The Big 12 Conference is gearing up for the 2025 football season, and Week 2 shapes up as one of the more interesting early slates.
There are no conference games on the schedule, but the weekend of Sept. 6 features 15 of 16 league teams in action. The only team idle? TCU, with an early bye week.
Three teams — Iowa State, Kansas, and Kansas State — will be playing their third game in as many weeks, thanks to Week 0 openers. And while there are no league matchups, six Power Conference games headline the schedule.
Each week at Heartland College Sports, I’m ranking the weekly Big 12 slates from least competitive to most competitive. Here’s how Week 2 stacks up.
Kent State at Texas Tech
For the second straight week, Tech draws the lightest matchup. Kent State went winless last year.
North Carolina A&T at UCF
N.C. A&T won just one game in 2024. Yes, UCF is adjusting under Scott Frost, but this should be a comfortable win.
Cal Poly at Utah
Cal Poly won three games last year. Utah won five. The Utes should be improved—and playing at home makes this a tough ask for the Mustangs.
Weber State at Arizona
Both teams finished 4–8, but the talent gap is clear. Arizona’s struggles against Northern Arizona in 2024 should keep them locked in for a game like this.
Stanford at BYU
Stanford is rebuilding under a new staff. BYU has the depth and experience to control this one in Provo.
Delaware at Colorado
Delaware enters its first season at the FBS level (Conference USA) after a 9-win FCS campaign. Talent-wise, they’re not ready for Power 4 play.
Houston at Rice
The Bayou Bucket returns. Both teams were sub-.500 in 2024. Houston handled Rice 33–7 last year—expect a closer contest this time.
Kansas at Missouri
Mizzou was 7–0 at home in 2024 and returns much of that core. Kansas has lost key talent and may struggle in Columbia.
Oklahoma State at Oregon
This is a tough task: flying west to face last year’s Big Ten champ after going winless in Big 12 play. The margin for error is razor-thin.
West Virginia at Ohio
Ohio won the MAC in 2024 and upset Iowa State in Athens two years ago. WVU better come ready.
Arizona State at Mississippi State
ASU’s 2024 win over MSU aged well. Now it’s a road test in Starkville—still winnable, but no layup.
Bowling Green at Cincinnati
BG went 7–6 last year. The bigger question is where Cincinnati stands entering Year 3 under Scott Satterfield.
Army at Kansas State
Army is coming off a 12-win season and brings the triple option to Manhattan. Always a challenge for Power teams.
Iowa at Iowa State
Always a grind. Doesn’t matter how good either team is, this one’s usually decided late.
Baylor at SMU
This is not just the most competitive game—it’s the most compelling. SMU is fresh off a CFP appearance. Baylor surged late in 2024. Don’t miss this one.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
