photo by: AP Photo/Samantha Chow

Arizona State wide receiver Troy Omeire (9) celebrates a play during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz.

When the season began, Arizona State was picked at the bottom of the Big 12 in its preseason media poll.

The Sun Devils finished the regular season on top.

ASU is No. 1 in the final Big 12 power rankings, receiving 15 of a possible 16 first-place votes from a panel of media who regularly cover the league. Iowa State was second, followed by Colorado (one first-place vote), BYU and Baylor.

Arizona State and Iowa State meet Saturday in the Big 12 championship game in Arlington, Texas, with a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line.

Kansas, which was projected to finish fourth, ends the season at ninth.

1. Arizona State

Previous ranking: 1

Points: 255 (15 first-place votes)

Record: 10-2 (7-2 Big 12)

Last week: beat Arizona, 49-7

Up next: vs. No. 16 Iowa State in Big 12 championship game

Comment: Cam Skattebo rushed for another 177 yards and three touchdowns, Jordyn Tyson caught seven passes for 137 yards and the Sun Devils cruised past their state rival for the sixth time in eight years.

Did you know? This marks the first 10-win season for the school since 2014. It is the 10th 10-win season for the Sun Devils but just the fourth since 1975. — Michelle Gardner, Arizona Republic

2. Iowa State

Previous ranking: 2

Points: 237

Record: 10-2 (7-2 Big 12)

Last week: beat No. 24 Kansas State, 29-21

Up next: vs. No. 15 Arizona State in Big 12 championship game

Comment: Iowa State has scored 20 or more points in 14 consecutive games. Only one other Power Four team has a longer streak in that area — Miami, which has done it 16 straight times. The Cyclones have scored 29-plus points in four conference games in a row for the first time since 2005 and will play for a Big 12 title on Saturday for the second time in the past five seasons.

Did you know? Iowa State wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel both boast 1,000-plus receiving yards this season, the first Big 12 teammates to do so since Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in 2018. — Rob Gray, The Cedar Rapids Gazette

3. Colorado

Previous ranking: 3

Points: 223 (one first-place vote)

Record: 9-3 (7-2 Big 12)

Last week: beat Oklahoma State, 52-0

Up next: Bowl game TBA

Comment: CU buried the Cowboys early, turning two first-quarter turnovers into touchdowns and rolling to its most lopsided conference victory in 34 years. The Buffs pitched their first shutout since 2021 while quarterback Shedeur Sanders (438 yards, five touchdowns) and receivers LaJohntay Wester (11 catches for 175 yards, two touchdowns) and Travis Hunter (10 catches for 116 yards, three touchdowns) were sensational.

Did you know? The Buffs had a point differential of plus-144 in Big 12 play, nearly double the next-best team (BYU, plus-77). This was just the third time in program history that CU won four conference games by at least 25 points (also in 1989 and 1937). — Brian Howell, Boulder Daily Camera

4. BYU

Previous ranking: 4

Points: 212

Record: 10-2 (7-2 Big 12)

Last week: beat Houston, 30-18

Up next: Bowl game TBA

Comment: BYU’s bid for a Big 12 title ended before taking a snap on Saturday. Iowa State beat Kansas State, officially knocking BYU out.

Did you know? This is the third time Kalani Sitake has had a 10-win season. — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune

5. Baylor

Previous ranking: 6

Points: 190

Record: 8-4 (6-3 Big 12)

Last week: beat Kansas, 45-17

Up next: Bowl game TBA

Comment: The Baylor offense operated at peak efficiency against Kansas, finishing with two 100-yard receivers in a game for the first time since 2019 and two 100-yard rushers in a game for the first time since 2021. On the one-year anniversary of Jake Spavital becoming the offensive coordinator, the Bears put up more than 600 yards of total offense against a Big 12 team for the first time since 2016. With so many key pieces expected to come back next season, head coach Dave Aranda will use the extra month to keep the momentum going into next season.

Did you know? Baylor won six straight games to end the regular season, the longest winning streak to end a regular season in program history. It’s also the Bears’ longest winning streak since it won nine games in a row to start the 2019 season. — Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald

6. Kansas State

Previous ranking: 5

Points: 166

Record: 8-4 (5-4 Big 12)

Last week: lost to No. 18 Iowa State, 29-21

Up next: Bowl game TBA

Comment: Early turnovers led to easy points for Iowa State in Saturday’s game and the Wildcats couldn’t find a way to catch up, despite a strong defensive showing in the second half. K-State fell from one of the top teams in the Big 12 heading into October to now, after losing three of the last four games, ending the regular season in a tie for eighth place, the worst finish standings-wise for K-State since 2015.

Did you know? K-State has now lost four of the last five matchups against the Cyclones. — Tim Everson, The Manhattan Mercury

7. TCU

Previous ranking: 7

Points: 157

Record: 8-4 (6-3 Big 12)

Last week: beat Cincinnati, 20-13

Up next: Bowl game TBA

Comment: The Frogs finish the regular season with exactly eight wins for the first time since 1984, having won five of their final six games of the season. TCU fans are simultaneously moderately pleased and a little disgruntled with “what could have been” this season, had they beaten UCF and Houston.

Did you know? TCU finishes tied for fifth in the Big 12 after being picked to finish 10th in the preseason. — Jamie Plunkett, Horned Frog Blitz

8. Texas Tech

Previous ranking: 9

Points: 156

Record: 8-4 (6-3 in Big 12)

Last week: beat West Virginia, 52-15

Up next: Bowl game TBA

Comment: Joey McGuire spent a chunk of his postgame presser lambasting the College Football Playoff committee’s dismissal of the Big 12. McGuire feels like he may have to fight that battle with Texas Tech soon enough, and had the Red Raiders not blown it against TCU they would’ve been headed to Arlington. Instead, they’ll try to fix an awful defense and move ahead.

