Jan 31, 2023
Dave WilsonESPN Staff Writer
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- Dave Wilson is an editor for ESPN.com since 2010. He previously worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.
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The Big 12 released its 2023 football schedule on Tuesday, giving fans their road map for the new-look league after a little bit of a delay added mystery to the reveal.
The Big 12 welcomes in BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the club this year while Texas and Oklahoma are on the way out -- ostensibly in 2025, but with frequent rumors that their split could come a season sooner -- so this may be the last time we get to see the Longhorns and Sooners in this lineup.
The league schedule begins on Sept. 16, with TCU hosting Houston, the first time the two old Southwest Conference rivals have met since 2007.
"I would like to thank our fans for their patience awaiting this historic schedule," Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said. "Given its importance, the complexities of weaving in four new schools, adding a third time zone and ensuring alignment with key stakeholders, we were very deliberate with its development."
With the new teams, the league says it will continue to play nine league contests with no divisions. The top two finishers by conference win percentage in the regular season standings will meet in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
But before the new conference schedule kicks in, there are some marquee nonconference games to kick off the season, including West Virginia traveling to Penn State in Week 1 before hosting Pitt in the renewed Backyard Brawl on Sept. 16. Texas travels to Alabama on Sept. 9, the same day Oregon travels to Texas Tech and Baylor hosts Utah, the back-to-back Pac-12 champs. Colorado will kick off the Coach Prime era under Deion Sanders with a road trip to TCU in Week 1, seeking to have the kind of first-year turnaround in Boulder that Sonny Dykes engineered last year in Fort Worth.
Here are each team's schedules, along with some key questions they raise.
Games we're most looking forward to?
You can't start this list without Texas playing Oklahoma during the State Fair of Texas in Dallas on Oct. 7. While there was intrigue on if the league would ever consider sticking it to the Horns and Sooners and scheduling their game at some other point, it's a historic rivalry that's a key asset to the league. So with that being a given, let's look elsewhere. The addition of Houston back to the league means every matchup against an old state SWC rival will be a little pettier and with a little added heat. Texas' trip to Houston on Oct. 21 will be one the Cougars will be circling, looking for their first win against Texas since 1991. Similarly, Oklahoma State will be hosting Oklahoma on Nov. 4 in what could turn out to be the last Bedlam matchup.
On a pure football level, there is intrigue in Cincinnati's first Big 12 game, when the Bearcats, under new coach Scott Satterfield, who replaced the Wisconsin-bound Luke Fickell, host Oklahoma, which is coming off a 6-7 season in Brent Venables' first year. TCU -- which rode a magical season all the way to the national championship game and is seeking to establish staying power -- gets a Thursday night showdown in Lubbock against Texas Tech before a marquee matchup with Oklahoma the Friday after Thanksgiving to end the season.
The defending league champs, Kansas State, will host the Horned Frogs on Oct. 21, after the two teams played two incredible games in 2022, a 38-28 TCU win in Fort Worth and a 31-28 K-State win in the Big 12 championship game.
Who are the winners and losers?
Winner: Kansas State seemed to get its respect, kicking off the league schedule at home for the first time since 2017 with a game against UCF on Sept. 23. The Wildcats will also host Houston, meaning they won't be traveling to any of the new teams' stadiums this season.
Loser: Oklahoma begins Big 12 play with a road trip to Cincinnati, and wraps up the season with its first-ever trip to BYU on Nov. 18 before hosting TCU. The Sooners have one of the most unfamiliar schedules, and won't play Kansas State or Baylor this season.
Winner: Baylor plays a school-record eight home games this season, with its first four matchups at McLane Stadium, including Texas on Sept. 23. The Bears only leave the state of Texas for road games at UCF, Cincinnati and Kansas State.
Loser: Iowa State has a tough closing slate, finishing with a Nov. 11 trip to Provo for its first matchup against BYU since 1974, before hosting Texas on Nov. 18 and then traveling to Kansas State on Nov. 25.
What's at stake for fans of the new teams?
Houston, which was left out of the Big 12 after the SWC dissolved, gets in with perhaps one last shot at Texas and Oklahoma. The Cougars play their first seven games in Texas and replace American Athletic Conference teams like Temple, Navy and East Carolina on the schedule with Baylor, Texas Tech and TCU, which will be a boost for fans.
