The Big 12 will move its championship game from a Saturday morning perch to Friday primetime in a move the league office said “enhances national exposure,” the conference announced Wednesday as part of its 2026 schedule unveiling.
The change will mark the first time the Big 12 shifts its title game off Saturday. It’s also the first time the Big 12 championship will air in primetime since 2010, when former member Oklahoma outlasted former member Nebraska. The title game will remain at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The league will roll out date tweaks — such as Friday and Thursday night shifts — over the coming weeks. Network choices and early-season kickoff times will come in the spring.
Here are five other things to know about this year’s 2026 Big 12 schedule.
Big 12 Conference Announces 2026 Football Schedulehttps://t.co/688qjoNDxA
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) January 21, 2026
Rivalries everywhere
The Big 12 has four protected rivalries, and three of the four games appear on different weekends. TCU at Baylor and Kansas at Kansas State compete on Oct. 17, while BYU at Utah takes place on Nov. 7. Arizona State at Arizona closes out the season on its traditional Thanksgiving weekend date.
“Our strategy around rivalry games is really this: There are some games that have been played forever and other than really Arizona-Arizona State have occurred in multiple parts of the season,” Scott Draper, the Big 12’s chief football and operations officer, said on ESPNU. “The tradition of playing Thanksgiving weekend is not something that a lot of the games that we call rivalries has occurred over a period of years.
“Certainly, they’re important to the participating schools and their fan bases, but it’s important that we showcase those games in the best windows and the best opportunities for the most people around the country to see it.”
Happy returns and goodbyes
Baylor and Texas Tech will resume their rivalry on Nov. 21 in Waco, Texas, after not playing in 2025. The teams had competed annually from 1955 through 2024, which spanned their memberships in the Southwest and Big 12 conferences. Texas Tech concludes its season on Nov. 28 at home against TCU after not playing last year for the first time since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012.
Conversely, Kansas and Iowa State are not scheduled to play for the first time since 1931 after rotating off one another’s schedules. The surging Iowa State-Kansas State “Farmageddon” rivalry concludes the season on Nov. 28 in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones and Wildcats have played annually since 1917, but are scheduled to rotate off one another’s schedules in 2027.
Nonconference tests
Most Big 12 teams will test themselves with major non-conference opponents early in the season, which kicks off with TCU meeting Bill Belichick’s North Carolina squad on Aug. 29 in Dublin. Baylor travels to Atlanta to face Auburn on Sept. 5, while West Virginia plays Virginia on Sept. 19 in Charlotte, N.C.
Rivalries renew on Sept. 12 when Iowa State visits Iowa and Kansas plays host to Missouri for their first meeting in Lawrence, Kan., since 2005. Colorado travels to two Power 4 opponents — Georgia Tech on Sept. 5 and Northwestern on Sept. 19. Oklahoma State and Arizona State face CFP participants Oregon (Stillwater, Okla.) and Texas A&M (College Station, Texas) on Sept. 12, the same day Utah greets Arkansas.
In perhaps the Big 12’s most prominent nonconference game, Notre Dame travels to BYU on Oct. 17.
Texas Tech’s title defense
The Red Raiders play host to Arizona State on Oct. 17 in a game that should impact the Big 12 championship race. Last year, the Sun Devils handed Texas Tech its only regular-season loss in Tempe, Ariz. This year, the teams meet in Lubbock, Texas.
Texas Tech also hosts prime Big 12 challengers Houston (Sept. 19) and Arizona on Halloween.
In perhaps the league’s most interesting road trip, the Red Raiders will travel to Cincinnati on Oct. 24. Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns last season for the Bearcats.
Big early tests
The league schedule debuts on Sept. 12 with Arizona visiting BYU in a rematch of one of the league’s best games. Ultimately, BYU’s 33-27 double-overtime win decided the second participant in the Big 12 championship game. Both return high-level quarterbacks in BYU sophomore Bear Bachmeier and Arizona’s Noah Fifita, which could make this matchup equally as impactful.
On Sept. 19, Arizona State and Kansas move their regular-season contest to London, which is part of the league’s international strategy.
