ESPN ranks Big 12 Football teams from first to last after Week 14

The 2025 college football regular season is officially over, and ESPN has come out with its final Big 12 rankings of the season. The rankings are based on FPI, a predictive system that ESPN has developed.

According to ESPN, The FPI is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.

Texas Tech and BYU are set to compete in the Big 12 Championship game later this week, but only one team finds itself in the top two of ESPN’s rankings. You can see which one as well as the rest of the rankings below.

1. Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) — 22.0

The Red Raiders look like not only one of the best teams in the Big 12, but also one of the most complete in the country. Texas Tech has the nation’s No. 3 scoring offense and can get it done through the air with Behren Morton or on the ground with Cameron Dickey.

On the defensive side, they’re also third in the country in points allowed per game and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez leads the country with seven forced fumbles in addition to four interceptions and 104 total tackles (10 for loss). The Red Raiders beat BYU earlier this season, and can secure their first ever Big 12 Championship with another win this weekend.

2. Utah Utes (10-2, 7-2) — 19.7

Utah isn’t going to play in the Big 12 title game and lost head-to-head against BYU this season, but that didn’t stop ESPN from putting the Utes ahead of the Cougars. It’s been a solid year, but it’s hard to justify this spot for them.

Quarterback Devon Dampier was pretty much what Utah hoped he would be, throwing for 2,180 yards and 22 touchdowns to five interceptions while also rushing for 687 yards and seven scores. But while he made Utah one of the top teams in the conference, its two league losses spoiled it championship aspirations.

3. BYU Cougars (11-1, 8-1) — 17.2

Aftter losing to Texas Tech earlier this year, BYU reeled off four straight victories to ensure a rematch against the Red Raiders for the conference crown. A win in the Big 12 Championship would give them a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

Running back LJ Martin leads the Big 12 with 1,229 yards and 11 touchdowns and will be leaned on heavily in the conference title game. BYU scored lost 29-7 in the last meeting and did not score until the third quarter, so its offense has to be better to have a chance in the rematch.

4. Arizona Wildcats (9-3, 6-3) — 10.4

Arizona ended up being one of the most surprising teams in the Big 12 when all was said and done. The Wildcats finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference and ended the year with four straight victories, including one against rival Arizona State in the season finale.

Quarterback Noah Fifita ends his season as one of the top quarterbacks in the conference with 2,963 yards passing and 26 touchdowns to five interceptions. It was a big Year 2 for coach Brent Brennan after going 4-8 in his inaugural season, and we’ll see whether he can get to 10 wins with the bowl game.

5. TCU Horned Frogs (8-4, 5-4) — 8.8

TCU didn’t quite reach its preseason expectations after entering the year as a conference title contender. However, the Horned Frogs still finished with eight or more wins for the third time in four seasons under coach Sonny Dykes.

Receiver Eric McAlister had one of the best individual performances of the year, leading the Big 12 with 1,121 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. All in all, TCU proved itself among the top half of teams in the conference but couldn’t do enough to get back in the championship.

6. Iowa State Cyclones (8-4, 5-4) — 8.8

The Cyclones are another team that, while finishing with a respectable record, likely feel like they could have done more given their preseason hype. ISU finished runner up in the conference championship last season and thought it had a chance to get there again this year.

Unfortunately, a four-game losing streak from Weeks 7-11 cost them that chance. Iowa State still managed to turn things around somewhat to close the season with three straight victories.

7. Kansas State Wildcats (6-6, 5-4) — 7.6

It’s kind of surprising to see the Wildcats ranked here given some of the other teams below them. After a 2-4 start to the season, K-State managed to somewhat turn things around and win four of its final six games to at least become bowl eligible.

Coach Chris Klieman announced that he will retired after this season and former Wildcats QB Collin Klein will take over for him. Perhaps that can be the boost needed to turn things around heading into the 2026 season.

8. Arizona State Sun Devils (8-4, 6-3) — 6.6

Last year’s Big 12 champion, it was a disappointing follow up for Arizona State this season. The Sun Devils entered the year as one of the favorites to make the conference title game again, but instead end in a tie for fourth place.

Injuries ended up being a big story of the Sun Devils’ season, including starting quarterback Sam Leavitt going down for the season in late October. Leading receiver Jordan Tyson also missed three games this year, and who knows how far a healthier ASU team could have gone.

9. Cincinnati Bearcats (7-5, 5-4) — 5.8

After a torrid 7-1 start to the season, Cincinnati came crashing down and lost four straight games to end the year. But the Bearcats at one point were competing with the best of the best in the Big 12 in only their third year as a league member.

Quarterback Brendan Sorsby finished with 2,800 yards passing and 27 touchdowns to five interceptions in addition to 580 yards rushing and nine more scores. He also has another year of eligibility left if he wants to come back to Cincinnati in 2026.

10. Kansas Jayhawks (5-7, 3-6) — 4.6

Kansas rounds out the Big 12 power rankings from ESPN. The Jayhawks closed the year with a 5-7 record, missing out on bowl eligibility for the second consecutive season.

After appearing to revitalize the program a couple years ago, coach Lance Leipold now has his work cut out for him after these past two years. KU will also head into next year without quarterback Jalon Daniels, who wrapped up his sixth and final season of college football.

Rest of ESPN’s Big 12 FPI rankings

11. Houston Cougars (9-3, 6-3) — 3.7
12. Baylor Bears (5-7, 3-6) — 3.1
13. UCF Knights (5-7, 2-7) — (-0.5)
14. Colorado Buffaloes (3-9, 1-8) — (-2.7)
15. West Virginia Mountaineers (4-8, 2-7) — (-4.0)
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-11, 0-9) — (-11.9)