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BYU basketball fans know the 2026-2027 season is still multiple months away, but they should think about this question: If someone told you today that BYU would finish fourth in the Big 12, would you take that deal? Most fans would probably sign on the dotted line. Some might hold out. While you think about that, consider this: CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein has BYU No. 4 in his preseason Big 12 rankings.
Rothstein has BYU ranked behind only three teams: Arizona, Houston, and Iowa State. The Cougars are ahead of Kansas and Texas Tech, among other teams. Stop and consider that: BYU could begin a season ahead of Kansas, a blue-blood program which won the national championship four years ago, and Texas Tech, a 2019 national runner-up and a program which has made Sweet 16s and Elite Eights in recent years.
Arizona, coming off a Final Four appearance, is a heavyweight program operating at the height of its powers. Houston under Kelvin Sampson will remain a prominent national program. TJ Otzelberger has turned Iowa State into a consistent annual winner, often a top-three NCAA Tournament seed. BYU would love to reach the Iowa State standard; seeing the Cougars right behind the Cyclones in the Big 12 is really encouraging.
The negative spin here is that Kansas without Darryn Peterson and Texas Tech without key 2025-2026 players could simply be diminished teams. In other words, it's less about BYU rising than other teams falling. That point aside, BYU finishing fourth would seem to give the Cougars a strong NCAA Tournament seed and a chance to advance multiple rounds in March Madness.
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This article originally appeared on BYU Cougars Wire: CBS Sports college basketball insider elevates BYU in Big 12 rankings
