Latest news with #AveryJohnson
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Check out what Kansas State football's Avery Johnson had to say during Big 12 media days
Check out some of what Kansas State football player Avery Johnson had to say while speaking at Big 12 Conference media days this year.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman on quarterback Avery Johnson at Big 12 Media Day
Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman talks about quarterback Avery Johnson's growth during the offseason at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas.
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Colorado football's Big 12 preseason ranking revealed in USA TODAY Sports' preseason poll
The Big 12 chose to eliminate its traditional preseason media poll, following the lead of the Big Ten, after the eventual conference champion, Arizona State, was incorrectly projected to finish last. Despite the absence of an official preseason media poll, multiple media outlets have released their own poll ahead of the 2025 season. We have already analyzed one from 247Sports, and now we have another one from our friends at USA TODAY Sports. Sports writers covering markets in or near all 16 Big 12 teams voted on the predicted standings. Kansas State came out as the team to beat, which should not come as a surprise after the Wildcats went 9-4 last year and enter 2025 with a dark horse Heisman candidate in quarterback Avery Johnson. Colorado ranks as the No. 10 team in the conference, which was the same spot it received in the 247Sports poll. The rankings seem apt, considering Deion Sanders' squad will look quite different this year without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Here is the entire USA TODAY Sports preseason media poll: USA TODAY Sports Big 12 preseason poll Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads and Instagram. Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
Dominion Post
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Dominion Post
No Big 12 preseason football poll this year, so we did our own
FRISCO, Texas – The Big 12 conference announced it won't release preseason rankings this season, following suit with the SEC. The Big 12 preseason rankings have been the basis for what the projected season is supposed to look like, but it has its flaws. They are a prediction, but in recent years they've been way off. Last year, Arizona State was projected as a bottom team in the conference, and the Sun Devils managed to win the Big 12 conference. It wasn't a good look for the poll. However, it did provide bulletin board material for those bottom teams. There will still be polls from other media outlets to add extra motivation. Here are the Dominion Post's Big 12 preseason rankings: Kansas State is one of the many Big 12 teams that returns its quarterback, Avery Johnson, who had a strong 2024. With a year under his belt, it looks to be only up. On the defensive side of the ball, this defensive line unit might be the best in the conference led by Tobi Osunsanmi. With more experience, the Wildcats should be in the running for the top spot at the end of the season. The Sun Devils were the surprise team of 2024, winning the conference. There are a lot of last year's players back on this year's team. However, the squad might struggle without star running back Cam Skattebo, who was the focal point of the offense. Texas Tech had one of the best transfer portals this offseason. The Red Raiders have fully taken advantage of NIL and have rumors of one of the most expensive rosters in college football. Will the money translate to the field is the question. It worked for Ohio State a year ago. It was a big bounce-back year for Baylor, who found its quarterback in Sawyer Robertson. Most of the 8-5 offense is back, too. Some new pieces on defense will patch up a low-ranked defense. This team is full of veterans who could put Baylor in contention for the Big 12 Title. The Cyclones are always competitive in the conference, and despite a boatload of injuries, managed to make the Big 12 Championship game. With a lot of starters back, Iowa State has a real shot at being back in the title game. Utah had a disappointing 2024 and was not up to experienced coach Kyle Whittingham's standards. He overhauled the offense, bringing in a new quarterback to potentially bring the Utes back into contention. But it could be a transition year with new faces, setting up the following season. One of the best quarterbacks, Jalon Daniels, struggled at the start of the season after losing his offensive coordinator to Penn State. There are a couple of key pieces back on the offense and if everything is clicking, it should make for one of the best in the conference. The defense could hinder the success with a lot of new players, though. The Cougars were in contention to win the conference until