Thanksgiving is upon us, and there’s no better time to be thankful for what we have seen in the Big 12 football season this year. This was partially inspired by the first game I want to dive into, so let’s just get right into it and take a look back at the five best games of the Big 12 season ahead of the final week of the regular season.
Week 13: Kansas State at Utah
Utah came into this game as 17-point favorites with a chance to continue an outside shot at making the College Football Playoff. Kansas State came into the game needing one more win to become bowl eligible. It had been a mostly disappointing season for the Wildcats, while Utah had been as good or maybe even a little bit better than projected.
Kansas State absolutely stunned Uta,h putting up a record-setting rushing day against a typically stout Utes defense. Joe Jackson racked up 293 rushing yards to lead the Wildcats with a new team rushing record. The team finished with 472 total rushing yards, and the Wildcats posted 47 points.
Unfortunately for the Wildcat,s it wasn’t enough. Utah stormed back from a 12-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 56 seconds left in the game to seal the victory and keep their slim College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Utah 51, Kansas State 47
Week 4: Arizona State at Baylor
In a game that went back and forth from start to finish, had a ton of scoring in the fourth quarter, and included a walk-off field goal, it’s hard not to include that game in the top five games of 2025. This game took place early in the season and set up the season for both teams. Honorable mention goes to Baylor, who came back in Week 6 to win a game on a walk-off blocked field goal against Kansas State, winning that game 35-34. However, in Week 4, it was Arizona State who was able to get the walk-off win on the foot of Jesus Gomez. What a game!
Arizona State 27, Baylor 24
Week 8: #23 Utah at #15 BYU
This wasn’t necessarily the most exciting game, but because of what was on the line, it made it into the top five. It was a quiet first half for both teams, with the Cougars ending the first half kicking a field goal to take a 10-7 lead into the locker room. There was no scoring in the third quarter before Utah took a 14-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. BYU immediately struck back with a touchdown of their own to take a 17-14 lea,d and then the Cougars’ defense was able to come up with a big turnover on an interception during the next Utes drive. BYU turned that into another touchdown to take a 24-14 lead. Utah was able to punch one more touchdown in, but it was too late to make a difference in the outcome with only a minute left in the game and no timeouts left.
It was a big win for the Cougars, who still have a chance to make it into the Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff going into the final week of the season.
BYU 24, Utah 21
Week 7: BYU at Arizona
BYU was ranked #18 and ran into a tough Arizona team on the road. After a back-and-forth first half, Arizona took control early in the fourth quarter with a 24-14 lead. However, BYU made a furious comeback, making a field goal with 4:08 left and punching a touchdown into the end zone with 19 seconds left on the clock in regulation.
Arizona and BYU traded field goals in the first overtime before BYU opened the second overtime with a touchdown to give the Cougars a 33-27 lead after a missed two-point conversion attempt. Arizona was unable to match a touchdown, and BYU remained undefeated at the midpoint of the season. The Cougars still have a chance to make it into the Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff going into the final week of the season, thanks to this big win.
BYU 33, Arizona 27
Week 8: Texas Tech at Arizona State
This was my favorite game of the Big 12 season so far. Texas Tech entered this game undefeated and ranked No. 7 in the nation, while Arizona State was coming off a blowout loss at Utah, a game in which the Sun Devils had to start backup quarterback Jeff Sims.
After a low-scoring battle that saw Arizona State lead 9-7 at halftime, and Arizona State leading 16-7 at the end of the third quarter, things really took off in the fourth quarter. Arizona State made a field goal to give the Sun Devils a 19-7 lead with 14:14 left in the game and an 89.1% chance to win the game at that point.
The Red Raiders had to lean on backup quarterback Will Hammond, who had replaced starter Behren Morton due to an injury. Tech scored a touchdown with 3:36 left in the game, forced a three-and-out, and then scored a touchdown one play later after a big punt return set up the Red Raiders in the red zone. Texas Tech had a 22-19 lead with 1:48 left in the ball game, giving them an 80% chance to win the game.
Tech’s winning probability reached a peak at 84.7% with 1:05 left in the game when they had the Sun Devils on the ropes on a fourth and two. Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt converted the fourth-down play and led the Sun Devils to a touchdown with 34 seconds left in the game to pick up the upset win at home. This was the only loss of the regular season to this point for Texas Tech.
Arizona State 26, Texas Tech 22
These are my top five Big 12 games of the 2025 season heading into Thanksgiving weekend. It’s a subjective list, so what would your list be? Whatever games you choose, we have been blessed and can be thankful for another fun season of Big 12 football.