BYU, which played two tight games with Baylor the past two years, misses the Bears now that the teams are conference rivals. But the home game against Oklahoma will be a hot ticket in Provo. Cougars fans will also get the benefit of Texas Tech's first-ever game in Utah while watching an exciting offense that was influenced heavily by legendary BYU coach LaVell Edwards.
Cincinnati faces all three fellow newcomers, helping to lay down the foundation for future rivalries, with a home game against UCF and road trips to BYU and Houston. The Sept. 23 home game against Oklahoma could be one of the hottest tickets in Nippert Stadium history.
UCF appears to avoid the riskiest of the cold-weather road trips, with two November home games against Oklahoma State and Houston in Orlando, and one road game against Texas Tech. The Knights don't play Texas this season, but will have tough road contests against Kansas State and Oklahoma.
Baylor Bears
Sept. 2: Texas State
Sept. 9: Utah
Sept. 16: Long Island
Sept. 23: Texas
Sept. 30: at UCF
Oct. 7: Texas Tech
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: at Cincinnati
Oct. 28: Iowa State
Nov. 4: Houston
Nov. 11: at Kansas State
Nov. 18: at TCU
Nov. 25: West Virginia
BYU Cougars
Sept. 2: Sam Houston
Sept. 9: Southern Utah
Sept. 16: at Arkansas
Sept. 23: at Kansas
Sept. 29: Cincinnati
Oct. 7: Open
Oct. 14: at TCU
Oct. 21: Texas Tech
Oct. 28: at Texas
Nov. 4: at West Virginia
Nov. 11: Iowa State
Nov. 18: Oklahoma
Nov. 25: at Oklahoma State
Cincinnati Bearcats
Sept. 2: Eastern Kentucky
Sept. 9: at Pitt
Sept. 16: Miami (Ohio)
Sept. 23: Oklahoma
Sept. 29: at BYU
Oct. 7: Open
Oct. 14: Iowa State
Oct. 21: Baylor
Oct. 28: at Oklahoma State
Nov. 4: UCF
Nov. 11: at Houston
Nov. 18: at West Virginia
Nov. 25: Kansas
Houston Cougars
Sept. 2: UTSA
Sept. 9: at Rice
Sept. 16: TCU
Sept. 23: Sam Houston
Sept. 30: at Texas Tech
Oct. 7: Open
Oct. 12: West Virginia
Oct. 21: Texas
Oct. 28: at Kansas State
Nov. 4: at Baylor
Nov. 11: Cincinnati
Nov. 18: Oklahoma State
Nov. 25: at UCF
Iowa State Cyclones
Sept. 2: Northern Iowa
Sept. 9: Iowa
Sept. 16: at Ohio
Sept. 23: Oklahoma State
Sept. 30: at Oklahoma
Oct. 7: TCU
Oct. 14: at Cincinnati
Oct. 21: Open
Oct. 28: at Baylor
Nov. 4: Kansas
Nov. 11: at BYU
Nov. 18: Texas
Nov. 25: at Kansas State
Kansas Jayhawks
Sept. 2: Missouri State
Sept. 9: Illinois
Sept. 16: at Nevada
Sept. 23: BYU
Sept. 30: at Texas
Oct. 7: UCF
Oct. 14: at Oklahoma State
Oct. 21: Open
Oct. 28: Oklahoma
Nov. 4: at Iowa State
Nov. 11: Texas Tech
Nov. 18: Kansas State
Nov. 25: at Cincinnati
Kansas State Wildcats
Sept. 2: Southeast Missouri
Sept. 9: Troy
Sept. 16: at Missouri
Sept. 23: UCF
Sept. 30: Open
Oct. 6: at Oklahoma State
Oct. 14: at Texas Tech
Oct. 21: TCU
Oct. 28: Houston
Nov. 4: at Texas
Nov. 11: Baylor
Nov. 18: at Kansas
Nov. 25: Iowa State
Oklahoma Sooners
Sept. 2: Arkansas State
Sept. 9: SMU
Sept. 16: at Tulsa
Sept. 23: at Cincinnati
Sept. 30: Iowa State
Oct. 7: Texas (Dallas)
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: UCF
Oct. 28: at Kansas
Nov. 4: at Oklahoma State
Nov. 11: West Virginia
Nov. 18: at BYU
Nov. 25: TCU
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Sept. 2: Central Arkansas
Sept. 9: at Arizona State
Sept. 16: South Alabama
Sept. 23: at Iowa State
Sept. 30: Open
Oct. 6: Kansas State
Oct. 14: Kansas
