CBS Sports ranked all of the Big 12 football teams from first to last in its way-too-early college football rankings this week. One of the more wide-open conferences might not be so wide open next year.
Texas Tech and BYU are the class of the Big 12 right now. Will it stay that way for 2026 as both vie for the CFP?
Without further ado, let’s dive into CBS Sports’ rankings. We’ll start at the top of the conference with the champs.
The reigning Big 12 champions top the rankings going into next season. However, Tech went one-and-done in the CFP, so Joey McGuire and crew will look to improve upon that result.
Former Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby transferred in to solidify the position. Linebackers John Curry and Ben Roberts are back and Wake Forest DL Mateen Ibirogba comes in as well.
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Kalani Sitake made the biggest wave at the end of the year when he opted to return to BYU rather than leave the Big 12 for Penn State. A Pop-Tarts Bowl champ, the Cougars aim for a conference crown and CFP appearance this time.
QB Bear Bachmeier enters his sophomore year, RB LJ Martin returns and the defense got some great juice back for 2026. LB Isiaah Glasker, safety Faletau Satuala and DT Keanu Tanuvasa will lead an elite unit.
How about Willie Fritz leading this team to 10 wins this past year? The Cougars now have, arguably, an even better roster going into 2026.
RB Makhi Hughes comes in to join QB Conner Weigman, giving them a nice 1-2 punch. They should certainly compete for the top of the conference.
Brent Brennan and Arizona really improved in Year 2 and the Wildcats round out the top four of the Big 12 rankings. Now, they’ll look to compete for the conference crown with key returners.
QB Noah Fifita is back for his final year of eligibility and he’ll lead the offense. Brennan going from four wins to nine from one year to the next should not be overlooked.
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Kenny Dillingham really poked the ASU bear to make sure he had the resources to compete for the top of the Big 12 each year, rather than their magical 2024 season being the outlier. What stinks for the Sun Devils is they lost QB Sam Leavitt (transfer to LSU), WR Jordyn Tyson (NFL Draft) and RB Raleek Brown (transfer to Texas.)
But Arizona State welcomed back DT CJ Fite and landed transfers in QBs Mikey Keene and Cutter Boley. But the Sun Devils leap higher than fifth place?
It’s a new era for Utah under Morgan Scalley, but Utah didn’t think Kyle Whittingham was necessarily going to land the Michigan job after stepping down. With that, top contributors went to Ann Arbor, like pass rusher John Henry Daley.
So how can the Utes get back to the top of the Big 12? It’s got to start with rebuilding that offensive line, and fast!
Sonny Dykes has done a great job getting the Horned Frogs back into Big 12 contention the last two years, winning 18 games combined. Harvard QB Jaden Craig comes in to replace Josh Hoover, who’s off to Indiana.
Dykes also hired UConn’s Gordon Sammis as the OC for 2026, promising to bring new ideas to that side of the ball. But can TCU get out of the middle tier?
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Eric Morris will begin a new era at Oklahoma State as he takes over for Mike Gundy. If the Cowboys are going to contend for the Big 12, perhaps it might take a year or two.
But OSU added 19 players in the portal to infuse talent into the roster. QB Drew Mestemaker and RB Caleb Hawkins should be awesome to watch, so look out for the Cowboys.
New head coach Collin Klein is here to save the day! Kansas State needs a boost for QB Avery Johnson if it is going to contend for the Big 12 this year.
The bigger question might be how the defense adapts to losing a lot to the transfer portal. But if they can overcome some shortcomings, perhaps the Wildcats can surprise.
Lance Leipold has a new generation of players at this point, as veterans departed. They got a Big 12 transfer in RB Dylan Edwards from Kansas State, so that should be a little boost to the offense.
Not only that, they added Texas guard Connor Stroh. However, QB without Jalon Daniels is going to be a challenge and a process.
11. Cincinnati
12. Colorado
13. Baylor
14. UCF
15. West Virginia
16. Iowa State
Colorado is always intriguing as Deion Sanders goes into Year 4 in Boulder. The Buffs brought back QB Julian Lewis, but lost OT Jordan Seaton and wide receiver Dre’lon Miller.