One Number That Sums Up Every Big 12 Team in 2026

When Texas Tech landed quarterback Brendan Sorsby in the transfer portal, some figured the Red Raiders would dominate the Big 12 again as they did in 2025.

Not so fast. Sorsby, whose April entry into rehab for a gambling problem set off a sequence of events that nearly made Texas Tech into a college football pariah state, will not play for the Red Raiders this season. That cracks the door open for other contenders, such as BYU, to challenge Texas Tech’s dominance.

With that in mind, here’s a look at one number that will define every Big 12 team’s chances in 2026.

Arizona: 2

That’s the number of players the Wildcats have placed in the top 10 of all-time Heisman voting: running back Ka’Deem Carey in 2013 and linebacker Scooby Wright in 2014. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, who put up 29 touchdowns against six interceptions in a strong recovery from a down 2024 season, has a golden opportunity to be the third in '26.

Arizona State: 18

That’s the number of yards per catch Sun Devils wide receiver Omarion Miller averaged in '25 at Colorado, the most in the Big 12. Miller is a key piece for Arizona State in two respects: He has the ability to make life more comfortable for the Sun Devils’ new quarterback after Sam Leavitt’s exit, and he can take over Arizona State’s vacant alpha receiver position after the Saints drafted Jordyn Tyson eighth in April.

Baylor: .440

That’s the Bears’ winning percentage since going 12-2 and winning the Sugar Bowl in 2021, coach Dave Aranda’s second season. Aranda has posted records of 6-7, 3-9, 8-5 and 5-7 since, and is entering a have-to-have-it year with quarterback DJ Lagway running the offense and Auburn and the Buffaloes on the schedule in September.

BYU: 1,361

That’s the number of rushing yards Cougars running back LJ Martin—the reigning conference Offensive Player of the Year—needs to pass Jamaal Williams as BYU’s all-time leading rusher (very doable, considering Martin ran for 1,305 last year). Let’s pause to appreciate the rarity of the Cougars, a pass-first team for generations, boasting a lethal running back on top of skilled sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier.

Cincinnati: 1

That’s how many of the Bearcats’ top five rushers and receivers from a year ago will be back in '26—just running back Zion Johnson. Cincinnati’s best season under coach Scott Satterfield saw the Bearcats peak at No. 17 in the country before being absolutely broken down for parts in the transfer portal; Satterfield’s response isn’t quite make-or-break, but it should show Bearcats fans what kind of coach they have long-term.

Colorado: 35.4

That’s the number of points per game UNLV scored in '24, new Buffaloes OC Brennan Marion’s most recent year as an offensive coordinator before he left to coach Sacramento State. Last year, Colorado had one of the worst offenses in the country, so coach Deion Sanders is hoping Marion can make magic with quarterback Julian Lewis and reigning FBS receiving champ Danny Scudero.

Houston: 3

That’s the number of 10-win seasons Houston coach Willie Fritz has racked up in the past four years—12- and 11-win campaigns at Tulane and a 10-3 go in Texas in '25. Fritz has the bulk of his roster back in '26, and with five-star quarterback Keisean Henderson arriving on campus to learn from starter Conner Weigman this fall, the veteran coach might not be done surprising people.

Iowa State: 900

That’s the number of all-purpose yards Cyclones running back Cameron Pettaway registered at Bowling Green in '25, enough to win him MAC Freshman of the Year honors. Iowa State’s first roster under coach Jimmy Rogers is one of the nation’s least known quantities, so Pettaway will need to lead a crop of transfer breakouts if the Cyclones want to avoid a complete post-Matt Campbell nosedive.

Kansas: 4,386

That’s the number of miles separating Lawrence, Kans., from London, where the Jayhawks will play the Sun Devils on Sept. 19. The first college football game in London since 1988 is a confidence-building opportunity for Kansas, which is breaking in a new quarterback (either longtime backup Cole Ballard or Isaiah Marshall) and a new/old offensive coordinator (Andy Kotelnicki, back from Penn State).

Kansas State: 10,300

That’s the number of passing yards Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson (5,576, sixth in team history) and coach Collin Klein (4,724, 10th in team history) combined for in their years quarterbacking in the Little Apple. It’s hard to envision a hire who knows the Kansas State program better, and Klein’s squad has the firepower to make noise in the Big 12 from the get-go.

Oklahoma State: 10

That’s the number of games won by the two winningest teams in history the year after a 1-11 season: 2010 Miami-Ohio (10-4) and 2017 Fresno State (ditto). Neither of those teams were able to import talent wholesale the way the Cowboys were, with coach Eric Morris luring quarterback Drew Mestemaker and others from North Texas—setting hopes in Stillwater, Okla., sky-high in the process.

TCU: 11

That’s the number of years it had been since a Horned Frog led his conference in interceptions before safety Jamel Johnson did it last year with five. When TCU has won historically, it has tended to do so with defense—if the Horned Frogs can make lemonade out of a thin linebacking corps, they’ll be 4-0 easily when BYU comes to town on Oct. 3.

Texas Tech: 7

That’s the number of players the Red Raiders have on the preseason All-Big 12 team, the most in the league, lest you think Texas Tech would founder completely without Sorsby. Units of particular strength include the defensive line (led by preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Anthony Holmes Jr.) and the linebacking corps (led by Ben Roberts, cause of seven career fumbles).

UCF: 318

That’s the number of scrimmage yards Knights quarterback Alonza Barnett III piled up in James Madison’s 51–34 defeat to Oregon in last year’s CFP—a game that, despite his outcome, enabled Barnett to show what he could do on the national stage. Now, he’ll have the chance to inject life into an offense that finished 90th in the country in scoring.

Utah: 25.1

That’s the percentage of the Utes’ 704 all-time wins as a major school (per College Football Reference) piled up by ex-Utah (and now Michigan) coach Kyle Whittingham, who stepped down after the '25 season. Coach Morgan Scalley inherits a solid two-way roster and an ideal schedule to start 6-0 (Idaho, Arkansas, Utah State, Iowa State, the Jayhawks and the Buffaloes) before an Oct. 24 clash with Houston.

West Virginia: 1,659

That’s the number of yards Mountaineers (and former Jacksonville State) running back Cam Cook rushed for in '25, the most in FBS. Cook has the potential to join West Virginia great Steve Slaton and Carey in the lineage of dynamic Rodriguez running backs, but a slog of a conference schedule (plus Virginia out-of-conference) could make year-two growth difficult for the second Rodriguez administration in Morgantown.

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