The Big 12 Broadcast, Week 2: Rivalries, Reality Checks and the Start of Conference Play

By Simon Carroll

Well, that didn’t take long.

After a Week 1 that saw the Big 12 rack up a ridiculous 13-2 record, we’re about to find out rather more about this conference than we did in the opening weekend. There were plenty of eye-catching performances — and one spectacularly bad result — but the majority of the league spent last weekend beating teams they were expected to beat. This week, things get considerably more serious.

There are heavyweight non-conference games everywhere you look. No. 23 Missouri heads to Kansas for the return of the Border War, Oregon travels to Oklahoma State, Arizona State heads into the teeth of Kyle Field to face Texas A&M, Utah hosts Arkansas and Iowa State crosses the state to renew the Cy-Hawk rivalry with Iowa.

And, tucked amongst all of that, something rather important happens: the Big 12 season actually begins. Arizona travels to Provo to face No. 15 BYU in the conference’s first game of the 2026 campaign, giving us our first proper opportunity to see how two fancied teams stack up against one another.

So, let’s get into it.

The Border War is back - and Kansas has something to prove

There are rivalries, and then there are rivalries which spent a decade being needlessly taken away from us.

Kansas and Missouri are back at it on Friday night, with the No. 23 Tigers travelling to Lawrence for the second consecutive year after the series was revived in 2025. Missouri won last year’s meeting 42-31, but Kansas has been remarkably strong at home in this fixture, winning seven of the last eight meetings at Memorial Stadium.

This time, though, there’s considerably more at stake than bragging rights.

Kansas opened the season by demolishing Long Island, while Missouri put up 51 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff behind new quarterback Austin Simmons. The Ole Miss transfer threw for 252 yards and four touchdowns in his debut, immediately giving the Tigers something to get excited about. Kansas, meanwhile, will be looking to make life considerably less comfortable for him on Friday night.

Missouri’s absence of running back Ahmad Hardy adds another wrinkle, but the biggest question is whether Kansas’ defense can stand up to an opponent of this quality. The Jayhawks have been building quietly under Lance Leipold, despite back to back five-win seasons. This is where they get the chance to announce that they’re more than just improving; they’re ready to compete. And with a trip to London the following week for the Union Jack Classic, a big win would give KU much needed momentum.

The Border War is back. And this time, Kansas have the opportunity to send a message on the Big 12’s behalf: this conference is LEGIT.

Cowboy Fraudsters?

Remember when Oklahoma State looked like one of the more intriguing teams in the Big 12?

Yeah. About that.

The Cowboys were one of the teams that could have quietly climbed the conference pecking order this season. Instead, they opened the campaign by losing 24-10 to Tulsa, a result which has completely changed the conversation around Eric Morris’ team.

It’s one thing to lose a close game to a Power Four opponent. It’s another to be beaten by a Group of Six team and score ten points while doing it. And the reward for that performance? No. 6 Oregon comes to Stillwater.

The Ducks arrive after beating Boise State 34-27 and have one of the most talented rosters in the country. Suddenly, whatever optimism surrounded Oklahoma State during the offseason has been replaced by some fairly urgent questions about its offense, its quarterback play and whether this team is anywhere near ready to compete at the top end of the Big 12.

There is, of course, still time to fix things; that’s the beauty of non-conference games in September. But if Oklahoma State gets blown off its own field on Saturday morning, that Tulsa result stops looking like an aberration and starts looking like a warning.

With 91 additions through the portal this offseason, perhaps we were too quick to anoint the Cowboys as the comeback team of the year. More will be expected from Drew Mestemaker and co, but defeating the Ducks is a big ask.

Boley Ball Gut Check

Six touchdown passes in your first game is a pretty effective way of introducing yourself.

Arizona State quarterback Cutter Boley did exactly that against Morgan State, completing 21 of 27 passes for 387 yards and six scores as the Sun Devils exploded to a 70-7 victory. That’s the sort of stat line that makes people sit up, although even the most optimistic ASU fan will acknowledge a fairly significant asterisk attached to the performance: Morgan State isn’t Texas A&M.

Boley now gets his proper introduction to Power Four football at Kyle Field, where Arizona State faces the Aggies on Saturday. Texas A&M is ranked No. 10 in the country and has ambitions of its own, meaning this is an altogether different examination for the new Sun Devils quarterback.

The interesting thing about Boley isn’t simply whether he can repeat the numbers. He almost certainly won’t throw six touchdowns every week. It’s whether he looks comfortable when the defensive backs are faster, the pass rush is nastier and every mistake actually gets punished. Put those pressures into a 100,000 seater cauldron in deepest darkest Texas, and the challenge increases exponentially.

