2025 Big 12 Conference Preview

Jake Wimberly

Ross Gaskin Contributing:

The Big 12 had a great 2024 season and will be expecting way more in 2025. The 2024 season brought about a competitive playoff spot for the Big 12, specifically Arizona State, in the first 12-team playoffs. It will be tough for the Big 12 to repeat or exceed the 2024 season.

The Big 12 also had the Heisman winner in 2024, Travis Hunter. Hunter played WR/CB for the Colorado Buffalos and had a fantastic season at both sides of the ball. The Big 12, as a whole, were able to retain and/or recruit some great talent and may have another Heisman winner among the ranks.

You might not have heard of some of these QBs in the Big 12, but trust me, there are some DAWGS taking snaps in the Big 12. There is potential for one of these guys to emerge as one of the best QBs in the country. Also, a lot of these QBs are young up and comers who are only to get better and more dominant.

The conference this year based on the numbers will have the #2 best returning QB production in the Power 4.

Cumulative Conference Quarterback Metrics:

ACC- 17.18
Big 12- 15.44
Big 10- 15.38
SEC- 14.77

Like I said previously, a lot of these Big 12 QBs are young, so expect in the coming years for the Big 12 to make huge leaps in this category. These Big 12 QBs might be some of the most exciting young guns in college football.

2025 BIG 12 Quarterback Rankings:

Baylor: Sawyer Robertson- 24.2
Iowa State: Rocco Becht- 22.5
Texas Tech: Behren Morton- 22.3
Arizona State: Sam Leavitt- 21.8
TCU: Josh Hoover- 20.1
Kansas State: Avery Johnson- 19.7
Cincinnati: Brendan Sorsby- 16.8
Colorado: Kaidon Salter- 15.8
Kansas: Jalon Daniels- 13.5
BYU: Jake Retzlaff- 13.4
Arizona: Noah Fifita- 12.5
Houston: Connor Weigman- 10.5
Oklahoma State: Hauss Hejny- 9.5
Utah: Issac Wilson- 8.5
UCF: Tayven Jackson- 8.5
West Virginia: Nicco Marchiol- 7.5

These rankings are purely based on returning production. Every spot on the list is subject to change as some guys either did not play, got hurt, or split reps with another QB last season. Expect guys like Connor Weigman, Kaidon Salter, and Avery Johnson to fly up this list.

The King of the QBs in the Big 12 this year is Sawyer Robertson who will be returning to Baylor for his senior season to lead them to, hopefully, a better season in 2025. Last season, the Junior QB threw for 3,071 yards and 28 TDs while rushing for 4 more TDs. Robertson is expected to lead Baylor to more, and will possibly be a highly touted draft pick in 2026.

Sawyer Robertson sits on the mountain top for now, but there are some young guys who are right on his tail. Guys like Iowa State’s Rocco Becht, Texas Tech’s Behren Morton, and Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt. These 3 QBs are young and are coming off great seasons. The battle for Big 12 QB superiority could be the most competitive and compelling battle in the country.

2025 BIG 12 Head Coach Rankings:

Utah: Kyle Whittingham- 13
BYU: Kilani Sitake- 13
Kansas State: Chris Klieman- 12
Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy- 9
Iowa State: Matt Campbell- 9
TCU: Sonny Dykes- 9
Kansas: Lance Leipold- 8
Texas Tech: Joey McGuire- 8
Arizona State: Kenny Dillingham- 8
Baylor: Dave Aranda- 6.5
Arizona: Brent Brennan- 6.5
West Virginia: Rich Rodriguez- 5.5
UCF: Scott Frost- 5
Colorado: Deion Sanders- 5
Cincinnati: Scott Satterfield- 4.5
Houston: Willie Fritz- 3.5

The top dog for the head coaches in the Big 12 is the legendary coach Kyle Whittingham. Coach Whittingham did not have a good season in 2024 as Utah went 5-7, but that does not matter as he has had sustained success for many years prior. Coach Whittingham has been leading the Utes for 17 seasons with a record of 167-86, and 2024 was only his 3rd season with less than 7 wins. Kyle Whittingham is the embodiment of Ute football.

A young coach who has been on the rise and making a name for himself is Arizona State’s Head Coach Kenny Dillingham. After going 3-9 in 2023, coach Dillingham and his Arizona State Sun Devils turned everything around in 2024. Last Season, Arizona State went 11-1, won the Big 12 title, and made it into the first 12-team playoffs with a first round bye. If Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State can continue this level of play, it will only be a matter of time for coach Dillingham to be considered one of the best.

2025 Power Four Coaching Index:

Big 10- 12.78
Big 12- 12.55
SEC- 12.43
ACC- 9.46

Strength of Schedule Numbers:

Baylor: 1063.25
TCU: 1058.52
Oklahoma State: 1034.08
Arizona State: 1025.14
Kansas: 1017.71
Colorado: 1013.97
Utah: 1011.93
West Virginia: 1005.56
Cincinnati: 1003.57
Iowa State: 996.23
Arizona: 991.65
UCF: 990.66
BYU: 989.14
Kansas State: 957.71
Texas Tech: 936.26
Houston: 881.58

By our numbers, Baylor has the toughest schedule in the Big 12 which seems bad, but it could be great for Baylor. Baylor has a good team that can have a great season even with this tough of a schedule. If Baylor is able to rack up a good win total, it will look great for conference championship week, and they will, at the very least, get a very good bowl game.

On the other side of the list, Houston has the easiest schedule in the Big 12 which can be great for them. Houston had a very disappointing season last year going 4-8. This easier schedule can bring more wins in 2025, and that could potentially change the tides for the team and lead to a more successful future.

The team with the biggest schedule advantage is Texas Tech as they have the 2nd easiest schedule in the Big 12. Texas Tech is coming off a respectable 8-4 season, but they are looking for more. They have a very talented team, and with the easy schedule, it can lead to a huge win total and possibly a chance to compete for not only a conference championship, but possibly a Natty as well.

The Conference race as a whole:

The Big 12 conference race this year will be highly competitive with the two teams who will compete for the title being decided by a game or two. As it looks now, there are 6 teams who will most likely compete and/or win the Big 12. The main 2, however, are Kansas State and Texas Tech.

The other teams who are currently in the running for the conference championship are BYU, TCU, Iowa State, and Baylor. Arizona State is a notable team that has been left off this list despite winning the Big 12 in 2024. The reason for this is that the Sun Devils lost a lot of talent in the off season, including their superstar RB, Cam Skattebo, who was drafted this year.

When the dust settles once the regular season is over, it will be Texas Tech who will come out on top in the Big 12 as they will beat Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship game.

Once conference championship week is over, we believe that the Big 12 will only receive one playoff spot with the team of course being Texas Tech. There is potential for the Big 12 to receive a 2nd playoff spot, and if that is the case, the 2nd Big 12 team will be Kansas State. No matter what happens, the Big 12 will have excellent representation in the 2025 College Football Playoffs.