Let’s be honest, we turned the page from 2025 to 2026 with a lot of excitement. The Big 12 Conference had its best chance, arguably ever, to make a deep run in the College Football Playoff with Texas Tech looking elite. The conference was 4-1 in five bowl games prior to the New Year, with wins from Houston, BYU, TCU and Utah, with Arizona State having the only loss. And then there was the hype for Big 12 basketball, with league play right around the corner.
Big 12 On-Field Woes in 2026
But then, New Year’s Day happened, and it’s been a brutal first 48 hours for the league. There was Texas Tech getting shut out by Oregon in the Orange Bowl, which dropped the Big 12 to 1-7 in College Football Playoff games, all-time. And it wasn’t just the loss, it was how the loss went down, with the offense completely inept for the Red Raiders. Heck, even Oklahoma State scored at least three points against Oregon earlier this season.
And fast-forward to Friday, and the Big 12 lost its final two Big 12 bowl games, with Cincinnati losing to Navy 35-13, and Arizona falling to SMU 24-19. Cincinnati was as short-handed as any team in bowl season, which contributed to the loss. But still, the Bearcats looked inept with their back ups. And then Arizona was trying to become the third Big 12 team to beat SMU this season (joining TCU and Baylor), but the Wildcats dug themselves in a 24-0 first half hole, in part because they were missing three starters in the secondary, and a strong second half couldn’t overcome the first 30 minutes.
Big 12 Coaching Changes
And amidst all of this, there were major coaching moves that hurt the Big 12 as well. Starting with new Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham, who raided his former staff at Utah, taking several pieces with him to Ann Arbor. And then, also poaching rising star Jay Hill from BYU, to take over the same role, defensive coordinator, he had in Provo.
And Cincinnati lost its defensive coordinator Tyson Veidt, who left the program to become the linebackers coach at Penn State, after two seasons at Cincinnati. Veidt spent time at Iowa State, and brought the 3-3-5 defensive scheme to UC.
This is not to sound all doom-and-gloom for the Big 12 Conference in 2026. But it’s impossible to come to any other conclusion than the Big 12 starting 2026 in a rough patch. We were riding high with Houston beating LSU, TCU coming back vs. USC and BYU’s win over Georgia Tech, and it all came crashing down in the first 48 hours in the New Year. Add in the league losing some of its best coaching talent, and it’s made for a forgettable start to 2026 for Big 12 football.
The best news right now? Basketball is here. And the league looks like the best conference in the country.
