New KFord Ratings Reveal: Who Has the Easiest Big 12 Schedule in 2025?

Kelley Ford’s 2025 schedule difficulty rankings are out, and they bring good news for one Big 12 program in particular: BYU. According to Ford’s model, which measures how many games the No. 12 power-rated team would win against a given schedule, the Cougars enter 2025 with the easiest path in the entire Big 12.

While no Big 12 program landed inside the Top 35 most difficult schedules nationally, BYU came in at No. 66—the third-lowest of any Power Four program in the country, ahead of only Wake Forest and Virginia.

What This Means for the Cougars

After a bumpy introduction to the Big 12 in 2023, with a bounce-back season in 2024, the Cougars may be positioned to duplicate what they did last fall. With a full offseason to retool and now a manageable slate in front of them, the Cougars could be a sleeper pick to rise in the standings—if they can stay healthy and capitalize on a favorable draw.

Behind BYU in the “easiest” rankings were Texas Tech (No. 63), Houston (No. 62), Kansas State (No. 61), and Arizona State (No. 60)—but only the Cougars ranked outside the Top 65.

Big 12 Parity Reflected in the Rankings

Not a single Big 12 team cracked the Top 35 in overall schedule difficulty, reinforcing what many analysts have said all offseason: this league is as wide open as it’s ever been. The most difficult Big 12 schedule belongs to Baylor at No. 38, followed by Oklahoma State (41), TCU (45), Colorado (49), and Cincinnati (51).

The entire conference fell between No. 38 and No. 66, a tight range that underscores the parity and internal cannibalization that often defines Big 12 football.