Big 12 Conference Preview with The Playmaker and Cole Johnson's Top Picks

Darnell Sallins

August 1, 2025

The Big 12 Conference was the first to be previewing on Bearing Down the Gridiron as the 2025 season approaches. The Playmaker and Cole Johnson went through what took place in the 2024 in Big 12 as Arizona State shocked everyone and won the Big 12 after being voted last.

With the new realignment finally settled, the guys made their picks for the Big 12.

The Playmaker's Pick

The Playmaker chose the Colorado Buffalos win to the Big 12. Coach Deion "Primetime" Sanders is going into his third season as the head man in Boulder, Colorado. This is also the first season where Coach Prime doesn't have play dual role as head coach and father. Shedeur and Shilo Sanders both moved on to the NFL. The Playmaker feels that Coach Prime just focusing on coaching only will be beneficial. Additionally, Colorado has brought in two Pro Hall of Famers, Warren Sapp and Marshall Faulk, as coaches.

Full disclosure: The Playmaker is 0-3 in picking the Big 12 Conference winner, so Buffalo fans proceed with caution.

Cole Johnson's Pick

Although, he appreciates Colorado and what Coach Prime efforts, Cole Johnson chose a different direction for his Big 12 pick. Mr. Johnson chose BYU to win the Big 12. His reasoning for the BYU Cougars is that he loves their balanced offense and talented defense. In 2024, the Cougars averaged 31.15 point per game on offense and gave up 19.62 points per game on defense. Those statistics ranked sixth and first respectively in the Big 12 in 2024. So, you can't blame Cole Johnson for putting his eggs into the BYU Cougars' basket for 2025.

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