About Us
Two Brothers. Zero Agreement. All Big 12.
We’re Mike and Jake Halston. Brothers. Big 12 fans. And we haven’t agreed on a single football take since approximately 1997.
Who We Are
Mike Halston is 34 years old, an Oklahoma State fan, and the kind of guy who rewatches game film on Tuesday mornings “for fun.” He likes unders, trusts the process, and has a notebook full of betting trends that he insists are “statistically significant.” He uses dashes and parentheses too much. He knows this. He doesn’t care.
Jake Halston is 29 years old, a Texas Tech fan, and the kind of guy who bets on a team because “they have good vibes this week.” He likes overs, underdogs, and chaos. He writes in short sentences. Punchy ones. Sometimes he forgets to close parentheses (like this. He says it adds character.
We grew up in Texas watching Big 12 football every Saturday. Different teams. Different styles. Same arguments at Thanksgiving dinner for the last two decades.
Why We Started This Site
Because nobody was covering the Big 12 the way we wanted to read about it.
The national sites treat the conference like an afterthought. The local sites are homers who can’t see past their own team. The betting sites are all algorithms and no personality.
We wanted something different. Analysis that’s actually useful. Betting content that’s honest about wins AND losses. And two distinct perspectives that don’t pretend to be objective — because we’re not. We’re fans. We have biases. We’re upfront about them.
Mike thinks with his head. Jake thinks with his gut. We disagree on almost everything. And we think that’s the point.
What We Do
Betting Previews: Every week during the season, we break down Big 12 games with spreads, totals, and picks. Mike takes the analytical angle. Jake takes the vibes angle. We track our records publicly because accountability matters.
Power Rankings: Weekly rankings with both perspectives. We use our proprietary Recliner vs Barstool rating system — Mike rates games on film and matchups (🛋️), Jake rates them on entertainment and chaos (🍺). We rarely agree.
Game Recaps: What happened, why it happened, and what it means. No corporate PR speak. Just honest analysis from two guys who watched every snap.
News & Analysis: Coaching changes, transfer portal moves, recruiting updates, and whatever else matters in the Big 12.
Team Coverage: Hub pages for all 16 Big 12 teams with stats, trends, and our takes.
Our Philosophy
Be honest. When we get picks wrong, we admit it. When a team we love plays badly, we say so. No spin.
Be useful. Every article should help you understand the Big 12 better — whether you’re betting, playing fantasy, or just trying to figure out which game to watch.
Be entertaining. Football is supposed to be fun. Our coverage should be too.
Disagree respectfully. Mike and Jake argue constantly. But it’s never personal. It’s about the football. (Mostly.)
The Brothers’ Records
We track everything. Full transparency. You can see every pick we’ve ever made in our Predictions Archive.
Current season records are updated weekly during the season.
Contact Us
Got a tip? A question? Want to tell Jake his picks are bad? (Mike does this daily.)
Use our contact form.
Legal Stuff
Big12football.net is an independent fan site. We’re not affiliated with the Big 12 Conference, any member institution, or any sportsbook.
Betting content is for entertainment and informational purposes only. Gambling involves risk. Only wager what you can afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
See our full Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Thanks for reading. Now go argue with your brother about football. It’s what Saturdays are for.
— Mike & Jake