The opportunities for Big 12 programs to play marquee matchups against other Power Four schools, particularly the ones dominating the college landscape right now, are shriveling up.
Part of that is because of the SEC and ACC’s decisions to move to a nine-game conference schedule, and another big reason is that the Big 12 is the power conference with the biggest struggles right now in the College Football Playoff.
Entering the third season since the CFP’s expansion to 12 teams, the Big 12 is the only Power Four conference that hasn’t produced an at-large playoff team, and a Big 12 team hasn’t been on the winning side of a CFP game since 2022.
For every BYU-Notre Dame series that the Cougars were able to secure over the next two years, there are numerous other examples wherein other programs such as Texas Tech and Arizona State are struggling to field nonconference games against Power Four opponents in the coming years.
The Sun Devils have lost future series with LSU, Florida and Texas, while the Red Raiders had a future series with Mississippi State scraped (all of those schools are in the SEC).
Texas Tech’s 2027 game with NC State (ACC) was also canceled, and earlier this month, reports surfaced that USC (Big Ten) withdrew from negotiations to schedule a future series with the Red Raiders, while Texas A&M (SEC) backed out of talks to face Texas Tech in 2027.
“That’s why we have those dates open, we’re open to playing anyone,” Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire told CBS Sports in mid-August.
Right now, Texas Tech isn’t scheduled to face another Power Four program during nonconference play — outside of the postseason — until 2030.
While Arizona State plays at No. 8 Texas A&M this season and hosts the Aggies next year, the Sun Devils only have two games beyond that scheduled against another power conference opponent.
It’s a sobering reality for the Big 12 as the college landscape changes, whether by revenue sharing, conference expansion that impacted league scheduling or a lack of recent success in the playoff.
“Changes in the SEC and ACC the last two years have caused some disruption in our ability to maintain previously scheduled games, and that has created some movement,” Scott Draper, the Big 12’s chief football and competition officer, told The Mercury News earlier this month.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is on record saying he is supportive of expanding the CFP from 12 to 24 teams, a move that would allow Big 12 programs more chances to make a statement against the blue blood programs of the FBS scene.
For now, the future of the playoff remains at 12 teams — and scheduling nonconference resume-building opportunities is a focus for Big 12 schools.
Two of the Big 12’s most successful programs at securing future games against other Power Four schools both come from the state of Utah, in BYU and the University of Utah.
No. 14 BYU had a series with Cal canceled when the ACC made its league scheduling change, but the two-game series with Notre Dame (an independent) filled that space. The Cougars’ Oct. 17 home game against the No. 4 Fighting Irish will provide the Big 12’s best chance at making a splash during the regular season this year.
Beyond that, BYU has at least one Power Four opponent scheduled every year between now and 2033, with another in 2035 (full schedule is below).
No. 21 Utah, which will host an SEC school for just the second time when it faces Arkansas at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Sept. 12, is also set for challenging, opportunity-gaining series in the future.
In 2027, the Utes will take on Miami in Las Vegas. The Hurricanes finished the 2025 season at national runner-up, losing in the title game to Indiana.
Utah’s nonconference schedule between now and 2033 is filled with at least one power conference opponent, including teams from all of the other three power conferences. In 2031, the Utes will host LSU in a home-and-home series.
Unfortunately, that kind of future scheduling isn’t in place for a large part of the Big 12. Three schools — Baylor, Houston and Kansas State — only have two future nonconference games scheduled against power conference opponents.
It’s a trend that the Big 12 is facing as the league tries to keep up with the SEC, Big Ten and ACC.
“There are some challenges, certainly,” Draper told The Mercury News. “But it doesn’t mean we’re concerned. We just have to work with our schools to monitor it and give them every opportunity to build the schedules that work best for them and the league.”
Future Big 12 nonconference games against other power league schools
According to information at FBSchedules.com.
Arizona
- 2028 — at Nebraska
- 2029 — Virginia Tech
- 2030 — at Virginia Tech
- 2031 — Nebraska
- 2032 — at Alabama
- 2033 — Alabama
Arizona State
- 2027 — Texas A&M
- 2031 — at Stanford
- 2032 — Stanford
Baylor
- 2027 — at Maryland
- 2028 — Maryland
BYU
- 2027 — at Notre Dame
- 2028 — Boston College
- 2029 — at Boston College
- 2030 — Virginia Tech
- 2031 — SMU
- 2032 — Michigan State
- 2033 — at Virginia Tech
- 2035 — Missouri
Cincinnati
- 2027 — at Boston College
- 2030 — Michigan State
- 2031 — at Michigan State
- 2033 — at Nebraska
Colorado
- 2027 — Northwestern
- 2028 — at Florida
- 2029 — Florida
- 2030 — SMU, at Missouri
- 2031 — Missouri, at SMU
Houston
- 2027 — vs. LSU (Houston)
- 2028 — Oklahoma
Iowa State
- 2027 — Iowa
- 2028 — at Iowa
- 2029 — Iowa
- 2030 — at Iowa
- 2031 — Iowa
Kansas
- 2029 — at Virginia
- 2030 — Virginia
- 2031 — at Missouri
- 2032 — Missouri
Kansas State
- 2027 — at NC State
- 2032 — NC State
Oklahoma State
- 2027 — at Arkansas
- 2028 — Michigan State
- 2029 — Michigan State
- 2032 — Arkansas
- 2033 — at Arkansas
- 2034 — at Nebraska
- 2035 — Nebraska
TCU
- 2028 — at Duke
- 2029 — Duke
- 2030 — Purdue
Texas Tech
- 2030 — vs. Arkansas (Las Vegas)
- 2031 — at Arkansas
- 2033 — at Oregon
- 2034 — Arkansas
UCF
- 2027 — at North Carolina
- 2028 — at Northwestern
- 2029 — Pittsburgh
- 2030 — Florida
- 2031 — Northwestern
- 2033 — at Florida
Utah
- 2027 — vs. Miami (Las Vegas)
- 2028 — at Wisconsin
- 2029 — at Arkansas
- 2030 — UCLA
- 2031 — LSU
- 2032 — at LSU
- 2033 — Wisconsin
West Virginia
- 2028 — vs. Tennessee (Charlotte)
- 2029 — at Pittsburgh
- 2030 — Pittsburgh
- 2031 — at Pittsburgh
- 2032 — vs. Virginia (Charlotte), Pittsburgh
- 2033 — at Pittsburgh
- 2034 — Pittsburgh
- 2035 — at Pittsburgh
- 2036 — Pittsburgh