For 15 of the Big 12’s 16 teams, Week 1 is the first real football of the season - the first time they’ll line up against someone other than their own teammates after nine months of work in the heat.
Now the games count, and the race toward Arlington in December begins.
Of course, the Big 12 never makes anything simple. The league’s preseason pecking order can shift fast, and the team viewed as the bottom team in the conference won it two years ago. With that in mind, here are the five biggest questions heading into the weekend.
The cleanest place to start is with the FCS matchups, because there are plenty of them. UCF hosts Bethune-Cookman on Thursday, while Utah welcomes Idaho.
Friday brings Kansas against LIU. On Saturday, Iowa State plays Southeast Missouri, Kansas State takes on Nicholls, Texas Tech faces Abilene Christian, BYU hosts Utah Tech, Arizona meets Northern Arizona and Arizona State draws Morgan Start.
These are the kind of games some people call “money games.” The better label is “happy meal” games, because they’re supposed to leave everyone feeling good.
Still, those games can turn sour. The two that deserve a second look are UCF against Bethune-Cookman and Iowa State against Southeast Missouri. Both Big 12 teams are breaking in new but experienced quarterbacks, and while an upset still feels like a long shot, those are the two spots that raise the slightest alarm.
The league also has a handful of power-conference tests, though not many. Colorado already handled business with a win at Georgia Tech on Thursday.
Baylor gets Auburn in Atlanta on Saturday. Cincinnati draws Boston College.
Houston gets Oregon State, though the Pac-12 no longer really fits the power-conference label.
If you’re stacking those games by confidence, Cincinnati looks like the safer Big 12 side. Boston College went 2-10 last season, while the Bearcats are coming off a winning year and a bowl trip.
Baylor and Auburn both bring plenty of questions after losing seasons, so that one feels much harder to pin down. A 2-1 weekend against the power leagues would still count as a solid opening for the Big 12, especially after TCU’s loss to North Carolina.
The other danger zone is the Group of 6. West Virginia hosts Coastal Carolina, Oklahoma State plays at Tulsa, and Houston’s matchup with Oregon State is already on the board.
Houston beat Oklahoma State on the road last season in a tight one, and it returns plenty from that team. There’s also the matter of the 11 a.m. kickoff in Houston in September, which is exactly as unpleasant as it sounds.
Coastal Carolina is consistently strong and comes in off a bowl season, while Tulsa went 4-8 a year ago but still pulled off a major upset over Oklahoma State in Stillwater in Week 3, the one that led to Mike Gundy’s firing.
That’s why West Virginia is the one that stands out. The Mountaineers are expected to break in a new quarterback and a completely new defense, and Coastal Carolina is good enough to make that a real problem.
Quarterback play, though, is the story the Big 12 wants most. Commissioner Brett Yormark called the league the “Conference of Quarterbacks” at media days, and there are plenty of new faces ready to test that slogan right away.
UCF’s Alonza Barnett III is new to the Big 12. Colorado’s Julian Lewis is a new opening-night starter.
Kansas has Isaiah Marshall in the same category. West Virginia’s Michael Hawkins is new to the league, while Iowa State’s Jaylen Raynor, Baylor’s DJ Lagway, Cincinnati’s JC French IV, Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker and Arizona State’s Cutter Boley are all new to the Big 12.
Texas Tech’s Will Hammond is a new opening-night starter, too.
The encouraging part is that all of them bring some college experience with them, and most have started elsewhere. But if the league is going to live up to Yormark’s branding, Week 1 is where some of those quarterbacks need to deliver right away.
Finally, there’s the coaching side of the opening weekend. Three Big 12 teams are welcoming new head coaches: Utah’s Morgan Scalley, Iowa State’s Jimmy Rogers and Oklahoma State’s Eric Morris.
Scalley steps in after more than a decade as Kyle Whittingham’s right-hand man in Salt Lake City, and he has never been a head coach before. Rogers arrives at Iowa State after winning a national title at South Dakota State and going 33-9 over three seasons as a head coach, including a 6-6 season at Washington State in 2025.
Morris takes over at Oklahoma State after two decades of Mike Gundy, bringing an 46-34 career head-coaching record into his first year in Stillwater. His 11-2 season at North Texas helped land him the job.
All three are inheriting heavy expectations. Whittingham built Utah into a Pac-12 champion.
Campbell made Iowa State a consistent winner. Gundy led Oklahoma State to 18 straight bowl games.
The first impression from those new coaches is going to be worth watching all weekend.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Heads To Tulsa With Local Bragging Rights On The Line
Oklahoma States early-season trip to Tulsa brings more than just another nonconference matchup. The Cowboys and Golden Hurricane will meet Sept. 5 at 2:45 p.m. CT in the Gateway First Bank Turnpike Classic on ESPNU, adding another chapter to a series that stretches back to 1914 and has long carried local bragging rights for both programs.
The rivalry has leaned Oklahoma States way over the years, with the Cowboys holding a 45-28-5 edge all-time, but the setup has become more familiar lately thanks to the eight-year scheduling agreement that keeps the teams meeting annually through 2031. With the games alternating between home venues each year, this one gives Oklahoma State another chance to defend its standing in a series that still means plenty around the state. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Still Has One Crucial Battle To Settle In Week 1
Oklahoma State heads into Week 1 with one of the more interesting position battles on its hands, and it comes in the secondary. The cornerback spots on the depth chart are still marked by OR designations, a sign that nobody has fully separated from the pack after fall camp. Head coach Eric Morris said all five corners have put together strong work in camp, giving the staff multiple viable options as the Cowboys prepare for Tulsa.
Even with the competition still open, the first game should offer a clearer picture of how that group is going to shake out. Morris indicated the corners are expected to be used in rotation against Tulsa, with the final pecking order tied to what happens on the field rather than what was shown in practice. For a unit that has been evenly matched all month, Week 1 may end up being the real test that decides who keeps earning those snaps. [Read more 🡒]
Drew Mestemaker Faces The Oklahoma State Question That Will Define 2026
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Head coach Eric Morris, who has spent enough time around good quarterbacks to recognize what translates, sounds convinced Mestemaker has the traits to make it work. Morris has pointed to his decision-making and preparation as strengths, and he expects those habits to travel with him as Oklahoma State leans on him in 2026. The bigger question is how that growth plays against tougher competition, because the Cowboys are betting that Mestemaker's development will shape not only their season but also the path he eventually builds toward the NFL. [Read more 🡒]