How the Big 12 stacks up: A team-by-team preview

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ARIZONA

Coach: Brent Brennan (13-12, third season; 47-60 overall)

2025: 9-4, 7-3 Big 12

Buzz: Arizona returns All-Big 12 quarterback Noah Fifita, who was third in the conference in passing yards (3,228) and fifth in total offense (3,444) last season. The school has even rolled out a Heisman Trophy campaign for the senior, who is looking to become the first Wildcat to ever win the award. …. Arizona returns four starters on a defense that finished the season ranked in the top 20. … The Wildcats were second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in turnovers gained with 31, behind Texas Tech’s 32.

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ARIZONA STATE

Coach: Kenny Dillingham (22-17, fourth season; 22-17 overall)

2025: 8-5, 6-3 Big 12

Buzz: Arizona State faces the toughest schedule in the Big 12, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, including road contests at Texas A&M, Texas Tech and BYU. … The Sun Devils return just six starters and 51% of total production from last season. They must replace their starting quarterback (Sam Leavitt), starting running back (Raleek Brown) and starting receiver (Jordan Tyson). … ASU is a season removed from playing in the College Football Playoff, with injuries forcing the team to take a step back in 2025.

BAYLOR

Coach: Dave Aranda (36-37, seventh season; 36-37 overall)

2025: 5-7, 3-6 Big 12

Buzz: Former Florida quarterback D.J. Lagway takes over the starting job from Sawyer Robertson. Lagway started 19 games for the Gators in two seasons, passing for more than 4,100 yards, with 28 touchdowns. He headlines a rebuilt offense that replaced 10 starters from the previous season. … Aranda’s decision to allow new defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman to call defensive plays should boost a unit that was near the bottom of the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing more than 32 points per game.

BYU

Coach: Kalani Sitake (84-45, 11th season; 84-45 overall)

2025: 12-2, 8-1 Big 12

Buzz: BYU finished as runner-ups to Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game last season. Nobody has won more games in the conference over the past three seasons than the Cougars with 28 wins, followed by Texas Tech (27), Iowa State (26) and Kansas State (24). … BYU returns the third-most production from last season, led by starting quarterback Bear Brockmeier, starting running back LJ Martin and safety Faletau Satuala. Martin is seeking to become the sixth Cougars tailback with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, according to Sportsreference.com.

CINCINNATI

Coach: Scott Satterfield (15-22, fourth season; 87-62 overall)

2025: 7-6, 5-4 Big 12

Buzz: Cincinnati not only has to replace quarterback Brendan Sorsby, but the Bearcats must find replacements for most of their skilled positions. The team added more than 40 newcomers to the roster, including Georgia Southern transfer JC French IV, who steps into the starting spot vacated by Sorsby. … UC retooled its coaching staff, installing new schemes on both sides of the football. … New defensive coordinator Nate Woody faces a challenge as Cincinnati returns one starter on defense and must replace four of its top five tacklers.

COLORADO

Coach: Deion Sanders (16-21, fourth season; 16-21 overall)

2025: 3-9, 1-8 Big 12

Buzz: After a stellar nine-win season in 2024, Colorado took a major step backward last season as the Buffaloes searched to fill the gaps left by quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. … Sanders brought in former Sacramento State coach Brennan Marion to reignite a floundering offense that finished near the bottom of the Big 12 in most offensive categories. … The Buffs also added Chris Marve to reshape a defense that was last in the league in total defense.

HOUSTON

Coach: Willie Fritz (14-11, third season; 85-65)

2025: 10-3, 6-3 Big 12

Buzz: The Cougars return the second-most production from last season, making them one of the dark horse teams to watch in the conference in 2026. … One of those returning is quarterback Conner Weigman, who is coming off a career season in which he combined for 3,400 yards of offense and 36 total touchdowns. … Former Tulane running back Makhi Hughes reunites with his former coach in Fritz, hoping to recapture the form he had in 2023-24 when he rushed for back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.

IOWA STATE

Coach: Jimmy Rogers (0-0, first season; 6-6 overall)

2025: 8-4, 5-4 Big 12

Buzz: Iowa State not only lost coach Matt Campbell in the offseason, but a majority of its production from last season. The Cyclones return only one starter from last season as Rogers must rebuild a roster practically from scratch. … Former Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor gives Iowa State a veteran presence under center. … Kicker Kyle Konrardy is the only starter returning from last season; Konrardy connected on 14 of 18 field goal attempts.

KANSAS

Coach: Lance Leipold (27-35, sixth season; 173–74 overall)

2025: 5-7, 3-6 Big 12

Buzz: Kansas is hoping to turn things around after back-to-back five-win seasons, following a 9-4 campaign in 2023. To that point, former KU offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki returns to the program after spending the past few seasons at Penn State. He’ll need to identify a new starting quarterback with the departure of Jalon Daniels and revive an offense that had its worst season since 2021. … The defense returns four starters, including linebacker Trey Lathan, who led the team with 86 tackles.

KANSAS STATE

Coach: Collin Klein (0-0, first season; 0-0 overall)

2025: 6-6, 5-4 Big 12

Buzz: Collin Klein is back at Kansas State, where he led the Wildcats to a Big 12 championship and a Fiesta Bowl appearance as a Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback in 2012. He inherits a quarterback with similar traits in Avery Johnson, who is 14-10 as a starter with the Wildcats over the past two seasons. … Jordan Peterson, who helped guide Texas A&M’s defense last season, takes over as defensive coordinator. He’ll have the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, Wendell Gregory, who transferred from Oklahoma State, to work with.

OKLAHOMA STATE

Coach: Eric Morris (0-0, first season; 46-34 overall)

2025: 1-11, 0-9 Big 12

Buzz: After coming off its worst season in more than three decades, Oklahoma State turned to former North Texas coach Eric Morris to revive the Cowboys. Morris brought several coaches and nearly 20 players from North Texas, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who was the American Conference Offensive Player of the Year. … OSU has gone winless in the Big 12 over the past two seasons (0-18) and holds the second-longest losing streak in the country at 11 games.

TCU

Coach: Sonny Dykes (36-17, fifth season; 107-80 overall)

2025: 9-4, 5-4 Big 12

Buzz: TCU is three years removed from finishing as the runner-up to Kansas State for the Big 12 Championship in 2022. If the Horned Frogs are to get back to being a conference contender, they’ll have to fill some gaps. Former Harvard quarterback Jaden Craig steps up after the transfer of Josh Hoover to Indiana. Craig set a handful of records, including career touchdown passes (52) and career passing yards (6,074) while with the Crimson. … While the defense must replace several all-conference selections on defense, the unit does return safety Jamel Johnson.

TEXAS TECH

Coach: Joey McGuire (35-18, fifth season; 35-18 overall)

2025: 12-2, 9-1 Big 12

Buzz: Texas Tech remains the favorite to repeat as conference champions despite one of the strangest offseasons in college football history after transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for gambling, only to win an injunction and then ultimately choose to drop his injunction and prepare for the NFL. … Still, the Red Raiders return the most production in the Big 12, while adding transfers such as Kansas State linebacker Austin Romaine and San Diego State edge rusher Trey White.

UCF

Coach:Scott Frost (24-14, fourth season; 40-45 overall)

2025: 5-7, 2-7 Big 12

Buzz: With a full season under his belt, Frost and his coaching staff spent much of the offseason working to retain talent, while adding depth and experience. Transfer quarterback Alonza Barnett III was the foundation for a transfer class that featured more than 40 players. … The offensive line returns just one starter in tackle Preston Cushman and features plenty of transfer talent. … The defense must identify replacements for edge rushers Malachi Lawrence and Nyjalik Kelly, who left for the NFL.

UTAH

Coach: Morgan Scalley (1-0, first season; 1-0 overall)

2025: 11-2, 7-2 Big 12

Buzz: Kyle Whittingham’s decision to retire following the season opened the door for his coach-in-waiting Morgan Scalley, who spent more than a decade as Utah’s defensive coordinator, to take over the program. The Utes have had one losing season since 2014. … Quarterback Devon Dampier returns after a successful season in which he passed for 2,490 yards and rushed for 835 yards. … Utah returns its top two tacklers in linebacker Jonathan Hall and nickel back Jackson Bennee.

WEST VIRGINIA

Coach: Rich Rodriguez (64-34, ninth season; 140-99 overall)

2025: 4-8, 2-7 Big 12

Buzz: The Mountaineers welcomed more than 80 newcomers to the roster through a variety of high school recruiting, junior college and transfer additions. … One of the new additions is former Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., who could push for the starting job with returnee Scotty Fox. … West Virginia also welcomed the nation’s leading rusher in Jacksonville State’s Cam Cook, who rushed for 1,659 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

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