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Big 12 Conference

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Big 12 Conference
Data
Classification NCAA Division I FBS
Established 1996
Members 12
Sports fielded 21 (10 men's, 11 women's)
Region Central United States
States 7 - Colorado, Iowa, Kansas,
Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma,
Texas
Headquarters Irving, Texas
Locations
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located mostly in the central United States. It is a member of the NCAA's Division I for all sports; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division I-A), the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition. The conference was officially formed on February 25, 1994, when the former Big Eight Conference merged with four Texas schools that had been members of the Southwest Conference, which had just disbanded. Athletic competition in the conference commenced on August 31, 1996. Big 12 headquarters is located in Irving, Texas, which is a suburb of Dallas. According to the Big 12 Conference's website, the use of the alternate names "Big Twelve" and "Big XII" are incorrect; the trademarked name of the conference is "Big 12 Conference" (notwithstanding the Roman numeral XII featured on the conference logo).

Although all eight of the former Big 8 schools are members of the Big 12, the Big 12 does not claim the Big 8's history as its own. However, many fans of the old Big 8 schools consider the Big 12 to be an enlarged Big 8.

Membership

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Mascot Varsity Sports
Northern Division
University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado 1876 Public 28,624 Buffaloes Ralphie / Chip 16
Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 1858 Public 25,462 Cyclones Cy the Cardinal 18
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas 1865 Public 27,875 Jayhawks Big Jay / Baby Jay 16
Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas 1863 Public 23,000 Wildcats Willie the Wildcat 16
University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri 1839 Public 28,253 Tigers Truman the Tiger 20
University of Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska 1869 Public 22,973 Cornhuskers Herbie Husker / Lil' Red 21
Southern Division
Baylor University Waco, Texas 1845 Private / Baptist 13,886 Bears Judge and Bruiser 18
University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma 1890 Public 29,721 Sooners Sooner Schooner 16
Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 1890 Public 23,819 Cowboys Pistol Pete / Bullet 16
University of Texas Austin, Texas 1883 Public 49,696 Longhorns Bevo 18
Texas A&M University College Station, Texas 1876 Public 46,540 Aggies Reveille 20
Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas 1923 Public 28,260 Red Raiders The Masked Rider / Raider Red 17

Conference facilities

School Football stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity Baseball stadium Capacity
Northern Division
Colorado Folsom Field 53,750 Coors Events Center 11,064 No baseball team N/A
Iowa State Jack Trice Stadium 55,000 Hilton Coliseum 14,092 No Baseball Team (Formerly Cap Timm Field) N/A
Kansas Memorial Stadium 50,071 Allen Fieldhouse 16,300 Hoglund Ballpark 2,500
Kansas State Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium 52,200 Bramlage Coliseum 12,528 Tointon Family Stadium 2,000
Missouri Faurot Field 68,349* Mizzou Arena 15,061 Taylor Stadium 3,000
Nebraska Memorial Stadium 85,197 Bob Devaney Sports Center 13,595 Haymarket Park 4,500
Southern Division
Baylor Floyd Casey Stadium 50,000 Ferrell Center 10,284 Baylor Ballpark 5,000
Oklahoma Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 82,112* Lloyd Noble Center 12,000 L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park 2,700
Oklahoma State Boone Pickens Stadium 44,700** Gallagher-Iba Arena 13,611 Allie P. Reynolds Stadium 3,821
Texas Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium 85,123* Frank Erwin Center 16,755 UFCU Disch-Falk Field 6,649
Texas A&M Kyle Field 82,600* Reed Arena 12,989 Olsen Field 7,053
Texas Tech Jones AT&T Stadium 53,000* United Spirit Arena 15,091 Dan Law Field 6,000

* Note the official capacities are listed on the respective schools' websites. Due to temporary seating, the attendance records are often more than the official capacity. The record attendance for Faurot Field is 75,298, The record attendance at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is 85,313, the record for Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is 89,422, the record attendance at Kyle Field is 88,253, and the record for Jones AT&T Stadium is 56,158. **Boone Pickens Stadium's capacity was reduced from 51,000 when construction began on the west end zone project. Capacity after completion will be an estimated 60,000.

