12 Big 12 games to watch based on quarterback matchup

The Big 12 is destined to provide some entertaining quarterback play this fall, with nine returning starters back at the position heading into the 2025 season.

Nearly every team that is expected to play a major role in the conference title chase is bringing back its starter from a year ago, and that should lend itself to some intriguing quarterback matchups.

Here are some of the best QB matchups Big 12 fans can look forward to in 2025.

This isn’t a comprehensive list of every top matchup in the league — with so many returning starters league-wide, there’s too many to highlight every one — but for one or multiple reasons, each of these matchups are likely to have a bearing on the 2025 season.

Aug. 23 — Iowa State vs. Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland

The matchup: Rocco Becht (Iowa State) vs. Avery Johnson (Kansas State)

One of the premier Big 12 rivalries — also known as Farmageddon — is headed overseas this year and it should be a good one, as both Iowa State and Kansas State are expected to be Big 12 contenders in 2025.

The Cyclones and Wildcats met in the regular-season finale last season and Iowa State needed a win to keep its hopes for a Big 12 championship bid alive. Though Becht and Johnson each completed under 50% of their pass attempts, they each accounted for three touchdowns in Iowa State’s 29-21 win, and with some help, the Cyclones earned a spot in the Big 12 title game.

Now, their Week 0 rematch could have major implications on how the conference race plays out in 2025.

Aug. 30 — Utah at UCLA

The matchup: Devon Dampier (Utah) vs. Nico Iamaleava (UCLA)

The drama surrounding Iamaleava should put the spotlight on the UCLA quarterback, allowing Dampier to escape some scrutiny as he makes his Utah debut.

Iamaleava’s departure from Tennessee in the spring was one of the most interesting offseason developments in college football, and he’ll face a formidable Utah defense when these two former Pac-12 rivals match up.

Dampier, meanwhile, will take on the mantle of being the Utes’ QB1. The dual-threat playmaker is garnering a lot of attention of his own after two electrifying years at New Mexico, and will have the chance to show his skills translate to the Power Four level.

Sept. 6 — Baylor at SMU

The matchup: Sawyer Robertson (Baylor) vs. Kevin Jennings (SMU)

One week after Baylor opens up its season against the SEC’s Auburn, the Bears will have another chance to earn a key nonconference victory when they travel to face the Mustangs.

Robertson is coming off a breakout season wherein he helped the Bears win their final six regular-season games. Robertson threw for 3,071 yards and 28 touchdowns last season while also rushing for 230 yards and four touchdowns and is in prime position to be one of the nation’s top quarterbacks this season.

Jennings, meanwhile, proved to be a spark plug to SMU’s run to the College Football Playoff last season after starting the year on the bench (just like Robertson).

Jennings is a dual-threat QB — he threw for 3,245 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2024, with 345 yards and five touchdowns on the ground — and could be a dark horse Heisman contender.

Now Robertson and Jennings will meet in an early season nonconference matchup that will be not only critical for both schools, but both the Big 12 and ACC as well.

Sept. 20 — Arizona State at Baylor

The matchup: Sam Leavitt (Arizona State) vs. Sawyer Robertson (Baylor)

From a Big 12 perspective, this is the best QB matchup of the season — it pits the No. 1 and No. 2 players from the Deseret News’ Big 12 quarterback power rankings in Leavitt and Robertson, respectively.

Leavitt burst onto the national scene by coming in as a Michigan State transfer and taking over the Sun Devils’ offense in 2024, leading Arizona State to a Big 12 title and a playoff berth.

As a redshirt freshman last season, he showed the poise and leadership to carry a team that was playing in high-profile games by season’s end. There’s also plenty of buzz that if Leavitt build off his 2024 campaign, he could be a top quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL draft.

Robertson, meanwhile, is third among returning Big 12 quarterbacks in passing yards per game (255.9) and first in touchdown passes (28). For the third time in four games to open the year, Robertson and the Bears will have an opportunity for a defining victory, and it’s coming at home.

This will be the conference opener for both schools as well, with the chance to boost their respective team’s Big 12 hopes early in the year.

Oct. 4 — Kansas State at Baylor

The matchup: Avery Johnson (Kansas State) vs. Sawyer Robertson (Baylor)

Like each of the aforementioned games, this contest will feature highly respected quarterbacks on a Big 12 contender.

Johnson and Robertson haven’t faced each other before — these teams didn’t play in 2024, and in their 2023 matchup, Johnson came in as a reserve while Robertson never played.

Robertson is more of a pocket passer than Johnson, though both quarterbacks are active in the run game as well.

This could lend itself to being a high-scoring back-and-forth matchup in the first half of the year.

Oct. 11 — Arizona State at Utah

The matchup: Sam Leavitt (Arizona State) vs. Devon Dampier (Utah)

When these two teams joined the Big 12 last year, Utah was the program expected to make an instant impact in the league, but a frustrating year at quarterback (thanks to injury and ineffective backups) were the catalyst behind a 5-7 season.

Leavitt, meanwhile, was an emerging star for the Sun Devils. That included a victory over Utah in Tempe, though Leavitt missed a good portion of that game because of an injury.

Now, Leavitt will get his first taste of what it’s like to play in rowdy Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Dampier, on the other side, gets his chance to try and knock off the defending Big 12 champions against an opponent well-known to Utah fans from their Pac-12 days.

Oct. 11 — TCU at Kansas State

The matchup: Josh Hoover (TCU) vs. Avery Johnson (Kansas State)

Could these programs both factor into the Big 12 race? We’ll have a pretty good idea with this matchup of differing quarterback talents.

