A brand new period begins this fall for the Huge 12 because the league expands to 16 groups.
With the inclusion of 4 former Pac-12 groups in Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah, in addition to the departure of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, the race for the convention title in soccer shall be distinctive compared to the primary 27 years of the convention.
Who would be the contenders for a Huge 12 title and a spot within the expanded 12-team School Soccer Playoff? Who would be the shock underdog that resets the convention standings?
It should all play out this fall, with one of many new league members, Utah, the favourite to win all of it within the Huge 12′s preseason media ballot.
Not each schedule is made the identical, although, and this would be the first glimpse of how a 16-team schedule performs out within the league.
What are the hardest stretches for every Huge 12 workforce through the 2024 season? Right here’s a have a look at what’s prone to be the defining set of video games for every program, so as of their predicted end within the preseason ballot.
Utah Utes
Hardest stretch
The Utes — who play 5 convention street video games to 4 at house this season and by no means play two straight at house or on the street — will face maybe their greatest challenges as Huge 12 newcomers early in league play.
Utah opens its first season within the league with a convention opener at Oklahoma State. This would be the Utes’ first time visiting Stillwater.
The Cowboys earned 14 first-place votes within the preseason media ballot launched earlier this week and are third within the ballot, behind favourite Utah and Kansas State.
Fellow Pac-12 departee Arizona can be anticipated to be a contender within the Huge 12 this season.
The Utes, although, get them again in Salt Lake Metropolis after the Wildcats blitzed Utah 42-18 in Tucson final season, albeit underneath now-departed coach Jedd Fisch.
Kansas State Wildcats
Hardest stretch
The Wildcats can have loads of their Huge 12 hopes decided early in league play.
Kansas State misplaced to Oklahoma State early within the yr final yr, and this season’s matchup would permit the Wildcats to get some revenge whereas taking an early edge within the league race.
After a pair video games at Colorado at West Virginia — video games that would get dicey — the Wildcats will host a Kansas workforce that additionally has excessive expectations heading into the yr.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Hardest stretch
If Oklahoma State can beat Arkansas at house in Week 2, the Cowboys ought to be unbeaten going into convention motion within the again half of September.
Oklahoma State attracts the cardboard of welcoming former Pac-12 energy Utah into the league, and it ought to present a must-see matchup in Stillwater.
What follows after that could be a crucial street sport at Kansas State within the Cowboys’ convention street opener.
Win each, and OSU has an inside monitor on the league crown. Lose each, and the Cowboys have a protracted street to successful the convention.
Kansas Jayhawks
Hardest stretch
Whereas back-to-back video games at West Virginia and vs. TCU in September can even be troublesome, the Wildcats and Cyclones each are anticipated to play heavier into the convention race this season.
At this level, the Jayhawks can have proven whether or not or not they’ll contend for a league championship and a sport towards rival Kansas State landed at a crucial time through the season.
Kansas has received its final two contests towards Iowa State in a longstanding collection, whereas the Cougars may current a entice sport for the Jayhawks if Kansas is dealing closely with accidents.
Arizona Wildcats
Hardest stretch
Arizona will get a crack at Kansas State in its first Huge 12 season, although it should rely as a nonconference sport for each groups after being scheduled previous to the information Arizona was shifting to the league.
The Wildcats’ first Huge 12 sport that counts within the convention standings comes at Utah, one yr after Arizona beat the Utes by 24 in Tucson. That was underneath Jedd Fisch, although, not new head coach Brent Brennan.
Arizona’s first Huge 12 house opener then comes towards a tricky Texas Tech workforce.
At UCF and TCU late within the season is one other powerful stretch, however this one helps set the tone for simply how a lot harm the Wildcats can do underneath their first-year coach.
Iowa State Cyclones
Hardest stretch
Iowa State might want to stand up to a busy stretch previous to this the place it performs West Virginia on the street and UCF and Texas Tech at house.
If the Cyclones are in a position to take action, they’ll have the chance to be convention race contenders through the season’s remaining month.
Street video games at Kansas and Utah — with a house matchup towards Cincinnati in between — will arrange a season finale towards Kansas State that has the makings to be necessary to the league race.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Hardest stretch
Sept. 21 — vs. Kansas
Oct. 5 — at Oklahoma State
Oct.12 — vs. Iowa State
Oct. 19 — vs. Kansas State
Oct. 26 — at Arizona
West Virginia will play 5 of the highest six projected groups within the Huge 12 throughout a five-game stretch.
The one reprieve the Mountaineers get will not be dealing with league favourite Utah, however it is a brutal stretch that does at the very least have a slight edge in house matchups.
Can Neal Brown’s workforce surpass expectations for a second straight season? Choosing up a pair wins, or extra, throughout this stretch would go a great distance towards making West Virginia issue within the league race.
UCF Knights
Hardest stretch
Final yr, UCF misplaced its first 4 video games in its inaugural Huge 12 season earlier than going 3-1 in November and incomes a bowl invitation — the Knights have been the one convention newcomer to make the postseason in 2023.
