Will second-year coach Deion Sanders lead Colorado to the Big 12 championship game?
That is the leading question in an exciting race that will continue to develop in the last three weeks of the season. The Buffaloes are one of five teams in the hunt to compete for the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Colorado is now tied for the lead in the conference standings. BYU lost 17-13 to Kansas to fall to 9-1 and 6-1 in the conference. Two teams with two losses in conference play – Iowa State and Arizona State – still have a chance. The Cyclones beat Cincinnati 34-17. The Sun Devils beat Kansas State 24-14.
Here is a look at where those contenders are in the standings, their respective paths to the Big 12 championship and the tie-breaker rules should two teams – or three or more teams - tie in the conference standings at the end of the regular season.
Big 12 football standings 2024
The Big 12 has four teams with two losses or less in conference play with two weeks left in the regular season. Here is a look at those teams.
| SCHOOL | BIG 12 | OVERALL | PF | PA |
| BYU | 6-1 | 9-1 | 316 | 195 |
| Colorado | 6-1 | 8-2 | 341 | 227 |
| Arizona State | 5-2 | 8-2 | 308 | 228 |
| Iowa State | 5-2 | 8-2 | 314 | 186 |
Big 12 tiebreaker rules for 2024 season
The Big 12 will use six these tie-breakers for the 2024 season in this order until the tie is broken:
Step 1: Head-to-head competition among the teams.
Step 2: Win percentage against all common conference opponents among the tied teams.
Step 3: Win percentage against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings (based on the record in all games played within the Conference), proceeding through the standings
Step 4: Combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents, or the strength-of-conference schedule.
Step 5: Total number of wins in a 12-game season
Step 6: Highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the last weekend of regular-season games
Step 7: Coin toss.
Big 12 contenders path to the championship game
BYU (9-1, 6-1)
Remaining schedule: at Arizona State, vs. Houston
BYU lost 17-13 to Kansas, which broke a string of close victories. BYU is tied with Colorado first place, and the Buffaloes would be likely be favored in that game. The road trip to Arizona State is tricky knowing the Cougars haven't played in Tempe since 1997.
MORE: Picks against the spread for Week 12's Top 25 games
Colorado (8-2, 6-1)
Remaining schedule: at Kansas, vs. Oklahoma State
What a three-week stretch this could be for Colorado. The Buffaloes started that with a convincing 49-24 victory against Utah. The Kansas game is at Arrowhead Stadium, and the Cowboys will be in spoiler mode in the finale. Colorado controls its own destiny in the race with two more victories.
Arizona State (8-2, 5-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. BYU, at Arizona
What a turnaround for second-year coach Kenny Dillingham. The Sun Devils beat Kansas State on the road, and Sam Leavitt passed for 275 yards and three TDs. Arizona State knocked the Wildcats to the brink of elimination and can spice up the conference race against BYU in Week 13.
Iowa State (8-2, 5-2)
Remaining schedule: at Utah, vs. Kansas State
The Cyclones broke a two-game losing streak with a 34-17 victory against Cincinnati, and they are going to need help down the stretch. Iowa State has a tough two-game stretch, and the Utah game is huge because the other three contenders beat the Utes.
Big 12 common opponents tracker for 2024
Here is a look at the common opponents for the four teams in contention. Keep this chart handy for the final three weeks:
| TEAM | BYU | COLO. | ISU | ASU |
| Arizona | W 41-19 | W 34-7 | - | Nov. 30 |
| Arizona State | Nov. 23 | - | - | - |
| Baylor | W 34-28 | W 38-31 | W 43-21 | - |
| BYU | - | - | - | Nov. 23 |
| UCF | W 37-24 | W 48-21 | W 38-35 | W 35-31 |
| Cincinnati | - | W 34-23 | W 34-17 | L 24-14 |
| Colorado | - | - | - | - |
| Houston | Nov. 30 | - | W 20-0 | - |
| Iowa State | - | - | - | - |
| Kansas | L 17-13 | Nov. 23 | L 45-36 | W 35-31 |
| Kansas State | W 38-9 | L 31-28 | Nov. 30 | W 24-14 |
| Oklahoma State | W 38-35 | Nov. 29 | - | W 42-21 |
| TCU | - | - | - | - |
| Texas Tech | - | W 41-27 | L 23-22 | L 30-22 |
| Utah | W 22-21 | W 49-24 | Nov. 23 | W 27-19 |
| West Virginia | - | - | W 28-16 | - |
Most likely Big 12 championship game scenario
BYU and Colorado will make the Big 12 championship game with two more victories.
The Arizona State scenario is getting interesting. Let's say Arizona State wins out, and Kansas upsets Colorado in Week 13. The Cyclones knock off Kansas State, and suddenly there would be a four-way tie among BYU, Colorado, Arizona State and Iowa State at 7-2.
The only head-to-head game between any of those teams is BYU vs. Arizona State. It would trickle down to the winning percentage against common opponents. Those four teams played UCF, Kansas, Kansas State and Utah.
Arizona State is 4-0 against those teams. BYU is 3-1, and Iowa State would be 3-1 with a sweep. Colorado would be 2-2 and out of the mix. The next step would be the combined conference winning percentage of BYU and Iowa State's conference opponents. Right now, that favors Iowa State (28-35, .444) over BYU (24-39, .381).
