When even Barstool Sports is giving the Big 12 props for its strength of schedule, it’s time to admit the league’s slate speaks for itself.
On the latest episode of the Unnecessary Roughness podcast, Barstool’s Brandon Walker put it pretty plainly. While the Big Ten and ACC are padding wins against bottom-of-the-barrel opponents, the Big 12 is rolling out a lineup that actually looks like a real football schedule. “The Big 12 is going on a run of conference heavyweights matching up,” Walker said. “While the Big Ten and ACC top teams keep seeing bottom feeders.”
He’s not wrong. The next few weeks in the Big 12 are loaded with matchups that will actually decide the race. You’re going to see teams in the top half of the standings trading punches week after week. There’s no stretch of back-to-back freebies like you’re getting with the Michigan States and Florida States of the world. If you’re making a run in this league, you’re earning it the hard way.
The national media have been slow to admit what’s happening in the Big 12, but this is the kind of recognition that chips away at the old perception. It’s not just a handful of programs carrying the flag; it’s a full schedule of games that matter every single weekend. And that’s what you want in a league trying to prove it belongs in the playoff conversation without a blueblood safety net.
Whether the Big 12 receives the playoff credit it deserves is a different story. But what’s happening right now on the field is hard to deny. The schedule is doing the talking, and people outside the league are finally starting to listen.
