2026 Big 12 Football Power Rankings Ahead of Week 1

Power ranking all 16 Big 12 teams prior to Week 1 of the 2026 college football season.

Dec 6, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton (2) throws the ball during the game between the Red Raiders and the Cougars at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 1 of the 2026 Big 12 college football season officially kicks off on Thursday night.

2026 marks the third season for the Big 12 as a 16-team league. No team has repeated as a conference champion in its 16-team iteration, although Texas Tech is well-positioned to break that trend this season.

A handful of teams that finished toward the top of the conference last season retained decent amounts of production from their 2025 rosters, but much of the league scrambled for talent out of the NCAA transfer portal. Additionally, four programs underwent coaching changes in December: Utah, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Iowa State.

TCU was the sole Big 12 team to take the field in Week 0. The Horned Frogs fell in an ugly 15-10 defeat to North Carolina in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, failing to score in each of the game's final three quarters.

Nine of the league's members face FCS opponents in Week 1, and another three play Group of Six opponents. Baylor, Colorado and Cincinnati are the only Big 12 teams facing Power Four opponents to open their seasons.

Below, we power rank all 16 Big 12 teams entering Week 1 of the 2026 college football season.

1. Texas Tech

Even with questions about quarterback play, the Red Raiders still possess the strongest roster in the Big 12. Texas Tech returns seven of its 11 offensive starters from a season ago, and the defense is a nice blend of returning pieces from the College Football Playoff run and coveted transfer additions.

Texas Tech opens 2026 with FCS Abilene Christian (7 p.m. EDT, FS1). Barring an underwhelming result against the Wildcats, the Red Raiders should easily hold on to their No. 1 spot heading into Week 2.

2. BYU

Kalani Sitake coached BYU to its first 12-win campaign in 24 years last season. The Cougars replaced multiple key offensive pieces, but they retained their dynamic backfield duo of quarterback Bear Bachmeier and running back LJ Martin, along with a multitude of key defensive producers.

Like Texas Tech, BYU eases into its 2026 season with an FCS contest against Utah Tech (8 p.m. EDT, ESPN+). The Trailblazers are coming off a 54-0 shutout loss to reigning FCS national champion Montana State.

3. Utah

Dec 31, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) throws the ball against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second half during the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

2026 marks the beginning of a new era of Utah football under head coach Morgan Scalley. The Utes’ biggest question is their offensive line, but they boast one of college football’s most potent backfield duos with quarterback Devon Dampier and running back Wayshawn Parker and retain enough talent on the other side to field one of the conference's better defenses.

Utah opens with Idaho, another FCS program, on Thursday (8 p.m. EDT, ESPNU). The Vandals are coming off a heartbreaking 38-34 loss to Cal Poly in which they allowed a 34-yard touchdown pass in the final 10 seconds of the game.

4. Houston

The Cougars are coming off their best season as Big 12 members. Incumbent starter Conner Weigman and five-star freshman Keisean Henderson could both see the field at quarterback, and key contributors from every defensive position group return from the 2025 team.

Houston opens with the home end of a home-and-home against Oregon State (Noon EDT, ESPN and Disney+). The Cougars slid by the Beavers in a 27-24 overtime victory last season, and the Beavers are due an extensive rebuild under first-year head coach JaMarcus Shephard.

5. Arizona

The Wildcats are led by quarterback Noah Fifita, who is 828 yards away from becoming the program’s all-time leading passer. Arizona retained several key starting and rotational pieces from its 2025 offense, and the defense is a mixture of returning production and portal pickups.

Arizona hosts in-state FCS foe Northern Arizona to open the 2026 season (9:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN+). The Wildcats posted an underwhelming 22-10 victory over the Lumberjacks two seasons ago, but that was head coach Brent Brennan’s second game on the job.

6. Kansas State

Nov 29, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) drops back to pass during the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wildcat legend Collin Klein enters his first season on the job at his alma mater. Klein is working with a capable dual-threat quarterback in Avery Johnson and a 900-yard rusher in Joe Jackson, but Kansas State had to reach into the transfer portal for talent to add across the rest of the offense and defensive front seven.

Kansas State hosts Nicholls on Saturday (7 p.m. EDT, ESPN+). The Wildcats should handle business with the Colonels, although they had to fight their way to a 38-35 victory over North Dakota the last time they faced an FCS school.

7. UCF

The Knights hope to attain bowl eligibility in their second year in Scott Frost’s second stint on the job. James Madison quarterback transfer Alonza Barnett brings exciting dual-threat capabilities to UCF’s offense, and UCF retained its top three pass catchers along with multiple key pieces from its secondary.

UCF squares off against Bethune-Cookman to open the season on Thursday (7 p.m. EDT, ESPN+). This marks the Knights’ first meeting with the Wildcats since 2021, which was a dominant 63-14 victory for them.

