Will second-year coach Deion Sanders lead Colorado to the Big 12 championship game?
That is the leading question in an exciting race that will continue to develop in the last three weeks of the season. The Buffaloes are one of six teams still eligible to compete for the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
BYU still holds the lead in the conference. The Cougars are 9-0 and 6-0 in Big 12 play – the only unbeaten Big 12 team remaining. Four teams with two losses in conference play – Kansas State, Iowa State, Arizona State and West Virginia – still have a chance.
Here is a look at where those contenders are in the standings, their respective paths to the Big 12 championship and the tie-breaker rules should two teams – or three or more teams – tie in the conference standings at the end of the regular season.
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Big 12 football standings 2024
The Big 12 has six teams with two losses or less in conference play with three weeks left in the regular season. Here is a look at those teams.
| SCHOOL | BIG 12 | OVERALL | PF | PA |
| BYU | 6-0 | 9-0 | 303 | 178 |
| Colorado | 5-1 | 7-2 | 292 | 203 |
| Iowa State | 4-2 | 7-2 | 280 | 169 |
| Kansas State | 4-2 | 7-2 | 281 | 195 |
| Arizona State | 4-2 | 7-2 | 284 | 214 |
| West Virginia | 4-2 | 5-4 | 261 | 251 |
Big 12 contenders path to the championship game
BYU (9-0, 6-0)
Remaining schedule: vs. Kansas, at Arizona State, vs. Houston
BYU continues to survive and advance in conference play, and they have pushed up to No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Cougars would be in the hunt for an at-large bid at this point. BYU has a victory against Kansas State in hand, and two of the next three games are at home. The road trip to Arizona State is tricky knowing the Cougars haven’t played in Tempe since 1997.
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Colorado (7-2, 5-1)
Remaining schedule: vs. Utah, at Kansas, vs. Oklahoma State
What a three-week stretch this could be for Colorado. It starts with a matchup against preseason Big 12 favorite Utah with the Utes coming off an emotional loss at BYU. The Kansas game is at Arrowhead Stadium, and the Cowboys will be in spoiler mode in the finale. Colorado controls its own destiny in the race with three more victories.
Kansas State (7-2, 4-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. Arizona State, vs. Cincinnati, at Iowa State
The Wildcats are coming off a bye week after a bad loss at Houston – one that could haunt them in this late-season race. The head-to-head victory against the Buffaloes is huge, and it’s safe to call the matchup against the Sun Devils an elimination game at this point. “Farmageddon” could have huge implications, but the Buffaloes need to lose first.
Iowa State (7-2, 4-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. Cincinnati, at Utah, vs. Kansas State
The Cyclones are stuck in a surprising two-game losing streak, and they are going to need help down the stretch. Iowa State has two home games at home – and a victory against the Wildcats in the season finale could force some interesting tie-breakers. This conversation won’t advance, however, unless they beat the Bearcats in Week 12.
Arizona State (7-2, 4-2)
Remaining schedule: at Kansas State, vs. BYU, at Arizona
What a turnaround for second-year coach Kenny Dillingham. The Sun Devils can play their way into the race the next two weeks against the Wildcats and Cougars, and running back Cam Skattebo is on track to play this week. The loss to Cincinnati hurts in this mix.
West Virginia (5-4, 4-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. Baylor, vs. UCF, at Texas Tech
The Mountaineers are still alive in the championship race, but the head-to-head losses to Iowa State and Kansas State would be a problem if it came down to two-loss tiebreakers. The Mountaineers do have home-field advantage the next two weeks, but they remain the long-shot in this race.
Big 12 common opponents tracker for 2024
Here is a look at the common opponents for the six teams in contention. Keep this chart handy for the final three weeks:
| TEAM | BYU | COLO. | ISU | KSU | ASU | WVU |
| Arizona | W 41-19 | W 34-7 | – | W 31-7 | Nov. 30 | W 31-26 |
| Arizona State | Nov. 23 | – | – | Nov. 16 | – | – |
| Baylor | W 34-28 | W 38-31 | W 43-21 | – | Nov. 16 | |
| BYU | – | – | – | L 38-9 | Nov. 23 | – |
| UCF | W 37-24 | W 48-21 | W 38-35 | – | W 35-31 | Nov. 23 |
| Cincinnati | – | W 34-23 | Nov. 16 | Nov. 23 | L 24-14 | W 31-24 |
| Colorado | – | – | – | W 31-28 | – | – |
| Houston | Nov. 30 | – | W 20-0 | L 24-19 | – | – |
| Iowa State | – | – | – | Nov. 30 | – | L 28-16 |
| Kansas | Nov. 16 | Nov. 23 | L 45-36 | W 29-27 | W 35-31 | W 32-28 |
| Kansas State | W 38-9 | L 31-28 | Nov. 30 | – | Nov. 16 | L 45-18 |
| Oklahoma State | W 38-35 | Nov. 29 | – | W 42-20 | W 42-21 | W 38-14 |
| TCU | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Texas Tech | – | W 41-27 | L 23-22 | – | L 30-22 | Nov. 30 |
| Utah | W 22-21 | Nov. 16 | Nov. 23 | – | W 27-19 | – |
| West Virginia | – | – | W 28-16 | W 45-18 | – | – |
Most likely Big 12 championship game scenario
For all the tie-breaker possibilities, we think the chalk plays out here and BYU and Colorado both win out and play in the Big 12 championship game.
Two scenarios we are keeping an eye: Kansas State has that victory against Colorado and by winning out they put pressure on the Buffaloes to finish 8-1 in conference play. The Wildcats also play the Cyclones and Sun Devils, so they can eliminate them from the race in the process. In that event, BYU and Kansas State would play in the Big 12 championship game.
The Arizona State scenario is more fun. Let’s say Arizona State wins out, and Kansas upsets BYU and Colorado the next two weeks. West Virginia loses another game. The Cyclones knock off Kansas State, and suddenly there would be a four-way tie among BYU, Colorado, Arizona State and Iowa State at 7-2. The only game between those four teams would be Arizona State beating BYU.
The Sun Devils would be in, and the Cougars would be out. The next tie-breaker would be common opponents between the Cyclones and Buffaloes. Those teams have seven common conference opponents. Right now, Colorado is 4-1 against those teams and has to play Kansas and Utah. Iowa State is 2-2 and has to play Kansas State, Cincinnati and Utah. Keep an eye on that one.
Big 12 tie-breaker rules for 2024 season
The Big 12 will use six these tie-breakers for the 2024 season in this order until the tie is broken:
Step 1: Head-to-head competition among the teams.
Step 2: Win percentage against all common conference opponents among the tied teams.
Step 3: Win percentage against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings (based on the record in all games played within the Conference), proceeding through the standings
Step 4: Combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents, or the strength-of-conference schedule.
Step 5: Total number of wins in a 12-game season
Step 6: Highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the last weekend of regular-season games
Step 7: Coin toss.