In some ways, Saturday is a free hit for Boley. Nobody would lay too much blame for a defeat at the feet of a QB in just his second start for his new team. Providing he looks semi-competent against a top-ten outfit, fan backing will remain high. BUT. if he can somehow pull off a big win for the Big 12, then Boley fever will hit fever pitch in Tempe.

Four ranked teams, a first conference game, and a Big 12 with something to prove

The Big 12 entered the season with plenty of questions about its national standing. After Week 1, it has four teams inside the AP Top 25: Texas Tech at No. 13, BYU at No. 15, Utah at No. 20 and Houston at No. 22.

Not much change there then; the same four teams made the cut in the preseason poll, and all won in Week 1. But more importantly, the conference has plenty of teams sitting just outside that group who could make a run at joining the party in the coming weeks.

In Week 2, we get our first proper measuring stick.

Arizona at BYU is the first all-Big 12 game of 2026, and it comes with plenty of intrigue. BYU destroyed Utah Tech 63-7 in Week 1, while Arizona dispatched Northern Arizona 35-7. Both quarterbacks — BYU’s Bear Bachmeier and Arizona’s Noah Fifita — come into the game with something to prove.

For BYU, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate that the Cougars’ preseason ranking wasn’t simply a reward for last year’s success. For Arizona, it’s an opportunity to announce that the Wildcats belong in the conversation too.

And that is essentially the wider story of the Big 12 this weekend.

The conference went 13-2 in Week 1, but only three teams faced Power Four opposition. This week, half the league faces Power Four opponents, opportunities for the Big 12 to establish itself amongst the best in College Football. With TCU gifting North Carolina a win in Week 0 and Baylor losing to Auburn by a matter of inches last Saturday, the margins for error are slim.

We’ve talked Border War. We’ve mentioned Arizona State’s trip to College Station. And we’ve discussed the All-Big 12 matchup. Throw in a big opportunity for Utah to beat SEC opponent Arkansas, and the stakes are high this weekend. And that’s before we get to one of the biggest rivalry games in College Football…

The Cy-Hawk Trophy: an Annual Brutal Battle

For all the talk about conference realignment, money and the changing shape of college football, there are some things that simply refuse to go away.

Like Iowa State and Iowa absolutely fucking hating each other.

The Cy-Hawk rivalry dates all the way back to 1894 and returns on Saturday night with both teams 1-0. Iowa State opened the Jimmy Rogers era with a 38-10 win over Southeast Missouri, while Iowa shut out Northern Illinois 40-0.

The Cyclones have also had the better of the recent series, making this an especially interesting test for a program undergoing a coaching change and a rebuilt roster following Matt Campbell’s move to Penn State. Rogers has only had one game to establish his identity at Iowa State. Now he gets one of the most emotionally charged fixtures in the entire college football calendar, on the road, against Kirk Ferentz and an Iowa team that will be absolutely desperate to put its rival back in its place.

And that’s what makes the Cy-Hawk so good. It doesn’t matter that Iowa State’s conference season hasn’t started yet. It doesn’t matter that the game doesn’t count towards the Big 12 standings.

For the players, coaches and fans involved, this is the ONLY game that matters. The Cyclones may not look familiar to many in Ames. And the conference they reside in is also changing at a rapid rate. But their rivalry with the Hawkeyes remains untouched, as visceral and violent as it always has been.

When Iowa State walks into Kinnick Stadium on Saturday night, nobody is going to care what conference anybody plays in. They’ll just care who wins the Cy-Hawk.

Big 12: Week 2 Schedule

Friday:

1am – #23 Missouri (1-0) @ Kansas (1-0)

Saturday:

5pm – #6 Oregon (1-0) @ Oklahoma State (0-1)

5pm – Arizona State (1-0) @ Texas A&M (1-0)

5pm – Washington State (0-1) @ Kansas State (1-0)

6pm – Tennessee-Martin (1-1) @ West Virginia (1-0)

8:30pm – Arizona (1-0) @ #15 BYU (1-0)

8:30pm – Weber State (1-1) @ Colorado (1-0)

8:30pm – UCF (1-0) @ Pitt (1-0)

12am – Southern (1-1) @ #22 Houston (1-0)

12am – Western Carolina (1-1) @ Cincinnati (1-0)

12:30am – Iowa State (1-0) @ #21 Iowa (1-0)

12:30am – #13 Texas Tech (1-0) @ Oregon State (0-1)

1am – Prairie View A&M (1-1) @ Baylor (0-1)

1am – Grambling State (2-0) @ TCU (0-1)

3:15am – Arkansas (1-0) @ #20 Utah (1-0)

Mock Draft

SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST AND COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION.

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