Big 12 Conference facts for kids
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| Association | NCAA |
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| Founded | February 25, 1994 |
| Commissioner | Brett Yormark (since 2022) |
| Sports fielded |
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| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | FBS |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Headquarters | Irving, Texas |
| Region | |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN
Fox Sports TNT Sports through ESPN CBS Sports through ESPN |
| Streaming partner(s) | ESPN Flagship Paramount+ |
| Locations | |
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The Big 12 Conference is a group of 16 universities in the United States that compete against each other in college sports. These schools are located in ten states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. The conference's main office is in Irving, Texas.
All the teams in the Big 12 are part of Division I, which is the highest level of college sports organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For football, the teams play in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which is the top level for college football.
The Big 12 is one of the "Power Four" conferences. These are the four most successful and highest-earning groups in college football. Being in the Power Four means the conference gets special advantages, like a guaranteed spot in a major bowl game.
The conference was created in February 1994. It was formed when all eight schools from the old Big Eight Conference joined with four schools from the old Southwest Conference. Over the years, some teams have left and new teams have joined, changing the size and shape of the conference.
Contents
Member Universities
The Big 12 Conference has 16 main member schools. These are called "full members" because they compete in the conference in most of their sports. Three of the schools are private, and thirteen are public universities.
Affiliate Members
Some universities are "affiliate members." This means they are not full members of the Big 12, but they compete in the conference for one or two specific sports. For example, many schools join the Big 12 just for wrestling or women's lacrosse.
Former Members
Over the years, some schools have left the Big 12 to join other conferences.
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Left in 2011 for the Big Ten)
- Colorado (Left in 2011 for the Pac-12, but rejoined the Big 12 in 2024)
- University of Missouri (Left in 2012 for the SEC)
- Texas A&M University (Left in 2012 for the SEC)
- University of Oklahoma (Left in 2024 for the SEC)
- University of Texas at Austin (Left in 2024 for the SEC)
Conference History
The Big 12 Conference was formed in 1994 when two older conferences, the Big Eight and the Southwest Conference, decided to merge. All eight teams from the Big Eight and four teams from Texas in the Southwest Conference came together. They officially started playing games as the Big 12 in the fall of 1996.
For its first 15 years, the conference was split into two divisions: a North Division and a South Division. This changed in 2011 and 2012 when four original members left. To replace them, TCU and West Virginia joined in 2012.
The conference saw more big changes recently. In 2021, Oklahoma and Texas announced they would leave for the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In response, the Big 12 invited four new schools: BYU, Cincinnati, UCF, and the Houston. They all started playing in the Big 12 in 2023.
The changes continued when Colorado announced it would return to the Big 12 in 2024. Soon after, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah also decided to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big 12, bringing the total number of schools to 16.
Sports in the Big 12
The Big 12 Conference organizes championships in 10 men's sports and 15 women's sports. Not every school participates in every sport. For example, only four full members have a women's beach volleyball team.
| Sport | Men's Teams | Women's Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 14 | – |
| Basketball | 16 | 16 |
| Beach volleyball | – | 4 |
| Cross country | 13 | 16 |
| Equestrian | – | 4 |
| Football | 16 | – |
| Golf | 16 | 14 |
| Gymnastics | – | 7 |
| Lacrosse | – | 6 |
| Rowing | – | 6 |
| Soccer | – | 16 |
| Softball | – | 11 |
| Swimming & Diving | 7 | 10 |
| Tennis | 9 | 16 |
| Track and Field (Indoor) | 13 | 16 |
| Track and Field (Outdoor) | 13 | 16 |
| Volleyball | – | 15 |
| Wrestling | 14 | – |
Championships
Teams in the Big 12 have won many national championships across different sports. A national championship means a team was the best in the entire country for that season.
National Titles Won as Big 12 Members
Here are the national championships won by teams while they were part of the Big 12 Conference.
- Football (3): Nebraska (1997), Oklahoma (2000), Texas (2005)
- Men's Basketball (3): Kansas (2008, 2022), Baylor (2021)
- Women's Basketball (4): Baylor (2005, 2012, 2019), Texas A&M (2011)
- Baseball (2): Texas (2002, 2005)
- Softball (8): Oklahoma (2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- Men's Golf (8): Oklahoma State (2000, 2006, 2018, 2025), Texas A&M (2009), Texas (2012, 2022), Oklahoma (2017)
- Men's Cross Country (8): Colorado (2001, 2004, 2006), Oklahoma State (2009, 2010, 2012, 2023), BYU (2024)
- Women's Cross Country (3): Colorado (2000, 2004), BYU (2024)
Football
Football is one of the most popular sports in the Big 12. From 1996 to 2010, the conference was split into two divisions, and the winners of each division played in the Big 12 Championship Game to decide the conference champion.
After some teams left, the conference stopped having divisions and the championship game for a few years. Instead, every team played every other team in a "round-robin" schedule. The championship game returned in 2017. Now, the top two teams in the conference standings at the end of the regular season play each other for the title.
Bowl Games
At the end of the football season, successful teams are invited to play in bowl games. The Big 12 has agreements with several major bowls. The conference champion usually plays in the Sugar Bowl, unless they are selected for the College Football Playoff. Other Big 12 teams play in bowls like the Alamo Bowl, Pop-Tarts Bowl, and Texas Bowl.
Basketball
The Big 12 is known for being one of the best conferences in college basketball. Many of its teams are often ranked among the best in the country.
Like football, the basketball teams play a conference schedule to determine a regular-season champion. After the regular season, all the teams play in the Big 12 men's basketball tournament. The winner of the tournament is also considered a conference champion.
The Kansas Jayhawks have been the most dominant team, winning the regular-season title 20 times. In recent years, teams like Baylor and Houston have also won championships.
Images for kids
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A prototype logo for the Big 12 from 1994.
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The first official logo, used from 1996 to 2004.
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The second official logo, used from 2004 to 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Big 12 Conference para niños