Commissioners

Commissioners of the Big 12 Conference

  • 1995-1997 Steve Hatchell
  • 1998-1998 Dave Martin (Interim)
  • 1998-2007 Kevin Weiberg
  • 2007-present Dan Beebe

Sports

The conference sponsors championships in the following sports: baseball (m), basketball (m,w), cross-country (m,w), football (m), golf (m,w), gymnastics (w), soccer (w), softball (w), swimming and diving (m,w), tennis (m,w), track and field (m,w), volleyball (w), wrestling (m)

Among the sponsored sports, all twelve universities participate in 12 sports, while the following sports do not have full participation:

  • 11 schools participate in volleyball (Oklahoma State does not)
  • 11 schools participate in soccer (Kansas State does not)
  • 10 schools participate in baseball (Colorado and Iowa State do not; Colorado discontinued its program following the 1980 season and Iowa State followed suit after the 2001 season)
  • 10 schools participate in softball (Colorado and Kansas State do not)
  • 7 schools participate in men's tennis (Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, and Missouri do not)
  • 6 schools participate in women's swimming and diving (Kansas, Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, and Texas A&M)
  • 5 schools participate in wrestling (Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State)
  • 4 schools participate in gymnastics (Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma)
  • 3 schools participate in men's swimming and diving (Missouri, Texas, and Texas A&M)

Additionally, member schools participate in the following sports, not organized by the conference:

  • Nebraska, Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech participate in rodeo. (Rodeo is not sanctioned by the NCAA, but instead by the NIRA.)
  • Kansas State, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech participate in equestrian.
  • Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska Texas A&M, and Texas participate in rowing.
  • Nebraska and Oklahoma participate in men's gymnastics.
  • Nebraska participates in women's bowling and the coeducational sport of rifle.
  • Texas A&M participates in women's archery.
  • Colorado participates in skiing.
  • Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech participate in ice hockey, as members of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, a sanctioning body for club teams.

Football

There are many national football powerhouses in the Big 12 Conference, and when the league was formed, it was decided that the top team from the South Division would play the top team from the North Division at the end of the season to determine the conference champion.

Teams play eight conference games a season, facing all five opponents within its own division and three teams from the opposite division. Inter-divisional play is a "three-on, three-off" system, where teams will play three teams from the other division on a home-and-home basis for two seasons, and then play the other three foes from the opposite side for a two-year home-and-home.

This format has come under considerable criticism, especially from fans at Nebraska and Oklahoma, who are denied a yearly matchup between two of college football's most storied programs. The Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry was one of the most intense rivalries in college football history. (Until 2006, the teams had never met in the Big 12 Championship.) There has been talk of modifying the current format to allow each team to have one permanent opponent from the opposite division (as is the case in the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference), or for Nebraska and Oklahoma to play a non-conference game when the two teams are not scheduled to meet in conference play.

Championship Game

The Big 12 Championship Game is held by the Big 12 Conference each year. The championship game pits the Big 12 North Division champion against the South Division champion in a game held after the regular season has been completed. The first championship game was during the 1996 season. Since the 1996 season, the most football championships have been held in Arrowhead Stadium, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Bowl game tie-ins

The bowl lineup for the 2007 season, in order of selection:

  1. BCS Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona (vs. BCS at-large)
  2. Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas (vs. SEC)
  3. Holiday Bowl in San Diego, California (vs. Pac-10)
  4. Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida (vs. ACC) or Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas (vs. Big Ten)
  5. Alamo Bowl or Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas (vs. Pac-10)
  6. Insight Bowl near Phoenix, Arizona (vs. Big Ten)
  7. Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana (vs. SEC)
  8. Texas Bowl in Houston, Texas (vs. Big East)

Rivalries

The Big 12 has many rivalries among its member schools, primarily in football. Most of the rivalries existed before the Big Eight and Southwest Conferences merged, but the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry is unique, as it was a major rivalry decades before the two schools were in the same conference. Some of the longstanding football rivalries involving Big 12 schools include:

