Big 12 Championship Futures: Who Will Win the Big 12 Title?
Updated September 29, 2026
Updated September 29, 2026
The Big 12 may have lost the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners, but there is still a ton of talent in the conference. Between that talent and the constant intrigue around Deion Sanders' Colorado program, the Big 12 championship race is one of the most talked about in college football. Here, we take a look at the chances of each team to win the Big 12 title and look at the top contenders in the market.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the defending Big 12 champions, having defeated the BYU Cougars in last season's Big 12 title game. They are expected to win this conference again in 2026, according to the traders at Polymarket. But the quarterback position will be a question mark after all of the controversy surrounding ex-QB Brendan Sorsby, who is no longer with the program.
As a result, there isn't a lot of experience at the quarterback position for this Red Raiders team. They will try to make up for that with their defense and running game. That has worked so far, as the Red Raiders are unbeaten so far this year. But it remains to be seen how the Red Raiders will handle things if they are forced to air it out late in must-win games.
The Utah Utes came into this season with some uncertainty, after head coach Kyle Whittingham left for Michigan in the offseason. But the Utes have been spectacular on defense and that has helped them get into the Big 12 championship race. The Utes will face some tougher competition as the season goes on, but the early results have been overwhelmingly positive and they have a ton of momentum as they look to win this conference.
BYU is expected to be in the mix to win the Big 12 title this year after falling short in the conference championship game a season ago. Bear Bachmeier is back at quarterback for the Cougars after throwing for over 3,000 yards with the program a season ago. A leap from Bachmeier in his second year in Provo could be just what the Cougars need to get over the hump in the Big 12.
The schedule for BYU this season is incredibly favorable. Outside of a tough non-conference matchup against Notre Dame, the Cougars might not play a ranked team this year. But BYU will still need to take care of business to contend for the conference title and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
There is a pack of teams under BYU, Utah, and Texas Tech who could rise up the ranks and contend for the Big 12 championship. Kansas State could also be in the mix, as their style of football is rarely attractive, but usually effective as their defense and running game make them tough to stop on their best days.
Oklahoma State is not expected to win the league this year, they will be a fascinating watch this season. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker led all of FBS last season in passing yardage as a member of the North Texas Mean Green. At a Big 12 school, he will try to put up similar numbers to help the Cowboys turn some heads. He already has a win over Oregon under his belt, so it's possible that the Cowboys rise up the Big 12 standings this year.
From a pricing standpoint, BYU is a more attractive selection than Texas Tech at this point in time. The Red Raiders still have plenty to figure out on offense, which could hurt them in conference play. And with the price disparity between the top contenders, we'll go with the Cougars to get it done instead of the market favorite.