Oct. 21: at West Virginia
Oct. 28: Cincinnati
Nov. 4: Oklahoma
Nov. 11: at UCF
Nov. 18: at Houston
Nov. 25: BYU
TCU Horned Frogs
·Sept. 2: Colorado
Sept. 9: Nicholls
Sept. 16: at Houston
Sept. 23: SMU
Sept. 30: West Virginia
Oct. 7: at Iowa State
Oct. 14: BYU
Oct. 21: at Kansas State
Oct. 28: Open
Nov. 2: at Texas Tech
Nov. 11: Texas
Nov. 18: Baylor
Nov. 24: at Oklahoma
Texas Longhorns
Sept. 2: Rice
Sept. 9: at Alabama
Sept. 16: Wyoming
Sept. 23: at Baylor
Sept. 30: Kansas
Oct. 7: Oklahoma (Dallas)
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: at Houston
Oct. 28: BYU
Nov. 4: Kansas State
Nov. 11: at TCU
Nov. 18: at Iowa State
Nov. 24: Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Sept. 2: at Wyoming
Sept. 9: Oregon
Sept. 16: Tarleton State
Sept. 23: at West Virginia
Sept. 30: Houston
Oct. 7: at Baylor
Oct. 14: Kansas State
Oct. 21: at BYU
Oct. 28: Open
Nov. 4: TCU
Nov. 11: at Kansas
Nov. 18: UCF
Nov. 24: at Texas
UCF Knights
Aug. 31: Kent State
Sept. 9: at Boise State
Sept. 16: Villanova
Sept. 23: at Kansas State
Sept. 30: Baylor
Oct. 7: at Kansas
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: at Oklahoma
Oct. 28: West Virginia
Nov. 4: at Cincinnati
Nov. 11: Oklahoma State
Nov. 18: at Texas Tech
Nov. 25: Houston
West Virginia Mountaineers
Sept. 2: at Penn State
Sept. 9: Duquesne
Sept. 16: Pitt
Sept. 23: Texas Tech
Sept. 30: at TCU
Oct. 7: Open
Oct. 12: at Houston
Oct. 21: Oklahoma State
Oct. 28: at UCF
Nov. 4: BYU
Nov. 11: at Oklahoma
Nov. 18: Cincinnati
Nov. 25: at Baylor
FAQs
What will the Big 12 look like in 2023? ›
Oklahoma will play new members Cincinnati, UCF and BYU in the place of Kansas State, Baylor and Texas Tech in 2023. Texas will play Houston and BYU, while it doesn't play West Virginia and Oklahoma State.
Who will be added to Big 12? ›Central Florida, Cincinnati, BYU and Houston to join Big 12 as Texas, Oklahoma leave for SEC.
What teams are in the Big 12? ›Big 12 Conference
Is it leaving the Big 12? ›— Oklahoma and Texas will remain in the Big 12 Conference through the remainder of the league's current grant of rights before departing for the SEC in 2025, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said Tuesday afternoon.
Could the Big 12 add more teams? ›The Big 12 added BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston last month to begin play in 2023. Expanding by four more teams would bring membership up to 16 to match the other large conferences. The Pac-12 is down to 10 members, but it is also looking at adding teams.
Will the Big 12 add more teams? ›The Big 12 will be at 12 teams when the four newcomers arrive and Texas and Oklahoma leave for the SEC. That departure is set to happen in 2024 and the conference could end up playing the 2023 football season with 14 teams if the Longhorns and Sooners don't leave early.
Who is leaving Big 12? ›With Texas and Oklahoma poised to depart the Big 12 in 2025 and BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF joining the conference next year, it's reasonable to wonder whether being in the Big 12 helps or hurts a football team's national profile.
Who joins Big 12 2023? ›The league will welcome BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston on July 1, 2023, and then Texas and Oklahoma are still believed to fulfill their grant of rights through June 30, 2025.