Rivalry Name Trophy Games
played*
Kansas - Missouri The Border Showdown** Bass drum 116
Kansas - Nebraska 114
Texas - Texas A&M The State Farm Lone Star Showdown The Lone Star Showdown Trophy 114
Kansas - Kansas State The Sunflower Showdown The Governor's Cup 105
Baylor - Texas A&M The Battle of the Brazos 104
Oklahoma -Texas The Red River Rivalry*** The Golden Hat 102
Oklahoma - Oklahoma State The Bedlam Series Bedlam Bell 102
Nebraska - Missouri Missouri - Nebraska Bell 101
Iowa State - Missouri The Telephone Trophy 100
Texas - Baylor 97
Oklahoma - Missouri The Peace Pipe 93
Kansas State - Nebraska 92
Nebraska - Oklahoma 83
Nebraska - Colorado 66
Texas Tech - Texas A&M 66
Texas Tech - Texas Silver Spurs 56
* Following the 2007 season. **Changed from the "Border War" on October 4, 2004. The new name has been criticized for political correctness, and has not been used by major news sources such as ESPN.

***Changed name from "Red River Shootout" in 2005 to deemphasize war and for political correctness. Played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas during the Texas State Fair annually.

2007 Big 12 Standings

In the preseason poll, Missouri was picked to win the North Division, and Texas was picked to win the South Division. Missouri received 16 first place votes and was followed by Nebraska (with 8 first place votes), Kansas State, Kansas, Colorado, and Iowa State. Texas received 16 first place votes and was followed by Oklahoma (with 7 first place votes), Texas A&M (with 1 first place vote), Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Baylor.

Oklahoma defeated Missouri in the Alamo Dome in San Antonio to win the conference championship.

North Division

Missouri represented the Big 12 North with a 7-1 record by virtue of a tiebreaker with a 36-28 win on November 24 over Kansas. Both teams finished the regular season with identical 11-1 overall regular season records and 7-1 conference records.

Team Overall Record Big 12 Record Standings Games Back
Missouri 12-2 7-1 1st
Kansas 12-1 7-1 2nd
Colorado 6-7 4-4 3rd 3
Kansas State 5-7 3-5 4th 4
Nebraska 5-7 2-6 5th 5
Iowa State 3-9 2-6 6th 5
South Division

Team Overall Record Big 12 Record Standings Games Back
Oklahoma 11-3 6-2 1st
Texas 10-3 5-3 2nd 1
Oklahoma State 7-6 4-4 Tied 3rd 2
Texas Tech 9-4 4-4 Tied 3rd 2
Texas A&M 7-6 4-4 Tied 3rd 2
Baylor 3-9 0-8 6th 6

Men's basketball

Although standings in the conference are combined and not split among divisions, the schedule is structured as if the schools were split into two divisions. Teams play a home-and-home against teams within its division and a single game against teams from the opposite division for a total of 16 conference games. This denies Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, formerly in the Big Eight, two games a season against their opponents from that former conference, but does allow most of the other traditional rivalries to be played home-and-home.

2007-08 Big 12 Standings

The Big 12 preseason poll picked Kansas to win the conference with ten first-place votes. Texas was picked second, Texas A&M was third (and received two first place votes), Kansas State picked fourth, Missouri and Oklahoma were picked to tie for fifth, Oklahoma State seventh, Texas Tech eighth, Baylor ninth, Nebraska tenth, Iowa State eleventh and Colorado last.

Team Big 12 Record Big 12 Standings Games Back
Kansas 13-3 Tied 1st
Texas 13-3 Tied 1st
Kansas State 10-6 3rd 3
Oklahoma 9-7 Tied 4th 4
Baylor 9-7 Tied 4th 4
Texas A&M 8-8 6th 5
Nebraska 7-9 Tied 7th 6
Texas Tech 7-9 Tied 7th 6
Oklahoma State 7-9 Tied 7th 6
Missouri 6-10 10th 7
Iowa State 4-12 11th 9
Colorado 3-13 12th 10

Big 12 regular season champions

  • 1997 - Kansas (15-1)
  • 1998 - Kansas (15-1)
  • 1999 - Texas (13-3)
  • 2000 - Iowa State (14-2)
  • 2001 - Iowa State (13-3)
  • 2002 - Kansas (16-0)
  • 2003 - Kansas (14-2)
  • 2004 - Oklahoma State (14-2)
  • 2005 - Oklahoma/Kansas (12-4 apiece)
  • 2006 - Texas/Kansas (13-3 apiece)
  • 2007 - Kansas (14-2)
  • 2008 - Texas/Kansas (13-3 apiece)

In 2005, Oklahoma won the post-season tournament seeding tiebreaker over Kansas based on their 71-63 home victory over the Jayhawks.

