The end to any football season will come more than three months after the start, but for some teams, the season can be lost well before the schedule ends.

I am a TCU student, and the past couple of years at TCU inspired this article’s idea. Since joining the Big 12 conference in 2012, TCU has had little consistency with playing a single team at the end of the season. TCU has played six different schools, with Baylor being the most at three times. To keep some interest and drama for the season, I propose that the Big 12 make the last weekend of the season between rivals and will be similar to the SEC having a set opponent at the end of each year.

Some teams can have multiple rivals in the new Big 12, while others do not have a traditional rival. I have created what I think is the best of the possible matchups.

Baylor vs. Texas Tech

This series dates to 1929 but only played off and on until 1956, when Tech joined the Southwest Conference. Since then, the two have played each other each year for a total of 80 games. Baylor has the slimmest of margins in the series at 40-39-1. The two played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for a couple of years, but this rivalry can become even more prominent with Joey McGuire as Tech’s head coach in his first year. Before taking the Red Raiders’ job, he had been an assistant coach at Baylor for five years.

BYU vs. TCU

This series is young and have only been played 11 times, with TCU leading 6-5-0. The first game was played in 1987, and the two schools spent a short time in the Mountain West Conference together from 2005 to 2011. TCU has won the last four games in the series, and it will be an excellent added game once BYU is put on the schedule.

Cincinnati vs. West Virginia

The two have played sporadically since 1921, with WVU leading the series 16-3-1. I put these two together due to geographic location between the two, just over four and half hours of driving time, and they did have some matchups while in the Big East conference from 2005-2012.

Houston vs. UCF

This series is even younger than the BYU and TCU series, with the first game in 2005, when UCF joined C-USA. The two schools then went to the American Athletic Conference in 2013 and will join the Big 12 together in the coming years. Houston has the lead in the series at 7-3-0. Although these teams have not played each other yearly, they will have some familiarity.

Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State

These two schools do not have a traditional rival left in the conference once Oklahoma leaves for the SEC, so they play each other at the end. The series began in 1926 when the two were in the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The MVIAA would split into the Big 8, with Iowa State in this conference, while Oklahoma State joined the Missouri Valley Conference. OSU would not play ISU until 1960 after OSU joined the Big 8. OSU does lead the series 33-20-3, but ISU probably has two of the bigger wins in recent history. Iowa State won in 2021 and 2011, beating an undefeated Oklahoma State team each time and playing a part in preventing OSU from reaching a national title game and playoffs.

Kansas vs. Kansas State

The Sunflower Showdown has been played every year since 1902, and Kansas has an overall lead at 65-49-5 even though Kansas State has won the last 13 games. KU dominated the series until 1989, when Bill Snyder took over at KSU. Since then, Kansas has only won seven games.