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2021 Big 12 football season preview: Predicted order of finish, best players, breakout stars

By Ethan Lee

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 19: Delarrin Turner-Yell #32 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates with the Big 12 Championship trophy after the Sooners beat the Iowa State Cyclones 27-21 in the 2020 Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship football game at AT&T Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 19: Delarrin Turner-Yell #32 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates with the Big 12 Championship trophy after the Sooners beat the Iowa State Cyclones 27-21 in the 2020 Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship football game at AT&T Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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2021 Big 12 football season preview, including predictions for who wins the conference, highlighting the best players and identifying the league’s breakout star.

Conference realignment and major teams departing have thrown the Big 12 for a loop once again. Just as it happened about a decade ago, some key members of this conference have decided to move on. This time, however, it’s the Big 12’s biggest brands. Texas and Oklahoma will eventually be leaving for the SEC.

And unfortunately for the Big 12 and its group of remaining members, that’s the storyline that will dominate things as we head into this season. It’s also likely to be the storyline that dominates things until the Longhorns and Sooners do leave, which could happen in 2025.

However, we shouldn’t let that be a complete and total distraction from the fact that the 2021 college football season is almost here. What will the Big 12 look like this season? Let’s take a look.

Big 12 predicted order of finish

  1. Oklahoma
  2. Iowa State
  3. Oklahoma State
  4. Texas
  5. Kansas State
  6. TCU
  7. West Virginia
  8. Texas Tech
  9. Baylor
  10. Kansas

The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to compete for a national championship this year and they’re looking to be a much more complete team. Many of the best Oklahoma teams we’ve seen in recent seasons rely solely on their offense. This year’s team could certainly be different. The Sooners are bringing back several starters and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has done well to develop this team since he’s been there.

How much can Iowa State continue to improve? Is there a ceiling on what Matt Campbell can accomplish in Ames? The Cyclones have the chance to prove that they are legitimately among the nation’s best programs this year. They were one of the best last season and are looking to show that they still belong with the best teams in the country.

Mike Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys will have a shot at a breakthrough season this year. The Cowboys should have a good defense in 2021, but replacing some lost production on offense might hinder this team at times. If the Cowboys can be explosive and consistent on offense, this team could really shock some folks this year.

Steve Sarkisian just took on one of the most prestigious jobs in all of college football. But it’s also a job that has a ton of pressure. Sarkisian is trying to elevate the Texas Longhorns back to their former glory and he’s inheriting a ton of talent, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see this team experience some ups and downs as it adjusts to a new head coach.

What will 2021 look like for Chris Klieman and the Kansas State Wildcats? Klieman is attempting to build the Wildcats into a steady winner, much like his predecessor did, but injury issues at quarterback derailed things for K-State last year. Skylar Thompson is back at quarterback, but he’ll need some receivers to step up around him.

TCU has the potential to be a team that creates headaches for several teams in the Big 12 this year. The Horned Frogs need to replace a few key contributors on defense, but this team is generally very solid on that side of the ball.

The West Virginia Mountaineers are poised to continue improving under Neal Brown and are headed into their third season with him as their head coach. Brown’s steadily improved the Mountaineers over the past couple of seasons and they could take another step forward if Jarret Doege improves at quarterback this season.

How much longer with the Texas Tech Red Raiders give head coach Matt Wells? This isn’t an easy gig, but folks out in Lubbock seem restless. Pairing former Oregon quarterback Tyler Shough with Sonny Cumbie’s offense could lead to some fun for Texas Tech fans and might be what Wells needs to save his job, but we’ll see how it all pans out.

Dave Aranda really has a lot of work to do with the Baylor Bears. Aranda, formerly the defensive coordinator for the championship-winning LSU Tigers, stepped into Waco and only managed to win a couple of games last season. How much will the Bears improve this season?

The Kansas Jayhawks hired a very interesting coach in Lance Leipold, but will they give him enough time to succeed? Building this program, which is arguably the worst in the FBS at the moment, is likely to take a while. Leipold has a proven track record of being a winner and deserves to have a chance to really get this team going in the right direction.