3 things to know about the Big 12, including why Texas Tech should roll even without Brendan Sorsby

The story of the offseason that dominated the Big 12 turned out not to matter one bit during the season.

Defending champion Texas Tech added Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby in one of January’s biggest transfer moves. But after Sorsby transferred, it became clear that he had been betting on college sports. These bets included Indiana games when he was a member of the Hoosiers.

Advertisement

As Sorsby (and Texas Tech privately) successfully pushed to remain eligible for the 2026 season, the rest of the Big 12 was up in arms.

The consternation did everything. Amidst the blowback, Sorsby said he will explore NFL Draft supplemental options and not play for the Red Raiders in 2026. The NFL, meanwhile, said it will not have a supplemental draft this summer and Sorsby will now effectively sit out the 2026 college football and NFL seasons.

Have I got everything? Here’s what you need to know about Maximus 12.

16 Big 12 teams all preseason odds

Texas Tech vs. team from Utah for the Big 12 title?

There are three known favorites for two spots in the Big 12 championship game. And Texas Tech doesn’t have to face one or two major challengers in the regular season.

Advertisement

The Reds are the second-straight Big 12 title favorite in part because of a schedule that would be the easiest in the conference. Two of the toughest technical games on paper are both at home. Houston on Sept. 18 Arizona visits and comes to Lubbock on Halloween. Texas Tech’s four visiting opponents combined to win 16 games in 2025.

Sure, it’s a real mission where Texas Tech doesn’t make the conference championship game. Perhaps the quarterback position is questionable after Sorsby’s departure in the spring and Will Hammond not fully recovering from a torn ACL last season. Turnover could also hit the regression hard. After a plus-1 turnover margin in 2024, Texas Tech was plus-14 in 2025, as LB Jacob Rodriguez enjoys his smile for a turnover in fifth place in Heisman voting.

But we feel safe in the Red Raiders brush.

From there, you can make a lot of chances against Texas Tech. The two strongest are BYU and Utah. Utes hosts BYU on Nov. 7. But Utah also enters the season without Kyle Whittingham at the helm for the first time since Urban Meyer was the first coach in 2004.

Advertisement

Longtime Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley is taking over after years as Utah’s coach-in-waiting. This is Scalley’s first head coaching job and he also got a new offensive coordinator after Jason Beck followed Whittingham to Michigan.

Scalley was able to keep quarterbacks Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin in Salt Lake City along with RB Wayshawn Parker. Utah should have one of the leading rushers in the country once again after averaging 266 yards and six yards per carry in 2025.

BYU is hoping for another breakout year from quarterback Urso Bachmeier after starting as a true freshman in 2025. The quarterback who is No. He has 47 touchdown passes, but also had eight games with fewer than 200 passing yards. He’s going to have to do better in the past 2026, and he’s going to do it with some unknown receivers. The return of RB LJ Martin is huge, but the BYU receiver has no more than 14 catches in 2025 back on the roster.

How close are Houston and Arizona?

The Cougars made the six-win jump from 2024 to 2025 and Arizona is five wins better. There were bullies on both teams supporting that level of success.

Advertisement

Houston quarterback Conner Weigman returns for the second season after throwing for 2,700 yards and passing for 700 more. Weigman will provide a stable bridge to five-star freshman Keisean Henderson as Henderson is slated to be a tight end in 2027. Henderson, a native of Houston, is the top recruit in the state of Texas in 2026 and the No. 2 player overall after Miami took Jackson Cantwell.

After losing top RB Dean Connors, Houston added former Tulane and Oregon running back Makhi Hughes in the transfer window. Hughes played for Willie Fritz at Tulane in 2023 with 1,378 yards rushing as a true freshman. After a 1,400-yard season in 2024, Hughes has only 17 carries in his season with the Ducks. The Big 12 offense is full of skill transfers and one of the best.

Arizona can claim to have the best QB in the conference in Noah Fifita. The fifth-year QB threw for more than 1,000 yards and 29 TDs in 2025 as the Wildcats won their final five regular-season games. Head coach Brent Brennan has added a host of power-play defensemen in the transfer window in an effort to reload a unit that allowed just 19 points per game in 2025 after dropping over 30 in 2024.

Beasts may also be on the wrong side of some regression line. Arizona was plus-18 in turnovers finished plus-10 over the final four games of the season. Road trips to BYU and Texas Tech are also crucial for any playoff push.

Advertisement

Outside of those cats, Arizona State and TCU are the two teams with the best odds to sneak into the title game. The Horned Frogs added former Harvard quarterback Jaden Craig to replace Josh Hoover, while former Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley takes over in Tempe. TCU could have every opportunity to play its way into the Big 12 title hunt over the final two weeks of the season with games against Utah and Texas Tech.

Will Colorado or Oklahoma State have a major bounce-back?

Fourteen of the Big 12’s 16 teams won at least five games in 2015. The two that didn’t, Colorado and Oklahoma State, went 1-17 in conference play. Colorado’s only victory was a 24-17 victory against Iowa State.

Advertisement

It’s easier to make a case for Oklahoma State than one for the Buffaloes. Three weeks after firing Mike Gundy in the 2025 season, OSU hired Eric Morris from North Texas. Middle Green’s offense has been one of the most productive in college football, and QB Drew Mestemaker, RB Caleb Hawkins and WR Wyatt Young are among the transfers who followed him to Stillwater. Mestemaker emerged as an intriguing NFL prospect with the Draft throwing for nearly 4,400 yards last year. Hawkins rushed for 1,434 yards and 25 TDs and Young had 70 catches for 1,264 yards and 10 TDs.

There may be some growth, but a schedule that doesn’t include Arizona, Utah or BYU is tailor-made for the Cowboys to make the bowl hunt.

The Buffaloes will have a good idea of ​​where they stand among all the conference’s powerhouse teams before Big 12 play begins thanks to trips to Georgia Tech and Northwestern during the first three weeks of the season. QB Julian Lewis is the undisputed starter after playing the season in 2025 as Kaidon Salter’s experiment was not too successful.

Colorado never figured out how to have a solid offense in Deion Sanders’ tenure, and losing OT Jordan Seaton won’t help the effort. Former Alabama RB Richard Young is the latest player added to the backfield in an effort to boost the running game and former Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion is now the Buffaloes offensive coordinator.

Advertisement

The defense was basically overhauled from a season ago. Colorado has scored just 20 points per game as it has won nine games in 2024. He allowed over 30 per game in Sanders’ other two seasons as Chiefs.

Defensive back Makari Vickers could end up as the Buffaloes’ only defensive starter who wasn’t added to the transfer window, and was the focus of seven quarters. Colorado returned 223 rushing yards in 2025 games and allowed over five yards on carries.

It is not impossible that the Buffaloes will be the dogs against all FBS teams in 2026. They will be imperative to make some upsets.