For the second straight year, the Big 12 Conference did not release preseason football rankings for the upcoming season, but that didn’t stop the USA TODAY Sports Network from making its own predicted order of finish for the 2026 season as well as a preseason All-Big 12 team.
Sports writers who cover the Big 12 throughout the network voted on the predicted order of finish for all 16 teams.
Iowa State lost the winningest coach in program history, Matt Campbell, and had a massive roster rebuild after finishing 8-4 last season. With a team loaded with more than 60 newcomers and a coach who is new to the power-conference level in Jimmy Rogers, the Cyclones were tabbed to finish in last place in the USA TODAY Sports’ preseason Big 12 rankings.
Texas Tech, which won its first Big 12 title in school history last season and reached the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, is projected to repeat and finish on top. BYU, which lost to the Red Raiders in the Big 12 championship game last season, is predicted to finish in second place. Utah, Houston and Arizona round out the top five of the USA TODAY Sports Network’s preseason Big 12 prediction.
For the USA TODAY Sports Network preseason All-Big 12 team, the Cyclones didn’t have any players selected, but they did have a few honorable mentions.
Running back Aiden Flora, kicker Kyle Konrardy and defensive end Isaac Terrell were chosen as honorable mentions for the USA TODAY Sports Network preseason All-Big 12 team.
Flora and Konrardy are returning All-Big 12 selections. Flora was an all-conference second-team returner last season, and Konrardy was named All-Big 12 honorable mention.
Terrell is one of the Cyclones’ promising newcomers. He was named the Pac-12 Defensive Line Top Performer of the Year and had a team-high seven sacks at Washington State last season.
2026 USA TODAY Sports Network Big 12 football preseason predicted order of finish
2026 USA TODAY Sports Network Preseason All-Big 12 award winners
Offensive Player of the Year: L.J. Martin, RB, BYU
(Also receiving votes: Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona; Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State; Amare Thomas, WR, Houston)
Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Roberts, LB, Texas Tech
(Also receiving votes: A.J. Holmes, DL, Texas Tech; Brice Pollock, DB, Texas Tech; Austin Romaine, LB, Texas Tech)
Newcomer of the Year: Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
(Also receiving votes: Caleb Hawkins, RB, Oklahoma State; Cam Cook, RB, West Virginia; Adam Trick, DL, Texas Tech)
2026 USA TODAY Sports Network Preseason All-Big 12 football team
Offense:
Defense:
Special teams:
Honorable mentions:
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Where is Iowa State football placed in USA TODAY’s Big 12 rankings?
Reporting by Eugene Rapay, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Eugene Rapay, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
