Texas Tech seeks Big 12 repeat while BYU among teams trying to be 7th different champ in 7 seasons

The Big 12 Conference has had six different champions in the past six seasons.

While 12th-ranked Texas Tech seeks a repeat after winning its first Big 12 title and making the College Football Playoff, teams like No. 14 BYU, No. 21 Utah and No. 23 Houston could make a push to extend the league’s streak to seven.

“We want to do something that very few teams have been able to do, and that’s to win the Big 12 championship again,” Tech coach Joey McGuire said.

The Red Raiders reloaded again through the transfer portal after setting school records with 12 wins and nine NFL draft picks. Will Hammond is healthy after an ACL injury last season and will start at quarterback after the offseason legal saga surrounding transfer Brendan Sorsby, who was declared ineligible by the NCAA because of gambling.

BYU is coming off its first 12-win season since 2001, and both its losses were to Texas Tech, 29-7 in Lubbock, then 34-7 in the Big 12 title game.

“We know that last year was some really cool things, some awesome success,” 11th-year Cougars coach Kalani Sitake said. “At the same time, we know what we can do better.”

The Cougars return Big 12 rushing leader LJ Martin (1,305 yards, 12 TDs rushing) and QB Bear Bachmeier, who threw for 3,033 yards, ran for 527 and accounted for 26 TDs (15 passing, 11 rushing) after getting thrust into the starting role as a true freshman.

Houston went from four wins to 10 in its second season with coach Willie Fritz, and returns dual-threat QB Conner Weigman (3,405 total yards and 36 TDs.) Utah has 82% of its total offense back (QBs Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin, and RB Wayshawn Parker) from an 11-win team, but two offensive linemen were first-round NFL draft picks and coach Kyle Whittingham left after 22 seasons for Michigan.

Out West in the desert and the Rockies

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, that national active leader with 73 TD passes, is a rarity going into his fourth season starting for the same team. With him back and the unexpected return of leading rusher Ismail Mahdi, the Wildcats hope to build on a 9-4 finish and be a Big 12 contender.

Arizona State won the Big 12 title and made the playoff in its league debut in 2024. The injury-plagued Sun Devils weren’t able to repeat last year and now are without QB Sam Leavitt (transfer to LSU) and receiver Jordyn Tyson (first-round NFL pick by New Orleans).

Deion Sanders, who last year had surgery for bladder cancer, said he feels like his old self going into his fourth season at Colorado. He hired new offensive and defensive coordinators after a five-game losing streak to end last season with a 1-8 conference record. He is 16-21 overall with the Buffs.

There are four new coaches in the Big 12, with some familiar faces

The Big 12’s four new head coaches include Kansas State’s Collin Klein and Utah’s Morgan Scalley at their alma maters replacing their former bosses. Jimmy Rogers took over at Iowa State when Matt Campbell left after 10 seasons for Penn State, and Eric Morris is at Oklahoma State.

Klein had been gone for two seasons as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator when Chris Klieman suddenly retired from K-State. Scalley was Utah’s defensive coordinator when Whittingham resigned. Roger won an FCS national championship three seasons ago as head coach at his alma mater, South Dakota State, and was at Washington State last year.

Oklahoma State’s 88 newcomers include 21 who came with Morris from North Texas, which lost to Tulane in the American Conference championship game to miss out on a CFP berth. Among the Mean Green transfers were QB Drew Mestemaker, the national passing leader with 4,379 yards as a freshman, RB Caleb Hawkins (1,434 yards and FBS-best 25 TDs rushing as a freshman) and WR Wyatt Young (70 catches, 1,264 yards, 10 TDs).

This is the first time since 2004 the Cowboys enter a season without Mike Gundy their head coach. They have lost 19 conference games in a row, with consecutive 0-9 conference records since a 49-21 loss to Texas in the 2023 Big 12 championship game.

The Big 12 needs to make a playoff statement

After making the 12-team playoff and getting a first-round bye last season, Texas Tech lost 23-0 to Oregon in the Orange Bowl quarterfinal game. That dropped the Big 12, which has never had multiple playoff teams, to 1-8 in CFP games.

“There’s an obligation as programs in this conference that we play at a high level, and then I think it’s really important that we win in the playoffs,” McGuire said. “Until we do that as a conference, then we’re going to continue to have the same narrative that we have right now.”

The Big 12’s last repeat champion is no longer in the league

Oklahoma won a record 14 Big 12 championships before going to the SEC two years ago. The Sooners won six in a row from 2015 to 2020, followed by Baylor, Kansas State, Texas, Arizona State and the Red Raiders winning titles.

This will be the 31st season for the Big 12, which will host its 25th championship game Dec. 4.

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