Will Big 12 expand to 14 teams? ›It's a brief preview of what the conference will look like, at least in the short term with BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF slated to join the league for the 2023 season. That will turn the Big 12 into a 14-team league for now, with Texas and Oklahoma still a part of the conference.
Why did Texas A&M leave Big 12? ›Texas A&M. In August 2011, A&M announced plans to apply to join an unspecified conference. Its desire to leave the Big 12 was presented as concerns about conference stability and the Longhorn Network.
Who has the most wins in the Big 12? ›
Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston and Jacksonville State will join Conference USA as replacements in 2023. It has yet to be announced if the arrival of the four programs will speed up the process for Texas and Oklahoma to depart for the SEC.
What will happen to the Big 12 after Texas and Oklahoma leave? ›Presently, the Big 12 grant of rights expires in 2025, freeing Texas and Oklahoma to join the SEC that summer.
What is the future of the Big 12? ›The Big 12 solidified its future by negotiating an early extension of its rights with ESPN and Fox, a six-year deal worth more than $2.2 billion with BYU, Cincinnati, UCF and Houston joining the conference for the 2023 season.
What will the Big 12 look like in 2024? ›The Big 12 will remain divisionless and each team will play a nine-game conference schedule. Additionally, each Big 12 team will play each other at least one time over the two-year period and traditional rivalries will be preserved.
Will Pac-12 and Big 12 merge? ›Pac-12 and Big 12 will not merge, which is great news for Oregon.
Will Big 12 expand to 16 teams? ›The Big Ten and SEC are both set to expand to 16 teams in the coming years, with the Big 12 set to return to 12 teams upon the departure of Texas and Oklahoma. However, how the Big 12 responds beyond the addition of their four new schools will tell the story of how successful the conference is moving forward.
What four teams want to join the Big 12? ›The Big 12 Conference will welcome BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Houston next year which will give the league 14 teams until Oklahoma and Texas depart for the SEC. On the football side of things, what should we expect the "new Big 12" to look like? Well, we broke it down into four tiers.
How many teams are in Big 12 2023? ›The Big 12 expanded from 10 to 14 teams for the 2023 season with the additions of former AAC schools Cincinnati, Houston and UCF as well as independent BYU. Teams will continue to play nine conference games each without divisions. Newcomers Houston and Cincinnati will play five Big 12 home games each.
What Big 12 teams are leaving for the SEC? ›Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC in 2024 would mean they exit the Big 12 one year early from their current Grant of Rights contract. The current Grant of Rights with the Big 12 expires on June 30, 2025, when the Longhorns and Sooners move to the SEC.
How much do Big 12 teams make? ›
The Big 12's new television deal allows the league to provide close to $32 million to each of its 12 members, starting with the 2025-26 season. The six-year extension will pay the league $2.28 billion, an annual average of $380 million. So, that's pretty simple math, right?
How much did Texas A&M pay to leave the Big 12? ›Big 12, Mizzou, A&M reach buyout terms
Missouri's and Texas A&M's price tags for leaving the Big 12 will be $12.41 million each, the conference announced on Tuesday.
The Tigers will once again take to the mats as members of the Big 12 starting next season, the school announced Thursday. Missouri was forced out of Big 12 wrestling in 2012 when it joined the Southeastern Conference in all other sports. No other SEC schools sponsor wrestling.
Who has best defense in Big 12? ›- Jalon Daniels, Kansas Jayhawks. ...
- Hunter Dekkers, Iowa State Cyclones. ...
- Will Howard, Kansas State Wildcats. ...
- Tyler Shough, Texas Tech Red Raiders. ...
- JT Daniels, West Virginia Mountaineers. ...
- Quinn Ewers, Texas Longhorns. ...
- Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State Cowboys.
First wave
Nebraska announced that it would leave the Big 12 Conference for the Big Ten Conference effective in 2011.
Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium, home of the Texas Longhorns, is the largest stadium in the Big 12.
What bowl game will the Big 12 win? ›Big 12 Conference
The champion goes to the Sugar Bowl if not selected for playoffs. The Sugar Bowl gets filled by a Big 12 team if the champion is in the playoffs. #2 The Alamo Bowl versus Pac-12. #3 The Cheez-It Bowl versus ACC.
