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The Big 12 is gearing up for its final season under its current alignment and plenty of factors like returning production and SP+ could make for an interesting fall. One team stands head and shoulders above the pack in the talent department but will need to actually prove it can put it to good use.
Below, we’ll look at a handful of advanced stats for the Big 12 ahead of the 2022 season.
SP+ rankings
Oklahoma enters the season ranked No. 5 in SP+ projections, outclassing the rest of the Big 12 by a wide margin. It’ll be interesting to see if the Sooners can maintain their status as a top five with a new head coach in Brent Venables and a new quarterback in UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel.
The Texas preseason hype machine is in full effect as it always is, but the team’s ranking at No. 31 suggests that it has plenty of work to do to be considered a top team in both the conference and the nation. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and defending champion Baylor are all would-be contenders at top 40 teams.
2022 Big 12 SP+
| Ranking | Team | Offense SP+ | Defense SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Team | Offense SP+ | Defense SP+ |
| 40 | Baylor | 29.1 (61) | 19.7 (21) |
| 56 | Iowa St | 29.4 (59) | 24.8 (57) |
| 109 | Kansas | 24.1 (88) | 35.0 (117) |
| 38 | Kansas St | 31.5 (43) | 21.7 (36) |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 40.7 (5) | 20.4 (24) |
| 32 | Oklahoma St | 30.8 (49) | 19.8 (22) |
| 45 | TCU | 37.3 (12) | 29.5 (85) |
| 31 | Texas | 36.1 (19) | 23.8 (47) |
| 48 | Texas Tech | 33.2 (35) | 26.5 (69) |
| 75 | West Virginia | 27.8 (71) | 28.4 (76) |
Returning production
A team standing to benefit from several returnees is Kansas, who leads the conference in returning production at 82%. The Jayhawks showed a pulse last season by taking Oklahoma to the brink and upsetting Texas in Austin.
The only other team in the conference that returns over 70% of its production is TCU, who checks in at 80%. That will greatly benefit new head coach Sonny Dykes as he tackles his first season in Fort Worth.
2022 Big 12 Returners
| Team | Overall Returning Production | National Rank | Offense | National Rank | Defense | National Rank | Offense Overall | Returning QB % | Returning OL % | Defense Overall | Kicker Starts | Punter Starts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Overall Returning Production | National Rank | Offense | National Rank | Defense | National Rank | Offense Overall | Returning QB % | Returning OL % | Defense Overall | Kicker Starts | Punter Starts |
| Baylor | 47% | 122 | 37% | 124 | 62% | 69 | 5 | 23.50% | 81.12% | 7 | 14 | 14 |
| Iowa State | 37% | 128 | 37% | 125 | 39% | 128 | 5 | 8.74% | 55.35% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Kansas | 82% | 7 | 81% | 18 | 82% | 11 | 9 | 94.36% | 79.15% | 6 | 12 | 12 |
| Kansas State | 57% | 95 | 66% | 61 | 50% | 113 | 6 | 62.24% | 44.34% | 5 | 5 | 13 |
| Oklahoma | 66% | 58 | 46% | 114 | 68% | 43 | 5 | 20.99% | 64.12% | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Oklahoma State | 53% | 107 | 69% | 49 | 40% | 127 | 7 | 88.17% | 68.99% | 4 | 14 | 14 |
| TCU | 80% | 10 | 86% | 6 | 73% | 29 | 7 | 98.71% | 69.50% | 6 | 12 | 12 |
| Texas | 66% | 61 | 59% | 80 | 74% | 40 | 5 | 24.57% | 64.27% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Texas Tech | 61% | 79 | 57% | 85 | 56% | 96 | 5 | 61.28% | 61.63% | 5 | 0 | 13 |
| West Virginia | 44% | 127 | 52% | 100 | 43% | 123 | 6 | 22.92% | 92.82% | 3 | 13 | 0 |
Positional talent data
The hype surrounding a potential Texas surge isn’t without merit as the Longhorns have the highest-ranked roster in the league and the seventh-best in the country. The Longhorns have the top units across the board except linebacker and front seven and the million-dollar question will be if they can actually put all of their talent to good use.
To little surprise, Oklahoma ranks right behind them in most categories and various schools stand behind the Sooners after that.
Big 12 Talent
| Team | Team Talent National Rank | Team Talent Player Average | Team Composite National Rank | Team Composite Player Average | 6 Year Average Recrutiing Class Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Team Talent National Rank | Team Talent Player Average | Team Composite National Rank | Team Composite Player Average | 6 Year Average Recrutiing Class Rank |
| Baylor | 35 | 85.88 | 42 | 87.12 | 39.33 |
| Iowa State | 47 | 85.05 | 49 | 86.06 | 51.17 |
| Kansas | 71 | 83.7 | 70 | 85.06 | 64.83 |
| Kansas State | 66 | 84.15 | 63 | 85.15 | 60.00 |
| Oklahoma | 13 | 90.02 | 10 | 89.97 | 9.33 |
| Oklahoma State | 36 | 86.06 | 36 | 87.03 | 36.17 |
| TCU | 34 | 86.69 | 27 | 87.33 | 31.17 |
| Texas | 7 | 91.24 | 5 | 91.13 | 9.83 |
| Texas Tech | 42 | 86.17 | 45 | 85.88 | 58.33 |
| West Virginia | 38 | 86.36 | 40 | 86.54 | 43.17 |
Latest win totals from DraftKings Sportsbook
2022 Big 12 Win Totals
| Team | Over | Under |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Over | Under |
| Baylor | Over 7.5 -150 | Under 7.5 +130 |
| Iowa State | Over 6.5 +100 | Under 6.5 -120 |
| Kansas | Over 2.5 -110 | Under 2.5 -110 |
| Kansas State | Over 6.5 -135 | Under 6.5 +115 |
| Oklahoma | Over 9.5 +100 | Under 9.5 -120 |
| Oklahoma State | Over 8.5 -105 | Under 8.5 -115 |
| TCU | Over 6.5 -125 | Under 6.5 +105 |
| Texas | Over 8 -145 | Under 8 +125 |
| Texas Tech | Over 5.5 +100 | Under 5.5 -120 |
| West Virginia | Over 5.5 -130 | Under 5.5 +110 |
Returning production and positional talent data compiled by Seth Varnadore. You can find him on Twitter and YouTube at Varnadore Films where he does game film breakdowns of teams all over college football.
SP+ data compiled by ESPN’s Bill Connelly.