Baylor
Sept. 4 at SMU
Sept. 12 Lamar
Sept. 19 OPEN DATE
Sept. 26 Rice
Oct. 3 Texas Tech (in Arlington)
Oct. 10 at Kansas
Oct. 17 West Virginia
Oct. 24 Iowa State
Oct. 31 OPEN DATE
Nov. 5 at Kansas State
Nov. 14 Oklahoma
Nov. 21 at Oklahoma State
Nov. 27 at TCU
Dec. 5 Texas

Non-Conference Games Lamar, at SMU, Rice

5 Keys to the Schedule
– Baylor was burned last season by not playing anyone in its non-conference schedule. This year is no different with a trip town to the road to SMU and a home game against Rice qualifying as the big games outside of the Big 12.
– There’s no excuse not to rip through the first half of the schedule with Texas Tech like a home game in Arlington leading to a Big 12 kickoff of three home games – sort of – in the first four with the one trip to Kansas.
– Not only is the showdown against TCU in Fort Worth, but it comes just six days after the road trip at Oklahoma State.
– The second half of the season is nasty. There’s a week off to get ready for it, but with three road games in four weeks going to Kansas State, Oklahoma State and TCU, and hosting Oklahoma, it’s going to be a battle.
– WATCH OUT FOR … West Virginia. It might be a revenge game, but the Mountaineers should have the firepower to keep up the pace. Coming off two games away from Waco, the Bears will be the heavy favorite, but it’s a dangerous game.

Iowa State
Sept. 5 Northern Iowa
Sept. 12 Iowa
Sept. 19 at Toledo
Sept. 26 OPEN DATE
Oct. 3 Kansas
Oct. 10 at Texas Tech
Oct. 17 TCU
Oct. 24 at Baylor
Oct. 31 Texas
Nov. 7 at Oklahoma
Nov. 14 Oklahoma State
Nov. 21 at Kansas State
Nov. 28 at West Virginia

Non-Conference Games Iowa, Northern Iowa, at Toledo

5 Keys to the Schedule
– The Northern Iowa is never easy for the in-state big boys, and followed up by the rivalry date against Iowa, it’s going to be an emotional start to the season.
– The finishing kick is a bear, going on the road for three of the last four games in November. Considering the Oklahoma State game is at home, it’s going to take a big upset to get a win after Halloween.
– TCU, at Baylor, Texas and at Oklahoma. It’s not going to be an easy mid-season stretch before dealing with the final few weeks, either.
– The Cyclones have to play five Big 12 road games and are on the road for six of the last ten games.
– WATCH OUT FOR … the road trip at Toledo. Unless the Cyclones can beat Iowa, it could be a make-or-break moment going to Toledo to face one of the MAC’s best teams. They can’t be looking ahead to the week off and the Big 12 slate.

Kansas
Sept. 5 South Dakota State
Sept. 12 Memphis
Sept. 19 OPEN DATE
Sept. 26 at Rutgers
Oct. 3 at Iowa State
Oct. 10 Baylor
Oct. 17 Texas Tech
Oct. 24 at Oklahoma State
Oct. 31 Oklahoma
Nov. 7 at Texas
Nov. 14 at TCU
Nov. 21 West Virginia
Nov. 28 Kansas State

Non-Conference Games Memphis, at Rutgers, South Dakota State

5 Keys to the Schedule
– Considering South Dakota State is no FCS pushover, where’s the sure-thing win going to come from? The Jayhawks should be stronger, but Memphis is going to be good and going to Rutgers will be a tough non-conference game.
– The run of three road games in four weeks comes in the middle of the season with Oklahoma the home game. Going to Oklahoma State, Texas and TCU isn’t going to be fun.
– Closing out with West Virginia and Kansas State at home might help. If the Jayhawks get better as the season goes on, they might be able to come up with an upset.
– KU has to take advantage of the mid-year run of three home games in four weeks. Beating Baylor, Texas Tech or Oklahoma won’t be easy, but this is what counts as the easy stretch.
– WATCH OUT FOR … Memphis. Kansas has to beat the FCS team, even one as solid as South Dakota State, and it needs the Memphis win at home or else there might not be any prayer of a good season.

