CBS Sports ranks Big 12 Football schedules from hardest to easiest for 2025

With conference media days behind us, the offseason’s homestretch is in sight. The 2025 college football season is only weeks away.

For fans of teams within the Big 12 Conference — strength of schedule may vary. Taking on eight new teams since 2023, the conference featured one team in the first 12-team College Football Playoff last season. Compare that to the SEC, Big Ten and ACC, who all had two or more participants in the postseason.

Looking for more seats at the table this fall, CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello ranked each Big 12 Conference team from hardest schedule, to the easiest ahead of the 2025 season. It should be noted to the Big 12 no longer releases an official preseason ranking.

1. Baylor Bears

Auburn will travel to Waco to take on the Bears for the season opener — a true road game for the SEC program. That will serve in the Bears’ favor, and Auburn has been beatable in recent seasons and have a new quarterback who will be tested right out of the gates.

Baylor follows that up by hitting the road against SMU, fresh off a College Football Playoff berth, during Week 2. That presents the hardest two-week opening stretch for any Big 12 team this season. They’ll also play Arizona State to open conference play in Week 4, meaning they’ll play two CFP teams from last season in their first four games.

2. TCU Horned Frogs

TCU bounced back last season and finished with a 9-4 record. However, they will be billed as Bill Belichick’s first college opponent during Week 1 when the Horned Frogs battle North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Sept. 1.

After a Week 2 get-back game against Abilene Christian, they’ll host SMU as well in Week 3. That means the Mustangs are taking on in-state Big 12 teams in consecutive weeks. TCU’s schedule also features games against Arizona State, Colorado and Kansas State (consecutive), as well as Baylor, Iowa State and BYU. They’ll be playing some of the more interesting teams the conference has to offer on a near weekly basis.

3. Utah Utes

Unlike Baylor and TCU, Utah will only play one non-conference Power Four opponent in 2025. They’ll open the season on the road against QB Nico Iamaleava and UCLA, but should be at least 2-1 entering Big 12 play.

The Utes will open conference action at home against Texas Tech in Week 4. Utah will benefit from hosting Arizona State, Texas Tech and Kansas State down the stretch but will also hit the road to battle BYU and Baylor.

4. Kansas State Wildcats

The Wildcats open their season under unique circumstances. One week before the regular season kicks off, Kansas State will take on Iowa State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic inside Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. While it’s still early, that game could have massive implications regarding the Big 12 race right out of the gates — no one wants to start in the back of the line before Week 1.

Kansas State will also host Army in Week 2 before finishing non-conference action against Arizona (this game was scheduled while Arizona was in the Pac-12) for a special Friday kickoff to start Week 3 off with a bang. They’ll also play Baylor, Texas Tech, Utah and Colorado, among others down the stretch.

5. Colorado Buffaloes

Georgia Tech will be welcomed to Folsom Field for a special Friday night kickoff ahead of the first college football Saturday of the season. Colorado will look a little different personnel-wise, so it’s unclear what to make of Deion Sanders’ team this year.

Colorado will round out its regular season against Arizona State (home) and Kansas State (away). How they perform in those matchups will decide what the postseason has in store for the Buffaloes in year three of the Coach Prime era.

6. West Virginia Mountaineers

Rich Rodriguez is back in Morgantown and looking to recapture some of the success that he helped create for the Mountaineers in the mid 2000s. Unlike the first five teams on this list, that effort kicks off against a non-P4 opponents.

After looking to get a couple of wins under their belt against Robert Morris and Ohio in the first two weeks of the season, WVU’s first test will come against the ACC’s Pittsburgh Panthers during Week 3. Their conference schedule features matchups against Arizona State and Texas Tech, among others.

7. Arizona State Sun Devils

Last year’s conference champions and lone Big 12 representative of the College Football Playoff, the Sun Devils are looking to repeat that success in 2025. Their first real game is Mississippi State during Week 2, which could give them an SEC win on paper.

The Sun Devils will hope to be undefeated by the time they hit conference play on Sept. 20. However, they’ll have to take on Baylor, TCU, Utah and Texas Tech in a row. Their performance in these matchups will be indicative of whether they can mirror what they accomplished in 2024.

8. Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State was one win away from a bye into the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Instead, that distinction went to Arizona State as 2024 Big 12 Champions.

The Cyclones will kickoff their season in Dublin as mentioned previously. Of course, they will take on their in-state rival Iowa as well with this year’s matchup being set for Week 2 — their only P4 non-conference opponent in 2025. Their most intriguing matchup is the Nov. 8 conference championship rematch against the Sun Devils.

9. Arizona Wildcats

Arizona’s Week 3 game against Kansas State is technically a non-conference game, but the Wildcats will play 10 Big 12 opponents in a row during the 2025 season. However, they should enter that slate 2-0 with games against Hawaii and Weber State.

After K-State, Arizona will take on a who’s who of talent in the Big 12. That includes Iowa State, BYU, Colorado, Baylor, and of course, Arizona State in the 99th installment of the Territorial Cup.

10. Cincinnati Bearcats

The Bearcats haven’t enjoyed the success they expected since joining the Big 12 Conference. However, they improved in year two under head coach Scott Satterfield.

Entering 2025, Cincinnati will take on the Big Ten’s Nebraska to kick off the season. This is the worst of their non-conference worries but will test themselves against several tough opponents in conference action. However, key matchups such as the games vs. Iowa State, Baylor and BYU will all be played on the Bearcats’ home turf.

11. Oklahoma State Cowboys
12. UCF Knights
13. Kansas Jayhawks
14. Texas Tech Red Raiders
15. Houston Cougars
16. BYU Cougars