ESPN’s preseason FPI strength of schedule numbers have the Big 12 sitting in a familiar spot: right in the middle of the national conversation, with a few teams catching a rougher break than others.
The rankings are built off ESPN’s Football Power Index, which is designed to forecast how a season might unfold. ESPN says the projections come from 20,000 simulations, and the ratings, standings and outlooks will keep changing each week once the season gets going. For now, though, the Big 12’s initial SOS picture is out, and it starts with Arizona State at No. 30 as the conference’s toughest schedule.
Here’s how the league stacks up in ESPN’s 2026 strength of schedule rankings:
No. 30 Arizona State Sun Devils
No. 42 Baylor Bears
No. 44 Oklahoma State Cowboys
No. 47 TCU Horned Frogs
No. 48 Colorado Buffaloes
No. 49 Cincinnati Bearcats
No. 52 West Virginia Mountaineers
No. 53 Arizona Wildcats
No. 55 BYU Cougars
No. 57 Iowa State Cyclones
No. 59 Houston Cougars
No. 60 Kansas Jayhawks
No. 63 Utah Utes
No. 64 University of Central Florida Knights
No. 68 Kansas State Wildcats
No. 71 Texas Tech Red Raiders
At first glance, the list tracks with how the conference is being viewed heading into 2026. The Big 12 is projected to be the third-best league behind the Big Ten and SEC, and that shows up in these early schedule numbers. Texas Tech, the team projected to finish as the best in the conference, lands with the easiest schedule because it obviously can’t play itself.
The Red Raiders’ nonconference slate doesn’t exactly add much weight, either. Abilene Christian is not a D1 program, while Oregon State and Sam Houston are both coming off rough recent runs.
Arizona State, meanwhile, drew the hardest path in the league. The Sun Devils have Texas Tech on the schedule, plus a nonconference matchup with Texas A&M.
Both teams are coming off College Football Playoff appearances and are expected to be in the mix again this season. Texas Tech and Texas A&M are both set to open in the top 10.
Still, preseason strength-of-schedule rankings are only a snapshot. By the end of the year, they’ll probably look very different. For now, they’re just another summer talking point while everyone waits for Week 0 to get here.
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