Kansas State
Sept. 5 South Dakota
Sept. 12 at UTSA
Sept. 19 Louisiana Tech
Sept. 26 OPEN DATE
Oct. 3 at Oklahoma State
Oct. 10 TCU
Oct. 17 Oklahoma
Oct. 24 at Texas
Oct. 31 OPEN DATE
Nov. 5 Baylor
Nov. 14 at Texas Tech
Nov. 21 Iowa State
Nov. 28 at Kansas
Dec. 5 West Virginia

Non-Conference Games Louisiana Tech, South Dakota, at UTSA

5 Keys to the Schedule
– There’s no excuse for Kansas State to not have an amazing season. The road games are at UTSA, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech and Kansas. That’s not that bad.
– Louisiana Tech will be good enough to win the American Athletic, but with the game at home, Kansas State should go 3-0 to start the season without a problem. The tune-up time will be great before getting a week off.
– Kansas State catches the Big 12 break by only playing four road games in conference and gets Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma in Manhattan.
– The week off before Baylor should be a big plus. Getting the Halloween off-week is perfect before the finishing kick.
– WATCH OUT FOR … the road trip to UTSA. The Roadrunners aren’t going to be all that great, and they need a lot of work, but they gave Arizona a nightmare of a time last year and could catch the Wildcats napping.

Oklahoma
Sept. 5 Akron
Sept. 12 at Tennessee
Sept. 19 Tulsa
Sept. 26 OPEN DATE
Oct. 3 West Virginia
Oct. 10 Texas (in Dallas)
Oct. 17 at Kansas State
Oct. 24 Texas Tech
Oct. 31 at Kansas
Nov. 7 Iowa State
Nov. 14 at Baylor
Nov. 21 TCU
Nov. 28 at Oklahoma State

Non-Conference Games Akron, at Tennessee, Tulsa

5 Keys to the Schedule
– In a league that doesn’t extend itself in non-conference play, going to Tennessee qualifies as a huge road game for the Sooners. That might be a make-or-break moment for the league’s reputation early on.
– It’s an interesting schedule in terms of timing. There aren’t two true home games in a row after the week off in late September. Counting the neutral site game against Texas, the Sooners won’t ever be comfortable at home.
– It’s all about the last few weeks. Going to Kansas State in the middle of the year won’t be easy, but closing out at Baylor, against TCU and at Oklahoma State will be a fight.
– OU has to rock in the middle of the season with West Virginia, the Texas game, Texas Tech, at Kansas and Iowa State wrapped around the date at Kansas State. This is where the team has to gel.
– WATCH OUT FOR … Texas Tech. This might be a brain-slip game if the Sooners aren’t focused coming off the road game at Kansas State.

Oklahoma State
Sept. 3 at Central Michigan
Sept. 12 Central Arkansas
Sept. 19 UTSA
Sept. 26 at Texas
Oct. 3 Kansas State
Oct. 10 at West Virginia
Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
Oct. 24 Kansas
Oct. 31 at Texas Tech
Nov. 7 TCU
Nov. 14 at Iowa State
Nov. 21 Baylor
Nov. 28 Oklahoma

Non-Conference Games Central Arkansas, at Central Michigan, UTSA

5 Keys to the Schedule
– Going to Central Michigan isn’t going to be easy. The Chippewas are going to be dangerous in what should be a strange non-conference date to start the season. Central Arkansas and UTSA should be layups.
– The Cowboys get five Big 12 home games and four on the road. The road games are spread out really, really well.
– November should work out fine with three home games in the final four. Getting TCU and Baylor at home is a massive plus, and while the home field doesn’t really matter in the rivalry game against Oklahoma, it’s still a plus.
– The four Big 12 road games are at Texas, West Virginia, Texas Tech and Iowa State. That’s not bad.
– WATCH OUT FOR … Texas Tech. It’s on the road just before the showdown against TCU and coming off the likely bombing of Kansas. The Cowboys have to be ready for a shootout.

Texas
Sept. 5 at Notre Dame
Sept. 12 Rice
Sept. 19 California
Sept. 26 Oklahoma State
Oct. 3 at TCU
Oct. 10 Oklahoma (in Dallas)
Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
Oct. 24 Kansas State
Oct. 31 at Iowa State
Nov. 7 Kansas
Nov. 14 at West Virginia
Nov. 21 OPEN DATE
Nov. 26 Texas Tech
Dec. 5 at Baylor

Non-Conference Games California, at Notre Dame, Rice

5 Keys to the Schedule
– The Longhorns will have a shot at a big statement right away with a road game at Notre Dame and with Cal coming to Austin. Rice will be just good enough to be dangerous, too.
– Considering the Oklahoma game is in Dallas, obviously as always, Texas doesn’t have to leave the state from September 12th until Halloween.
– Going to TCU and Baylor might be too tough to overcome. Throw in the road game against Notre Dame and the neutral site date with Oklahoma, and Texas isn’t taking it easy.
– The Longhorns have to take advantage of the off-week to beat Kansas State on October 24th. With at Iowa State and Kansas to follow, there’s a chance to beef up the record a bit with a win over the Wildcats.
– WATCH OUT FOR … the road trip to Iowa State on Halloween. Cyclone fans are still mad over the bad call that turned out to cost Iowa State in the loss to Texas two years ago. Can weird things happen in Ames? Texas has to be ready.

