ESPN ranks Big 12 Football teams from first to last ahead of Week 4

Three weeks into the 2025 season, the Big 12 appears as wide open as everyone imagined. Almost anyone could wind up earning the conference’s automatic bid in the College Football Playoff.

Some head-to-head matchups have already taken place but for the most part, Big 12 showdowns begin on Saturday. Week 4 might turn into one of the more entertaining slates of the season, shaping the race to AT&T Stadium.

Before then, ESPN decided to rank the Big 12 teams from top to bottom. Two of the newer members take the top spots, followed by a run of the traditional programs. You can check out the full list here.

1. Utah Utes

Utah entered the season as a popular selection to wind up winning the Big 12. Through three games, ESPN is on the same page as nobody has better odds (24.2%) to be the final team standing in Arlington.

To this point, the Utes have been on the positive end of three consecutive blowouts. A much tougher test rolls into town on Saturday afternoon, getting a ranked matchup against Joey McGuire‘s squad.

2. BYU Cougars

Utah’s bitter rivals sit one spot below due to a great start of their own. A bye week means one less game has been played but BYU remains undefeated heading into Week 4.

One final nonconference game takes place before Big 12 opponents start to line up on the other side. Kalani Sitake takes his team across the country to face off vs. ECU.

3. TCU Horned Frogs

Not many teams started out their 2025 season better than TCU. Destroying North Carolina in front of a national audience is exactly what the doctor ordered, giving life to the Horned Frogs.

Being near the top of the Big 12 is nothing new for Sonny Dykes. ESPN gives them a 13.6% chance of winning the conference and the odds of making the College Football Playoff sit at 16.4%.

4. Texas Tech Red Raiders

As mentioned, Texas Tech heads to Salt Lake City for the Big 12 game of the week. A first test for the Red Raiders following a trio of snoozers. This is where the offseason investment is supposed to cash in.

This will be the program’s first-ever road game against Utah. Two previous matchups took place in the early 1970s, both in Lubbock.

5. Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas lost a heartbreaker to Missouri, renewing the Border War in disappointing fashion. Getting an extra week to sit on the result may only add fuel to what may be a grueling Big 12 schedule.

There is some drop-off for ESPN when it comes to Kansas and Texas Tech. The Jayhawks’ odds of capturing a first Big 12 title are over half, 6.4%.

6. Arizona State Sun Devils

Five different schools have won the Big 12 within the same time frame. To find the conference’s last back-to-back champion, it’s Oklahoma in 2019 and 2020. Arizona State is hoping to break the trend.

Taking a loss to Mississippi State no doubt hurt. But if we learned anything last year, Arizona State can go on a run within the nine-game schedule to get back to AT&T Stadium.

7. Iowa State Cyclones

The lone 4-0 team within the Big 12, Iowa State earns some well-deserved rest in Week 4. Matt Campbell gets the opportunity to watch games from home and prepare for the final eight.

ESPN actually projects Iowa State to hold a better win-loss record at the end of the season than Kansas and Arizona State. Even so, their Big 12 championship odds sit below those two in the overall rankings.

8. Arizona Wildcats

As weird as it sounds, Arizona took down Kansas State in a nonconference matchup during Week 3. Due to a previous agreement, the two decided to still play despite both being in the Big 12.

Now, the Wildcats are quietly 3-0, and one game away from matching last season’s win total. They take in a bye week before getting into the grind of the Big 12.

9. Baylor Bears

The temperature on Dave Aranda‘s chair significantly cooled down due to a winning streak late last season. Baylor’s last Big 12 loss came on Oct. 5, 2024, to Iowa State. Since then, six consecutive victories have been ripped off.

Saturday could be No. 7, going up against Arizona State. Earning a win at home might help the Bears move up a few spots in ESPN’s eyes.

10. Cincinnati Bearcats

Round out the top 10 is Cincinnati, a team still early in its Big 12 days. Scott Satterfield saw his team rebound well after the Nebraska loss, earning two wins.

Even so, they are not considered among the favorites to be competing at the top come November. ESPN gives the Bearcats a 2.1% chance of taking home the Big 12 crown.

ESPN ranks Big 12 teams: No. 11-16

11. UCF Knights
12. Houston Cougars
13. Kansas State Wildcats
14. Colorado Buffaloes
15. West Virginia Mountaineers
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys