Big 12 football head coaches ranked by USA TODAY Sports entering 2026

The Big 12 should be a total battle during the 2025 season, with several teams capable of winning the conference, especially with Texas Tech losing its starting quarterback.

Every season in the Big 12, surprises happen in both directions. A team like Houston will win 10 games, while a preseason conference title contender, like Arizona State, will take a big step back.

That competitiveness, week in, week out, makes coaching a challenge. Any team can win on any Saturday, making it difficult to put together a successful season.

The Big 12 has head coaches with varying levels of experience, including veterans like BYU’s Kalani Sitake and younger coaches like Oklahoma State’s Eric Morris, Utah’s Morgan Scalley and Kansas State‘s Collin Klein.

You can argue that eight of these coaches could be in the running for a conference championship this year, so here is USA TODAY Sports’ ranking of all 16 Big 12 head coaches:

1. Collin Klein, Kansas State
   • K-State Record: First season
2. Morgan Scalley, Utah
   • Utah Record: 1-0
3. Jimmy Rogers, Iowa State
   • Iowa State Record: First season
4. Scott Frost, UCF
   • UCF Record: 24-14 (4th season)
5. Eric Morris, Oklahoma State
   • OSU Record: First season
6. Lance Leipold, Kansas
   • Kansas Record: 27-35 (6th season)
7. Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia
   • WVU Record: 64-34 (9th season)
8. Dave Aranda, Baylor
   • Baylor Record: 36-37 (7th season)
9. Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
   • Cincinnati Record: 15-22 (4th season)
10. Deion Sanders, Colorado
    • Colorado Record: 16-21 (4th season)
11. Brent Brennan, Arizona
    • Arizona Record: 13-12 (3rd season)
12. Willie Fritz, Houston
    • Houston Record: 14-11 (3rd season)
13. Sonny Dykes, TCU
    • TCU Record: 36-17 (5th season)
14. Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
    • ASU Record: 22-17 (4th season)
15. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
    • Texas Tech Record: 35-18 (5th season)
16. Kalani Sitake, BYU
    • BYU Record: 84-45 (11th season)

Sitake takes over the top spot from Kenny Dillingham, with Joey McGuire making a huge jump from No. 6 to No. 2. Colorado’s Deion Sanders drops from No. 5 to No. 7.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Big 12 football head coaches ranked by USA TODAY Sports entering 2026