Big 12 power rankings: CBS Sports reveals updated list post-Spring

CBS Sports has broken down each of the Power Four conferences following the conclusion of Spring practice last month, and ended its serious with a look at the Big 12.

As evident by wild finishes to league play each of the past two seasons, the Big 12 is as wide-open as any Power Four conference. And 2026 is expected to be no different, especially if star Texas Tech transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby remains ineligible amid an NCAA investigation into past gambling activities.

Since former Big 12 power Oklahoma won six consecutive conference titles between 2015-20, the Big 12 has had five different champions over the past five years — Baylor (2021), Kansas State (2022), Texas (2023), Arizona State (2024) and the Red Raiders in 2025.

Given that parity, CBS Sports expects the Big 12 to have a sixth different champ at the end of 2026, at least based on its latest post-Spring conference power rankings:

1. BYU Cougars

The Cougars have overtaken the defending league champions atop CBS Sports’ power rankings as one of the top offseason betting favorites to win the Big 12 in 2026, especially given Tech’s current predicament.

BYU, which ranks among the FBS leaders with the most returning production, was in the Big 12 mix all season despite breaking in true freshman QB Bear Bachmeier, who threw for 2,708 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2025. The Cougars went 12-2 last season with two lopsided losses to Texas Tech, including a 34-7 rout in the Big 12 title game.

2. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Despite questions around the eligibility of star transfer QB Brendan Sorsby, the defending Big 12 champion Red Raiders will still field one of the league’s most talented roster with On3’s No. 2 transfer portal class of 2026.

Will Hammond is coming off an ACL injury but is expected to be cleared before preseason camp and will be Tech’s QB1 if Sorsby can’t go. Given the wealth of talent, including a reloaded defense led by transfer LB Austin Romaine, CBS Sports is confident the Red Raiders will be in the conference title mix again.

3. Houston Cougars

The Cougars more than doubled its 2024 win total with 10 victories in 2025 and are primed to build off that improvement in Year 3 under head coach Willie Fritz.

Houston returns former Texas A&M QB Connor Weigman for his second season as the Cougars’ starting QB after combining for 3,400 yards and 36 total touchdowns in 2025. And with On3’s No. 7 transfer portal class, Houston has reloaded for a serious Big 12 title push in 2026.

4. Arizona Wildcats

Like Houston, the Wildcats bounced back from a difficult first season under head coach Brent Brennan in 2024 to secure nine win in 2025 after closing out the regular season on a five-game win streak.

Arizona gets another season with talented QB Noah Fifita, who threw for 3,228 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, but CBS Sports needs to see an improved ground game before elevating the Wildcats into the Top 3.

5. Utah Utes

Despite an offseason change at the top after longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham briefly retired before moving to Michigan, new head coach Morgan Scalley and the Utes remain among the league’s preseason betting favorites.

Still, CBS Sports can’t overlook widespread changes throughout the Utah roster, including a brand-new offense line after last year’s unit left for the NFL. Whittingham also poached several coaches and some elite defensive players, which means the Utes could look a lot different in 2026.

6. TCU Horned Frogs

The Horned Frogs have produced back-to-back nine-win seasons and are four years removed from an incredible run to the 2022 CFP national title game, but must replace multiple key figures off last year’s team. That includes QB Josh Hoover, who transferred to Indiana.

Still, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes has plenty of talent to work with, including multiple returning starters on both sides of the ball. Former Harvard QB Jaden Craig transferred in to replace Hoover and CBS Sports expects a breakout senior season under Dykes’ tutelage.

7. Arizona State Sun Devils

Two years removed from winning the Big 12 championship, the Sun Devils were gutted by the transfer portal. That includes losing superstar QB Sam Leavitt and RB Raleek Brown to LSU and Texas, respectively.

Fourth-year head coach Kenny Dillingham did his best to rebuild through the portal, including adding QB Cutter Boley (Kentucky) and WR Omarion Miller (Colorado) to a talented offense. And if its rebuilt defense can rise to the challenge, Arizona State could make a strong push in conference play once again.

8. Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Cowboys moved on from longtime head coach Mike Gundy midway through last season and turned the keys over to former North Texas coach Eric Morris, an offensive mastermind who brought most of the Mean Green’s top talent with him to Stillwater.

That includes elite QB Drew Mestemaker, RB Caleb Hawkins and WR Wyatt Young. Mestemaker is getting early Heisman buzz after throwing for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2025, while Hawkins could be the real gem after rushing for a FBS-best 25 touchdowns to go along with 1,434 rushing yards.

9. Kansas State Wildcats

The Wildcats brought back superstar alumnus Collin Klein to the Little Apple, where he takes over a team that returns star dual-threat QB Avery Johnson among six returning starters on offense.

The 36-year-old Klein, who spent the past two seasons running Texas A&M’s offense, is getting a lot of preseason buzz, but CBS Sports isn’t sold on Kansas State’s defense after first-year coordinator Jordan Peterson.

10. Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks have had back-to-back five-win seasons after a nine-win 2023, and CBS Sports isn’t confidence head coach Lance Leipold can turn the corner in Year 6 in Lawrence.

CBS Sports specifically cited Kansas’ unsettled quarterback situation after graduating longtime starter Jalon Daniels, as well as a horribly inconsistent defense. The return of former assistant Andy Kotelnicki after one season at Penn State should be a boost offensively.

11. Baylor Bears

Bears head coach Dave Aranda managed to save his job after regressing with just five wins in 2025, and could be facing his last chance to turn things around in Waco this season.

That said, Baylor did land dynamic former five-star Florida QB DJ Lagway as part of a talented transfer class. A return to the Lonestar State could be key for Lagway, whose father was a Bears star in the 1990s. CBS Sports expects an improved Baylor defense under new coordinator Joe Klanderman.

12. UCF Knights

Scott Frost’s return season in Orlando proved to be a one-game improvement from the season before, and if his last run is any indication, Year 2 could bring special things. Frost famously went a perfect 13-0 in 2017 as the Knights claimed a national championship that season.

And while similar experience isn’t expected, especially in the Big 12, CBS Sports pointed out UCF has 10 starters back, including half of last year’s defense, and also added former James Madison QB Alonza Barnett III to a talented offense.

13. Cincinnati Bearcats

The Bearcats were another Big 12 team gutted by the transfer portal, but given Sorsby’s NCAA troubles, CBS Sports suggests that loss could end up being a “blessing in disguise” in 2026.

Cincinnati’s Scott Satterfield has shown steady improvement each of his first three years in the Big 12, and could be poised for even more in Year 4, especially given a stout offensive line whose job will be protecting former Georgia Southern transfer QB JC French IV.

14. West Virginia Mountaineers

Year 2 under once-again Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez wasn’t much to write home about at 4-7 overall, including just two wins in Big 12 play as he continued to overhaul his WVU roster.

Of course, Rodriguez was in a similar situation his first tenure in Morgantown and won nine games in Year 2 (2002) of his original West Virginia tenure. He’s aided by the arrival of former Jacksonville State RB Cam Cook, who led the FBS with 1,659 rushing yards in 2025.

15. Colorado Buffaloes

Year 3 under Buffs head coach Deion Sanders didn’t go the way anyone in Boulder hoped as Colorado struggled to put up points in its first season without Shedeur Sanders under center.

Colorado brought in former Utah QB Isaac Wilson to challenge five-star sophomore Julian Lewis, so hopes are high for a bounce-back season in 2026. But there are still too many questions about the Buffaloes roster following another offseason overhaul.

16. Iowa State Cyclones

The Cyclones are entering Year 1 under former Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers after former coach Matt Campbell moved on to take the reins at Penn State.

Unfortunately for Rogers, Campbell gutted the Iowa State roster and left him with scraps as the only Power Four team without a single returning starter. None of that bodes well for the Cyclones in 2026.