Big 12 Roundup: Part I

FOOTBAAAAW!

How We Got Here

It’s been a weird few months for the conference since the last football season. Way back in December, the Big 12 had a big moment, when #4 Texas Tech (11-1) took on #11 BYU (11-1) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for all the conference marbles and for a spot in the College Football Playoffs. The Red Raiders emerged victorious in that game but were blanked by Oregon in the CFP, and that may have been the end of the feel-good buzz around both Tech and the Big 12.

Meet the New Boss…

Let’s start with the big stuff. Major coaching changes happened in the short break between the end of the regular season and championship weekend in 2025. Kansas State replaced a Hall of Fame coach in Chris Klieman with Collin Klein, one of the biggest K-State names ever to take the field.

Meanwhile, just a few hours north, a seismic event happened in Ames. Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell decamped the school to take the lead role at Penn State. Campbell has brought both success and stability to the program and losing him to the Big Ten is an understandable source of anxiety for Cyclones fans. Fortunately, Iowa State moved quickly and named Wazzu’s Jimmy Rogers to the role. Although Wazzu was only 6-6 this past season, Rogers made his name in the FCS, guiding South Dakota State to a 15-0 run and a national title in 2023.

Kyle Whittingham no longer plies his trade in Salt Lake City having traded the mountain breezes of Utah for the fetid air of Ann Arbor, Michigan. I hear things are going well there. Meanwhile, his successor, Morgan Scalley, is about Utah as you can get and the program has made an almost seamless transition to a new era.

Oh, and of course, Mike Gundy will not be on the sidelines at Oklahoma State. Fired in September, he was replaced initially by Doug Meacham as the interim head coach and ultimately by Eric Morris, a Mike Leach protege who was most recently the head coach at North Texas.

And now for 2026

But enough about the past. It’s a new season and everyone got to start over with a blank state. It’s too early yet for real predictions. but Utah, BYU, and Texas Tech currently lead the 2026 Monster Energy Big 12 Football Standings (yes, it’s really called that) and the Cougars and Red Raiders could potentially make it back to the title game. Meanwhile, here’s how the 11 non-Kansas State teams in the conference have fared five weeks into this season.

Arizona (4-1, 1-1)

The Wildcats, those other ones from the desert, had an unexpectedly good season in 2025. But even with the entire coaching staff and much of the team returning, repeating that 9-4 performance would be almost unprecedented for a team that last had two consecutive nine-win seasons in the mid-1970s.

Still, Arizona has at least met early season expectations. The only blemish on the Wildcats’ record so far is a 28-17 road loss to BYU in Week 2. This past weekend, Arizona did to Cincinnati what K-State could not, holding the Bearcats to just 74 rushing yards in a 34-7 rout. Despite losing three receivers to injury in the first half of the game, Noah Fifita still accounted for 284 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

The Wildcats take their show on the road to Morgantown for a noon kickoff against West Virginia next.

Arizona State (2-2, 1-1)

For the Sun Devils, the 2025 season was a mixed bag, especially after their magical run to the CFP in 2024. Still, it began well enough, but an early loss to Utah in the Big 12 exposed some weaknesses and ultimately led to a late-season collapse for Arizona State. The team limped its way to a disappointing 8-4 season and preseason expectations for the team were predictably low.

In 2026, the team continues to struggle to string two wins together. The season began with a blowout win over Morgan State, which was quickly followed by a 48-20 trucking by Texas A&M. The team recovered a bit to deliver a 24-17 victory over Kansas at Wembley Stadium, but because no good deed ever goes unpunished, this win was followed by a Week 3 shellacking by Baylor. The 55-19 loss was so embarrassing that even head coach Kenny Dillingham admitted the game was “atrocious.”

Things might get a little easier for the Sun Devils this weekend with Hawaii visiting Tempe for a non-conference tilt.

Baylor (4-1, 2-0)

I don’t know how/why, but Baylor keeps renewing head coach Dave Aranda’s contract. The Bears’ stumble into a 5-7 record in 2025 certainly didn’t merit it, but that long bet might be about to pay off in 2026.

Since losing the opener to Auburn by a point, the Bears have won four straight, and the defense (led now by some guy named Joe Klanderman) held each of its first four opponents under 20. Then DJ Lagway threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns against Arizona State in a game that wasn’t even as close as the 55-19 score might suggest. If Lagway is the real deal, Baylor could be a real contender in the Big 12.

The Bears are headed into a bye week, but their rivalry game against TCU looms large now.

BYU (4-0, 2-0)

Back in 2022, if you had told me that BYU would be among the Big 12’s preeminent programs, I would not have taken that bet. And I would have regretted it, because BYU has not-so-quietly became exactly that, a fact even Nick Saban has since acknowledged. An 11-win season in 2024 turned into a 12-2 season in 2025, with both losses coming to eventual Big 12 champ Texas Tech.

