College football’s slow crawl from spring drills to Week 0 is almost over, and the Big 12 is about to get thrown right into the fire. This season’s non-conference slate has plenty of matchups worth circling, and what makes it even more interesting is that the conference’s biggest tests all come at home.
That setup gives the league a real shot to grab some headline wins early, and there are six games in particular that stand out.
TCU opens the list in Week 0 with North Carolina coming to town, though the Horned Frogs had to give up a home game to make it happen. Last year, TCU rolled over the Tar Heels and ruined Bill Belichick’s first game as North Carolina’s head coach. Both rosters will look different this time around, which is just the reality of college football now, but a TCU win would still matter plenty for the Frogs and for the Big 12’s early-season image.
Cincinnati gets its own spotlight in Week 1 when Boston College visits. The Bearcats are entering a new phase after losing a wave of players to the NFL and the transfer portal, and the quarterback job is one of the biggest questions on the board.
Incoming redshirt senior JC French is expected to step in for Brendan Sorsby, and he brings a strong résumé from Georgia Southern. Over the past two seasons, French threw for nearly 3,000 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also running for 315 yards and a team-best six scores on the ground.
If he settles in quickly, Cincinnati should have enough to handle this one.
Week 2 brings one of the most familiar rivalries back to Lawrence, as Kansas hosts Missouri in the Border War. Missouri won the meeting last year in Columbia, but Kansas had control early before letting it slip away late, which has been a familiar story for the Jayhawks lately.
They’ll also be breaking in a new quarterback, and that battle is expected to run deep into the summer. Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall are the two names at the center of it, with Rice transfer Chase Jenkins likely third on the depth chart while he recovers from a spring injury.
Missouri will enter as the favorite, but a Kansas upset would mean a lot in more ways than one - for the Jayhawks, for the Big 12, and because it would come against an SEC opponent and former conference rival.
Oklahoma State also gets a Week 2 showcase, hosting Oregon in a game that has a very different feel than the Cowboys’ recent trips to Eugene. Last year’s meeting was rough for Oklahoma State, but there’s a new coach in place and a new quarterback arriving from North Texas, which has sparked some optimism.
Drew Mestemaker is the name drawing the most buzz as the projected starter, and if the offense finds its footing the way it did at North Texas, this one could turn into a track meet. Oregon will still be the heavy favorite, but even being in the conversation would be a step in the right direction for the Cowboys.
Utah’s Week 2 home date with Arkansas gives the Big 12 another chance to land a win over an SEC team. It’s the first meeting between the programs, and the setting should favor the Utes.
A night game in Salt Lake City is a tough assignment for any visitor, and Arkansas is projected to be one of the SEC’s worst teams while Utah is ranked in the preseason top 25. That puts the pressure squarely on Utah to make the most of the opportunity.
Then there’s BYU against Notre Dame in Week 7, which could end up as one of the best games of the entire season. Both programs felt left out of the College Football Playoff last year, and both enter this year with serious national respect - Notre Dame in the top five, BYU in the top 15.
A lot can change over the first month and a half, but if both teams are still unbeaten when they meet, the stakes get even bigger. Notre Dame will likely be favored even in Provo, yet BYU has plenty to play for and probably needs the win more badly if it wants to strengthen its own playoff case.
For the Big 12, it would be a massive result.
The wait is nearly over. The Big 12’s non-conference schedule has a chance to deliver some real early-season noise, and these six games are the ones that could shape the conversation fast.
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