No. 6 – Iowa State
The Cyclones have been the feel-good story of the Big 12 the past few seasons. Head Coach Matt Campbell has had a winning season for three straight seasons after not having one since 2009.
Brock Purdy may be the best quarterback Texas will face all season and will cause problems. Being so late in the season, the Longhorns will hopefully still be alive in the Big 12 championship race. If they are, beating the Cyclones will be a must.
No. 5 – @ Kansas State
Circle this one as a trap game for Texas. Before losing their bowl game to Navy, the Wildcats won five out of their last seven games, including a home victory against Oklahoma. They are going to have a lot of momentum going into 2020.
Mix it with it being the Big 12 opener and it is the week before the Red River Shootout and bad things are destined to happen. The Longhorns need to win this game not only to gain momentum for the conference schedule but to get a victory over a potential Big 12 dark horse.
No. 4 – Baylor
What Matt Rhule has done with the Baylor program is incredible. Assuming he does not leave for the NFL, the Bears should be able to carry over their success into 2020. Like TCU, it will be a revenge game for the Longhorns, as they got embarrassed in Waco this November.
Playing on Halloween, this has the potential to be a highly ranked game that decides the shape of the Big 12. With it being in Austin, it is more than likely a must-win game for Texas.