What is the toughest stretch for each Big 12 football team this season?

Utah linebacker Sione Fotu, right, and safety Sione Vaki, second from right, celebrate after Utah defeated Southern California in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. Will Utah, the preseason favorite in the Big 12, earn defining road victories like it has the past few seasons in the Pac-12? The Utes start Big 12 play at Oklahoma State. | Mark J. Terrill

A new era begins this fall for the Big 12 as the league expands to 16 teams.

With the inclusion of four former Pac-12 teams in Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah, as well as the departure of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, the race for the conference title in football will be unique in comparison to the first 27 years of the conference.

Who will be the contenders for a Big 12 title and a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff? Who will be the surprise underdog that resets the conference standings?

It will all play out this fall, with one of the new league members, Utah, the favorite to win it all in the Big 12′s preseason media poll.

Not every schedule is made the same, though, and this will be the first glimpse of how a 16-team schedule plays out in the league.

What are the toughest stretches for each Big 12 team during the 2024 season? Here’s a look at what is likely to be the defining set of games for each program, in order of their predicted finish in the preseason poll.

Utah Utes

Toughest stretch

The Utes — who play five conference road games to four at home this season and never play two straight at home or on the road — will face perhaps their biggest challenges as Big 12 newcomers early in league play.

Utah opens its first season in the league with a conference opener at Oklahoma State. This will be the Utes’ first time visiting Stillwater.

The Cowboys earned 14 first-place votes in the preseason media…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/toughest-stretch-big-12-football-030000352.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-07-06 03:00:00

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