The Big 12 is coming into the 2026-27 season with real weight behind it, and the AP preseason poll makes that clear. Six league teams are in the Top 25, with one more just outside, giving the conference a familiar look: deep, dangerous, and hard to sort out.
Arizona is the league’s highest-ranked team at No. 5 after last season’s run to both the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. Tommy Lloyd’s program has already established itself as one of the country’s steadier powers, and the poll says voters expect the Wildcats to stay right in the national title mix.
Houston follows at No. 10, which is hardly a surprise after the Cougars’ continued climb under Kelvin Sampson. JoJo Tugler is back to lead what should be another elite defensive group, and Houston enters the season with expectations to be in the Big 12 race again.
Kansas comes in at No. 17, a ranking that stands out a bit more than the others. Bill Self adds No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes in Lawrence, but the spot also points to some uncertainty after a stretch that didn’t meet the Jayhawks’ usual standard. Even so, betting against Kansas in October has never been a smart habit.
Iowa State and Texas Tech sit right behind them at Nos. 18 and 19. The Cyclones get veteran guard Tamin Lipsey back, while Grant McCasland’s Red Raiders keep stockpiling talent through the transfer portal and arrive with another roster that looks built to contend.
BYU closes out the ranked Big 12 teams at No. 25, giving Kevin Young another preseason Top 25 squad as the buzz keeps growing in Provo. TCU also stays in the conversation after receiving votes, keeping itself on the edge of the national picture as another possible NCAA Tournament team.
The overall picture is tough to miss: Arizona leads the way, but the Big 12 is loaded again. With six ranked teams and more lurking nearby, the league’s path looks every bit as crowded as it is strong.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Just Watched A Huge Big 12 Win Turn Complicated
No. 8 BYUs 28-24 win over No. 2 Notre Dame looked like the kind of result that can ripple well beyond one stadium, the sort of victory Big 12 fans would circle immediately as a statement from the league. For Texas Tech, which is watching the conference race and every national impression that comes with it, the result had all the makings of a headline moment for the Big 12 until the final minutes turned it into something messier.
The conference later acknowledged that one second should have remained on the clock after the final play, a detail that technically could have handed Notre Dame another snap. There was also no flag on a possible pass interference on that last sequence, leaving the finish surrounded by officiating questions rather than settled certainty and making a marquee Big 12 win feel far less clean than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Has A Week 8 Poll Problem Fans Will Hate
College footballs rankings conversation has taken another turn, and Texas Tech is right in the middle of it. The Red Raiders are one of several teams, along with BYU, Oklahoma State and James Madison, that continue to draw plenty of attention for how they are being viewed in the latest AP poll. It has become a familiar October frustration for fan bases that believe their teams are being undersold, especially when the numbers in the coaches and writers polls do not quite line up.
For Texas Tech supporters, the annoyance is less about one specific spot and more about the pattern around it. The debate is still centered on how voters are sorting out strong starts and where those teams belong in the bigger national picture, with different ballots telling different stories. For now, the argument is as much about perception as placement, and it is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Fans Just Got A Clearer Look At The Big 12 Race
Texas Techs 6-0 start has changed the shape of the Big 12 conversation in a hurry. After Week 7, the Red Raiders moved ahead of Utah to become the conferences highest-rated team in ESPNs Football Power Index, landing at No. 9 nationally after their win over Arizona State. Utah slid to No. 13 after a narrow escape against Colorado, while BYU stayed just behind at No. 14 even after its win over Notre Dame.
For Houston fans, the updated numbers offer a clearer view of the league race and where the Cougars fit into it. Houston checked in at No. 18, which puts them in the mix but still with work to do if they want to climb toward the top tier. With Texas Tech setting the pace and the rest of the Big 12 packed closely together, the next stretch should reveal a lot about how real each contenders case is. [Read more 🡒]