November can be brutal for UCF this season — the Knights have two house video games vs. Arizona and Utah sandwiched round visits to Arizona State and West Virginia.
This early-game stretch, although, will set the tone for what UCF may accomplish in its second Huge 12 season, and will probably be the first-ever matchup between the Knights and the Horned Frogs.
Texas Tech Crimson Raiders
Hardest stretch
Oct. 5 — at Arizona
Oct. 19 — vs. Baylor
Oct. 26 — at TCU
Nov. 2 — at Iowa State
After internet hosting Arizona State and Cincinnati to start out league play, the Crimson Raiders hit an important stretch over the subsequent month.
Three of those video games shall be on the street, and if the Crimson Raiders discover some success away from Lubbock, they’ll be an element within the convention, although getting a victory over the Wildcats, Horned Frogs or Cyclones received’t be straightforward.
Baylor is coming off a 3-9 season that has Dave Aranda on the recent seat, lending an opportunity for Texas Tech to construct some momentum.
TCU Horned Frogs
Hardest stretch
Sept. 21 — at SMU
Sept. 28 — at Kansas
Oct. 4 — vs. Houston
Oct. 19 — at Utah
Whereas TCU will host Oklahoma State and Arizona in back-to-back video games in November, with a bye week in between, this stretch shall be brutal from a street standpoint.
The Horned Frogs face ACC newcomer SMU first, then journey to Kansas the week after.
Following a Friday night time house sport towards a struggling Houston squad, TCU will make its return to Salt Lake Metropolis to face Utah after a bye week.
Colorado Buffaloes
Hardest stretch
There are a few practically equally powerful three-game stretches for Colorado this season — the opposite consists of three straight for the Buffaloes at UCF, vs. Kansas State and at Arizona earlier within the yr.
Right here, although, the Buffaloes play arguably the three groups with one of the best probabilities to win the Huge 12 in back-to-back-to-back weeks.
Whereas Colorado will get two of those video games at house, the Buffaloes have been simply 2-4 in Boulder final season of their first yr underneath Deion Sanders.
Baylor Bears
Hardest stretch
That is the primary of two back-to-back street sport swings for the Bears in Huge 12 play — the opposite is available in November when Baylor visits West Virginia and Houston on consecutive November weekends.
With Aranda on the proverbial scorching seat after two straight shedding seasons, this powerful stretch may break a Bears program that received simply three video games final season.
The “best” of those three video games is the house tilt with Texas Tech, however even then, it wouldn’t be a shock for Baylor to be the underdog in all three.
BYU Cougars
Hardest stretch
The Cougars will play every of the 5 groups projected to complete atop the Huge 12 within the convention’s preseason ballot, and 4 of these video games occur throughout this stretch, with a street sport at UFC additionally thrown in.
BYU begins off league play with a house sport towards Kansas State on Sept. 21, projected to complete second within the league, after which a number of weeks later, this stretch begins.
BYU has additionally gone 1-6 in October the previous two seasons, dampening the hope that the Cougars would possibly win an surprising sport or two through the center a part of the schedule.
4 of BYU’s most troublesome Huge 12 video games are at house at the very least, although that’s mixed with the street sport at Utah, the preseason favourite to win the convention.
By the point BYU faces two groups projected to complete under it within the convention standings — at Arizona State and vs. Houston — the Cougars’ postseason destiny may properly be written as a second straight season with out qualifying for a bowl.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Hardest stretch
Nov. 9 — vs. West Virginia
Nov. 16 — at Iowa State
Nov. 23 — at Kansas State
The Bearcats, like so a lot of their new Huge 12 counterparts final season, struggled to acclimate to the competitiveness of the league in 2023.
If Cincinnati will get itself into place to make a bowl sport this season heading into the yr’s remaining month, this group of matchups will take a look at the Bearcats. Matchups with the Cyclones and Wildcats are ill-timed, and West Virginia beat Cincinnati final yr by 21.
A house sport towards TCU within the season finale follows after this, making November significantly difficult for the Bearcats.
Houston Cougars
Hardest stretch
Whereas the Cougars are capable of keep away from Oklahoma State this season, they get the opposite 4 groups projected to complete within the prime 5 within the league, all in consecutive weeks.
It’s advantageous that Houston will get two of those video games back-to-back at house, although it’s towards the highest two groups within the Huge 12 preseason ballot.
Houston has some winnable video games on the finish of the season with Baylor and BYU on the schedule, however would possible want a win or two on this group to attempt to make the postseason, a tall process.
Arizona State Solar Devils
Hardest stretch
There are few breathers for Arizona State within the 2024 season — the Solar Devils play all 5 groups that acquired at the very least one first-place vote within the league preseason ballot.
Internet hosting Kansas and Utah six days aside in early October will problem the ASU depth and will knock a fragile program off any momentum it might have at that time.
Following a street sport at Cincinnati and a bye week, although, the Solar Devils kick off November on the street towards the Cowboys, internet hosting the harmful Knights and taking part in on the Wildcats.