8. Arizona State

2026 is Kenny Dillingham’s first year at Arizona State without many of the key pieces responsible for the College Football Playoff run two years ago. The Sun Devils’ offense features an entirely new group of starters, while the defense retains only a handful of key contributors from the 2025 team.

The Sun Devils open 2026 with an FCS foe in Morgan State (10 p.m. EDT, ESPN+). Arizona State should win comfortably, but it has been spotty against FCS teams under Dillingham; it barely cleared Southern Utah in 2023 and won 38-19 against Northern Arizona last season.

9. Baylor

Nov 22, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda against the Arizona Wildcats at Casino Del Sol Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

2026 is a do-or-die season for Dave Aranda at Baylor. The Bears retained a few key defensive contributors, but offensive coordinator Jake Spavital is starting from scratch with an almost entirely new batch of player personnel, including former five-star quarterback DJ Lagway.

Baylor once again meets Auburn in a season opener, this time in Atlanta (3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC). The Tigers pushed the Bears around for 307 rushing yards en route to a 38-24 victory in McLane Stadium last season. Despite all the coaching and personnel changes, Auburn's objective remains to run all over Baylor with Alex Golesh’s veer-and-shoot offense.

10. Oklahoma State

The Cowboys will be one of the more fascinating experiments to watch in the Big 12 this year. New head coach Eric Morris brought many key pieces from his high-octane North Texas offense with him, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who led all of FBS in passing yards in 2025.

Oklahoma State travels to Tulsa for the start of its 2026 season (3:45 p.m. EDT, ESPNU). The Cowboys’ 19-12 defeat against the Golden Hurricane last season ended Mike Gundy’s tenure in late September. One could call it a revenge game, although very few of Oklahoma State's current players were on the 2025 team.

11. West Virginia

The Mountaineers overhauled much of their roster after a dreadful 4-8 campaign to start Rich Rodriguez’s second stint. The good news for Rodriguez is that he possesses a dangerous rushing attack; West Virginia brought in Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr., one of college football’s fastest quarterbacks, and Cam Cook, FBS’ leading rusher in 2025.

Coastal Carolina ventures to Milan Piskar Stadium to open West Virginia’s 2026 campaign (Noon EDT, TNT). The Chanticleers have been on a downward trend since 2020 and hope to finish with their first winning season in three years under new head coach Ryan Beard.

12. TCU

Aug 29, 2026; Dublin, Co. Dublin, IRL; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Jaden Craig (1) passes downfield against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second half at Aviva Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Laszlo Geczo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The national perception of TCU took a big hit with the loss in Ireland. The Horned Frogs repeatedly got in their own way, and the uninspiring playcalling from offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis is a concern for what has been one of the Big 12’s more potent offenses under Sonny Dykes.

The good news for TCU is that it can self-reflect with a bye week in Week 1. However, history is against the loser of the game in Ireland; none of the last four losers have finished the season with a winning mark, combining for a 17-31 overall record.

13. Kansas

The Jayhawks are on a mission to prove the best of the Lance Leipold era is still ahead of them. Kansas retained over half of its 2025 defensive starters, but this is the first year of life without Jalon Daniels on the offense, which is filled with portal additions after losing an overwhelming majority of its starters.

Kansas plays the league’s lone Friday night game this week against Long Island (7 p.m. EDT, ESPNU). The Jayhawks have been sharp against FCS competition under Leipold after inconsistencies against it in the 2010s.

14. Cincinnati 

The Bearcats look to stay afloat under Scott Satterfield after replacing the vast majority of their starters on both sides of the ball. Cincinnati at least retained a trio of All-Big 12 offensive linemen, but it will field transfers from all levels of college football this season.

Cincinnati starts with a Power Four non-conference matchup against Boston College (3:30 p.m. EDT, FOX). The Eagles are coming off a dreadful 2-10 season and desperately need a positive start to their 2026 season to build confidence in Bill O’Brien’s future as their head coach.

15. Colorado 

Deion Sanders takes in the second day of Cleveland Browns training camp, July 30, 2026, in Berea, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Deion Sanders is another coach entering a make-or-break season in the Big 12. A 3-9 mark a season after Colorado fielded a Heisman Trophy winner raised questions about the long-term sustainability of Sanders as its head coach, and the Buffaloes are banking on a myriad of portal acquisitions to turn the ship around in 2026.

Colorado rematches with Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Thursday (8 p.m. EDT, ESPN). The Yellow Jackets ran for 320 yards in their 27-20 victory at Folsom Field last season, and their backfield duo of quarterback Alberto Mendoza and running back Justice Haynes looks to do similar damage in 2026.

16. Iowa State

The Cyclones are in for a major rebuild in their first season under head coach Jimmy Rodgers. A significant portion of Iowa State’s 2025 roster joined Matt Campbell at Penn State, and the replacements it found mostly came from the Group of Six and FCS ranks.

Southeast Missouri is the first opponent for Iowa State under Rodgers (1 p.m. EDT, ESPN+). The Cyclones and Redhawks last met in 2022, a dominant 42-10 win for the Cyclones.