BYU Football Finishes Highest in Big 12 SP+ Rankings

Casey Lundquist | Jan 4, 2025

Dec 28, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; Brigham Young Cougars running back LJ Martin (27) runs with the ball as Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Colton Hood (3) attempts to make a tackle during the fourth quarter at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Big 12 football season has officially come to an end. After Arizona State was eliminated by Texas in the College Football Playoff, all Big 12 teams had completed their 2024 seasons. Now that the season is over, ESPN's Bill Connelly has released the final SP+ rankings for 2024. BYU finished as the highest-ranked Big 12 team, coming in at 17th nationally. Below are the SP+ rankings for the Big 12

2024 SP+ Rankings

BYU was one of just two Big 12 teams that finished in the SP+ top 20, joined by Kansas State. It's worth noting that SP+ is intended to be predictive and not resume-based. In other words, if two teams played at a neutral site, the team ranked higher in SP+ would be favored. That's why Big 12 champion Arizona State is not the highest-ranked team in the conference.

1. BYU (17th nationally)
2. Kansas State (19th)
3. TCU (26th)
4. Arizona State (31st)
5. Iowa State (35th)
6. Baylor (36th)
7. Colorado (38th)
8. Utah (42nd)
9. Kansas (53rd)
10. Texas Tech (56th)
11. UCF (58th)
12. West Virginia (66th)
13. Cincinnati (72nd)
14. Oklahoma State (82nd)
15. Arizona (83rd)
16. Houston (98th)

SP+ Offense Rankings

Here are the offenses of Big 12 teams ranked by SP+. In terms of offensive efficiency, BYU finished in the middle of the pack. There was not a lot of separation between the best offenses in the conference - a handful of Big 12 offenses were similarly rated in the 25-40 range. Houston was the worst offense in the conference and one of the worst in the country.

1. TCU (19th nationally)
2. Baylor (25th)
3. Colorado (26th)
4. Texas Tech (27th)
5. Arizona State (28th)
6. Kansas State (29th)
7. Kansas (37th)
8. BYU (38th)
9. Iowa State (44th)
10. West Virginia (47th)
11. UCF (55th)
12. Oklahoma State (59th)
13. Cincinnati (74th)
14. Arizona (94th)
15. Utah (99th)
16. Houston (120th)

SP+ Defense Rankings

Below are the SP+ rankings for the defenses in the Big 12. BYU was one of the better defenses in the conference per SP+, ranking second behind only Utah.

1. Utah (18th nationally)
2. BYU (21st)
3. Kansas State (23rd)
4. Arizona State (29th)
5. Iowa State (32nd)
6. TCU (38th)
7. Colorado (42nd)
8. Houston (49th)
9. Cincinnati (56th)
10. UCF (59th)
11. Baylor (61st)
12. Kansas (68th)
13. Arizona (85th)
14. West Virginia (86th)
15. Texas Tech (92nd)
16. Oklahoma State (104th)

SP+ Special Team Rankings

BYU was not only the best special teams unit in the conference, but they were also one of the best in the country. BYU special teams played a major role in getting to 11 wins. Elite special teams gave BYU a distinct advantage in multiple games, as over half the conference ranked 78th or worse in special teams.

1. BYU (4th nationally)
2. Arizona (10th)
3. West Virginia (12th)
4. Texas Tech (18th)
5. Kansas State (21st)
6. Utah (32nd)
7. Baylor (36th)
8. Iowa State (78th)
9. Oklahoma State (80th)
10. UCF (82nd)
11. Cincinnati (89th)
12. TCU (94th)
13. Kansas (97th)
14. Colorado (118th)
15. Houston (121st)
16. Arizona State (131st)