Locked On Big 12 | Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast

The Big 12 is currently at the center of a high-stakes "will-they-or-won't-they" drama involving the two most lethal freshmen in the country: AJ Dybantsa (BYU) and Darryn Peterson (Kansas). As we sit in mid-April 2026, the prospect of both returning to school instead of declaring for the NBA Draft would be a tectonic shift for college basketball.

 

 

The Dybantsa Factor

At BYU, Dybantsa didn't just meet the hype; he shattered it. Finishing the 2025–26 season as the NCAA scoring champion (averaging over 25 points per game), he has solidified himself as the projected No. 1 overall pick.

 

 

The "Return" Reality: While Dybantsa is "most assuredly" heading to the draft, the Big 12 is holding out hope for an NIL miracle. His initial $7 million deal with BYU was record-breaking; to keep him for a sophomore year, the Cougars' "Royal Blue" collective would likely need to enter the $10–12 million range to compete with a top-three NBA rookie contract.

The Peterson Equation

Kansas’ Darryn Peterson is the wildcard. While his "highs" were arguably the best in the nation—including a 26-point masterclass against Baylor—his season was marred by hamstring and ankle injuries.

 

 

The Case for Kansas: Peterson’s durability concerns have some NBA scouts leaning toward Dybantsa for the top pick. If Peterson feels he hasn't fully proven his "availability," a return to Lawrence to play a healthy season under Bill Self could secure his spot as the undisputed No. 1 in 2027.

The Big 12 Impact

If the conference retains even one of these stars, it cements the Big 12 as the undisputed "NBA Academy" of college sports. With Arizona and Houston already providing elite competition, keeping the two best individual scorers in the game would make the Big 12 a nightly must-watch for every GM in professional basketball.

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On April 10, 2026, the conference officially announced nine games moved off Saturdays—eight to Fridays and one to Thanksgiving Thursday. While the move is a win for TV ratings, the fan backlash—particularly in Texas—is reaching a boiling point.

1. The "Sacred" Friday Night Conflict

The biggest point of contention is the decision to schedule marquee games on Friday nights, which has long been considered an unwritten "taboo" in states like Texas and Oklahoma to avoid competing with high school football

The Texas Tech Feud: The controversy exploded when Cody Campbell (Texas Tech Board of Regents Chairman and mega-booster) publicly blasted Yormark on social media. Campbell declared that "Friday Night Lights are sacred in the Great State of Texas" and accused the league of disrespecting the high school ecosystem.

Yormark’s Blunt Response: In a rare public display of commissioner-on-booster friction, Yormark responded by stating, "Cody Campbell does not run the Big 12," noting that conference presidents and ADs approved these moves to raise the league’s profile.

2. The Logistics of "Mid-Week" Fandom

Beyond tradition, fans are frustrated by the sheer logistical nightmare of attending weeknight games.

The Commute Problem: For a school like Texas Tech, a huge portion of the alumni base lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area—over 300 miles away. A Friday night game makes it nearly impossible for working professionals to travel to Lubbock without taking two days off work.

The Tailgate Loss: Fans argue that moving games to Friday or Thursday (like the TCU at Texas Tech Thanksgiving game) strips away the full-day "Gameday Experience" and kills local tourism revenue for college towns that rely on Saturday visitors.

3. The "Exposure" vs. "Experience" Trade-Off

The league’s defense is entirely based on math.

The 64% Jump: Yormark noted that the Big 12's Friday night games in 2025 out-rated their Saturday offerings by 64%.

Avoiding the "Goliaths": By playing on Friday, games like Houston at Texas Tech (Sept 18) avoid competing with massive Saturday matchups like Alabama-Florida State, securing a standalone national audience on FOX.

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The Big 12’s aggressive push into weeknight programming has ignited a firestorm in Lubbock, as the conference recently unveiled a 2026 football schedule that leans heavily into Friday and Thursday windows to maximize television revenue. For Commissioner Brett Yormark, the move is a pragmatic play to secure "unopposed" viewership and appease media partners. For Texas Tech, it is being viewed as a direct assault on West Texas tradition.

