Oklahoma State Stands Out When Ranking the Big 12’s Best Non-Conference Games

The first year of the 12-team playoff proved the Big 12 has major work to do regarding its image. Only conference champion Arizona State earned a spot in the bracket, and it still received one of the final seeds.

That didn’t stop Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark from throwing the gauntlet down at Big 12 Media Days.

“I fully expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year and to show once again that we can compete,” Yormark said.

A good showing in non-conference games is the best way to prove that multiple Big 12 teams belong in the postseason. Oklahoma State is not expected to be one of the conference’s teams pushing for a playoff bid, but no one in 2024 thought Arizona State, the then-preseason last pick in the conference, would be there either.

The games start to get considerably less interesting somewhere around 11 or 12. For context, I have Oklahoma State’s home game against Tulsa ranked 21st, giving the Cowboys one of the more compelling non-conference schedules in the Big 12. Oklahoma State’s schedule is definitely way more fun than Arizona’s as you’ll see at the end.

Below are the top 12 Big 12 non-conference games for the 2025 season. Like it or not, college football rankings are something of a beauty pageant so quality of opponent, expected competitiveness in the game and the ability to draw a television audience were all factors considered for this list. Non-conference matchups, including two Big 12 teams, were not considered.

1. Baylor at SMU on Sept. 6
2. TCU vs SMU on Sept. 20

The Mustangs were a surprise playoff team in 2024. Their games will draw a lot more attention this season. The Big 12 will get two cracks at SMU to prove it can hang with some of the ACC’s best. Baylor’s game comes first, so the Bears get the nod on this list.

3. TCU at North Carolina on Sept. 1
Bill Belichick’s first game on Labor Day could be one of the sports’ most-watched games this season.

4. Baylor vs Auburn on Aug. 29
I don’t think Auburn will light the world on fire this season, but the Tigers are arguably the second-best brand the Big 12 faces this season. An early-season win could give the Bears a huge perception boost even if Auburn collapses in SEC play, plus this is one of two good games on the first Friday night of the college season.

5. Kansas at Missouri on Sept. 6
It’s possible I have this ranked too low since I didn’t grow up in this part of the country.  This will be the first game in the rivalry since 2011. So it’s sure to be a meaningful one. Missouri holds a 57-54-9 lead in the all-time series, and the winner of this one should get a nice perception bump.

6. Colorado vs Georgia Tech on Aug. 29
Both teams could probably contend in their respective conferences, but a Colorado team replacing most of its top-end talent versus Georgia Tech just doesn’t scream big game.

7. Cincinnati vs Nebraska (neutral) on Aug. 28
This is the prime time ESPN game on the first Thursday of the season. Yeah, there is a week 0 featuring Iowa State vs Kansas State, but this might as well be the official kickoff for the season.

8. Oklahoma State at Oregon on Sept. 6
If Oklahoma State had fewer question marks and a better 2024 season, this would be the top option on the list.

But Oregon isn’t just a Big Ten favorite. The Ducks are widely thought of as one of the sports’ best teams.

As it stands now, this feels like a game where the Cowboys, and by extension the Big 12, can play with house money. Losing to Oregon shouldn’t derail the season, and if OSU can keep it close or even beat the Ducks, then the Cowboys return to Stillwater as one of the hottest teams in the nation.

9. Iowa State vs Iowa on Sept. 6
One of those games that finds a way on TV screens every year for good reason. Eight of the last 13 games in the rivalry have been decided by less than seven points. Both teams will probably be in the top half of their conferences, to say the least.

10. West Virginia vs Pittsburgh on Sept. 13
The former college football rivalry came back in 2022 and has delivered three games decided by 11, seven and four points. The home team won all three. West Virginia is widely considered one of the conference’s worst teams now. If that team can deliver in non-conference play, then the Big 12 is in good shape.

11. Arizona State at Mississippi State on Sept. 6
It’s just wild to type a sentence that has the Big 12 champ leaving Arizona to go into the heart of SEC Country for a non-conference road game. Oh, college football, how you’ve changed.

12. UCF vs North Carolina on Sept. 20
The Big 12 and the ACC are currently competing to be the definitive third-best college football conference. This isn’t too far from the matchup you might expect to get if the conferences just held a formal scheduling agreement to decide that.

Six teams didn’t make it into the top 12 at all. Here are where their best games ranked, without commentary.

13. Utah at UCLA on Aug. 30
14. Houston at Oregon State on Sept. 26 (Friday)
15. Kansas State vs Army on Sept. 6
16. BYU vs Stanford on Sept. 6

18. Texas Tech vs Oregon State on Sept. 13

22. Arizona vs Hawaii on Aug. 30