early in late June and early July when BYU suspended starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff for violating the university's code, forcing them into a quarterback competition just two months before the start of the season. The defense will still be solid, but without a veteran quarterback, they'll struggle. The Horned Frogs had a strong 2024. Quarterback Josh Hoover is back, so the air attack won't be an issue. But, the rushing attack was insufficient and might not improve in 2025. The defense should improve with a couple of big names returning. TCU could have a shot in the Big 12 Championship if all areas click. Colorado was pried of a lot of talent to the NFL this offseason. Most importantly, no Heisman Trophy two-way star Travis Hunter or quarterback Shedeur Sanders. This is a restock year for coach Deion Sanders and company, but Sanders did make some moves that could make them competitive this year. The Bearcats added a lot of help for returning quarterback Brendan Sorsby to help him take the next step in 2025. The secondary did take a significant blow from the NFL Draft, so it could hold them back in 2025. There's optimism if Sorsby and the secondary perform, Cincinnati could exceed expectations. There's a lot of work to be done for second-year coach Willie Fritz, especially on the offense. The offense ranked at the bottom of the Big 12. Fritz brought in a familiar coordinator to improve the attack. The defense has a lot of question marks that could keep the Cougars out of bowl contention. After a disappointing season, Mike Gundy completely overhauled the team through the transfer portal. It won't be an immediate turnaround but it could be a step in the right direction to get the Cowboys competitive again. The Mountaineers received a complete makeover this year with the arrival of head coach Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez brought in the second-most transfers, so it'll be an almost new team. WVU is another team that doesn't have a starting quarterback yet, so it'll be a season of the unknown. If any coach can make the Mountaineers competitive, it's Rodriguez, who's done it before. Arizona's underperforming offense lost its biggest stars for 2025, shaping up for another rough season. The Wildcats do get a couple of pieces back from injury, but it won't be enough to be a threat in the conference. The Golden Knights are one of the few teams this year with a new coach. Scott Frost is back for UCF, hoping to improve a two-win conference team last year. However, its quarterback situation remains an unknown and there weren't enough pieces added surrounding to strengthen the position. The defense could help keep UCF from the bottom of the conference. Offensive Player of the Year: Sam Leavitt, QB, Arizona State, RS-So. Defensive Player of the Year: Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech, Sr. Newcomer of the Year: Devon Dampier, QB, Utah, Jr. Preseason all-Big 12 offense QB: Sam Leavitt, Arizona State RB: Bryson Washington, Baylor RB: Jahiem White, West Virginia. FB/H-Back: Will Swanson, Kansas State WR: Eric McAlister, TCU WR: Chase Roberts, BYU WR: Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State TE: Joe Royer, Cincinnati OL: Ben Coleman, Arizona State OL: Spencer Fano, Utah OL: Bryce Foster, Kansas OL: Caleb Lomu, Utah OL: Jordan Seaton, Colorado PK: Will Ferrin, BYU PR/KR: Josh Cameron, Baylor Preseason all-Big 12 defense DL: David Bailey, Texas Tech DL: Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati DL: C.J. Fite, Arizona State DL: Lee Hunter, Texas Tech DL: Domonique Orange, Iowa State LB: Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech LB: Austin Romaine, Kansas State LB: Keaton Thomas, Baylor DB: Xavion Alford, Arizona State DB: Bud Clark, TCU DB: Jeremiah Cooper, Iowa State DB: DJ McKinney, Colorado DB: Jontez Williams, Iowa State P: Palmer Williams, Baylor
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
College football conference title odds: Big 12 could be most wide-open league again this season
The Big 12 could again be the most wide-open conference in college football. A year after Arizona State and Iowa State played for the Big 12 title after ending the season in a four-way tie with BYU and Colorado, there are five co-favorites to win the conference and eight teams with odds of +1200 or better at BetMGM to get the Big 12's automatic berth in the College Football Playoff. Advertisement Kansas State, Arizona State, Baylor, Texas Tech and Utah are all at +600 to win the Big 12 and four of those teams return their starting quarterbacks from the 2024 season. Avery Johnson is back for K-State, Sam Leavitt returns after a breakout season at Arizona State, Behren Morton is back at Texas Tech and Sawyer Robertson will be the Week 1 starter for Baylor after emerging over the second half of the season. Utah, meanwhile, just wants