The Big 12 has long-been a conference known for its electric offenses and, even more, it's constantly unpredictable. Over the last four years, the Big 12 has posted four different winners, with Baylor, Kansas State, Texas, Arizona State all taking the crown after Oklahoma's grip was loosened.
With the recent exits of both Texas and Oklahoma allowed for the mayhem of the Arizona State to come out of nowhere last season to claim the Big 12 and find itself in the College Football Playoff before its eventual exit to Texas in the quarterfinal in a heartbreaking 39-31 double overtime loss.
How do you see this?
From one perspective, this is a testament to the Big 12's strength. On any given Saturday, anyone can beat anyone, especially with the refreshed league after the exit of the Sooners and Longhorns.
However, there is a more pessimistic approach that aligns with the fact that the league is weaker and lack any real star team. After all, of the four ranked AP-top 25 teams, none of them are in the top-10, with two of them (Iowa State and Texas Tech) were planted in the bottom five.
What is the outside opinion?
CBS Sports' Cody Nagel took a crack at ranking all the power four conferences, and the Big 12 found itself where you'd comfortably expect.
"3. Big 12"
"Perhaps it's the fact that the Big 12 is essentially so wide open that it gives an illusion of being deep. But it doesn't have a legitimate national title contender. What it does have is balance, excitement and unpredictability that make every weekend a must-watch. No. 11 Arizona State enters 2025 as the highest-ranked team in the polls, with No. 17 Kansas State, No. 22 Iowa State and No. 23 Texas Tech all within striking distance. Programs like Baylor, BYU, Kansas, TCU and Utah are also capable of reaching the College Football Playoff if they capture a Big 12 crown. While it may not match the SEC or Big Ten in depth, the Big 12's parity ensures that every week brings meaningful games and plenty of intrigue."
How close is the Big 12 from tipping one of the giants off its perch
The best thing the Big 12 can do is produce a national champion, it is all well and good when you see that the first three teams in the receiving votes tab from the AP Top-25 poll are from the Big 12. Yet the Big 12 hasn't produced a championship side since 2005 and that goes to the now departed Texas Longhorns. The most recent team to vie for a title was the 2022 title game, where the TCU Horned Frogs were dismantled by the Georgia Bulldogs in a 65-7 win for the SEC.