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The Big 12 Conference’s 5 best rivalries that could emerge in 2023

By John Scimeca

CINCINNATI - NOVEMBER 13: Runningback Noel Devine #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers rushes in the second quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in at Nippert Stadium on November 13, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI - NOVEMBER 13: Runningback Noel Devine #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers rushes in the second quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in at Nippert Stadium on November 13, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 01: Quarterback Blake Bortles #5 of the UCF Knights throws a pass during the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against the Baylor Bears at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 2014 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 01: Quarterback Blake Bortles #5 of the UCF Knights throws a pass during the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against the Baylor Bears at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 2014 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

2. Central Florida – Baylor

After four consecutive home games to start the 2023 season, the Bears will take the road for the first time on Sept. 30 (Week 5) to face Central Florida.

Although UCF vs. BYU is intriguing on a number of levels, these two Big 12 newcomers won’t face each other in their first season in the league. That leaves us with the Bears and the Golden Knights, which are two programs looking to bounce back after a relatively disappointing 2022 performance.

The animosity for these two programs could surface by the pivotal nature of these two teams’ Week 5 clash. Baylor has alternated double-digit wins with a losing record in each of the past four years, including the Big 12 title and a Sugar Bowl win in 2021.

The Knights, on the other hand, haven’t quite recaptured the magic of their 13-0 season and subsequent national title claim in 2017. They’ve lost at least four games in each of the past three seasons. Since that year, UCF has had a total of three wins and six losses against Power 5 foes.

These two programs have met only once on the gridiron — the 2013 Fiesta Bowl, in which No. 15 UCF upset No. 6 Baylor by a score of 52-42. The Knights entered that game as 17-point underdogs but piled up 556 total yards en route to the Fiesta Bowl victory and a 12-1 finish.

Besides Houston, Baylor is nearly the closest team that UCF can count on as a regional rival in the new-look Big 12. The Knights are nearly 1,000 miles away from Houston, a fellow new member of the Big 12 and the closest geographic partner to Orlando, Fla.

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