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My Theory on Why College GameDay Picked the Big 12 in Week 10

Originally posted on Heartland College Sports
By Pete Mundo | Last updated Oct 26, 2025 9:45 PM ET

So, one day after we shamed College GameDay on this site, on our YouTube channel and on our podcast, the premier college football pregame show announced on Sunday it would be coming to a Big 12 campus for the first time in three years (Kansas vs. TCU, October 2022).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy about this. Utah vs. Cincinnati is a quality Top 25 match up between two teams in the hunt for a Big 12 Championship appearance. However, this was also a sign that GameDay knew it had to throw the Big 12 a bone because it was not going to be coming back to the league in Week 11. That’s when the conference has arguably its biggest game of the regular season when Texas Tech hosts BYU in what could be a Top 15 match up. I say that with confidence because you and I both know there is absolutely no shot that College GameDay goes to back-to-back Big 12 games. Not a chance.

The show will likely end up at Alabama or Missouri, as the Crimson Tide are hosting LSU, who has now fired head coach Brian Kelly, giving plenty of storylines to work with, along with the return of Nick Saban. Or, No. 19 Missouri, who welcomes in No. 3 Texas A&M. The last time the show was at Mizzou was in 2010 when then-No. 11 Missouri hosted No. 1 Oklahoma. Now the show has already been to Alabama this season, so maybe that game is off the table, but I wouldn’t put another chance to fluff Alabama past ESPN. Other games possibly in the mix? No. 12 Notre Dame vs. Navy, as the Midshipmen could be ranked, by next week, depending on what happens this week, as they missed a Top 25 ranking by one place. And Iowa was the 4th team outside the Top 25 this week, they host No. 6 Oregon next week.

But no matter what, unless Brett Yormark suddenly got photos of College GameDay executive producer, it seems like an impossibility that the show would ignore this league for three years and then go to Big 12 campuses for two-straight games.

Now, with that being said, I’d love to be wrong about this. If Texas Tech beats Kansas State this weekend, the Red Raiders will be knocking on the door of the Top 10, which is where BYU is right now at No. 10. While Tech getting there in one week may be a longshot, if it happens it would be the first time since No. 7 Oklahoma State beat No. 10 Oklahoma 37-33 in Stillwater in 2021 that there was a Top 10 Big 12 match up in the regular season.

But there’s no way I am going to bank on it. So I’m glad that the Big 12 will get prominently featured on College GameDay in Week 10. It’s long overdue and the league deserves it. That being said, I’ll forever remain skeptical when it comes to their motivations. And it’s entirely possible that the game of the year in the Big 12 gets the cold shoulder. But for now, we’ll take what we can get. So, Welcome back to the Big 12, College GameDay. Hope we don’t have to wait another three years to see you again.

This article first appeared on Heartland College Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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