There has been drama this week in the Big 12. The most prominent quarterback in the league may be transferring, the most coveted coach could be leaving, and the commissioner made a statement that left us all scratching our heads. 

Here are the five biggest storylines of the week.

Brett Yormark Needs to Fight Back

The path to a two-bid Big 12 keeps shrinking. 

The league landed five teams in Tuesday’s playoff rankings, with #23 Houston and #25 Arizona State joining the field. The real issue is that #11 BYU and #12 Utah are boxed in on both sides of the top ten heading into penultimate week of the regular season. Cracking that top ten is necessary for an at-large bid.

It’s a longshot that #8 Oklahoma, #9 Notre Dame, or #10 Alabama lose enough the rest of the way to clear that path. The Fighting Irish will be huge favorites over Syracuse and Stanford. Alabama would have to lose to a fledgling Auburn team with an interim head coach. Oklahoma does have Missouri and LSU, but both games are in Norman and the Tigers will likely still be playing with a third-string quarterback. 

Meanwhile, Miami, Vanderbilt, and USC are all real threats to jump the Cougars and Utes.

If USC beats Oregon on Saturday, there’s a chance both the Trojans and Ducks wind up ahead of the Big 12 pair. A Vanderbilt win at Tennessee next week could be enough to slingshot the Commodores into the field. Miami has already jumped five spots in two weeks after ho-hum wins over NC State and Syracuse. What happens if the Hurricanes win at Pitt and Virginia Tech?

Utah only has K-State and Kansas left on its schedule. Those wins won’t move the needle much, no matter how many style points the Utes pile up. A win at Cincinnati for BYU would be solid, but the Bearcats are no longer a ranked win after falling out of the Top 25 this week.

You can see how difficult the needle will be to thread for a Big 12 at-large bid.

That’s what made this statement from Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark on Tuesday night after the rankings were released so puzzling.

It’s nice to have three teams in the top 12, but you have to see the forest through the trees. The Big 12 is going to be a one-bid league barring some major chaos, and there is an easy case to be made that the Big 12 should be set up more favorably.

If we’re talking about resumes instead of the eye-test or efficiency metrics, BYU has a real argument to be ranked above Notre Dame and Oregon. 

The Cougars have a better record and strength of record than Oregon. BYU’s best win is #12 Utah. Oregon’s best win is unranked Iowa. 

BYU also beats Notre Dame in strength of schedule and strength of record and has one fewer loss. The Fighting Irish’s best win over #13 Miami is essentially the same as BYU’s over #12 Utah. 

The Big 12 should be screaming this from every mountain top possible. All of the league’s social channels and media entities should be making the Cougars’ case every single day. Ask yourself, “What would Greg Sankey do (WWGSD)?” 

The SEC commissioner is the best in the business at rallying his coaches, media members, and TV partners to push the unified message that more SEC teams need to be the field. 

Lane Kiffin tweets? Of course. Insane Paul Finebaum takes? You betcha. Influential Mississippi State hosts unironically taking shots at the ACC and Group of Six? Just another day at the office. 

It’s time for the Big 12 to organize and fight back as much as it possibly can. That starts with Yormark. Use the Barstool platform to fight for your league. Dave Portnoy is already trying to do that for you. 

Get Yormark on the Tuesday night rankings show. Let him make his case to Rece Davis on College GameDay.

Big 12 coaches like Joey McGuire and Kenny Dillingham aren’t afraid to speak their minds. Get them to sound off at the podium about what’s happening to the Cougars.

Unleash an army of influencers on YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and everywhere else. Admittedly, it would help if the Big 12 could build a dynamic digital show that had some real reach and impact. Imagine the league throwing some money into creating a Josh Pate-esque show focused just on the Big 12 (my DMs are open, guys).

Would an organized push ultimately work? I’m honestly not sure. But I can guarantee you that sitting back and praising the committee for trapping BYU and Utah isn’t going to work. 

Maybe there’s some sort of 4D chess going on here. Maybe Yormark feels like pushing back too hard right now lessens the chances of the SEC agreeing to a 24-team playoff with four autobids for each of the Power Four conferences, an idea that the Big Ten has proposed.  

If that’s not in play, then it’s past time to get to work. 

Can Arizona State Fight Through Distractions?

#25 Arizona State (7-3, 5-2) at Colorado (3-7, 1-6) – 7:00 ESPN2
Line: ASU -7.5

So many things about the structure of college football are broken, not the least of which is the coaching carousel and transfer portal consuming the last month (or more) of the regular season.  

