With three weeks left in the regular season, the Big 12 picture is starting to sharpen. Utah is pulling away from the pack, Colorado is staring at some hard questions, and Baylor still has a chance to wreck somebody’s plans before this thing wraps up.
Utah is the clear favorite to win the league
After Utah beat its in-state rival BYU last weekend, the question became pretty simple: who in the Big 12 is left to stop the Utes?
Looking at what’s ahead, the answer feels like nobody.
Arizona will be a challenge this weekend, but Utah has already shown it can handle quality opposition. More than that, the Utes have been the steadiest team in the conference from start to finish.
They keep showing up the same way: prepared, efficient, and hard to knock off. While other contenders have had rough patches, Utah has avoided the kind of slide that can sink a title run.
The defense has gotten better as the season has gone on, and the offense remains one of the toughest units in the Big 12 to deal with. Devon Dampier, Wayshawn Parker, and a deep cast of playmakers give Utah answers all over the field.
Last week, I said the Utes would go unbeaten in the regular season. Now I’m taking it one step further: Utah will win the Big 12 Championship and earn a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
Colorado’s Deion Sanders era may be nearing its end
When Deion Sanders arrived, the buzz around Colorado was real. But at this point, it feels like both sides may be better off going in a different direction.
Sanders is 19-26 overall since taking over in 2023, with a 10-21 record in conference play. Seven of those league wins came in 2024, when Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter were carrying the load.
Outside of that season, the results have been tough to sell.
Colorado is 3-6 now, and the final stretch doesn’t look friendly. Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF are still on the schedule, and the Buffaloes may be lucky to win one of them and finish 4-8.
The on-field record is only part of it. The nonstop noise around the program has become a burden of its own, with coaching changes, player dismissals, and off-field distractions always hovering nearby.
The contract situation complicates everything. Colorado has already invested heavily in Sanders, so a buyout would be costly.
Still, with Florida State now open, Colorado may be hoping Sanders has eyes elsewhere. If not, the university may eventually have to weigh the long-term price of keeping him against the short-term pain of making a change.
Baylor looks ready to spoil somebody’s run
This one might not sound especially daring until you look at what Baylor still has left.
The Bears still have BYU, Texas Tech, and Houston on the schedule, and all three are viewed as serious Big 12 contenders.
Even so, I think Baylor steals at least one of those games.
Since the move on from Dave Aranda, the Bears have looked like a different team. Over the last two weeks, they’ve outscored opponents 83-40, with a dominant win over UCF in Orlando and a double-digit victory over Iowa State.
DJ Lagway has been excellent, the offense is playing with confidence, and the defense has made key improvements when it mattered.
I’m not ready to call Baylor a top-five team in the Big 12. But it’s hard to ignore how much sharper the Bears have looked under interim head coach Joe Klanderman.
November rewards teams that are trending up, and Baylor seems to have found that kind of momentum at the right time. That’s why I think the Bears are going to spoil somebody’s season before this year is over.
In Other News...
Texas Is Sending An Early Message In The New AP Poll
The early AP womens basketball rankings are already giving the Big 12 a little more to talk about, with Texas climbing to No. 6 after opening the season with a pair of wins. For Baylor, that matters because the Longhorns are once again looking like one of the leagues most visible national contenders, and the first poll of the year is a reminder that the conferences top tier is going to be crowded from the start.
At the top of the poll, Michigan moved up to No. 2 and passed UConn, which slipped to No. 4 after a loss. The Huskies stumble was notable not just because of the ranking change, but because Geno Auriemma addressed his teams performance afterward, adding another layer to an opening week that already feels like it could shape the national conversation well beyond November. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Grinds Out A Gritty Big 12 Win With Texas Tech Next
Baylors postseason run kept moving with a hard-earned 1-0 win over No. 25 Houston in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals, a result that had all the feel of a team willing to win any way it can. Natalie Vatter supplied the lone goal, and the Bears backed it up with the kind of disciplined effort that has carried them into the semifinals.
Michelle Lenards group now turns to a tougher test against No. 7 Texas Tech, a matchup that raises the stakes even further in tournament play. With Vatter and Azul Alvarez both part of the story after the quarterfinal win, Baylor heads into the next round with momentum, confidence and a chance to keep extending its season against one of the leagues top teams. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors Offense Is Giving Bears Fans A Reason To Believe
Baylors Homecoming win over Iowa State offered another sign that the offense is finding its footing under interim head coach Joe Klanderman. The Bears were sharp from the start, cashing in on all three red-zone trips and adding three more touchdowns from outside the red zone in a 42-31 victory that pushed them into bowl eligibility with three regular-season games still to play.
DJ Lagway was at the center of it, piling up a career-high 119 rushing yards and scoring multiple touchdowns as Baylor finished with 423 yards and just one penalty. For a team that has spent much of the season looking for consistency, the clean execution and explosive plays were enough to turn a festive afternoon into a meaningful step forward. [Read more 🡒]