Where does Big 12 rank in ESPN's initial SP+ projections?

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Where does Big 12 rank in ESPN's initial SP+ projections?

The release of ESPN’s SP+ rankings is an exciting time in the offseason desert that is college football. There are dozens of ways to break down and parse these numbers, which, in broad terms, examine tempo- and opponent-adjusted measures of college football efficiency.

Ranking the entire Big 12, the strength of Colorado’s opponents and the best Big 12 games of the year are just a few ways to look at what these rankings mean.

Conference superiority is another way to take a look at these numbers. It is no shock that the Big Ten and SEC are at the top. Those two leagues hold 18 of the top 25 spots in the SP+. The Big 12 has three teams in the top 25: Texas Tech, BYU and Utah. All four enter 2026 as the conference title favorites.

The SEC leads the way as the top overall conference, and it all comes down to its depth. They have seven of the top 15 teams, with Georgia ranked No. 4. Of the league’s 16 teams, 14 rank in the top 50; Mississippi State and Kentucky are the teams on the outside looking in at 52nd and 53rd, respectively.

Each conference’s top teams, per SP+

Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts with Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint following the 31-23 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on November 25, 2023

  • SEC: No. 4 Georgia, No. 6 Texas, No. 9 Texas A&M
  • Big Ten: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, No. 5 Indiana
  • Big 12: No. 7 Texas Tech, No. 18 BYU, No. 24 Utah
  • ACC: No. 8 Miami, No. 23 Clemson, No. 27 Louisville

Breaking down the SP+ rankings

Aug 30, 2025; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Members of the Texas Tech Red Raiders sing the school song after the game against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Even though the Big Ten has three of the top five teams, it is firmly behind the SEC. They do have eight of the top 30, but also have four teams projected worse than 60th. Holding the Big Ten down are its really bad teams. Michigan State comes in at No. 68, and Purdue is the lowest Power Four team at No. 82.

The Big 12 comes in at third, and the league doesn’t really have any really bad teams. Its lowest-ranked team is West Virginia at No. 66. Colorado comes in at No. 65, and Iowa State at No. 64. With a handful of really good teams and no bottom-feeders, the Big 12 is ahead of the ACC. The top of the league is similar to the Big 12, with three teams in the top 25.

What is keeping the ACC down is having three teams ranked 69th or worse: Syracuse, Boston College and Stanford. All three of those teams are lower than any Big 12 teams.

The Big 12 is known for offense, and that is another key reason that they are ahead of the ACC. The Big 12 is much closer to the Big Ten for the second-best offense than the ACC is to the Big 12. Defensively, the ACC makes up some ground on the Big 12, but it is not enough to be the third-best conference in these SP+ rankings.

All 10 FBS conferences ranked by SP+

CONFERENCEAVG. RATINGOFFENSEDEFENSE
1. SEC14.532.8 (1)18.6 (1)
2. Big 1011.030.7 (2)19.8 (2)
3. Big 127.430.0 (3)22.6 (4)
4. ACC6.428.5 (4)22.2 (3)
5. Pac-12-3.723.6 (6)27.2 (5)
6. Mountain West-8.221.2 (8)29.3 (6)
7. American-8.223.7 (5)32.0 (8)
8. Sun Belt-12.221.7 (7)33.6 (9)
9. Conference USA-13.720.4 (9)34.0 (10)
10. MAC-15.915.4 (10)31.1 (7)

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Ranking FBS football conferences by ESPN’s SP+

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