Who’s in the Big 12 Conference? Explaining conference realignment, new schedules and more

The Big 12 added four more schools in 2024 year after losing Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC. It also added four other schools from the American Athletic and Mountain West conferences in 2023.

With a total of 16 members as the Big 12 enters the 2024-25 college football season, the conference looks a whole lot different these days.

Let's take a look at all the new members, how the schedule works and how all the teams in the Big 12 stack up this year.

Current Big 12 membership

New Big 12 members

1. Arizona Wildcats

The University of Arizona was a member of the Pac-12 Conference from 1978-2023 and joined the Big 12 officially in August 2024. The Wildcats went 10-3 last season and finished third in the Pac-12, earning the No. 11 ranking in the final Associated Press poll.

2. Arizona State Sun Devils

Arizona State University was a member of the Pac-12 Conference from 1978-2023, joining the Big 12 in August 2024. The Sun Devils finished 3-9 last season and 11th in the Pac-12.

3. Colorado Buffaloes

Colorado University was an original member of the Big Eight Conference (re-branded the Big 12 in 1996) in 1948, leaving for the Pac-12 in 2010. The Buffaloes rejoined the Big 12 in August 2024 after finishing 4-8 and last in the Pac-12 last season.

4. Utah Utes

The University of Utah was a member of the Pac-12 Conference from 2011-23, having previously left the Mountain West Conference where it had resided since 1999. The Utes joined the Big 12 in August 2024 after going 8-5 and finishing fifth in the Pac-12 last year.

Former Big 12 members

Big 12 division history

The Big 12 Conference was broken into two divisions (North/South) from 1996-2010. Starting with the 2011 season, divisions were eliminated and teams played a total of 11 regular season games (three non-conference and eight conference opponents).

How the Big 12 schedule works

Scheduling rules

The Big 12 introduced what it calls a "football scheduling matrix" for the 2024-27 seasons, according to the conference website. Over the course of the four seasons each team will play one another at least once home and away.

The conference says it prioritized "geography, historic matchups and rivalries as well as competitive balance" when designing the system.

Upcoming Big 12 schedules

Big 12 Conference championship game tie-breakers

The top two teams after finishing the regular season will participate in the Big 12 Championship game at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX on Dec. 7, 2024.

The winner of the head-to-head between the top two teams will be named the home team and the loser the visiting team. If no head-to-head occurred during the regular season or it resulted in a tie, then the following tie-breakers will be applied. These also apply in the event of a two-team tie for second place.

1. Win percentage against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings
2. Win percentage against all common conference opponents
3. Combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents
4. Total number of wins in a 12-game season
5. Highest ranking by SportSource Analytics following the last weekend of regular-season games
6. Coin toss

Big 12 head coaches

New Big 12 head coaches

Brent Brennan, Arizona:

Brennan was the head coach of San Jose State from 2017-23, posting a 34-48 record in that span and making three bowl game appearances. He will make his debut with the Wildcats on Aug. 31 as they host New Mexico in their season opener.

Former Big 12 head coaches

Jedd Fisch, Arizona (2021-23)

Fisch departed Arizona for the national champion runner-up Washington Huskies in January. He posted a 16-21 record during his tenure in Tucson, winning the Alamo Bowl in his final year and finishing third in the Pac-12 (No. 11 nationally).

Steve Sarkisian, Texas (2021-present)

Sarkisian and the Longhorns officially departed the Big 12 for the SEC in August. The fourth-year head coach in Austin left the conference with a 25-14 record, claiming the title in 2023 and participating in the College Football Playoff as the No. 3 seed.

Brent Venables, Oklahoma (2021-present)

Venables and the Sooners followed Texas to the SEC in August. The third-year head coach in Norman left the conference with a 16-10 record and no championship game appearances.

Big 12 in the rankings

Preseason AP poll

No. 12 Utah
No. 17 Oklahoma State
No. 18 Kansas State
No. 21 Arizona
No. 22 Kansas

Preseason coaches poll

No. 13 Utah
No. 17 Kansas State
No. 18 Oklahoma State
No. 21 Arizona
No. 24 Kansas

Big 12 Conference preseason media poll