Big 12 football power rankings 2026 led by BYU, Houston, Texas Tech
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Texas Tech and BYU were the top of the class of the Big 12 last season, with each team going 8-1 in conference play and 12-2 overall.
Will we see a repeat Big 12 championship game between the Red Raiders and Cougars in 2026 or will another team (or teams) crash the Big 12 title game party?
While Texas Tech and BYU are our early favorites to win the Big 12 in the upcoming season, they will have company from several teams looking to take a big step forward in 2026, including the Utah Utes, Houston Cougars, Arizona Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils.
Here’s how we rank every team in the Big 12 in our early conference power rankings after the release of the Big 12 Conference schedule.
The season is set to kick off for the conference on Aug. 29 with TCU taking on North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland. The rest of the conference will begin play on Sept. 3, Sept. 4 or Sept. 5.
16. UCF
The Knights went 5-7 overall and 2-7 in the Big 12 in Scott Frost’s first year back in Orlando. It’s hard to see the team making a big step forward in Year 2.
15. Iowa State
The Cyclones begin the Jimmy Rogers era with a very different roster than in 2025 after Matt Campbell left for Penn State. Expect a lot of growing pains and a step back for Iowa State, which went 8-4 overall and 5-4 in the Big 12 last season.
14. Kansas
Jalon Daniels is gone from Kansas, which went 5-7 overall and 3-6 in conference play last season. Lance Leipold’s seat is getting hot in Lawrence. Can he have a bounce-back season with the Jayhawks in 2026?
13. West Virginia
Rich Rodriguez went 4-8 overall and 2-7 in Big 12 play in his first season back in Morgantown. Who will play QB for the Mountaineers? Will it matter? It could be another rough year for West Virginia.
12. Cincinnati
Cincinnati ended 2025 with five straight losses and finished 7-6 overall and 5-4 in the Big 12 under coach Scott Satterfield. It lost Brendan Sorsby to Texas Tech. This is a hard team to predict with so many unknowns in 2026.
11. Colorado
Will Coach Prime and the Buffaloes bounce back from a disastrous 3-9 season (1-8 in Big 12)? They can’t be as bad as they were in 2025. Colorado went 0-5 on the road and lost five straight to end the season. Maybe it can surprise in Year 3 under Deion Sanders, but we have doubts.
10. Baylor
How good will Dave Aranda’s Bears be with Florida transfer DJ Lagway at QB? Baylor went 5-7 overall last season and 3-6 in conference play. We think it will be better in 2026.
9. Kansas State
The Wildcats were a disappointing 6-6 overall and 5-4 in the Big 12 last season after opening with lofty expectations. New head coach Collin Klein’s team will only go as far as Avery Johnson takes them.
8. Oklahoma State
The Cowboys could be the Big 12’s most-improved team in 2026. Of course, they can only go up after finishing 1-11 overall and 0-9 in the Big 12 last season. New coach Eric Morris and new QB Eric Mestemaker could mean new results for Oklahoma State.
7. Utah
Will it be a seamless transition from Kyle Whittingham to Morgan Scalley for the Utes? Devon Dampier returns, and that gives Utah a shot to beat everyone in the conference on any given Saturday. Utah is coming off an 11-2 overall record and a 7-2 Big 12 record in 2025.
6. TCU
Are we too high on the Horned Frogs? This team lost Josh Hoover to Indiana, but it brings back some talent after a 9-4 season and a 5-4 Big 12 record in 2025. Sonny Dykes could be primed to make a statement.
5. Arizona State
Too low a ranking for ASU? Too high? We think this is the right spot for a team coming off an 8-5 overall record (6-3 Big 12) with some big question marks. Kenny Dillingham hit the portal hard, and the new faces, including QB Cutter Boley, could elevate the Sun Devils toward the top of the conference quickly.
4. Arizona
The Wildcats were 9-4 overall and 6-3 in the Big 12 last season in Year 2 under Brent Brennan. Not too shabby. A 6-1 home record certainly helped. The BYU, Texas Tech and Arizona State games will be huge for Noah Fifita and Arizona.
3. Houston
The Cougars were a surprise team in 2025, going 10-3 overall and 6-3 in Big 12 play under Willie Fritz. We would not be surprised if they duplicate that record or surpass it this season. One concern? Houston has to develop a home-field advantage. It was just 3-3 at home last season and 6-0 on the road.
2. BYU
The BYU Cougars were 12-2 overall and 8-1 in Big 12 play last season. It only lost to one team all season, Texas Tech, falling in the regular season on the road and in the Big 12 championship game. Bear Bachmeier should improve in his second season, and BYU has a favorable regular-season schedule that doesn’t include playing the Red Raiders.
1. Texas Tech
College Football Playoff or bust for the Red Raiders? Texas Tech went 12-2 overall and 8-1 in the Big 12 last season and will be favored to win the conference again this season. This team could be a national championship contender, but it will have a target on its back every week this season.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Big 12 football power rankings see ASU, Arizona, TCU, Utah challenging
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