This season is shaping up to be more of the same. The Cougars are the league’s highest-ranked team right now with a come-from-behind win over Arizona followed by a rock fight in Fort Worth. Against the Frogs, offense was deemed entirely optional by both teams, but a 10-play drive that chewed up the clock and gave BYU nearly a third of its total yards for the game helped seal a 17-10 win over TCU.

For BYU right now, the biggest concern is keeping the team healthy. Running back LJ Martin was hurt against TCU and will be out for several weeks while right tackle Andrew Gentry is done for the season. With Iowa State in Provo on Friday (that’s tonight) and a contest against Notre Dame after that, the Cougars have little margin for error.

Cincinnati (4-1, 1-1)

In 2025, Cincinnati started the season 8-1 including a seven-game win streak that surprised everyone. Unfortunately, that was followed by five straight losses, including a blowout loss to Navy in the Liberty Bowl. The off-season saw the Bearcats lose their offensive and defensive coordinators as Scott Satterfield rearranged his coaching staff.

Those changes seem to be paying off. We’re not going to talk too much about how Cincinnati won its Big 12 opener this season, but the Bearcats did have 271 rushing yards at 7.1 a carry in a 31-26 win over K-State. That win was sandwiched around a game where Cincinnati needed to erase a 21-point deficit to beat Miami (Ohio), and a stunning 34-7 loss to Arizona when Cincinnati rushed for just 74 yards total. Would the real Bearcats please stand up?

Colorado (2-3, 0-2)

Last year, Colorado had lost two bonafide stars in Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders to the NFL and with Deion Sanders dealing with serious health issues, the Buffs limped their way to a 3-9 record and never looked good doing it.

This year was supposed to be different. The Buffs opened with a 14-13 win at Georgia Tech, the end of which was peak college football ridiculousness. Unfortunately, Ralphie and her 22 closest friends have not beaten an FBS team since, dropping three straight games by a combined 93-27. Coach Prime swapped Julian Lewis for Isaac Wilson at quarterback and got four interceptions, two missed field goals and a failed fake punt for his trouble in a 29-7 loss to Texas Tech. As the man himself put it, “we’ve been horrible. Yeah, don’t sugarcoat it.”

It doesn’t feel like CU is going to get this turned around anytime soon, since Utah is up next.

Houston (4-1, 1-1)

How much has Willie Fritz changed Houston football? Well, the Cougars went 4-8 in his first season, but since then, the program has turned almost completely around. In 2025, Houston was 10-3 and this year’s squad, both talented and hungry, has high expectations for 2026.

So far, everything has gone almost exactly to plan. The Cougars are now ranked in the Top 25 and just a 28-26 loss in Lubbock away from being unbeaten. Houston also beat UCF 27-17 to get on the board in league play. Is Houston almost invincible then? In Manhattan, we’re about to find out.

I mean, it’s not like Fritz has K-State’s number or anything.

Iowa State (3-2, 1-1)

When Matt Campbell left, he took most of his staff and a huge chunk of Iowa State’s roster with him, so this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Indeed, preseason polls had the Cyclones winning about four games and bringing up the rear in the Big 12.

Instead, Iowa State has been unexpectedly tough: a three-point loss late in the ¡El Assico! game at Iowa, a furious second-half rally that came too late in a 31-17 home loss to Utah, and a crazy 45-42 win over West Virginia where the teams combined for over 1000 yards of offense and a 31-point fourth quarter.

Are the Clones for real? This week’s game in Provo will go a long way in answering that.

Kansas (2-2, 0-1)

For much of the 2025, Kansas flirted with bowl eligibility, but three straight losses to end the season ensured a 5-7 record, no bowl game, and rampant speculation from petulant and frustrated KU fans.

This season so far, our cousins on the Kaw have beaten LIU and Middle Tennessee by a combined 106-6 and lost to everyone with a pulse. A 38-21 loss to Missouri in the Border War proved especially embarrassing when Tigers’ head coach Eli Drinkwitz took exception to the Civil War-themed promo for the game. After Mizzou ran up the score, he had this to say.

I’m just glad the whole right-versus-wrong crap got settled on the football field. I get there’s a past to it but why are we stirring that bullcrap up? It’s 9/11. We need more unity. I was embarrassed for them. That’s why I tried to embarrass them.

Things did not get better for the Jayhawks when they crossed The Pond to take on Arizona State in London and came home with a 24-17 loss. Now, KU is headed to Salt Lake City to take on a tough Utah team, and Lance Leipold’s seat has to be warming up.

Oklahoma State (3-1, 1-0)

Last season, Oklahoma State never recovered from an early season loss to Tulsa, fired Mike Gundy, and promptly hit the skids to finish 1-11, good for dead last in the conference, the Pokes worst finish in the 21st century. At least the fans cam up with interesting coping methods.

