Open For Business: a Big 12 Podcast w/ John Kurtz
Open for Business with John Kurtz delivers college football and college basketball news from a Big 12 perspective.
We cover every Big 12 school—Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah, and West Virginia. From Saturdays in the fall to March Madness, no program gets left out.
You’ll hear in-depth discussion on Big 12 football, basketball, and recruiting—along with how the league stacks up against the SEC and Big Ten. We cover conference realignment, NIL, TV deals, playoff battles, and national storylines like Deion Sanders and Colorado that impact the Big 12.
If you want college football and college basketball news from a Big 12 perspective, this is your podcast.
Episodes
57 episodes
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith SLAMS BYU; Here's Why He's Wrong
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith took a major cheap shot at BYU and AJ Dybantsa, and it deserves a real response. In this video, I break down exactly what Stephen A. said about BYU, why the take was misguided, and how it ignored key context around Kevin...
•
9:50
Is Bill Self Done at Kansas? St. John's Loss Could be the End
Kansas suffered another brutal NCAA Tournament exit, and now the biggest question in college basketball is impossible to ignore: is Bill Self done at Kansas? In this video, I break down KU’s heartbreaking loss to St. John’s, what went wrong off...
•
11:06
Iowa State BLASTS Kentucky Without Its Best Player; UK Can't Handle the Big 12
Iowa State crushes Kentucky in the second half without Josh Jefferson.
•
13:52
BYU’s Season Ends…Was it a Failure?; TCU CAN Shock Duke
Texas controls BYU wire-to-wire as the Cougars season ends in disappointment in the first round. TCU channels March Madness to hold off Ohio State. Can they stun Duke?BYU’s season came to a painful end after getting pushed around by Tex...
•
30:36
Big 12 DOMINATES NCAA Tournament Field; One Big 12 Team Got Screwed
The Big 12 sent a loud message on Selection Sunday.In this video, I break down why the NCAA Tournament committee made it clear the Big 12 is the best basketball league in the country right now, from Houston, Arizona, Iowa State, BYU, and...
•
52:07
Big 12 Scores a Major Win in D.C.; SEC Bias Screwing Big 12 Basketball
The Big 12 may have finally scored a real win in Washington, D.C. after the White House college sports meeting featuring Brett Yormark, Cody Campbell, Greg Sankey, and President Donald Trump. In this episode, John Kurtz breaks down what the Sav...
•
54:03
Cody Campbell Has the SEC & Big Ten Shook; Big 12 Invited to the White House
Cody Campbell has the SEC and Big Ten worried, and now we have proof.In this video, I break down the backlash to Campbell’s Saving College Sports initiative after the SEC and Big Ten commissioned a white paper from FTI Consulting to cou...
•
52:27
Cincy Suing Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby for $1 Million; Sorsby Fires Back on Twitter
Cincinnati is suing Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby for $1 million in liquidated damages tied to an alleged two-year NIL agreement, and the timing could not be spicier. The lawsuit hits one day after Sorsby took a shot at Cincinnati on so...
•
40:49
Kansas Should Cut Ties w/ Darryn Peterson ESPN Star Says; Big 12 Cashing in BIG
Kansas basketball just took a gut-punch at Allen Fieldhouse, and now Dick Vitale is publicly saying KU should cut ties with Darryn Peterson. In this live show, I break down why Vitale is going there, what it could mean for Bill Self and Kansas’...
•
55:52
Legal Experts: K-State Has a Case vs Jerome Tang
The Athletic spoke to legal experts who think K-State has a legitimate case against Jerome Tang. Big 12 basketball decimated by injuries. Self snaps about Darryn Peterson. Ranking Big 12 arenas.
•
52:24
There Are No Winners in the Parker Kingston Story; BYU Star Facing First Degree Felony Charge
CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes discussion of sexual assault allegations.In today’s Open For Business Big 12 show, we start with the latest on BYU football as receiver Parker Kingston has been charged with first-degree felony rap...
•
34:39
Big 12 Money Crisis: A Big 12 Power Says It's Broke; K-State is Bleeding Cash
Big 12 basketball has a money problem, and Kelvin Sampson just said the quiet part out loud. After Houston’s win, the Hall of Fame coach admitted the Cougars are broke, raising a bigger question for the conference: if one of the Big 12’s best p...
