As a wild first year in the expanded Big 12 enters its final month, teams expected to finish in the middle or near the bottom of the conference are on top and many of the expected frontrunners have fallen off.
No. 17 Kansas State is in the mix for a spot in the conference title game, but is the only team picked among the top half of the preseason poll to be near the top.
No. 9 BYU, No. 11 Iowa State and No. 23 Colorado are in the best positions to earn a spot in the Dec. 7 title game.