The Big 12 hopes to send multiple teams to the College Football Playoff \u2014\u00a0and Saturday\u2019s marquee matchup could figure prominently in that pursuit.<\/p>\n
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utes safety Jackson Bennee (23) pulls in a pass intended for Cal Poly before running it in for a touchdown in NCAA football in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. <\/p>\n
In 2024, the Big 12 dubbed its final month of the regular season \u201cthe race to the Big 12 Championship.\u201d What the campaign lacked in ingenuity, it more than made up for with drama: Nine of the league\u2019s 16 teams were still alive in the conference title race entering the final weekend of the regular season.<\/p>\n
That level of parity was a perfect match for the college football sickos who relish unpredictability<\/a> and elaborate tiebreaker scenarios, but it\u2019s also why the Big 12 sent just one team to the expanded College Football Playoff.<\/p>\n This year, the league tweaked its messaging. It abolished the preseason media poll after Arizona State went from worst to first last season, believing that off-base preseason rankings hurt teams like ASU and BYU from climbing the polls. Commissioner Brett Yormark acknowledged what it will take for the Big 12 to garner more respect within the power-conference hierarchy.<\/p>\n \u201cI fully expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year and to show once again that we can compete,\u201d Yormark said this summer at Big 12 media days. \u201cWe want to earn it on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s still early, but this season looks like a prime opportunity to do so. Through the opening weeks, with conference play set to begin this weekend, the table is set for the Big 12 to send multiple teams to the CFP. And Saturday\u2019s marquee, top-20 Big Noon Kickoff between No. 17 Texas Tech and No. 16 Utah could figure prominently in that pursuit.<\/p>\n Arizona State\u2019s unexpected rise to Big 12 champions last season fueled the conference\u2019s wide-open reputation, but there may already be some tiers forming in 2025. There are three league teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll<\/a>, led by No. 12 Iowa State (4-0) and quarterback Rocco Becht<\/a> with a resume that includes a neutral-site win over Kansas State (which has admittedly been free-falling ever since) and a Big Ten win over in-state rival Iowa. No. 16 Utah (3-0) looks rejuvenated after crashing out in 2024, thanks to a stout offensive line and dual-threat transfer quarterback Devon Dampier. And No. 17 Texas Tech (3-0) has capitalized on its gilded offseason haul in the transfer portal<\/a>, albeit against some light competition thus far.<\/p>\n BYU and TCU are lurking. Same for Arizona State, Baylor and Kansas at 2-1, with each losing to SEC opponents. One or two would need to emerge and separate from that group to be a true Playoff factor, but the Big 12\u2019s biggest advantage is how things have already unfolded outside the conference walls.<\/p>\n Notre Dame is still clinging to a top-25 ranking, but at 0-2, their Playoff hopes are extremely fragile, down to 20 percent, according to The Athletic\u2019s projection model<\/a>. Clemson\u2019s situation at 1-2 is even more dismal<\/a>, with just 12 percent odds in The Athletic\u2019s projections in an underwhelming ACC. Those two programs stalling out of the gates could unlock a couple at-large Playoff spots.<\/p>\n