Big 12 Conference | American Athletic Conference | Britannica

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Big 12 Conference American athletic conference Ask Anything Also known as: Big 6 Conference, Big 7 Conference, Big 8 Conference(Show More) Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 20, 2026 •History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

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Ex-KU star and NBA coach Jacque Vaughn steps in as interim coach for No. 19 Jayhawks at Colorado • Jan. 20, 2026, 2:24 PM ET (AP) ...(Show more) Peterson and Kansas show their potential as Jayhawks crush previously unbeaten No. 2 Iowa State • Jan. 14, 2026, 12:22 AM ET (AP) Arizona holds No. 1 spot over Michigan by single point in one of the closest AP Top 25 races ever • Jan. 5, 2026, 1:01 PM ET (AP) How A.J. Dybantsa's resilience led No. 10 BYU to a Big 12-opening win over Kansas State • Jan. 4, 2026, 10:47 AM ET (AP) More campus games? Big 12 commish says 'everything is on the table' when it comes to playoff reboot • Jan. 1, 2026, 5:19 PM ET (AP) Show less

Big 12 Conference, American collegiate athletic organization. The Big 12 Conference has 16 members.

Big 12 Conference Members

school	year joined
University of Arizona	2024
Arizona State University	2024
Baylor University	1996
Brigham Young University	2023
University of Central Florida	2023
University of Cincinnati	2023
University of Colorado, Boulder	1948, rejoined 2024
University of Houston	2023
Iowa State University	1928
University of Kansas	1928
Kansas State University	1928
Oklahoma State University	1959
Texas Christian University	2012
Texas Tech University	1996
University of Utah	2024
West Virginia University	2012

Kansas, the University of Nebraska, Oklahoma, the University of Missouri, Iowa State, and Kansas State had been members of the Missouri Valley Conference (formed in 1907) but split in 1928 to form the Big 6 Conference. It became the Big 7 when the University of Colorado joined the conference in 1948 and the Big 8 when Oklahoma State was added in 1959. The conference expanded in 1996 when four Texas universities (Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M University) left the Southwest Conference and joined the Big 8.

Originally: Big 6 Conference (Show more) Areas Of Involvement: sports college (Show more) Related People: Phog Allen (Show more) See all related content

As the Big 12, it was split into two six-team divisions, one of which consisted of the two Oklahoma and four Texas schools. The conference’s structure changed again when it was announced in 2010 that Colorado was departing to join the Pacific-12 Conference and that Nebraska was leaving to join the Big Ten Conference. In 2012 Missouri and Texas A&M left the conference to join the Southeastern Conference and were replaced by West Virginia and Texas Christian. In 2023 Brigham Young University, the University of Central Florida, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Houston joined the Big 12. In 2024 the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma left the conference to join the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of Colorado, and the University of Utah were added to the Big 12. Despite the various changes in conference membership, the Big 12 decided to keep its well-known name.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Will Gosner.