We are just a few weeks away from the kickoff of college football season!
The slow build from spring practices, to Big 12 Media Days, to Week 0 is about to come to a head. The Big 12 has several high profile non-conference games for the 2026 season and it starts in Week 0 and is spread out all the way through the middle of October. In an interesting twist, all of the best non-conference matchups are home games for the Big 12 teams this season. Let’s take a peak at some of these games that are inching closer and closer each day.Â
TCU vs North Carolina (Week 0)
TCU gave up a home game for this one and hopefully that doesn’t backfire on them. Last year the Horned Frogs dominated the Tar Heels to spoil Bill Belichick’s debut as North Carolina’s head coach. This year both teams will look a lot different with the way turnover happens in college football these days, but TCU getting a big win in Week 0 would go a long way to helping not only their season but the outlook for the Big 12 as a whole. Â
Cincinnati vs Boston College (Week 1)
Cincinnati will host Boston College in Week 1. It will be a new era in Cincinnati after seeing many Bearcats move onto the NFL or enter the transfer portal. The biggest question will be if incoming redshirt senior quarterback JC French can fill the shoes of former starting quarterback Brendan Sorsby. French started at Georgia Southern the past two seasons. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards while also tossing 20 touchdowns to eight interceptions. French also added 315 yards rushing and a team-high six touchdown runs. If he can step up, the Bearcats should be able to win this matchup.Â
Kansas vs Missouri (Week 2)
The Border War returns to Lawrence, Kansas, as the Jayhawks host the Tigers. Last year Mizzou won the matchup between the two in Columbia, Missouri but the Jayhawks led early and blew it late, like many of their games over the past couple of years. Kansas, like Cincinnati, will be relying on a new quarterback this year. It seems like the competition will come down to the final weeks of the summer before a decision is made. It’s a two-man race between Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall; Rice transfer Chase Jenkins, recovering from a spring injury, is likely the third string option. Missouri will be favored but if Kansas can pull off the upset, it would be a huge boost for the Jayhawks early in the season. It would also give the Big 12 a big win over an SEC team and former Big 12 rival.Â
Oklahoma State vs Oregon (Week 2)
Oklahoma State has been awful the last few years while Oregon has been a national title contender. Last year’s game in Eugene, Oregon was a disaster for the Cowboys. With a new coach and quarterback that came in from North Texas, there is hope for the Pokes. There is a lot of buzz around Drew Mestemaker, the projected starting quarterback for the Cowboys. If the offense can get rolling, like it has in recent years at North Texas, this could be a fun game to watch with fireworks all over the field and a high scoring game between both teams. Oregon will be the big favorite, but if the Cowboys can even come close to pulling off the upset, that would be great for the program and the conference as a whole.Â
Utah vs Arkansas (Week 2)
This is the first meeting between these two programs. This is a great chance for the Big 12 to get a win over an SEC school. Utah should be favorites at home and it will be a tough environment for Arkansas as they will get a night game in Salt Lake City. Arkansas is projected to be one of the worst teams in the SEC while Utah is a preseason top 25 team so the Utes need to take this opportunity to put it to the Razorbacks.Â
BYU vs Notre Dame (Week 7)
This could be one of the great games of this college football season. Both teams feel slighted at being left out of the College Football Playoff last year. Notre Dame enters the season as a top five team while BYU isn’t far behind as a top 15 team. We can’t predict how the first month and a half of the season can go, but if both teams are undefeated going into this one, look out! These two programs could have a lot riding on the line but it feels like BYU will need a win more than Notre Dame for a chance to get into the College Football Playoff this year. Even though it is a home game for the Cougars, the Irish will likely be favored in this one. A win for BYU would give the conference a huge boost while also lifting their own chances for a College Football Playoff push.
The long wait is almost over! College football is just around the corner and there are several high profile Big 12 non-conference games to be excited about in the coming weeks.