Unfortunately, Arizona State is dealing with both of those issues right now. It’s the cost of success these days. 

On3’s Pete Nakos, one of the most reliable newsbreakers in the sport, reported earlier this week that it’s “doubtful” injured Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt will return to ASU next season and his camp is actively shopping him “at a high level.” 

This was immediately disputed by Leavitt’s brother, who also represents him. But even the follow-up says “he’s still deciding what to do.” That tells you that there is a legitimate chance he leaves the Sun Devils. 

It would be hugely disappointing to see him leave, and even non-Big 12 fans agree on that. 

Leavitt has already proven that he can make the playoff at Arizona State. He was one play away from making the College Football Playoff semifinals at ASU and is playing for one of the most player-friendly coaches in the country, Kenny Dillingham.

Assuming that the money is right, which Dillingham certainly suggested it would be in his post-game press conference last week, what more could the Sun Devils possibly do to keep a star player?

It would be bad news for everybody in the Big 12 besides Texas Tech (more on them in a moment) if Leavitt bails on Tempe. It feels like almost nobody would be safe if he were willing to leave a coach like Dillingham after everything they’ve already accomplished together.

Speculation immediately centered on three schools as potential landing spots for Leavitt: Texas Tech, Miami, and LSU.

Tech is already floating very high numbers behind the scenes to potential 2026 QB1 portal targets, so it makes sense they would have interest in Leavitt.  

The Athletic reports that Tech and Miami are potential landing spots, according to their source within the Arizona State program. 

The LSU speculation stems from Dillingham suddenly becoming the betting favorite to be the next head coach of the Tigers this week. There hasn’t been any concrete reporting connected to that, but it was interesting. 

As you can imagine, this has been quite a distraction for Dillingham and the Sun Devils while they prepare for Saturday’s game at Colorado.

Here’s what Dillingham had to say when asked about Leavitt’s situation.

That’s the saddest part of all of this. ASU is still alive for a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth, but because of the current landscape of the sport, with coaches getting fired earlier and the pressures of the portal, the team and fans can’t fully enjoy it.

I’m sure that’s part of the reason why the Sun Devils are only 7.5-point favorites against one of the worst teams in the Big 12.  

One Last Road Test For BYU

#11 BYU (9-1, 6-1) at Cincinnati (7-3, 5-2) – 7:00 ESPN2
Line: BYU -2.5

No disrespect to UCF, who BYU plays in Provo next week, but Saturday’s game at Cincinnati feels like the last real hurdle for the Cougars to clear before getting a rematch with Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship game. 

BYU bounced back from the loss in Lubbock emphatically last week by thumping TCU 44-13. It was a complete performance in all three phases, though QB Bear Bachmeier was the headliner. 

Aside from the Tech game, Bachmeier continues to get better and better every week. The performance against the Horned Frogs was his third Big 12 game with at least 350 total yards and two touchdowns. 

Along with Arizona QB Noah Fifita, Bachmeier’s main competition for 1st team All-Big 12 honors is Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby. The Bearcats' back-to-back losses have coincided with Sorsby’s worst two games since the season opener against Nebraska. 

But Cincy isn’t dead yet. The Bearcats can keep their Big 12 title hopes alive by beating the Cougars. Handing BYU a second conference loss would open up a world of Big 12 championship game possibilities and put the final nail in the coffin of any BYU at-large playoff hopes.

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake isn’t thinking about style points. Keep winning and everything will take care of itself. But if you are a Cougar fan concerned about having a shot at an at-large berth if you lose in the Big 12 championship game, style points on Saturday certainly wouldn’t hurt. 

All eyes in the Big 12 are on this one. For the third time this season, one of the two major pregame shows will be at a BYU game as Big Noon Saturday comes to Cincinnati. 

Utah Needs More Style Points

K-State (5-5, 4-3) at #12 Utah (8-2, 5-2) – 3:00 ESPN2
Line: -17.5

I’m not much of a betting man, but I pay enough attention to betting lines in college football to know that this one looks crazy. 

K-State is extremely shorthanded right now. Already down its most explosive playmaker in RB Dylan Edwards, the Wildcats lost star WR Jayce Brown for the rest of the season with an injury suffered last week in Stillwater. There isn’t much quality depth at running back or receiver, so it’s hard to see how K-State will generate any explosiveness against a stout Utes defense. 

