Where Does Big 12 Rank in Power Four Leagues?

Arizona State was fortunate to be one of the programs that didn't get left behind in the extreme reshuffling of the college football landscape in the first half of the decade.

The Sun Devils were able to secure membership in the Big 12 alongside Utah, Colorado, and rival Arizona. The league was incredibly intriguing - as the two blue blood programs were departing - this left a wide-open gap in the power structure moving forward.

Arizona State was still seen as a work-in-progress as they became official members a year ago this month, but they are now at the very top of contenders to earn the title of being the strongest program in the 16-team conference.

The Sun Devils very well could be the beneficiary of being in a weaker conference at the moment, as Cody Nagel of CBS Sports echoed the sentiment of the Big 12 being the third strongest conference in the college football world.

"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 big-spender 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."

While the Big 12 does not have a 'blue blood' brand at the moment, the Sun Devils are posturing themselves to be a regular fixture at the top of the rankings under Dillingham - the narrative that the Big 12 is a weak league also does a general disservice to the quality programs that roam the league outside of Arizona State.

Baylor and Texas Christian both had consistent track records as top programs within the last 15 years. Brigham Young is a legacy program - they have a Heisman Trophy winner and a national title to boast in their past. Utah has been a consistently strong program over the last 20 years. Colorado, Iowa State - perhaps even Houston have potential to be consistent fixtures as competitive programs.

The Big 12 lacking a brand to the level of an Alabama is hurting the perception of the conference as a whole - many seem to forget the number of truly quality programs that are members in the process.

Read ASU on SI's exclusive interview with Jordyn Tyson here, and on where Sam Leavitt lands on the NIL merchandise sales leaderboard here.

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