Are BYU and Utah football well-set for the future in comparison to their Big 12 peers?

Every offseason, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg creates a future power rankings for college football that attempts to forecast the health of programs around the country for the next few years.

He’s changed the formula up a bit this year in the college football future power rankings through 2026 that were released last week, thanks to the changing landscape of the sport that is ever-increasingly impacted by the transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness, among other factors.

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In previous years, Rittenberg had based these future rankings on a three-year window — now he’s changed that to looking ahead at the next two seasons.

He also changed the overall delivery of the rankings.

Instead of breaking them out into a look at the quarterback position, as well as individual offensive and defensive rankings, as he’s done in the past in addition to team rankings, this year Rittenberg has released the team rankings only for the Power Four conferences and Notre Dame.

“The reason: The spring portal changes things, and QB rooms or individual units can look moderately or significantly different by late May or early June,” Rittenberg explained. “For example, think about where Tennessee would have been on the quarterback list in February and how the outlook is now.”

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There are six criteria Rittenberg is basing these rankings on. They include returning quarterback, likelihood of a multiyear QB on roster, offensive line/defensive line outlook, roster management, star power and coaching staff.

What do these latest rankings project for BYU, Utah and the rest of the Big 12?

And how does that compare to other power conferences, particularly the ACC, seen as its chief rival below the game’s two dominant leagues, the SEC and the Big Ten?

Where Big 12 football teams land in ESPN’s 2025 future power rankings

• 66. West Virginia

• 64. Arizona

• 62. Oklahoma State

• 61. Houston

• 57. Cincinnati

• 50. Kansas

• 35. Colorado

• 32. Baylor

• 29. Texas Tech

• 21. Kansas State

• 19. Iowa State

• 12. Arizona State

What stood out: First, the discouraging news for the conference — five of the bottom eight teams in the future power rankings are from the Big 12.

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West Virginia and UCF, the two lowest rated league schools in the rankings, both have new head coaches this year in Rich Rodriguez and Scott Frost, respectively.

There’s another group of five Big 12 programs bunched together from No. 29 to No. 38 as well, teams that could elevate themselves into top 25 territory.

Then there are four Big 12 teams in the top 25, including the league’s top-ranked team, Arizona State, at No. 12, followed by Iowa State (19), Kansas State (21) and BYU (25).

How the Big 12 compares to other power conferences: The Big 12 has the fewest teams in the top 50 of ESPN’s future power rankings, as the league has six schools — or 37.5% of the league — outside of the top 50, followed by the Big Ten with five (27.7%), the ACC with four (23.5%) and the SEC with three (18.7%).

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The SEC, meanwhile, has more than half of its 16 teams in the top 25, with nine (or 56.2%). That is followed by the Big Ten with seven (or 38.8% of its 18 teams), followed by the Big 12 and ACC with four each (25% of the Big 12’s 16 teams, 23.5% of the ACC’s 17 football-member schools).

The Big 12 is the only power conference without a team in the top 10.

The ACC has one in Clemson at No. 7, while the SEC has five (Texas at No. 1, Georgia at No. 3, LSU at No. 8, Tennessee at No. 9 and Alabama at No. 10), the Big Ten has three (Ohio State at No. 2, Oregon at No. 4 and Penn State at No. 6) and independent Notre Dame is No. 5.

What ESPN’s future power rankings say about BYU

The Cougars weren’t ranked in Rittenberg’s top 25 last year, but now come in at No. 25 following an 11-2 season where BYU went 7-2 in Big 12 play and won the Alamo Bowl.

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There are question marks surrounding the future of BYU’s quarterback position right now, with the civil lawsuit filed against last year’s starter, Jake Retzlaff, alleging that he sexual assaulted a Salt Lake County woman in November 2023.

Coming out of spring camp, McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourget were in competition to be QB2 and could take over the offense. So, too, could incoming freshman transfer Bear Bachmeier, though likely further down the road.

Beyond those questions, Rittenberg pointed to several other things in the Cougars’ favor over the next couple of seasons.

One of those is coaching stability.

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“Kalani Sitake has good stability on the staff as he enters his 10th season overseeing the team at his alma mater. Primary coordinators Jay Hill (defense) and Aaron Roderick (offense) are both back, and the staff had minimal changes coming off of an 11-2 season,” Rittenberg wrote.

He also outlined the Cougars’ star power back in 2025 — BYU returns linebacker Jack Kelly on defense, while bringing back wide receiver Chase Roberts, running back LJ Martin and offensive guard Weylin Lapuaho on offense, along with all-Big 12 first-team kicker Will Ferrin.

As for roster management, Rittenberg wrote, “High school recruiting has fluctuated a bit, but BYU still does well in its state and in Texas, and the 2026 class currently ranks No. 20.”

What ESPN’s future power rankings say about Utah

Following a forgettable 5-7 season where injuries again impacted the Utes, particularly on offense, Utah fell from No. 14 in Rittenberg’s future power rankings last year to No. 30 ahead of the 2025 season.

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There’s uncertainty interspersed with optimism for Utah in several areas, from coaching stability — with Kyle Whittingham’s future a popular topic in recent years — to the quarterback position.

The Utes brought in New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier to take over as the Utes’ dual-threat starting QB, and he will be a junior in 2025. That likely gives the program a multiyear starter under first-year offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who also came to Salt Lake City from Albuquerque.

While there’s been plenty of roster turnover for the Utes, Dampier is one of the storylines to follow in terms of star power, along with guys like offensive tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, as well as defenders Logan Fano, Lander Barton and Smith Snowden, per Rittenberg.

“Dampier led the Mountain West in yards per carry last fall (7.52), in addition to finishing second in passing. He’s a potential plug-and-play superstar,” Rittenberg wrote, while adding Utah’s additions at running back — including Wayshawn Parker — and wide receiver are worth monitoring.

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What could end up being a major positive for Utah this year is the trenches, especially on the offensive side.

“Utah’s offensive line returns all five starters and could be among the nation’s best. The team retained tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, and has a veteran interior group,” Rittenberg wrote.