After Sam Leavitt and the Arizona State Sun Devils narrowly edged past the Texas Tech Red Raiders, the quarterback zeroed in on a reality often overlooked when outsiders critique the Big 12 Conference: the margin for victory is incredibly thin, and the league’s unpredictability is precisely what makes it compelling.
“A bunch of people say any week, any game can be a major upset, and it’s really true,” Leavitt said at his post‑game press conference. “I didn’t think that last week was an upset by any means. But it’s just pretty crazy the margins.”
Leavitt’s words land as a rebuttal to the narrative that the Big 12 is weak or lacking depth. In fact, the opposite appears to be true: parity across the league has created a landscape where even high‑profile matchups fail to deliver easy outcomes. Arizona State’s win, while labeled an upset by some, was not a surprise to Leavitt, and that speaks volumes about how normalized competitive balance has become in the conference. This is not a league where one or two teams dominate unchallenged; every opponent brings threat potential, and every game demands full focus.
The flip side of this style of competition is that programs can’t afford to coast or rely solely on reputation. In the Big 12, results are immediate and consequences real. Leavitt’s perspective reflects a player who understands that talent matters less than execution, and that the difference between a win and a loss might be a single drive, a missed tackle, or one turnover. That understanding filters into coaching, recruiting, and preparation, and it reinforces that the conference’s strength may not come from a single dominant power but from its broad collection of capable challengers.
For fans, this means the Big 12 remains one of college football’s most compelling watches. If you think a game won’t matter or that one team has the outcome sealed from day one, you’re likely fooling yourself. That dynamic is precisely what Leavitt referenced when he described how close things truly were despite the official outcome. It’s not about undervaluing one program or inflating another, but instead recognizing that in this league, the line between favorite and underdog is fluid.
Ultimately, Leavitt’s message is clear: don’t write off the Big 12 because you think the storyline has been set in advance. The league thrives on uncertainty, and its identity is now built around suspense as much as power. Arizona State’s win over Texas Tech wasn’t a surprise; it was simply another example of how unpredictable and exciting this league has become.
