Big 12 releases Utah Runnin' Utes conference schedule for 2025-26 season

Runnin' Utes look forward to an 18-game league schedule this season

Utah Runnin' Utes head coach Alex Jensen is heading into his first season at the helm of his alma mater / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Big 12 has released the 18-game conference schedule for the Utah Runnin' Utes.

In Alex Jensen's first season at the helm of his alma mater, Utah will have three home-and-home matchups and face its other 12 league opponents just once, with six contests at home and six on the road during the 2025-26 season.

Specific dates and times for all 18 contests will be announced at a later date. For now, here's a quick look at Utah's Big 12 slate.

Utah's Big 12 home-only opponents

• Baylor
• Cincinnati
• Iowa State
• TCU
• Texas Tech
• West Virginia

Utah fans have quite the lineup of home games to look forward to this upcoming season, including contests against 2025 NCAA Tournament teams Baylor, Iowa State and Texas Tech.

The Cyclones and Red Raiders rank inside the top-30 of Bart Torvik's updated forecast and are closely followed by Cincinnati (No. 31) and the Bears (No. 34) on the other side of that threshold. Iowa State checks in at No. 21 following the returns of all-conference players Joshua Jefferson and Tamin Lipsey.

Texas Tech brings Big 12 Player of the Year recipient JT Toppin back from a squad that's coming off an Elite Eight appearance in Grant McCasland's second season as head coach. The Red Raiders have also added transfers LeJuan Watts (13.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4.4 apg at Washington State) and Tyrere Bryan (10.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg at Santa Clara) via the portal.

The Bearcats' incoming transfer class ranks third-best in the Big 12 according to EvanMiya.com, and is headlined by Baba Miller (11.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg at FAU); Jalen Haynes (14.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg at George Mason) and Moustapha Thiam (10.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg at UCF).

Utah's Big 12 away-only opponents

• UCF
• Colorado
• Houston
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Oklahoma State

Time will tell if Jensen and his staff can remedy the struggles Utah has faced over the past two seasons while away from home. The Runnin' Utes have lost 15 of their last 18 true road games since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, and their path through Big 12 play in 2025-26 doesn't appear to be much of a cakewalk, either.

Utah's road only slate is headlined by trips to Houston and Kansas. The Cougars are ranked No. 1 in the country on Torvik after Milos Uzan and Emmanuel Sharp withdrew from the NBA Draft. Joining those two veterans is a high school recruiting class that ranks No. 2 on 247Sports and features five-star forward Chris Cenac Jr., plus a couple of four-stars in Isiah Harwell and Kingston Flemings.

The Jayhawks, checking in at No. 16 on Torvik, have the top-ranked recruit from the 2025 class in Darryn Peterson. Kansas' transfer class includes Jayden Dawson (13.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg at Loyola Chicago), Melvin Council Jr. (14.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.1 apg at St. Bonaventure) and Tre White (10.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg at Illinois).

Utah's Big 12 home-and-home opponents

• Arizona
• Arizona State
• BYU

Utah's in-state rivalry with BYU is once again a home-and-home matchup for both schools. The Cougars have risen to No. 6 on Torvik, which projects incoming five-star recruit AJ Dybantsa to be the team's top contributor as a freshman. Richie Saunders is also back in Provo, Utah, after earning Big 12 Most Improved Player honors last season with 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

Tommy Lloyd and Arizona will visit the Huntsman Center for the first time since their triple overtime affair with Runnin' Utes on Feb. 8 of last year.

Arizona State makes the trip up to Salt Lake City for a second season in a row.

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