Ranking Every Big 12 Tournament Team’s Menu Item

The 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Basketball Tournament continues on this week with the Men’s Tournament currently playing in the second round. 

Though fans in attendance aren’t just rooting for their favorite team, they’re eating their way through a unique food lineup that celebrates each of the conference’s 16 teams.

Dubbed “Big 12 Eats,” this themed menu brings regional flavors and school pride to the concessions stands, turning game days into a, probably, calorie-dense adventure. 

Presented by Undeniably Dairy, the initiative extends beyond the arena with special milkshakes and even food-inspired apparel. 

That being said, you know we have to rank them! Below you’ll find a list of each school’s menu item. Ranking criteria is based on how likely I would be to order — a worst to first ranking style — though I’m sure every item is probably tasty. 

- Arizona: Wildcat Mini Chicken Chimichangas

- Arizona State: Sparky's Smoked Boneless Wings.

- Baylor: Brisket Sliders with Dr. Pepper glaze.

- BYU: Cosmo's Churros (caramel-filled, topped with mini marshmallows and toffee

- Cincinnati: Cincy Cheese Coney (chili, onion, cheddar).

- Colorado: Boulder Green Chile Nachos or Burrito Bowl.

- Houston: Shasta's Brisket Tacos.

- Iowa State: Green Chili Pork Walking Tacos.

- Kansas: Big Jay's Loaded Mac & Cheese (pulled pork, BBQ sauce, crispy onions).

- Kansas State: Powercat Steak Tacos

- Oklahoma State: Orange Power Pizza (meat, cheese, and ranch drizzle).

- TCU: Cowtown Loaded Tots with purple sour cream.

- Texas Tech: The Matador Melt

- UCF: Citronaut Float (orange soda and vanilla ice cream).

- Utah: Majerus Special.

- West Virginia: Mountaineer Pepperoni Roll. 

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#16 — UCF Citronaut Drink

Listen, I don’t have anything against UCF. They play in the Bounce House, which looks like a great fan atmosphere, and Orlando is probably my next ‘away football game’ destination. But I’m just not a big fan of orange soda, so they get the 16th spot here. 

#15 — BYU Cosmos Churros

I’m sure these churros are great, but real and authentic churros are from and belong in San Antonio, so I can’t justify ranking them any higher. A BYU churro in KC or a San Antone churro on the River Walk? Yeah. 

#14 — Utah Majerus Special

From a quick search, the Majerus Special is just a burger with pastrami on it. Okay? Per Google search, I guess the pastrami burger is a big thing in Utah…bet it’s not as good as an Oklahoma onion burger though. 

#13 — Arizona Mini Chicken Chimichangas

I’m betting that these are similar to what you get in the freezer section at your local grocery store. Previously frozen, then deep fried and served with cheap Hidden Valley ranch. Best to save these for when you’re 9 beers deep and don’t care what you’re eating. 

#12 — Iowa State Green Chili Pork Walking Tacos

I’m a fan of green chili pork and a fan of nachos. What I’m not a fan of is the plastic chip bag you’ll carry this around in. Too much potential for the chips to become an absolute soggy mess and will need napkins a plenty. Would try, not in a bag though. 

#11 — Cincinnati Cheese Coney

I’ve heard a lot about Cinci’s Skyline Chili, though I’ve never tried it. I bet this coney is actually pretty good, but seems like too ‘heavy on the stomach’ option for a basketball tournament. 

#10 — Houston Shasta’s Brisket Tacos

This is where it starts getting tough. There’s already another brisket option, a brisket tots option, and a steak taco option out there. This comes down to whether you’d like brisket tacos or steak tacos more. 

#9 — Texas Tech Matador Melt

Double bacon cheeseburger with onion and BBQ sauce? Tempting, but make it a single and add some smoky fries or tots (if not already included). Looks fire though. 

#8 — Colorado Green Chile Nachos

Green Chile is a New Mexico thing. Colorado really could’ve won me over here if they collab’ed with a brewery in Boulder and made their own Big 12 Tournament beer, though their team didn’t last long. 

#7 — Baylor Brisket Sliders

Dr. Pepper glaze on the brisket? SHEESH. I could’ve put this higher, but there’s a better option that still has Texas brisket included. I’m sure these are great, though. 

#6 — Oklahoma State Orange Power Pizza

I’m a huge pizza fan. It might be my favorite food. And this is my favorite team’s menu item. But it doesn’t really tie to Stillwater or Oklahoma State like some other schools were able to tie in their city/town (Dr. Pepper & Waco, Pep Roll famous in Morgantown, Cinci chili, etc). A smart play would’ve incorporated bacon cheese fries with an orange colored ranch. 

#5 — Kansas State Powercat Steak Tacos This one came down to whether I’d rather have steak or brisket tacos. While both good options, I’d roll with the purple cats and their steak.

#4 — Kansas Big Jay’s Loaded Mac

I might get some fair criticism putting a Mac and cheese this high. I was previously critical on other options being too “heavy on the stomach”, but you can’t go wrong with loaded Mac and cheese. And if it’s anything like Lawrence’s 23rd Street Brewery’s Bill Self Mac and Cheese, this will be a top choice for most folks. 

#3 — West Virginia Pepperoni Roll

I mentioned pizza may be my favorite food. I’m giving the pizza choice nod to the Mountaineers here. Morgantown is famous for Pepperoni Rolls — like that’s their thing. This is an absolute “must-try”. 

#2 — Arizona State Smoked Boneless Wings

Wings and basketball, no…wings and all sports just go together. It’s a match made in heaven. You go to a game watch party, 9 out of 10 times there are going to be wings there. Easy choice here really and hard to mess up. 

#1 — TCU Cowtown Loaded Tots

Number one was a pretty easy choice for me. TCU’s menu item has a bit of everything you’d want. Crisp of the tots, savory-ness of the brisket, nacho cheese, some corn salsa for maybe a sweet & spicy kick, topped with purple sour cream. Come on, man. Give me the loaded tots at #1!

Thoughts on the rankings? What’d we get wrong? What’d we get right? What’s your number one?

Let us know in the comments!