Did you know? Tahj Brooks became the first Texas Tech running back to rush for over 1,500 yards multiple times as a Red Raider. Josh Kelly became the first Tech receiver with 1,000 yards since 2018 and Behren Morton started all 12 games and passed for over 3,000 yards, the first Tech quarterback to do either since 2017. — Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

9. Kansas

Previous ranking: 8

Points: 122

Record: 5-7 (4-5 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Baylor, 45-17

Up next: Season over

Comment: The Jayhawks saved their worst performance of the season for the final week, giving up 603 yards to Baylor and turning the ball over three times, and in doing so ensured they would not reach a third straight bowl game.

Did you know? Fifteen of KU’s 22 starters in the Baylor game — eight on offense, seven on defense — went through senior day this year, out of a total 38 senior-day participants. In short, the Jayhawks’ roster will look very different when KU takes the field at its newly renovated stadium on Aug. 23. — Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World

10. West Virginia

Previous ranking: 10

Points: 120

Record: 6-6 (5-4 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Texas Tech, 52-15

Up next: Bowl game TBA

Comment: Despite a contract extension in January, Neal Brown was fired with three years left on his contract. He posted a 37-35 record in six seasons. Two notable names that have been mentioned in the Mountaineers’ search – Jimbo Fisher, the former Florida State and Texas A&M coach, and Rich Rodriguez, who coached West Virginia before leaving for Michigan.

Did you know? Offensive coordinator Chad Scott will serve as the team’s interim head coach for the bowl game. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

11. Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 11

Points: 93

Record: 5-7 (3-6 Big 12)

Last week: lost vs. TCU, 20-13

Up next: Season over

Comment: The Bearcats allowed a potent TCU offense 10 points off turnovers in the first half and got behind 20-7 at halftime. In the second half, snow arrived, which helped slow down the Horned Frogs. They would only throw for 10 yards and not score, but the Bearcats had a costly interception in the end zone to prevent one score and could only get as close as seven points with 5:42 remaining. Their last drive ended on the TCU 39-yard line with a prayer that went out of the end zone to end the game.

Did you know? Cincinnati went 0-5 in night games this season, falling at Texas Tech, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State and at home vs. TCU. Corey Kiner ran for 110 yards Saturday to finish with 1,153 for the season. Tight end Joe Royer caught seven passes to finish with 50 for the season, surpassing the previous single-season tight end record of 45 held by Travis Kelce, now with the Kansas City Chiefs. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer

12. Houston

Previous ranking: T12

Points: 68

Record: 4-8 (3-6 Big 12)

Last week: lost to No. 19 BYU, 30-18

Up next: Season over

Comment: Coach Willie Fritz has a busy offseason ahead as he must replace both coordinator positions following the firing of offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay and defensive coordinator Shiel Wood’s departure to Texas Tech. Fixing an offense that ranked next-to-last in FBS at 14 points per game is the top priority. “We want to find an offense where we don’t turn it over and we score a bunch of points,” Fritz said.

Did you know? Houston will miss a bowl in consecutive years for the first time since a six-year drought from 1997-2002. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

13. Utah

Previous ranking: 15

Points: 62

Record: 5-7 (2-7 Big 12)

Last week: beat UCF, 28-14

Up next: Season over

Comment: Utah’s football season is officially over. Now, the Utes will shift their focus to hiring an offensive coordinator, the early signing period and the transfer portal. On top of Utah’s offseason list is awaiting the potential departures of Kyle Whittingham and Cam Rising, who have been an integral part of the Utes’ success the past few years.

Did you know? After finishing the season 5-7, this is just the third losing season of Whittingham’s 20-year career. — Jason Batacao, The Salt Lake Tribune

14. UCF

Previous ranking: T12

Points: 59

Record: 4-8 (2-7 Big 12)

Last week: lost to Utah, 28-14

Up next: Season over

Comment: Running back RJ Harvey set the school’s all-time touchdown record with his 47th and 48th career touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough, as the Knights lost their third straight game to finish the season. Harvey rushed for 119 yards, giving him a career-high 1,577 yards on the season.

Did you know? Coach Gus Malzahn resigned on Saturday to become the new offensive coordinator at Florida State. — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

15. Arizona

Previous ranking: 14

Points: 40

Record: 4-8 (2-7 Big 12)

Last week: lost to No. 16 Arizona State, 49-7

Up next: Season over

Comment: Arizona ended its tumultuous first season under Brent Brennan with a 42-point thumping by its rival Arizona State and now enters a rebuild year with the Wildcats likely losing wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea to the NFL Draft. Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois recently told the Arizona Daily Star that Brennan will remain the coach in 2025.

Did you know? Arizona went from 10-3 in 2023 to 4-8 this season, the biggest drop-off in wins since the 1998 and ’99 seasons, when the Wildcats went from 12-1 to 6-6. — Justin Spears, Arizona Daily Star

16. Oklahoma State

Previous ranking: 16

Points: 16

Record: 3-9 (0-9 Big 12)

Last week: lost to No. 25 Colorado, 52-0

Up next: Season over

Comment: A wide-open quarterback battle will dominate headlines this spring, but the Cowboys must also replace at least four starting offensive linemen and two starting receivers. Then there’s running back Ollie Gordon, who seems likely to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Did you know? OSU receiver Brennan Presley finished his career with 315 receptions, which puts him 12th all-time at the FBS level and second among former Big 12 players. — Tyler Waldrep, Tulsa World