Big 12 Football Bowl Projections After Week 12

BYU's loss puts the Big 12's dream of two College Football Playoff bids to rest.

Nov 16, 2024; Provo, Utah, USA; Kansas Jayhawks cornerback Jacoby Davis (47) celebrates a win over the Brigham Young Cougars after the last play of the fourth quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Big 12 has a long list of teams who may qualify for the postseason in 2024, and some teams who may miss the cut.

The champion of the conference will get an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff, but after BYU’s loss, there will likely not be any other teams from the Big 12 that make the 12-team field as an at-large bid. 

Here is a bowl prediction for every Big 12 team that is likely to make the postseason.

Bowl-Eligible Teams:

Colorado: The Buffaloes look like the best team in the conference at this point in the season. They have a great chance to win the Big 12 and lock up a guaranteed spot in the College Football Playoff. Since the Buffaloes have two losses, they would likely not get a top-four seed, losing out to a team like Boise State which would only have one loss. The Buffaloes will still be in the playoffs though, with a win in the conference title game.

BYU: The Cougars’ run of escaping defeat came to an end on Saturday night when they finally lost to Kansas. BYU had been playing with fire for weeks and they were finally burned on Saturday night. That loss gets rid of any possible chance that BYU had of making the playoffs as an at-large bid if they lost the conference championship game. The Cougars will lose to Colorado in the Big 12 title game and play Washington State in the Alamo Bowl.

Iowa State: The Cyclones just rebounded from losing two games in a row by handling Cincinnati 34–17. This win positions the Cyclones to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against SMU. 

Arizona State: The Sun Devils still have a chance to play in the conference championship game, and are likely to face an ACC program in their bowl game. They will play against Pittsburgh in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl.

Kansas State: The Wildcats just lost their third game of the season to Arizona State. They will face Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl as a result of their disappointing end to the season. 

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders did not play this week, so their prediction does not change. They will head to Alabama for the Birmingham Bowl against NC State.

TCU: The Frogs also were on a bye and their prediction remains the same. They will be headed to the Independence Bowl agaisnt currently undefeated Army. 

Baylor: The Bears are bowl-eligible after winning four games in a row. They will face off agaisnt a good Navy team in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.

5-Win Teams:

West Virginia: The Mountaineers are now 5–5 after a loss to Baylor. If they can win one more game, they will earn a matchup with Michigan State in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix

Cincinnati: The Bearcats are still one victory away from reaching a bowl game. Once they pick up their final victory needed for bowl eligibility, they will find travel to the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl to face East Carolina.

Four-Win teams:

UCF, Utah, and Houston:

These teams currently only have four wins. They have to win their remaining two games to qualify for a bowl game.

Bowl-Ineligible: Oklahoma State

The Cowboys are now 0-7 in conference play and 3-7 overall. They will not qualify for a bowl game this year.