“Coach Klieman said we're going to build a culture that's going to win championships. It's going to be built on team, player-first, a player-led team,” said Vaughn, the 5-foot-6 dynamo who was the Big 12 championship game MVP.
How much does a Big 12 commissioner get paid? ›Well, the salary would go from about $1 million a year to $2 million or $3 million a year.
What year is OU leaving the Big 12? ›
Current Big 12 deal plays large factor
Oklahoma and Texas announced their intentions to leave the Big 12 in 2021 but had been bound by the conference's grant of rights, which lasts the length of the conference's current TV deal (through July 1, 2025).
According to a report, Texas and Oklahoma are attempting to leave the Big 12 for the SEC in 2024.
Is the Big 12 better than the SEC? ›When you look closely, the SEC is still probably the best conference top to bottom. The Big 12 seems to be top heavier, but there just aren't many gimmies in the SEC. There have been a lot of conference matchups this year between the Big Ten and Pac-10, as well as Big East and ACC.
Who is joining the Big 12 in 2023? ›The league will welcome BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston on July 1, 2023, and then Texas and Oklahoma are still believed to fulfill their grant of rights through June 30, 2025. That would give BYU two football seasons in the same league as the Longhorns and Sooners.
How many teams are in the Big 12 in 2023? ›It's a brief preview of what the conference will look like, at least in the short term with BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF slated to join the league for the 2023 season. That will turn the Big 12 into a 14-team league for now, with Texas and Oklahoma still a part of the conference.
Will the Big 12 expand further? ›The Big 12 is still targeting more expansion. The conference will add BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF in 2023 and lose Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC at some point in the coming years.
Who will replace Texas and Oklahoma in Big 12? ›Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston and Jacksonville State will join Conference USA as replacements in 2023. It has yet to be announced if the arrival of the four programs will speed up the process for Texas and Oklahoma to depart for the SEC.
What two schools are leaving the Big 12? ›With Texas and Oklahoma poised to depart the Big 12 in 2025 and BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF joining the conference next year, it's reasonable to wonder whether being in the Big 12 helps or hurts a football team's national profile.
Who will be in Big 12 in 2024? ›The Big 12 currently consists of 10 teams, but will expand to 14 for the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the addition of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF.
Why Oklahoma is leaving the Big 12? ›A move to the SEC in 2024 for Texas and Oklahoma would also line up with the new 12-team College Football Playoff. For the Big 12 Conference, Texas and Oklahoma moving on would allow the league to focus on its new branding and begin the 12-team Playoff era with its long-term membership.
How much will new Big 12 teams make? ›
Big 12 teams will eventually rake in an average of $47 million per season in rights fees, including payouts from the College Football Playoff and NCAA Tournament. That figure could exceed $50 million once the CFP expands to 12 teams as expected.
What will the SEC look like when Texas and Oklahoma join? ›SEC football schedules by divisions will be eliminated when Texas, Oklahoma join in 2025. GREENVILLE - Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey said Thursday that SEC football plans to eliminate its two-division structure for scheduling once Texas and Oklahoma join the conference on July 1, 2025.
What will happen to the Big 12 when Texas and Oklahoma leave? ›Presently, the Big 12 grant of rights expires in 2025, freeing Texas and Oklahoma to join the SEC that summer.
How will the new Big 12 be divided? ›Assuming BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF join ahead of the 2023-24 athletic year, the league would be at 14 teams for two seasons in 2023 and 2024. The Big 12 would then shrink to 12 teams in football, playing in six-team divisions beginning in 2025.
What teams are leaving the AAC for the Big 12? ›The decision comes just days after departing members Cincinnati, Houston and UCF announced they will leave the AAC for the Big 12 -- also on July 1, 2023. The Big 12 added those three schools, along with BYU, after losing Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, which will take place some time before the 2025 season.
Will Texas join SEC in 2024? ›The negotiations for Oklahoma and Texas to leave the Big 12 a year early and join the SEC in 2024 have stalled and a deal is not expected to come to fruition, sources told ESPN on Friday morning. After weeks of negotiations, Texas and Oklahoma are still slated to join the SEC in 2025.