU vs. Cincinnati
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Projection
Friday, January 3
4:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Gerald R Ford Stadium, University Park, TX
Matchup: Minnesota vs. West Virginia
College Football Playoff Projections Have A New No. 1
For the third time this year a No. 1 team in either the AP or Coaches Poll has fallen. The latest victim is when Georgia toppled No. 1 Texas in Austin, 30-15.
There are now zero undefeated from the SEC, and overall there are 10 undefeated teams with seven from the Power 4 leagues.
After falling to Tennessee, Alabama now has two losses, which could lead to a stress test if other teams remain undefeated. The Crimson Tide’s win over then-No. 1 Georgia holds a lot of weight and can be considered one of the best wins by any team.
In the meantime, Alabama is out of the field and is not even considered as one of the first four out with two losses, and Tennessee is back in the field as the No. 10 seed.
The top four had some changes with Texas falling from the No. 1 seed and being replaced by Oregon and Georgia taking over as the projected SEC champion at No. 2.
In the race for the Group of Five spot, Army and Navy both remain undefeated, as does Liberty, but it is Boise State who holds down that 12th spot.
Quarterfinal Games
No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8/9 Winner
No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7/10 Winner
No. 3 Miami vs. No. 6/11 Winner
No. 4 BYU vs. No. 5/12 Winner
Opening Round Games at campus sites
No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Penn State
No. 11 Iowa State at No. 6 Ohio State
No. 10 Tennessee at No. 7 Texas
No. 9 LSU at No. 8 Clemson
First Four out: Indiana, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Pitt
Next Group of Five: Navy, Army, UNLV, Liberty
Want more Big 12 Bowl Projections? Take us with you wherever you go.