 

 

The Red Raiders’ schedule is at the heart of the controversy, featuring two premier home matchups moved off Saturday: a Friday, September 18 clash with Houston and a Thanksgiving Thursday tilt against TCU. The shift effectively strips Lubbock of two traditional Saturday "gameday experiences," impacting local tourism and tailgating culture.

The backlash has been spearheaded by Texas Tech Board of Regents Chairman Cody Campbell, whose public feud with Yormark has become national news. Campbell famously took to social media to declare that "Friday Night Lights are sacred in the Great State of Texas," arguing that scheduling college games on Fridays disrespects the deeply rooted high school football culture that fuels the sport’s ecosystem.

 

 

When Yormark bluntly responded that Campbell "does not run the Big 12," the billionaire booster doubled down, asserting that "Everything runs through Lubbock" and reminding the Commissioner that he serves the university presidents and their boards. This scheduling spat has evolved into a proxy war over the soul of the conference—pitting Yormark’s "modern media brand" vision against the traditionalists who feel the league is selling its core identity for a slight ratings bump.

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The recent surge of high-profile entries into the NCAA transfer portal, led by stars like Anthony Roy and Rob Wright III, represents a calculated "gold rush" by athletes looking to secure their futures before federal intervention reshapes the landscape. With President Trump’s executive order, “Urgent National Action to Save College Sports,” set to take effect on August 1, 2026, the current portal window is likely the last time players can operate under the "Wild West" rules of unrestricted movement and unregulated NIL.

Anthony Roy, coming off a massive season at Oklahoma State where he averaged nearly 17 points per game, is a prime example of a player utilizing the current system's flexibility. By entering the portal while simultaneously testing NBA waters, Roy is maximizing his leverage. Under the impending executive order, a graduate transfer like Roy would be one of the few permitted a second move; however, the order's strict "5-for-5" eligibility cap and new "fair market value" NIL restrictions would significantly limit the bidding wars he can trigger in the future.

 

 

Similarly, BYU’s Rob Wright III—perhaps the top point guard in the portal—is making his second move in as many years after starting at Baylor. In the current environment, Wright is a blue-chip commodity with immediate eligibility. If he had waited until the Trump administration’s order took effect, his status as a multi-time transfer would likely trigger a mandatory redshirt year. By jumping now, these athletes are effectively "grandfathering" themselves into new programs before the federal government ties university funding to strict eligibility and transfer caps. It is a strategic sprint to the finish line of the era of total athlete freedom.

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The potential addition of UConn to the Big 12 is a rare "triple-win" scenario that would solidify the conference as the undisputed capital of college basketball while solving a decade-long identity crisis for the Huskies.

For Brett Yormark and the Big 12, UConn is the crown jewel of his "basketball-first" expansion philosophy. Adding a program that has dominated the modern era of the sport—winning multiple national titles under both Dan Hurley and Geno Auriemma—instantly raises the league's media rights floor. By pairing UConn with blue bloods like Kansas, Arizona, and Houston, Yormark creates a basketball product that is essentially "recession-proof" from the shifting tides of football-driven realignment. It allows the Big 12 to potentially decouple its basketball rights in the next TV deal, commanding a premium price from streamers and networks alike.

For UConn, the move is a financial and competitive lifeline. While the Huskies have thrived in the Big East, the revenue gap between the "Power Four" and everyone else is widening into a canyon. Joining the Big 12 provides the long-term stability of a massive media payout, ensuring that Hurley can maintain top-tier NIL resources and facilities to compete with the likes of Kentucky or Kansas.

Finally, for college sports fans, this move creates a nightly "Super League" atmosphere. A Tuesday night showdown between UConn and Kansas at Phog Allen or a matchup with Baylor at the Foster Pavilion would be the highest level of basketball played outside of the NBA. It is a strategic masterstroke that turns the Big 12 into a national fortress of hoops.

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TurboTax

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Robinhood

You’re no longer just a spectator. Play by play. You decide. Trade Every Play with Robinhood. Now available across the U.S. Download the Robinhood app now to begin. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC., a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm.

Indeed

Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast

 

Gametime

Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.

FanDuel

Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel.Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get two-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins.Visit https://FANDUEL.COMto get started — Play Your Game.

 

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