Why Utah, Kansas State could underperform in the Big 12 in 2024

Ralph Russo is a fan-favorite guest on the Andy Staples On3 Podcast, which is why Staples recently brought him in for another sit-down to discuss the upcoming 2024 season. Arguably, one of the biggest topics the duo tackled was their list of overrated teams and those who are destined to underperform next season. In the Big 12, Staples sees these two teams, one joining the conference in 2024 and the other a senior member, who both fit that bill.

According to the On3 college football expert, the Utah Utes and Kansas State Wildcats could be the most overrated teams in the Big 12 next season.

“So, Cam Rising comes back for Utah. I think Brant Kuithe is gonna be back,” said Staples. “They should be able to walk into the Big 12 as the best program in the Big 12. This should be a return to Utah at a level that won two consecutive Pac-12 titles. That’s easy to say and hard to do. And I say this believing that that Kyle Whittingham is one of the best coaches in America.

“So either them or Kansas State probably is going to underperform, mostly because the rest of the 12 is good. Like everybody’s solid and some of these teams are straight-up good. And it’s gonna be hard to win 9 or 10 games in this league.”

Utah had a rough end to their final season in the Pac-12. After starting 4-0 in 2023 with wins over Florida, Baylor, and UCLA — the Utes finish the rest of the season 4-5. A considerable factor in Utah’s struggles in 2023 undoubtedly was directly associated with missing star quarterback Cam Rising. Next season, Rising will be back, and Utah will be looking to claim the Big 12 title in their inaugural year.

But that task will be easier said than done as even though Texas and Oklahoma are on their way out, the conference is still home to some heavy hitters who find themselves ranked fairly high and Bill Connelly’s SP projections. And that is one of the things that makes Russo believe Staples could be right about his prediction.

“It goes back to Bill C’s if you look at his SP plus projections,” said Russo. “There was no Big 12 team in the top 15, but there are a ton of Big 12 teams between 17 and 35. In fact, they’re almost all between 17 and 35. And it goes back a lot of what you’ve talked about before; what’s going to be cool about the new Big 12 is its balance. And the fact that a lot of these teams look similar. Not just on the field, but I mean are truly built similarly as programs. Maybe that changes over the course of time.”

While the Big 12 is not seen in the same light as the SEC and the Big Ten, it is still a conference that has multiple teams capable of making this year’s 12-team playoff. Both Utah and Kansas State have high expectations thrust upon them for 2024. But as the saying goes, pressure can bust pipes and make diamonds. Only time will tell if Staples’s prediction is correct and the pressure is too much for either Utah or Kansas State or both in the end.