Big 12 Conference

The Big 12 enters its 27th year as one of the nation’s premier athletic conferences under the direction of new commissioner Brett Yormark.

TCU and West Virginia joined the league on July 1, 2012 and became the Big 12’s first additions since inception, joining Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech. Beginning on July 1, 2023, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston will become members.

The Conference’s hard work ethic and strong values have translated to enormous success in its first 26 years. Since it began competition in 1996-97, the league can boast of 77 NCAA team titles and 718 individual national championships.

The Big 12 has been at the forefront in college athletics reform, specifically with student-athlete welfare issues to include cost of attendance, student-athlete time demands and strengthening its policy for concussion diagnosis and management. In 2014-15, the Big 12 introduced and hosted three “State of Collegiate Athletics” forums to examine the issues facing college athletics. Two were conducted in Washington, D.C. and one in New York City. Panelists included respected authorities from intercollegiate athletics, university leadership and sports journalism. The third forum featured a special session comprised of student-athletes. The Big 12 continued the “State of Collegiate Athletics” forums with Dallas serving as the host site for three events and one staged in Atlanta.

The award-winning Big 12 Champions for Life, an initiative of the Conference, begins its eighth year in 2022-23. It features current and former student-athletes, selected by league institutions, in a series of public service announcements highlighting the positive impact an athletics scholarship has had on their lives leading to stories of personal growth and success.

During the 2021-22 athletics season, an all-time high eight national titles were won by teams that compete under the Big 12 banner. Additionally, six teams finished as runners-up in their respective national championships while 15 student-athletes brought home individual titles. Kansas won the Conference’s second-consecutive and third overall men’s basketball crown. Baylor was the 2021 champion while Kansas also won in 2008. Oklahoma collected its and the league’s fifth gymnastics national championship. Texas brought home the Big 12’s first NCAA title in men’s indoor track & field while Oklahoma State earned the league’s second trophy in Equestrian. Four titles were added to the ledger in the spring season with Texas capturing its second-consecutive championships in women’s tennis and rowing. The Longhorns also won the Big 12’s seventh men’s golf crown. Oklahoma snagged its second straight and sixth overall softball national title.

The Big 12 has the best bowl win percentage of any conference over the last two seasons (.833). The Conference placed 70 percent of teams in 2021 bowl games for the first time since 2018, and had seven bowl squads for the 18th season out of the last 23. Baylor and Oklahoma State played in and won CFP New Year’s Six Bowls to give the Big 12 two teams in the postseason structure for the sixth time in its eight years. From 2017-19, Oklahoma made three straight CFP semifinal appearances and has made four since 2015.

The Big 12 sponsors 23 sports. Men’s squads include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, swimming & diving, tennis and wrestling. Women’s teams are fielded in basketball, cross country, equestrian, golf, gymnastics, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball.

Big 12 institutions create a league that encompasses five states and nearly 38 million people. Nearly 5,000 student-athletes from across the United States and around the World compete annually in the sports sponsored by the Conference.

The Conference currently conducts postseason championships for 22 of its 23 sports with the Football Championship Game returning in 2017 after a six-year absence. Each championship helps to determine teams and/ or individuals that will represent the Conference in national postseason competition.

The Conference office is headquartered in Irving, Texas.