In 2006, Texas won the post-season tournament seeding tiebreaker over Kansas based on their 80-55 home victory over the Jayhawks.

In 2008, Texas won the post-season tournament seeding tiebreaker over Kansas based on their 72-69 home victory over the Jayhawks.

Big 12 Coaches

University Coach Current Job Record Overall Record
Baylor Scott Drew 59–79 79–90
Colorado Jeff Bzdelik 12–19 62–35
Iowa State Greg McDermott 15–16 236–143
Kansas Bill Self 133–32 340–137
Kansas State Frank Martin 20–10 20–10
Missouri Mike Anderson 34–27 123–68
Nebraska Doc Sadler 17–14 65–32
Oklahoma Jeff Capel III 33–23 112–64
Oklahoma State Sean Sutton 35-25 35-25
Texas Rick Barnes 216–86 418–221
Texas A&M Mark Turgeon 20–6 173–125
Texas Tech Pat Knight 4–7 4–7

2008 Big 12 Conference Postseason Tournament

The event will take place at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri from March 13-16, 2008. Teams printed in boldface are the winners of their respective games.

Thursday, March 13: Preliminary Round Games

  • No. 8 Texas Tech 72 vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State 76
  • No. 5 Baylor 84 vs. No. 12 Colorado 91, Double OT
  • No. 7 Nebraska 61 vs. No. 10 Missouri 56
  • No. 6 Texas A&M 60 vs. No. 11 Iowa State 47

Friday, March 14: Quarterfinal Round Games

  • No. 1 Texas vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State (11:30 am, BIG 12-ESPN+/ESPN-U)
  • No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Colorado (2:00 pm, BIG 12-ESPN+/ESPN-U)
  • No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 7 Nebraska (6:00 pm, BIG 12-ESPN+)
  • No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 6 Texas A&M (8:20 pm, BIG 12-ESPN+)

Saturday, March 15: Semifinal Round Games

  • TEX/OK ST Winner vs. OKLA/COL Winner (1:00 pm, BIG 12-ESPN+/ESPN2)
  • KAN/NEB Winner vs. K-ST/A&M Winner (3:20 pm, BIG 12-ESPN+/ESPN2)

Sunday, March 16: Title Game

  • TEX/OK ST/OKLA/COL Winner vs. KAN/NEB/K-ST/A&M/ Winner (2:00 pm, ESPN)

National championships

The following is a list of all the national championships held by member schools. Only championships 1996 and later should be counted towards the Big 12 total itself (41). Football (18):
1939 - Texas A&M
1950 - Oklahoma
1955 - Oklahoma
1956 - Oklahoma
1963 - Texas
1969 - Texas
1970 - Nebraska / Texas
1971 - Nebraska
1974 - Oklahoma
1975 - Oklahoma
1985 - Oklahoma
1990 - Colorado
1994 - Nebraska
1995 - Nebraska
1997 - Nebraska
2000 - Oklahoma
2005 - Texas

Baseball (10):
1949 - Texas
1950 - Texas
1951 - Oklahoma
1954 - Missouri
1959 - Oklahoma State
1975 - Texas
1983 - Texas
1994 - Oklahoma
2002 - Texas
2005 - Texas

Men's Basketball (6):
1922 - Kansas
1923 - Kansas
1945 - Oklahoma State
1946 - Oklahoma State
1952 - Kansas
1988 - Kansas

Women's Basketball (3):
1986 - Texas
1993 - Texas Tech
2005 - Baylor

Women's Bowling (4):
1999 - Nebraska
2001 - Nebraska
2004 - Nebraska
2005 - Nebraska

Men's Cross Country (7):
1953 - Kansas
1954 - Oklahoma State
1989 - Iowa State
1994 - Iowa State
2001 - Colorado
2004 - Colorado
2006 - Colorado

Women's Cross Country (3):
1986 - Texas
2000 - Colorado
2004 - Colorado
Equestrian (2):
2000 - Oklahoma State
2002 - Texas A&M

Men's Golf (12):
1963 - Oklahoma State
1971 - Texas
1972 - Texas
1976 - Oklahoma State
1978 - Oklahoma State
1980 - Oklahoma State
1983 - Oklahoma State
1987 - Oklahoma State
1989 - Oklahoma
1991 - Oklahoma State
1995 - Oklahoma State
2000 - Oklahoma State
2006 - Oklahoma State

