Athlon Sports projects Big 12's order of finish in 2023

The 2023 season is set to be unlike any other in Big 12 history. Not only will it mark the arrival of four new teams — BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF — but it will also be the final year that Oklahoma and Texas are members before joining the SEC.

The Sooners and Longhorns have combined to win 17 Big 12 championships since 1996, but neither team competed in the conference title game in 2021 or 2022. Even so, they enter 2023 hoping for one last victory lap before saying goodbye to the league.

Athlon Sports certainly likes their chances of doing so, predicting OU and Texas to meet in the Big 12 Championship Game in its projection for the 2023 standings. The media outlet has the Longhorns defeating the Sooners in what would be the last Big 12 title matchup between the two.

You can view the full prediction from Athlon Sports on what the 2023 Big 12 order of finish will look like below.

1. Texas (11-2, 8-1)
2. Oklahoma (9-4, 6-3)
3. Kansas State (8-4, 6-3)
4. TCU (8-4, 5-4)
5. Texas Tech (7-5, 5-4)
6. Kansas (7-5, 4-5)
7. Baylor (7-5, 4-5)
8. Oklahoma State (7-5, 4-5)
9. UCF (6-6, 4-5)
10. Iowa State (6-6, 4-5)
11. BYU (6-6, 4-5)
12. Houston (6-6, 3-6)
13. Cincinnati (5-7, 3-6)
14. West Virginia (4-8, 3-6)

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If Athlon’s prediction comes true, it would mark the first Big 12 title for Texas since 2009. The Longhorns are set to enter the third season under head coach Steve Sarkisian after going a combined 13-12 in his first two years.

There is plenty of optimism that Texas will break through this year, however, thanks to a passing attack led by quarterback Quinn Ewers. He returns his top two receivers from this past season in Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington, while the Longhorns also added Georgia transfer receiver AD Mitchell.

As for Oklahoma, the Sooners are coming off of their first losing season in more than 20 years. Second-year coach Brent Venables revamped the defense through the transfer portal, bringing in big names such as linebacker Dasan McCullough from Indiana and defensive end Rondell Bothroyd out of Wake Forest. They also return last year’s starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

After OU and Texas, Athlon predicts Kansas State and TCU to finish third and fourth in the Big 12, respectively. The Wildcats defeated the Horned Frogs in last year’s conference title game and bring back quarterback Will Howard.

TCU, which finished the regular season undefeated advanced all the way to the College Football Playoff Championship before losing to Georgia. However, the Horned Frogs must replace several key players from that team including quarterback Max Duggan and leading receiver Quentin Johnston, who were both drafted to the LA Chargers.