TCU
Sept. 3 at Minnesota
Sept. 12 Stephen F. Austin
Sept. 19 SMU
Sept. 26 at Texas Tech
Oct. 3 Texas
Oct. 10 at Kansas State
Oct. 17 at Iowa State
Oct. 24 OPEN DATE
Oct. 29 West Virginia
Nov. 7 at Oklahoma State
Nov. 14 Kansas
Nov. 21 at Oklahoma
Nov. 27 Baylor

Non-Conference Games at Minnesota, SMU, Stephen F. Austin

5 Keys to the Schedule
– Going to Minnesota to start the season should be just enough of a good non-conference game to give the Horned Frogs a little bit of national credit. Blowing away Stephen F. Austin and SMU won’t help the playoff cause.
– If you’re going to have a run of three road games in four weeks, having to play at Texas Tech and Iowa State isn’t bad – but the Kansas State game will be tough. TCU has to take advantage of the home game against Texas.
– Even if TCU is as good as hoped for, going to Oklahoma and facing Baylor in six days is brutal at the end of the year.
– If the Horned Frogs can beat Oklahoma State on the road, there’s a chance to go on a nice run with at Iowa State, West Virginia and Kansas as part of a mid-season stretch.
– WATCH OUT FOR … at Iowa State. Coming off the road trip to Kansas State, will it be letdown time with a week off to follow? The Cyclones won’t be that good, but the Horned Frogs have to hit the two-foot putt.

Texas Tech
Sept. 5 Sam Houston State
Sept. 12 UTEP
Sept. 19 at Arkansas
Sept. 26 TCU
Oct. 3 Baylor (in Arlington)
Oct. 10 Iowa State
Oct. 17 at Kansas
Oct. 24 at Oklahoma
Oct. 31 Oklahoma State
Nov. 7 at West Virginia
Nov. 14 Kansas State
Nov. 21 OPEN DATE
Nov. 26 at Texas

Non-Conference Games at Arkansas, Sam Houston State, UTEP

5 Keys to the Schedule
– The Red Raiders need to have fun with Sam Houston State and UTEP to start the season because it gets really rough really fast. Everything needs to be tuned up over the first two weeks because …
– At Arkansas, TCU, Baylor in Arlington. Kliff Kingsbury’s club will know where it stands early on. Split those two huge games against the Big 12 favorites, and all of a sudden the narrative of the Texas Tech season changes.
– The mid-season run of three road games in four weeks will be a fight going to Kansas, Oklahoma and West Virginia. If the offense clicks, the Red Raiders will be the team no one wants to play.
– It’s a long season before finally getting a week off before the final game of the regular season. Getting time to prepare for the Thanksgiving game against Texas in Austin will help.
– WATCH OUT FOR … the road trip to Kansas. The Jayhawks don’t have many winnable opportunities, and they’ll see Texas Tech as a possible shot. The Red Raiders go to Oklahoma the week after going to Lawrence – the focus has to be there.

West Virginia
Sept. 5 Georgia Southern
Sept. 12 Liberty
Sept. 19 OPEN DATE
Sept. 26 Maryland
Oct. 3 at Oklahoma
Oct. 10 Oklahoma State
Oct. 17 at Baylor
Oct. 24 OPEN DATE
Oct. 29 at TCU
Nov. 7 Texas Tech
Nov. 14 Texas
Nov. 21 at Kansas
Nov. 28 Iowa State
Dec. 5 at Kansas State

Non-Conference Games Georgia Southern, Liberty, Maryland

5 Keys to the Schedule
– The Mountaineers have a very, very dangerous game to open things up having to deal with the nightmare of a Georgia Southern running game. This isn’t the team you want to start with – it’s not a normal home opener layup.
– The real tune-up is against Liberty, and the Mountaineers will need it, getting a week off to follow with Maryland up next – could it be a shootout like it was last year? – and then it’s Game On in Big 12 play.
– WVU gets the big boys right away starting out at Oklahoma, following it up with an improved Oklahoma State, and then road trips to Baylor and TCU.
– At least there’s a week off between dealing with the Bears and Horned Frogs. Making matters worse considering the road games at OU, Baylor and TCU is a date at Kansas State to close out the regular season.
– WATCH OUT FOR … November. A problem for West Virginia the last two seasons, it should be easier this time around with Texas Tech, Kansas and Iowa State on the slate along with a date against Texas. It might be tempting to think things are about to ease up, but the team might need to be hot.