New Big 12 Football Rankings After Finalized Recruiting Classes

The Colorado Buffaloes face an uphill climb in a Big 12 that keeps raising its ceiling, with the Texas Tech Red Raiders and BYU Cougars setting a standard that won’t be easy to match.

Dec 6, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire celebrates with the Big 12 Championship trophy after the game against the BYU Cougars at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Colorado Buffaloes’ offseason is coming to a close, and the roster is nearly set for the upcoming season. While the program has made strides, the rest of the Big 12 has improved right along with it.

Even with those gains, Colorado still faces a steep climb to compete in the conference. 

Texas Tech and BYU remain at the top of the Big 12, not just in overall talent but also after the latest recruiting cycle. That leaves the Buffaloes with little margin for error as they try to close the gap through development and portal success rather than high school recruiting wins.

Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the first quarter against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The conference is loaded with talent, and several programs are set to improve. 

Colorado, meanwhile, sits near the bottom of the recruiting rankings. Even with second-year quarterback Julian Lewis taking over, breaking into the middle tier of the conference will be a tough challenge.

Progress this season may be measured less by wins and more by week-to-week competitiveness in a conference that continues to raise its ceiling. As the Big 12 comes into focus, the separation between the contenders and the rest of the league is becoming harder to ignore.

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Big 12 Football Rankings After Finalized Recruiting Classes

1. Texas Tech
2. BYU
3. Utah
4. Arizona State
5. Houston
6. Arizona 
7. Kansas State
8. TCU
9. Kansas
10. Oklahoma State
11. Cincinnati
12. Baylor
13. Iowa State
14. Colorado
15. West Virginia
16. UCF

Why the Gap Between Texas Tech, BYU, and the Rest of the Big 12 Still Exists

Dec 6, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire celebrates after the win against the BYU Cougars at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The gap between Tech and BYU and the rest of the Big 12 just got a little bigger with the transfer portal movement the last few months. Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders signed Cincinnati quarterback Brandon Sorsby and Wake Forest defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba.

Those additions immediately raise both the floor and ceiling of the Red Raiders roster.

The Cougars followed suit in signing four-star California linebacker Cade Ulalave, who played at California, while also adding tight end Walker Lyons out of USC. These signings just further fortify a Cougar roster that already returns the majority of its starters.

Furthermore, both programs also stocked up on multi-talented fours and fives from the rival high schools, which helped them feel more comfortable being at the top of the league. Colorado is also having to play catch-up with depth in overall talent.

For the Buffaloes, closing that gap will depend on near-flawless evaluations in the portal and consistent development from their young players. 

Success will require actual growth across the roster, not just flashes of talent. Until that happens, Texas Tech and BYU will remain on an entirely different level, setting the standard while the rest of the Big 12 tries to keep up.

Why Recruiting and Development Make Next Season an Uphill Fight for Deion Sanders

Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Last season was rough for coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes, with the quarterback position constantly changing and the team trying to replace so much key talent. With half the roster gone, next season isn’t going to get any easier.

The good news is that starting Lewis is expected back and should make some strides in his redshirt freshman year. That progress will be important, but it won’t magically fix everything—especially with a tough schedule looming.

Colorado faces a brutal early stretch where they could realistically drop seven of the first eight games. Wins aren’t going to come easy, and all games will put to the test just how far this team has progressed, especially with an opportunity to upset Kansas State.

Securing wins is going to require some growth, execution, and perhaps a hint of luck.

Finally, the end of the season is where they really have to prove themselves. Winning three of the last four games, especially against Cincinnati and UCF, will show that the rebuild is going in the right direction.

If Colorado can finish strong, perhaps this could serve as a means to validate whether the rebuild is indeed heading in the right direction. Not finishing strong, though, could spell trouble in terms of leaving no room for error and determine how much ground this program has truly made.