Who has ever wanted to play a dangerous game? Last Word will do just that by examining the favorites for the 2025 Big 12 championship. One might ask, “Why would this be so dangerous? Last year’s Big 12 champion was picked to finish dead last in the preseason poll. The talent disparity between the best and worst teams in the conference is narrow and unpredictable. But let’s see why these five teams are poised to find themselves hoisting a conference championship trophy by season’s end.
2025 Big 12 Championship Contenders
Arizona State
The defending champs have plenty of reasons to feel like a repeat campaign is in the cards for Kenny Dillingham’s Sun Devils.
- Returning Talent: The Sun Devils bring back quarterback Sam Leavitt, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, and safety Xavion Alford. These three were instrumental to Arizona State’s 2024 Big 12 Championship.
- Experienced Roster: Those three impact players aren’t the only returning players. These Sun Devils retained 25 players with starting experience from last season.
- A Fast-Rising Coach: Dillingham has quickly turned the once left-for-dead program around. His unique approach to NIL/current play movement in college football has made him a favorite for any player to call him a coach. But he’s done an excellent job of instilling a culture of aggressiveness through play calling during games.
- Offensive Firepower: The Sun Devils had to replace All-Everything running back Cam Skattebo. They found a replacement in running back Kanye Udoh from Army, as well as a trio of talented receivers, boosting their offensive depth.
- Defensive Strength – With 10 returning starters on defense, Arizona State should expect this unit to take a step forward and improve greatly from 2024.
BYU
There might not have been any team in college football that was slept on more than BYU. The Cougars had a road win over playoff participant SMU and won 11 games last year. That type of success is the first of many reasons the Cougars are a serious player in the Big 12 for the 2025 season.
- Momentum from 2024: The Cougars shocked the college football world last season with a 9-0 start, far exceeding any preseason expectations. Their strong finish with a dominating win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl has positioned them as a serious contender.
- Returning Key Pieces: BYU brings back several key players, including quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who had a breakout season in 2024. Running back Sione Moa and wide receiver Jojo Phillips are also expected to make a big impact.
- Defensive Strength: The Cougars return 10 starters on defense. This unit ranked 13th nationally in total defense and 18th in scoring defense. Expect this to be the stingiest defense in the conference.
- Coaching Stability: Head coach Kalani Sitake has built a strong program, and his leadership will be crucial in guiding BYU through another competitive Big 12 season.
Texas Tech
When it comes to pushing the chips all in on a 2025 Big 12 championship, no team made a more aggressive play than the Red Raiders. So, how can a team, whose last outright conference title came in 1955, be viewed as one of the top contenders?
- Revamped Coaching Staff: Head coach Joey McGuire is entering his fourth season. But he brings in new offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich and defensive coordinator Sheil Wood to revamp both sides of the ball
- Strong Offensive Line: The team has added key transfers, including Howard Simpson (OT, North Carolina), Hunter Zambrano (OT, Illinois State), and Will Jados (OT, Miami (OH)), which should bolster protection and run blocking. After all, Cody Campbell promised to bring a new offensive line in 2025.
- Defensive Reinforcements: Texas Tech’s transfer class grabbed plenty of headlines. No one area got a bigger upgrade than the defensive front. Additions like Romello Height (Edge, Georgia Tech), David Bailey (Edge, Stanford), and Lee Hunter (DL, UCF) give Texas Tech one of the best defensive fronts in all of college football.
- Depth Everywhere: In total, Texas Tech signed 21 new players in the transfer portal, with 13 of them considered “blue chip” players. They even welcomed back the school’s first-ever five-star signee out of high school in Micah Hudson. It is not hyperbole to state that this is one of the most talented rosters (on paper) the program has ever assembled.
Kansas State
A pillar of consistency, the Wildcats are looking to regain their form from 2022. What reasons for hope should K-State fans believe in a title run?
- Returning Talent: The Wildcats bring back quarterback Avery Johnson, who has received early Heisman hype. His development could be a game-changer for K-State’s offense, especially if he takes the next step in the passing game.
- Experienced Coaching: Head coach Chris Klieman is entering his seventh season and is one of only two head coaches in the conference who have national championship rings in his trophy case.
- Favorable Schedule: The Wildcats will face key matchups against Baylor, Texas Tech, and Arizona State. While weird tie breakers got in play last season, Kansas State has plenty of opportunities to prove itself against other contenders this season. Let’s not forget they are also going to open the season with Farmegedon in Ireland this year.
Baylor
This team was left for dead mid-way through 2024. But Baylor got clicking late and now has serious pieces in place to build on last season for a potential 2025 Big 12 championship.
- Continuing the second act from 2024: After stating the season 2-4, the Bears ended last season on a six-game winning streak, finishing 8-5.
- Returning General At Quarterback: Baylor brings back quarterback Sawyer Robertson, who is among the top Big 12 players in early Heisman Trophy odds. He had an 83.7 QBR (fifth best in FBS) while orchestrating the Bears offense to an average of 41.3 points per game during that second-half winning streak.
- Defensive Aranda Back Doing What He Does Best: Head coach Dave Aranda became the defensive playcaller last season. Aranda notably had been a career defensive coordinator before taking his first head coaching job with the Bears in 2020.
- Improved All Around And Returns High Production: Baylor improved on both sides of the ball last season, kept its coordinators, and also returns high production levels. A week one game against Auburn should be an early indicator of just how dangerous this Baylor team could be in 2025.
Main Image: Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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