Hoover is a pocket passer — he is tops among returning Big 12 quarterbacks in passing yards (3,949 yards) and was one of only two league signal callers in 2024, along with Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, to average over 300 passing yards per game.

Hoover also completed 66.5% of his passes last season, which again leads all returning quarterbacks. Hoover and the Horned Frogs were hot at the end of last season and will be looking to build upon their late-season surge from 2024.

Johnson isn’t as accurate as Hoover — he completed 58.3% of his passes in 2024 — but the dual-threat can do plenty with his legs. Johnson ran for 605 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago, and his ability to improvise will factor into whether Kansas State is a legit title contender.

Oct. 18 — Texas Tech at Arizona State

The matchup: Behren Morton (Texas Tech) vs. Sam Leavitt (Arizona State)

Morton may get a bit overlooked in a conference with so many returning starters, but he certainly is an intriguing player to watch in the league race.

The senior has thrown for more than 6,000 yards in his career — he’s spent his entire time at Texas Tech — and has proven he can sling it. His 3,335 passing yards last season is third among returning Big 12 quarterbacks, and he threw 25 touchdowns to boot.

Plus, Morton is a part of a revamped Texas Tech squad that is garnering plenty of attention as a CFP contender — in no small part because the Red Raiders brought in a star-heavy transfer class.

This matchup in Tempe could well be a preview of the Big 12 championship game.

While the Sun Devils lost their tough-minded running back in Cam Skattebo, Leavitt is surrounded by plenty of returning talent that could have Arizona State in Big 12 contention again.

Oct. 18 — Baylor at TCU

The matchup: Sawyer Robertson (Baylor) vs. Josh Hoover (TCU)

There’s a reason both of these quarterbacks show up multiple times on this list.

This game has the capacity to turn into a high-scoring, pass-heavy matchup, with Robertson and Hoover providing plenty of fireworks in Waco.

That’s what happened last year, when their rivalry matchup came down to the final play in a 37-34 Baylor victory.

Hoover threw for 333 yards and a pair of touchdowns that day, but Robertson led the Bears to a come-from-behind win with 17 fourth-quarter points, including a game-winning field goal as time expired.

What will their encore matchup produce?

Nov. 8 — Iowa State at TCU

The matchup: Rocco Becht (Iowa State) vs. Josh Hoover (TCU)

These two quarterbacks have already faced each other, back in 2023.

That day, Becht had an OK performance in a Cyclones victory, while Hoover was taking over for an injured Chandler Morris midway through the game.

It’s been Hoover’s show ever since, and he’s headed into his second full season as the Horned Frogs’ starter after beginning 2023 as the backup, though he started six games that year.

Becht, meanwhile, is a third-year starter who’s already accomplished plenty in his college career. That included leading Iowa State to its first 10-win season a year ago.

Not only is this a matchup of two teams with title hopes, it also features two of the most veteran quarterbacks, at least starting-wise, in the league.

Nov. 8 — Kansas at Arizona

The matchup: Jalon Daniels (Kansas) vs. Noah Fifita (Arizona)

This game features a pair of quarterbacks who’ve had periods of immense success in their college career but encountered struggles last season.

Can they rebound in 2025 and make this an entertaining matchup?

Daniels was one of the Big 12’s best quarterbacks in a breakout 2022 season before injuries and ineffective play plagued the past two years.

Fifita, meanwhile, was a rising star in 2023 when he was named the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. His efficiency numbers took a big dip in 2024, though, and his top target, Tetairoa McMillan, is now in the NFL.

This will be the first time these two one-time stars have faced each other in Big 12 play.

Nov. 22 — Kansas State at Utah

The matchup: Avery Johnson (Kansas State) vs. Devon Dampier (Utah)

Johnson and Dampier are the two most electric dual-threat quarterbacks in the conference, and a late-season matchup will give them an opportunity to showcase their talents on the same field in late November.

With the game so late in the season, this feels like a contest that will have implications on the conference chase.

Johnson’s Wildcats stumbled in November last season and would like to rectify those mistakes while competing for a spot in the Big 12 championship game.

On the other sideline, Dampier will be approaching the end of his first season at the Power Four level. The home finale gives Utah another challenging game in a home slate that also includes contests against Texas Tech and Arizona State.

5 other Big 12 QB matchups that should be entertaining

Sept. 6, Stanford (??) at BYU (??) — This one comes with an asterisk, but if BYU true freshman Bear Bachmeier sees some action against the team he originally signed with out of high school before transferring following spring ball, this would be fun to watch. Like the Cougars, the Cardinal have a quarterback competition going into fall camp.

Sept. 12, Colorado (Kaidon Salter) at Houston (Conner Weigman) — Weigman heads to Houston after flaming out at Texas A&M, while Salter is in a QB battle with true freshman five-star talent Julian Lewis.

If Salter earns the start, this conference opener for both schools features two transfer quarterbacks trying to make an instant impact at their new schools.

Sept. 26, TCU (Josh Hoover) at Arizona State (Sam Leavitt) — A matchup between two of the league’s top gunslingers is an appropriate way to close out the first month of the regular season. This game would help the winner build some early momentum in the league race.

Oct. 4, Iowa State (Rocco Becht) at Cincinnati (Brendan Sorsby) — Sorsby made the most of his first season starting at Cincinnati, though the Bearcats lost their final five games last season. That included a loss at Iowa State, where the Cyclones shut down Sorsby. He gets another chance to match up well against Becht.

Nov. 1, Arizona State (Sam Leavitt) at Iowa State (Rocco Becht) — This game just missed the cut to make the 12-game list above. Leavitt and Becht could well have their respective teams squarely in the Big 12 hunt to start November, and this contest might mean a lot to the league chase.

Either way, the matchup of Leavitt and Becht should be a good one.