The 2026 began in ominously similar fashion with the Pokes losing to Tulsa by two touchdowns in Eric Morris’s debut. Prognosticators immediately consigned the program to the junk heap, but apparently forgot to tell the Pokes that. Oklahoma State turned right around and beat a then beat a top-10 Oregon team 39-31 on the road, becoming the first team to ever lose 10+ games in a row and then beat an AP Top 10 team, the first win over an FBS team in 21 games. That was followed by a defense-optional 41-24 win at West Virginia, a game the Pokes won after trailing by 11. This was the program’s first Big 12 win since November 2023.

For their efforts, the Pokes get a Top 20 ranking and a visit from UCF on Saturday.

TCU (2-3, 0-2)

First things first, let’s take a quick trip into the not-so-distant past. It was just four seasons ago that TCU played Georgia in the CFP title game. Since that inaugural Sonny Dykes-coached season, the Horned Frogs have had two nine-win seasons and a blip of a 5-7 campaign in 2023.

But in the 2026 season, TCU has struggled right out of the gate. The Frogs have scored 10, 13 and 10 points in three losses to North Carolina, UCF, and BYU respectively. That is absolutely not in line with what anyone expects from a Sonny Dykes offense. The defense, still a force on the field, held a top-10 BYU team to 17 points in a knock-down-drag-out physical contest, and lost anyway.

Maybe a battle against Baylor will be the balm for whatever ails TCU right now.

Texas Tech (5-0, 2-0)

Since making it to the 2025 College Football Playoff, Texas Tech has received both praise for its commitment to football (i.e. willingness to spend unprecedented sums of cash on the sport) and criticism for its commitment to football (i.e. willingness to go to bat for Brendan Sorsby and his gambling addiction). It’s not clear Tech’s brand has suffered as a result, since the team began the season as the only Big 12 team in the Top 15 of the AP Poll, but it hasn’t endeared Texas Tech to football’s power brokers and certainly not to the rest of the Big 12.

Tech is currently in a tie for first place in the Big 12, but there are some troubling signs for a team with legitimate hope of returning to the CFP this year. Against Colorado, the Red Raiders trailed 7-3 at the half. The offense is insipid and indeed QB Will Hammond only managed 134 yards against the Buffs. But Tech ultimately prevailed 29-7, mostly thanks to a defense that picked off four passes in the game. That continued a trend Tech began against Sam Houston in a 49-14 victory that featured two interceptions returned for touchdowns by one Austin Romaine, linebacker, lately of Manhattan, Kansas.

We’re fine. Fine.

UCF (3-2, 1-1)

At UCF, the second coming of Scott Frost did not go well last season. With his team stumbling to a 5-7 finish (including an unprecedented loss in the annual Space Game), Frost was quick to blame NIL for his team’s woes. But that probably isn’t going to change any time soon, so UCF is going to have to change tack.

The Knights opened the season with a 73-6 win against overmatched Bethune-Cookman in the Bounce House, but then lost starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III in a 12-7 loss at Pitt. Backup Keyone Jenkins was stellar against TCU though, completing 19 of 20 passes to win a 21-13 decision. But just as the Knights were riding high, reality hit in the form of a 27-17 loss to Houston, in a game that UCF led 17-0 at one point.

UCF will take its struggles and inconsistencies on the road to Stillwater next for a game against a surging Okie State squad.

Utah (4-0, 1-0)

Is there life after Kyle Whittingham in Salt Lake City? After going 11-2 and finishing the season ranked in both polls, Whittingham and the Utes parted ways (and not necessarily in the cleanest manner). But new head man Morgan Scalley was already the designated head coach in waiting, and with him at the helm, the program has barely missed a beat.

This season so far, the Utes have outscored four opponents 173-41, including a 43-10 thumping of SEC stalwarat Arkansas, and a 31-17 win over Iowa State where running back Wayshawn Parker ran for a career-high 174 yards and scored three times. He currently leads the conference in touchdowns (9) and is averaging almost seven yards a carry.

The Utes are now ranked No. 12 in the country and will host Kansas on Saturday.

West Virginia (3-2, 0-2)

The RichRod 2.0 era in West Virginia got off to a terrible start in 2025. The ‘Eers won the Backyard Brawl and then decided the rest of the season didn’t matter, ending up at a disappointing 4-8.

This season, the Mountaineers appeared to bounce back nicely, starting out 3-0, with a nice 38-27 win at Virginia, and led Oklahoma State 14-3 early in the second quarter. But the defense collapsed soon after, and the ‘Eers have now given up 41 and 45 points in back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Iowa State.

Arizona’s potent offense arrives in Morgantown on Saturday, so help is definitely not on the way.