•
1:01:37
Jerome Tang Makes K-State Crisis Even Messier; Is BYU in Trouble After KU Loss?
Kansas hoops chaos, BYU’s reality check, and the Jerome Tang situation just got uglier.In this live show, I break down the Darryn Peterson conundrum after KU vs BYU. He looked like the best player in the country…then barely played in th...
•
59:18
ESPN Finally Puts BYU in the College Football Playoff; Big 12 Making a Huge Playoff Mistake?
ESPN actually projected BYU and Texas Tech in the College Football Playoff, and Big 12 fans have every right to side-eye it. In this live show, I break down ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 (and what it really signals about BYU’s playoff path), why ...
•
59:47
Big 12 Gets a HUGE Playoff Win; But it Comes With a Catch
College Football Playoff is staying at 12 teams… and the Big 12 just locked in a guaranteed spot for its champion. That sounds like a win, but is this really stability – or just a pause before the SEC and Big Ten try to reshape the sport on the...
•
53:20
Texas Tech Gets a Gift Big 12 Schedule; Finebaum Takes a SHOT at BYU; Top 5 Big 12 Games in 2026
Texas Tech just got the friendliest playoff path in America, BYU is carrying the Big 12’s reputation into a massive showdown with Notre Dame, and Paul Finebaum somehow managed to take an unnecessary drive-by shot at BYU while disrespecting Indi...
•
55:48
Uncapped Spending is Coming to College Football; Will Tech and BYU Rule the Big 12 Forever?
Many powerful leaders in college football want no revenue sharing cap anymore. Does that mean Tech and BYU are bound to rule the Big 12 forever moving forward?Get “Open For Business” a Big 12 newsletter sending the key headlines, interv...
•
1:01:31
BYU Owning the Transfer Portal; Cougars Closing the Gap on Texas Tech
BYU is stepping up in the transfer portal in a way we haven’t seen before, and it changes the Big 12 favorites conversation. In this live show, I break down how BYU’s retention wins (Bear Bachmeier, LJ Martin, Parker Kingston and more) paired w...
•
50:02
The SEC Waves the White Flag: It Lost the War; Indiana Proves the Big 12 Can Win it All
The SEC narrative finally took a real hit, and it might actually stick this time.In this live episode of Open For Business (Big 12 Podcast), we’re talking about why the “SEC deserves special treatment” era is fading fast, what Ole Miss’...
•
1:05:35
Texas Tech Derangement Syndrome: Why College Football Hates the Red Raiders
Texas Tech has become a college football villain overnight, but is it fair? It's definitely not. Get “Open For Business” a Big 12 newsletter sending the key headlines, interviews, and my analysis straight to your inbox. No more col...
•
36:03
Texas Tech Landing a Big 12 All-Star Team in the Portal; Sorsby to Tech; BYU Stealing Utah Players?
Texas Tech is putting together a Big 12 All-Star team in the portal and is likely to land Brendan Sorsby. The BYU-Utah-Michigan drama heats up. Get “Open For Business” a Big 12 newsletter sending the key headlines, interviews, and ...
•
1:04:19
DISASTER for Texas Tech and the Big 12; Oregon Thumps Tech in Playoff Win
Texas Tech's offense plays its worst game of the season by far and Oregon thumps Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. Big 12 Newsletter — Open For BusinessGet Big 12 news, playoff analysis, realignment talk and private capital breakd...
•
47:25
Will BYU and Utah Survive Having Staff and Players Raided by Kyle Whittingham?
Will BYU and Utah Survive Having Staff and Players Raided by Kyle Whittingham?BYU and Utah are finally finding out what life is like as true national winners — and that means watching Kyle Whittingham and Michigan circle their staffs and ro...
•
1:14:53
BYU Playoff Snub Looks Worse: The Numbers to Prove It; Texas Tech Can Win a Natty
About This EpisodeIn this episode of the Open For Business Big 12 Podcast, John Kurtz uses advanced metrics and SP+ to compare BYU to the actual playoff field, pushes back on the lazy “G5 doesn’t belong” narrative, examines how TV and reali...
•
1:09:34