Big 12 football power rankings after spring portal closes: Did Buffaloes get better?

The Big 12 without Oklahoma and Texas doesn’t quite feel like the Big 12. Now that Red River Rivalry is done stealing all the Big 12 headlines, Coach Prime and Colorado are here to fill the void. 

In the final year of the Pac-12, Colorado sunk to the bottom of the conference after a hot start, but the new Big 12 is far more wide open and with one of the top quarterbacks in the conference, the Buffaloes could win a few more games this season. 

The 16-team conference is wide open at the top, so let’s dig right into the post-spring transfer portal power rankings to see who is the favorite to win the Big 12 next fall. 

Key losses: Jaden Rashada, Drew Pyne, BJ Green Key additions: Raleek Brown, Sam Leavitt

There was one reason to be excited about Arizona State football in 2023 and that was the potential of freshman quarterback Jaden Rashada. Saddled with a disastrous supporting cast and hampered by injuries, Rashada struggled in his limited snaps and in the spring transfer portal window, darted for Georgia, where he’s made a strong impression on Kirby Smart. 

Now, without Rashada to lead the program into the post-Herm Edwards era, the Sun Devils don’t have much of a guiding light. Cleaning up Herm’s mess has proven to be a multi-year project for Kenny Dillingham.