Big 12 football predictions 2023: Conference standings, best game, conference champions

The Big 12 will be heavily impacted by conference realignment in both 2023 and 2024.

The BYU Cougars, Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars and UCF Knights all join the conference this season. The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns will leave for the Southeastern Conference in 2024. However, the Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes will join the conference.

There will be 14 teams in the Big 12 this season. Take a look at our predictions for the upcoming season.

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Big 12 standings

1. Texas Longhorns

2. Oklahoma Sooners

3. Kansas State Wildcats

4. TCU Horned Frogs

5. Texas Tech Red Raiders

6. Kansas Wildcats

7. BYU Cougars

8. UCF Knights

9. Oklahoma State Cowboys

10. Baylor Bears

11. Houston Cougars

12. Iowa State Cyclones

13. Cincinnati Bearcats

14. West Virginia Mountaineers

The Big 12 race appears to be wide open. The No.11-ranked Texas Longhorns, No.16-ranked Kansas State Wildcats, No.17-ranked TCU Horned Frogs and No.20-ranked Oklahoma Sooners represent the four teams from the conference that were ranked in the preseason AP poll.

The Wildcats and Sooners will not meet this season; however, each of the other programs will clash in conference play. The Longhorns are the only team with a nonconference opponent that entered the season ranked as they will face the No. 4-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

While there could be another team that sneaks in and wins the conference, the head-to-head matchups between these four schools will have tremendous importance in the standings.

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Best Game: Texas Longhorns vs. Oklahoma Sooners

The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners will both enter the 2023 season with targets on their backs as they are set to leave the conference after the season. The two programs are, by far, the most successful in the history of Big 12 play.

While several games will be great, none will be bigger than the final meeting between the Longhorns and Sooners before heading to the SEC. Add in the fact that both teams are expected to be much better this season than they were in 2022 and this should be a great game.

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Big 12 champions

The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns have combined to win 14 of the 21 Big 12 championship games. Four of the remaining seven games were won by teams that are no longer in the conference. Look for the two teams to meet in the conference title game with the Longhorns coming out on top.