stability and competency at the QB spot. And average play could go a long way for the Utes. After Cam Rising missed much of the 2024 season due to injury — and medically retired this spring — Utah added former New Mexico QB Devon Dampier via the transfer portal. Dampier was one of the best dual-threat QBs in the country in 2024. He threw for over 2,700 yards while rushing for 1,166 yards and 19 TDs. He averaged 7.5 yards a carry — 0.4 more yards per rushing attempt than he did per pass. After the top five, BYU is at +900. QB Jake Retzlaff is set to return, though a civil lawsuit was filed against him in May over an alleged sexual assault in November of 2023. Retzlaff has not been criminally charged regarding the matter and his attorney has said that Retzlaff is innocent. Advertisement Behind BYU, Kansas and TCU are each at +1200 while Iowa State is at +1400 with Colorado at +1800. The Buffaloes enter 2025 with both Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter in the NFL and a new QB in former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter. With Shedeur Sanders gone and Kaidon Salters at quarterback, will Colorado remain competitive in the Big 12 this season? () (Dustin Bradford via Getty Images) With the Big 12 looking like it could be the conference with the most parity in 2025, here's a look at the odds for the other conferences ahead of fall camp. AAC Favorite: Tulane (+200) The Green Wave are the favorites despite losing QB Darian Mensah to Duke in the offseason. Navy is the No. 2 favorite at +325 ahead of Memphis at +550 and UTSA at +700. Defending conference champion Army is at +800 after going 8-0 in conference play before losing to Navy to end the season. Remember, the rivalry game between the two service academies does not count towards the regular season standings. ACC Favorite: Clemson (+120) Advertisement The Tigers are the prohibitive favorites to win their second straight ACC title after stunning SMU a season ago. Clemson was the only three-loss team in last season's College Football Playoff and lost to Texas in the first round. Miami is the No. 2 favorite at +350, while Louisville is at +700. SMU is +900 to win the league after making the playoff in its first season in the ACC. Big Ten Favorite: Ohio State (+190) The defending national champions enter as favorites as they get Penn State at home and Michigan on the road in 2025. The Nittany Lions are +240 to win the Big Ten with Oregon right behind at +350. The Ducks went undefeated in the regular season in 2024 and beat Penn State in the Big Ten title game. Michigan is +650 to win the Big Ten and there's a huge chasm between those four teams and everyone else. USC is the No. 5 favorite at +1800 and no other team has odds better than +4000. Conference USA Favorite: Liberty (+150) Advertisement The Flames are now the perennial favorites to win Conference USA but came up short in a disappointing 2024. Liberty finished fourth in the league behind Jacksonville State, Sam Houston and Western Kentucky. WKU is at +400 to win the league while Jacksonville State is at +800. In between them are FIU and Louisiana Tech at +700. Both the Panthers and Bulldogs lost eight games in 2024. MAC Favorite: Toledo (+250) The Rockets are slight favorites ahead of Buffalo at +300 and defending champion Ohio at +400. The Bobcats beat Miami (Ohio) for the league title in December. The RedHawks are at +900 and just behind Bowling Green at +800. Mountain West Favorite: Boise State (-125) Advertisement The Broncos are the biggest conference favorite in college football despite losing Ashton Jeanty and others to the NFL after a playoff appearance in 2024. UNLV lost to Boise State in the MWC title game a year ago and is at +600. Both San Jose State and Fresno State are at +800. Of the four favorites, only San Jose State will continue in the Mountain West past the 2025 season. The other three schools are off to the Pac-12. SEC Favorite: Texas (+225) The SEC doesn't have the parity at the top of the board that the Big 12 does, but it also has a lot of teams with decent odds to win the conference. Nine teams have odds of +2000 or better to win the SEC as Georgia is the No. 2 favorite behind Texas at +375. Alabama is +500, with LSU at +800 and Ole Miss at +1200. Texas A&M's odds are +1400 while Tennessee and South Carolina are at +1800 and Florida is at +2000. Sun Belt Favorite: James Madison (+320) The Dukes have made a seamless transition to the top level of college football. In three years in the Sun Belt, JMU has gone 27-9 and was 9-4 a season ago. Louisiana is +500 to win the league with Texas State and Georgia Southern both at +600. Marshall, which beat Louisiana in the conference title game a season ago, has conference title odds of +2500 after the departure of coach Charles Huff to Southern Miss and a host of players left the program after Huff wasn't retained.