The Wildcats generated only 14 points at Oklahoma State last week, which was the only time all season the Cowboys held a Power Four opponent under 38 points. 

Defensively, K-State LB Austin Romaine and DE Tobi Osunsanmi, the two best playmakers on that side of the ball, are already out for the year. 

Every Utah win in Big 12 play has come by at least 27 points. A 55-28 victory at Baylor is the Utes smallest margin of victory in a conference game. Their overall margin of victory on the season is 36 points per game. 

Utah has everything to play for. The Utes need to win and win big to give themselves the best shot at an at-large playoff bid. A win also keeps alive hope for a trip to the Big 12 championship game if BYU happens to slip up at Cincinnati. 

K-State still has bowl eligibility to play for, but the Wildcats have a much easier game on the horizon next week at home against Colorado that can get them there.

I think you see where I’m going with this. 

I struggle to see how the Wildcats stay within 17 points of Utah in this one. 

While it is true that Chris Klieman has a 3-1 record in games as a double-digit underdog at K-State (wins over Oklahoma in ‘19, ‘20, and ‘22), Deuce Vaughn isn’t walking through that door on Saturday. 

It feels like everything is set up for the Utes to get what they need Saturday afternoon. 

How Special Can Houston and Arizona Make Their Seasons?

TCU (6-4, 3-4) at #23 Houston (8-2, 5-2) – 3:00 Fox
Line: Houston -1.5

Baylor (5-5, 3-4) at Arizona (7-3, 4-3) – 12:00 TNT
Line: Arizona -6.5

Arizona and Houston have already taken major steps forward as programs this season. Nothing that happens in the next two weeks can change that. 

However, both programs have the opportunity to turn good seasons into special seasons with a couple more wins. 

The Cougars are still alive for the Big 12 championship game if Cincinnati beats BYU. Even if that doesn’t come to fruition, wins over former Southwest Conference rivals TCU and Baylor to end the year would give Houston just its second 10-win season in the last decade. 

Houston’s four-win improvement from a 4-8 2024 season is tied with Virginia for best in the country already. Just another feather in the cap for head coach Willie Fritz. 

The Horned Frogs seem very vulnerable. They’ve stumbled toward the finish line with back-to-back losses to Iowa State and BYU. Where will Sonny Dykes’ team be mentally?

Arizona won’t be in Arlington, but the Wildcats can still hit nine wins for only the second time in 11 years if they take care of Baylor and Arizona State. 

Saturday’s matchup with Baylor is sandwiched between Arizona’s biggest win of the season at Cincy and the most anticipated Territorial Cup in years. Will this be a trap game?

Arizona’s top 30 defense will be tested by Baylor’s big-play passing attack, led by QB Sawyer Robertson and TE Michael Trigg. The Wildcats are ninth in the country in pass defense, the best an Arizona defense has ranked in that category in over three decades. 

It feels like Baylor head coach Dave Aranda’s job is very much in jeopardy after a fourth straight underwhelming season. I’m not sure he survives no matter what happens in this game.

Week Thirteen Power Rankings

1. Texas Tech (LW: 1)
2. BYU (LW: 2)
3. Utah (LW: 3)
4. Arizona State (LW: 5)
5. Arizona (LW: 7)
6. Cincinnati (LW: 4)
7. Houston (LW: 6)
8. Iowa State (LW: 9)
9. K-State (LW: 11)
10. TCU (LW: 8)
11. Baylor (LW: 10)
12. Kansas (LW: 12)
13. West Virginia (LW: 13)
14. UCF (LW: 14)
15. Colorado (LW: 15)
16. Oklahoma State (LW: 16)

• The big gaps here come between Texas Tech and BYU, Utah and Arizona State, and West Virginia and UCF. It feels like those break the league into four tiers. 

• On that note, it’s really hard to figure out how to rank teams 4 through 13 right now. Any of those teams could beat any of the others on any given day.

What You Need to Know

• Here’s what the College Football Playoff bracket would look like if the season ended today. 

• How heavy of a favorite would Texas Tech be in the first round? Here’s what FanDuel says. 

• Arizona might be the number one college hoops team in the country next week after knocking off #3 UConn this week. The Wildcats already have wins over the Huskies, defending national champion Florida, and #15 UCLA this season. 

• Here’s some good news for Oklahoma State fans on how the Cowboys football coaching search is going. 

• Is Colorado looking to move on from Deion Sanders? Here’s what the Buffaloes’ AD says. 

• For more on the Sam Leavitt situation, check out my latest YouTube live stream.

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