Report: BYU 'Most Equipped' to Handle Power Five Schedule of New Big 12 Members
On Friday, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg anonymously surveyed coaches and college football insiders about the new Big 12 next season. Next year, the Big 12 will grow from 10 to 14 with the additions of BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston. By 2025 at the latest, the Big 12 will shrink back down to 12 after Texas and Oklahoma depart for the SEC.
Of the four newcomers, Rittenberg reported that "BYU is seen as the program most equipped to handle a full-blown Power 5 schedule, followed closely by UCF." He also noted that Big 12 coaches "expect some bumps for all four teams."
Rittenberg notes that there are a lot of unknowns surrounding Cincinnati given the departure of Luke Fickell to Wisconsin.
Whether the Big 12 coaches are correct or not remains to be seen. Like any team that has made this transition in the past, moving to the Big 12 will include growing pains. As an independent program, however, BYU has played against more Power Five teams in recent seasons than the other three newcomers, and that could aid them in the transition to the Big 12. Over the last two seasons, BYU has played 12 Power Five teams going 8-4 in those games. The other three programs have combined to play 15 games against Power Five teams in the same time frame, going 6-9 in those games.
Who is Viewed as the Big 12 Favorite in 2023?
According to Rittenberg's report, the Big 12 is expected to be wide open once again in 2023. National runner-up TCU will lose multiple starters to the NFL Draft and 2022 champion will lose star running back Deuce Vaughn.
Coaches across the board expect both Texas and Oklahoma to be better next season, and Kansas returns star quarterback Jalon Daniels.
The 2023 Big 12 schedule is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
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