TCU’s season already opened with a bruise, and now the rest of the Big 12 gets rolling in Week 1 with three teams in action Thursday and every conference member set to play except the Horned Frogs, who have the weekend off before hosting Grambling State on Sept. 12.
That leaves a conference full of questions and a first weekend that should tell us plenty. Texas Tech and BYU are the popular picks to meet in the Big 12 Championship Game, but beyond that, the league feels wide open. There’s talent everywhere, uncertainty everywhere else, and a handful of players who could shape the early tone.
Here are five names worth tracking.
DJ Lagway, Baylor
Saturday’s matchup with Auburn in Atlanta is the biggest game on Baylor’s schedule, and Lagway is one of the biggest reasons to watch it. The former five-star quarterback spent two seasons at Florida, where the tools were obvious but the results were uneven. His issue with the Gators was interceptions, and too many of them kept dragging down everything else he could do.
Now Jake Spavital has the job of turning that raw ability into something Baylor can build around. That task matters for Dave Aranda, too, because the Bears need this to work. If Lagway comes out sharp and leads Baylor past the Tigers, it would be exactly the kind of start the program needs.
Makhi Hughes, Houston
This one comes with a built-in storyline. Houston coach Willie Fritz knew Hughes well from his Tulane days, when he recruited him out of high school and later coached him through two strong seasons with the Green Wave. Hughes topped 1,000 rushing yards in both years, once under Fritz and once under John Sumrall, and looked like the kind of back who fit that system perfectly.
Then came a transfer to Oregon last season, and things never really clicked. He barely cleared 100 rushing yards for the Ducks, and his name faded fast.
Houston gives him a reset, and maybe more importantly, a familiar coach and an offense that should play to his strengths. The opener against Oregon State is the first chance to see whether that partnership looks like the right one.
Omarion Miller, Arizona State
Miller is one of those portal additions that can change how a receiver room looks overnight. Arizona State needed help after losing Jordan Tyson to the NFL, and Kenny Dillingham went and got an established target in Miller, who transferred from Colorado to Tempe.
Last season, Miller caught 45 passes for 808 yards and eight touchdowns for the Buffaloes. Now he steps into a setup that should feed him the ball, with Cutter Boley in at quarterback after transferring from Kentucky. If things click, Miller has the kind of profile that can lead to a huge season and put him back on the NFL radar.
Adam Trick, Texas Tech
Texas Tech’s defense got a major boost through the portal last year, and David Bailey was a huge part of that success. The former Stanford edge rusher delivered another strong season for the Red Raiders in 2025 and became the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft in April.
Now the Red Raiders are asking Trick to help fill that kind of production. The Miami (OH) transfer had 8.5 sacks in 2025 and 13 for his career, and Texas Tech believes its scheme can push him to another level. The first look comes against Abilene Christian, which should at least show how he fits into the defense and where the upside might be.
Faletau Satuala, BYU
Satuala made a real jump last season at free safety, finishing with 84 tackles and three interceptions, including one he took back for a touchdown. That’s the kind of production that stands out because it comes from a player who can handle both sides of the safety job - stopping the run and covering the pass.
BYU’s game against Utah Tech probably won’t give him a ton of stress, but it should offer a look at how a defense returning seven starters comes together in its first outing. In that group, Satuala figures to be one of the players setting the tone early.
In Other News...
Former BYU Transfers Are Popping Up In Some Uncomfortable Places
BYUs transfer list for the 2026 season has already started to leave a few familiar names scattered around the college football map, and not all of those destinations will feel neutral to Cougar fans. McCae Hillstead, once part of BYUs quarterback room, has landed at Utah State and has already won the starting job there, while Jake Griffin is set to suit up for Arizona. Around them, other former Cougars have spread out to UCLA, Iowa State, UAB and Duke, giving BYU followers plenty of chances to run into old personnel in new colors.
The broader picture is even more interesting because the ex-Cougars are not just moving to random outposts. Some have shown up at places like Utah, Michigan, Arizona State and Oklahoma State, which adds an extra layer of familiarity and, in a few cases, a little edge to future matchups and scouting chatter. For a program that is always balancing roster turnover with recruiting momentum, seeing former players pop up in so many corners of the sport is a reminder that the transfer era keeps turning every exit into a potential subplot. [Read more 🡒]
BYU May Have Found A Bigger Role For Tausili Akana
Tausili Akana arrived at BYU with the kind of pedigree that makes people wonder when the production will finally catch up. A former Texas edge prospect and consensus four-star recruit, he came to Provo after two seasons to chase the ceiling that made him such a coveted player in the first place, and the early signs of fall have been encouraging. Akana has added weight, looked better against the run and emerged as the top option at field backer on the initial depth chart, which suggests the Cougars may have found a much larger role for him than the one he carried coming in.
Akana has also sounded comfortable with where he is off the field, pointing to BYU's culture and the development he has gotten from the coaching staff. For a player whose upside has long been part of the conversation, that combination matters, because it often takes both physical growth and the right environment before a gifted transfer turns into a real defensive factor. BYU is hoping this latest version of Akana is closer to the one it envisioned when he first made his way to campus. [Read more 🡒]
USC Fans May Not Love This Name In The Next Coaching Cycle
With the college football season just getting started, the usual early whisper campaign around the next coaching cycle is already taking shape. A new look at the market points to three names that could surface if Power Four jobs open up, with Kliff Kingsbury, Mike Norvell and Kalani Sitake all mentioned as possible fits depending on how the fall unfolds.
Sitakes inclusion is the one that should matter most to BYU fans, even if nothing is imminent and nothing is decided. He has built enough credibility to keep showing up in these kinds of conversations, which is a compliment as much as a warning, because the more successful the Cougars look under him, the more often his name figures to appear whenever a major program starts casting a wide net. [Read more 🡒]