The Big 12 had the fewest participants in last year’s 12-team College Football Playoff among power conferences, with only Arizona State representing the league in the playoff.
That came after Big 12 schools went 5-8 against teams from other power leagues — i.e. the SEC, Big Ten and ACC — during the 2024 regular season.
This season, the Big 12’s best chance to give itself a chance at a winning record against the other power conferences comes this weekend, when six Big 12 schools will face opponents from other power conferences.
The league is off to a 2-3 start against other power conference schools following Week 1 of the 2025 season.
That included road wins by Utah (over the Big Ten’s UCLA) and TCU (over the ACC’s North Carolina) last week, with losses by Cincinnati (to the Big Ten’s Nebraska), Baylor (to the SEC’s Auburn) and Colorado (to the ACC’s Georgia Tech).
In this week’s six games involving Big 12 teams facing other power conference schools, ESPN’s Football Power Index has three of the Big 12 teams favored to win, while the other three are underdogs.
Utah and TCU did their part to help the league’s perception this past week. Can other teams step up this weekend?
Big 12 games vs. other power conference teams Saturday
vs. ACC
- Baylor at SMU, 10 a.m. MDT (The CW Network)
- ESPN FPI gives SMU a 66.9% chance of winning the game. If the Bears lose on the road, they would drop to 0-2 with the most difficult out-of-conference schedule in the Big 12. Baylor also starts league play at home against defending Big 12 champion Arizona State on Sept. 20.
- Stanford at BYU, 8:15 p.m. MDT (ESPN)
- ESPN FPI gives BYU an 89.2% chance of winning the game. The Cougars play at The American’s East Carolina in their final nonconference game, and would be favored to go into Big 12 play unbeaten if they win Saturday. BYU and Stanford last played in 2022, when the Cougars won on the road at The Farm.
vs. Big Ten
- Iowa at Iowa State, 10 a.m. MDT (Fox)
- ESPN FPI gives Iowa State a 65.4% chance of winning. The Cyclones are already 2-0 on the year and won the first conference game of the season when they beat Kansas State in Week 0 in Dublin, Ireland. If Iowa State wins Saturday, its schedule is set up well to go into the back half of the season unbeaten, which would be a major coup for the Big 12.
- Oklahoma State at Oregon, 1:30 p.m. MDT (CBS)
- ESPN FPI gives Oregon a 93.3% chance of winning the game. The Cowboys head to Eugene, Oregon, with the least likely chance of winning a power conference matchup for the Big 12 this weekend. Oklahoma State snapped a nine-game losing streak with a win over UT Martin last weekend, but the Ducks — ranked No. 6 — will provide a far greater challenge.
vs. SEC
- Kansas at Missouri, 1:30 p.m. MDT (ESPN2)
- ESPN FPI gives Missouri a 64% chance of winning the game. The Jayhawks are 2-0 on the season, with blowout wins over Fresno State and Wagner. The former Big 12 rivals haven’t played each other since 2011, and Missouri has won the last three matchups in the longstanding rivalry.
- Arizona State at Mississippi State, 5:30 p.m. MDT (ESPN2)
- ESPN FPI gives Arizona State a 54.1% chance of winning the game. The Sun Devils beat the Bulldogs in Tempe, Arizona, last year. Mississippi State is projected to be one of the worst teams in the SEC this season, but a road win in SEC territory would be significant for the Big 12 nonetheless.
Other Big 12 games against power conference schools
After this week, the Big 12 will only have three more games against power conference opponents outside the league, and they’ll all come against the ACC.
- Pittsburgh at West Virginia — Sept. 13
- SMU at TCU — Sept. 20
- North Carolina at UCF — Sept. 20