Where should BYU rank in the Big 12 Football Preseason Poll?

There are only a few weeks left before the Big Twelve Football Media Days take place. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will host Big 12 media days on July 9 and 10. The conference said goodbye to Texas and Oklahoma and welcomed Utah, Colorado, Arizona and State of Arizona to the fold.

Last season, BYU's first in the conference, the Cougars went 5-7 overall and 2-7 in conference play. BYU went 0-for-5 in road conference games. All this while starting 5-1, which ultimately led to an extremely disappointing finish.

Now they want to improve on last year's poor finish. Where do they stack up against the rest of the Big 12?

ESPN's FPI (Football Power Index) certainly doesn't believe in the BYU Cougars of 2024. They rank Kalani Sitakes' team at 15th, penultimate.

Athlon Sports is only slightly friendlier to the Cougars, ranking them 14th.

Frankly, BYU hasn't given the national audience, or even the conference audience, any reason to suggest they will be vastly improved. It is up to the coaching staff and players to build on last year's experience and ensure it is not repeated, or worse.

It appears that a bowl appearance by BYU in 2024 would be a surprise to those in the know. And that they are likely headed for another losing season in the 4-8 or 5-7 range. The conference may have lost their two top dogs, but that doesn't mean this isn't a deep, competitive conference.

Utah appears to be looking to make a statement in their first year in the Big 12. They had a more or less down year in 2023, going 8-5 amid a rash of injuries in key areas. Cam Rising returns to try to get the Utes back to where they were in 2021 and 2022, when they won back-to-back PAC-12 titles.

Oklahoma State isn't going anywhere after reaching the Big 12 Championship Game last season. Head coach Mike Gundy rarely lets the Cowboys have a bad season. They'll be right back in the thick of things.

State of Kansas finished 9-4 last season and 18th in the final AP poll.

Arizona had one of its best seasons in decades, going 10-3 and finishing 11th in the AP poll after a big win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.

Don't forget Kansas, which continued its ascension from years of struggle to a competitive 9-4 record and finished 23rd in the polls.

BYU, by the way, has all five of these teams listed on their schedule for next fall (teams will be missing five teams from the conference on their schedule).

West Virginia was ranked last in the preseason polls last season, but finished with nine wins last year. They return most of their best playmakers.

The state of Iowa has one of the best defenses in the conference and won six conference games last year, including victories against Oklahoma State and Kansas State.

Texas technology, TCU and UCF also provide a strong mid-table for the conference.

So where does this leave BYU? Are they better than all of Baylor, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Colorado and Houston? Most national polls disagree.

Baylor and BYU followed similar paths last season. They showed promise at the start of the season, but ended the season on a five-game losing streak.

Baylor welcomes a new offensive attack with Toledo transfer Dequan Finn at QB.

Cincinnati and Houston both had difficult transition periods to Power 5 life in 2023. The Bearcats went 3-9 with one conference win.

It's safe to assume that BYU will be better than those teams, at least to start the year.

Arizona State really struggled in their final year in the PAC-12, going 3-9. They opened the season with a win over an FCS team and then six straight losses.

Colorado entered the 2023 season with as much hype as any program in college football, with Deion Sanders and his legion of transfers arriving in Boulder. After a hot start, they went down the stretch to a 4-8 record. They will likely improve in year two of Prime in Boulder.

It appears BYU could be in contention with Baylor and Colorado for the next spot, ahead of Cincinnati, Houston and Arizona State. Given that BYU finished with a better record than both Baylor and Colorado last season, plus they won the most recent matchup with Baylor in 2022, let's give BYU the edge over the Bears and Buffs.

That puts BYU at 12th again, except this time in a 16-team conference.

BYU can definitely be better if Jake Retzlaff takes another step in his development, or Gerry Bohanon regains the magic he had at Baylor. Additionally, the offensive line should thrive much more and the defense should improve in Jay Hills' second year. But for now, BYU hasn't proven they're better than that, at least on paper.