ESPN ranks all 136 FBS teams by tiers: 'The Big 12 is the new ACC Coastal'
College football Saturdays are just a few weeks away, and the Baylor Bears will kick things off on Friday, August 29 at home against Auburn. The Bears are expected to compete for a Big 12 Championship in 2025, but with so much parity in the conference -- it's anyone's guess on who might win it.
On Thursday, ESPN ranked all 136 FBS teams into tiers. The first Big 12 team mentioned was Arizona State in Tier 4 named 'Last year's playoff surprises'. Then in Tier 5, Texas Tech and Utah were mentioned as 'So hot right now' teams.
Where is Baylor?
You have to go down one more tier, to Tier 6, to find the Baylor Bears, along with three other Big 12 teams. Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, and TCU are all labeled as 'The Big 12 is the new ACC Coastal' by ESPN.
"Ever play credit card roulette? When the bill comes at a restaurant, everyone at the table puts their credit card into a hat, then the server picks one at random to pay the entire bill. That's effectively how the Big 12 is looking right now. (In this analogy, though, Texas Tech should probably be picking up any checks.) Look at the betting markets and every team in the conference is projected to win between 5.5 and 8.5 games this season. So, throw the names into a hat and pull one out. You're as likely to get it right as we are."
In this theory, ESPN believes Arizona State, Utah, and Texas Tech are the top three teams in the Big 12, and then it's anyone's race for the No. 4 spot.
According to Joel Klatt, he thinks Baylor has the best QB-RB duo in the Big 12 and he has the Bears ranked in his preseason top-25. If Baylor's offense connects like it has the potential to, and the Bears' defense can play some pass defense -- Baylor has a real chance to win the Big 12.
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Trent is the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI and also serves as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines on SI. His work has additionally been featured on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.