Big 12 braces for another volatile 2026 season as CBS Sports looks at “overrated,” “underrated” and the title repeat question

CBS Sports’ 2026 Big 12 season preview leans into what has defined the conference recently: a short list of familiar contenders, followed by wide gaps in who is ready to close. The outlet’s frame is simple and pointed, the Big 12 has not produced a repeat champion in five years, and since the league’s conference championship returned in 2017, only four current members have shown up for multiple title games.

That backdrop matters because it changes how fans interpret “good” teams in August. In the Big 12, the difference between a contender and a also-ran has often looked smaller than in conferences where the same programs dominate year after year. The question in 2026, according to the preview’s setup, is whether anyone can turn a strong season into a repeat performance, something the league has not seen in half a decade.

Texas Tech stands at the center of the story line CBS highlights. The preview explicitly asks whether the Red Raiders can become the first team to repeat as champion in six years, using that as a litmus test for whether the program can be more than a one-year peak. The significance is not only the banner itself, but the implied roster and coaching stability required to sustain excellence long enough to survive a full league schedule.

CBS also approaches the 2026 market with an expert-picking mindset, breaking the conference down into teams it views as “most overrated” and “most underrated,” and then projecting an order of finish. Even without locking in specific outcomes, that style of preview is telling, because it suggests the editors believe the public view of the league can lag behind what they see in team-to-team matchups, coaching continuity, and internal development.

What has made the Big 12 feel unusually unpredictable is the championship-game pattern CBS points to. Since 2017, only a subset of current members have repeatedly made it to the title game, which suggests that the conference does not reward merely having talent. It rewards the ability to manage variability, especially across a schedule that can swing on early-season form and mid-season separation.

For bettors and planners, preseason chatter can become a distraction in a league like this. The more productive takeaway from a “bold predictions” preview is to watch for which programs turn preseason expectations into consistent week-to-week execution. The teams CBS flags as undervalued are often the ones that force a re-evaluation of the conference pecking order, while the “overrated” labels tend to highlight where depth, play-calling, or game management might be tested once the season tightens.

The 2026 Big 12 season will likely be measured by who positions itself for the title game and who makes late-season gains, not by who has the most impressive August narrative. If Texas Tech is even partially capable of repeating as a champion, it would represent more than a single milestone. It would be the rare shift from volatility toward sustained dominance, and that is exactly why CBS’s question is resonating.

],

keyFacts