Josh Pate drops his Big 12 championship prediction for 2024 season and it does not have Deion Sanders' Colorado

After a disappointing 4-8 debut with the Colorado Buffaloes in the Pac-12 last year, Deion Sanders and Co. are set to begin a new journey in the Big 12 conference this year. Colorado, along with Arizona, Arizona State and Utah are joining the Big 12 as part of the recent conference realignment.

With new faces in town, the level of competition is likely going to be tougher than in previous years. College Football analyst Josh Pate has already given his prediction as to which two teams he believes will face off for the conference title next season. Perhaps surprisingly, his prediction did not have Deion Sanders' Colorado in the mix.

During a recent episode of "Late Kick with Josh Pate", he said that the two teams to watch out for in the Big 12 this year are the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Iowa State Cyclones. Last season, the Cowboys finished with a 10-4 overall campaign under Mike Gundy while the Cyclones ended with a 7-6 overall campaign under Matt Campbell.

Pate said:

"In the Big 12, I had seven different matchup combinations in one hour to play for the Big 12 championship game. Nine teams in this conference right now according to Fan Duel have +1600 or better odds to win it," Pate said.

"So, to say the least, I could be talked off of this. But at the same time, I want to very counterintuitively say that I am very steadfast in this prediction. Someone's lying and there's only one person in the room here.

"Oklahoma State versus Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game. As my own production team scoffs in my ear, in a few months I'll be accepting multiple apologies in this building," he added.

(from 8:05 mark onwards)

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have Ollie Gordon II, arguably the best RB in college football. Their solid offense at hand could prove to be beneficial in helping them be contenders for a conference title and for an automatic bid in the new 12-team playoff.

On the other hand, Iowa State has yet to prove itself as a legitimate championship contender. Despite being a tough competitor in the past few years under coach Matt Campbell, they seemingly lack the accolades to showcase their capabilities of being a potential conference champion and natty victor.

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Ollie Gordon II attends Big 12 Media Days 2024 despite being arrested for DUI

Before the Big 12 Media Days 2024 took place, Ollie Gordon II was arrested at 2:30 a.m. on June 30 on four charges, including driving under the influence after he was stopped by police for overspeeding on Interstate 35 in Moore, Oklahoma. This led to questions rising over the Cowboys running back's availability for the conference's Media Days.

However, Gordon decided to attend the event and answer some tough questions regarding his arrest. He said that it was his responsibility to right his wrongs and learn from his own mistakes:

"You really just got to watch the decision you make, honestly. One decision you make could be the last one and it can be bad for you. But you could learn from your mistake and prevent it from happening deeper into the future." Gordon said.

"I didn't want to leave my teammates and my coaches to answer the question when I could be here to do it. That won't be very responsible of me," he added.

After losing the conference title game to Texas last year, it will be interesting to see if Mike Gundy can lead his team to glory in the new-look Big 12 this upcoming season.

What did you make of Josh Pate's Big 12 predictions? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.