The Big 12 conference released the 2026 football schedule this week. Even the bye weeks seem as expected. However, there are a few aspects to the Big 12 slate of games that are somewhat new if not surprising.
The schedule reveals several neutral site games as well as international games.Not new this year but remain somewhat uncommon in college football. In addition, some games put Big 12 against playoff contenders in other Power 4 conferences.
Every year in the playoff era, several teams feel slighted by not making the playoff field. Some have vowed to never schedule anyone challenging and some have opted to aggressively schedule more competitive teams.
Week Zero
The Big 12 only has one week zero game scheduled and it checks two of the previously mentioned criteria. Bill Belichick and North Carolina will play TCU and Sonny Dykes. The ACC vs Big 12 matchup from Dublin, Ireland is scheduled for August 29th and will be played at Aviva Stadium as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
Week One
The first widespread week of games includes two important games for two programs who desperately need early wins. In week one, both games will be played in the same city. However, only one will be a neutral site game.
Baylor, who finished the 2025 season with a 5-7 record, will travel to Atlanta to play Auburn. The Tigers are also coming off a down season. Yet their expectations are still very high. Baylor and new transfer quarterback DJ Lagway could have an opportunity against an Auburn team under new coaching leadership.
The second Atlanta game is not a neutral site game, but is another case of a team coming off a bad year needing a quality win early. Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes will travel to Atlanta in week one to take on Georgia Tech at home. The is the second of a home-and-home for the Buffaloes and Yellow Jackets.
This will be a big test for Sanders’ revamped Buffaloes. Brent Key has also retooled Georgia Tech bringing in Michigan running back Justice Haynes, Alabama edge rusher Noah Carter, and very recently Alberto Mendoza, brother to Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza at Indiana.
Week Two
UCF travels to Pittsburgh and should be a tone setter one way or another. Pitt is coming off a season where they were still in the ACC hunt into the final third of the season.
Kansas at Missouri is not a neutral site nor an international game but does create great storylines and intrigue. A rivalry game that puts the neighboring programs against each other. Missouri coming off a season where they were a playoff contender much of the year and a Kansas team that failed to become bowl eligible.
A new regime takes on a national title contender. Oklahoma State will look to get the Eric Morris era off to a good start. However, Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks will be a significant challenge.
The final week two matchup is not terribly atypical other than these two teams have never faced each other before. A Big 12 vs SEC matchup of good programs during new starts. The Arkansas Razorbacks will travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Utes. For Utah, Morgan Scalley takes over for longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham, who is now coaching Michigan. While Ryan Silverfield leads Arkansas after coming over from Memphis.
Week Three
The first of which is West Virginia playing Virginia, not near Morgantown or Charlottesville. The sibling states will battle for a week three win in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is the first of two dates where these two teams will play each other in the Queen’s City. The second matchup comes in the 2032 season.
The second neutral site game of week three will put the 2024 Big 12 champions Arizona State against the Kansas Jayhawks in the only in-conference matchup on this list. The ASU vs Kansas game makes this list due to geographic location. The Sun Devils and Jayhawks will square off at the famous Wembley Stadium in London England.
Week Seven
Week seven is when the competition level ramps up and could have playoff implications, especially if these two Big 12 teams hope to make playoff noise. In a move that made headlines before the playoff concluded, BYU will travel to South Bend to take on Notre Dame. These two parochial stalwarts will face off for the eighth time in their respective histories.
The second game of the week seven slate to make this list is the Arizona State Sun Devils traveling to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies. Texas A&M finished 2025 with the No. 8 ranking in the country while ASU is coming off an admittedly inconsistent season. This matchup is also the first of a home-at-home scheduled with the Aggies. The second of which will be 2027 in Tempe.
Some of these matchups are intriguing or uncommon. However, in the case of games like Baylor vs Auburn, Oklahoma State vs Oregon, Arizona State vs Texas A&M and BYU vs Notre Dame introduce a not so new idea. Excluding the in-conference schedule, college football seems to be moving toward and eventuality where Power 4 teams will more consistently play other Power 4 teams. Most likely in an effort to better position themselves to make a playoff field.