Men's Gymnastics (17):
1971 - Iowa State
1973 - Iowa State
1974 - Iowa State
1977 - Oklahoma
1978 - Oklahoma
1979 - Nebraska
1980 - Nebraska
1981 - Nebraska
1982 - Nebraska
1983 - Nebraska
1988 - Nebraska
1990 - Nebraska
1991 - Oklahoma
1994 - Nebraska
2002 - Oklahoma
2003 - Oklahoma
2005 - Oklahoma
2006 - Oklahoma

Men's Indoor Track (4):
1965 - Missouri
1966 - Kansas
1969 - Kansas
1970 - Kansas

Women's Indoor Track (7):
1983 - Nebraska
1984 - Nebraska
1986 - Texas
1988 - Texas
1989 - Texas
1998 - Texas
1999 - Texas
2006 - Texas

Men's Outdoor Track (3):
1959 - Kansas
1960 - Kansas
1970 - Kansas
Women's Outdoor Track (5):
1982 - Texas
1986 - Texas
1998 - Texas
1999 - Texas
2005 - Texas

Men's/Women's Skiing (16):
1959 - Colorado
1960 - Colorado
1972 - Colorado
1973 - Colorado
1974 - Colorado
1975 - Colorado
1976 - Colorado
1977 - Colorado
1978 - Colorado
1979 - Colorado
1982 - Colorado
1991 - Colorado
1995 - Colorado
1998 - Colorado
1999 - Colorado
2006 - Colorado

Softball (4):
1982 - Texas A&M
1983 - Texas A&M
1987 - Texas A&M
2000 - Oklahoma

Men's Swimming (9):
1981 - Texas
1988 - Texas
1989 - Texas
1990 - Texas
1991 - Texas
1996 - Texas
2000 - Texas
2001 - Texas
2002 - Texas

Women's Swimming (7):
1981 - Texas
1982 - Texas
1984 - Texas
1985 - Texas
1986 - Texas
1987 - Texas
1988 - Texas
1990 - Texas
1991 - Texas

Men's Tennis (1):
2004 - Baylor

Women's Tennis (2):
1992 - Texas
1995 - Texas

Women's Volleyball (5):
1981 - Texas
1988 - Texas
1995 - Nebraska
2000 - Nebraska
2006 - Nebraska
Wrestling (49):
1928 - Oklahoma State
1929 - Oklahoma State
1930 - Oklahoma State
1931 - Oklahoma State
1933 - Iowa State/Oklahoma State
1934 - Oklahoma State
1935 - Oklahoma State
1936 - Oklahoma
1937 - Oklahoma State
1938 - Oklahoma State
1939 - Oklahoma State
1940 - Oklahoma State
1941 - Oklahoma State
1942 - Oklahoma State
1946 - Oklahoma State
1948 - Oklahoma State
1949 - Oklahoma State
1951 - Oklahoma
1952 - Oklahoma
1954 - Oklahoma State
1955 - Oklahoma State
1956 - Oklahoma State
1957 - Oklahoma
1958 - Oklahoma State
1959 - Oklahoma State
1960 - Oklahoma
1961 - Oklahoma State
1962 - Oklahoma State
1963 - Oklahoma
1964 - Oklahoma State
1965 - Iowa State
1966 - Oklahoma State
1968 - Oklahoma State
1969 - Iowa State
1970 - Iowa State
1971 - Oklahoma State
1972 - Iowa State
1973 - Iowa State
1974 - Oklahoma
1977 - Iowa State
1987 - Iowa State
1989 - Oklahoma State
1990 - Oklahoma State
1994 - Oklahoma State
2003 - Oklahoma State
2004 - Oklahoma State
2005 - Oklahoma State
2006 - Oklahoma State

National team titles by institution

  • Oklahoma State - 48
  • Texas - 47
  • Oklahoma - 25
  • Colorado - 22
  • Nebraska - 21
  • Iowa State - 13
  • Kansas - 11
  • Texas A&M - 5
  • Missouri - 2
  • Baylor - 2
  • Texas Tech - 1
  • Kansas State - 0

National team titles since 1996

  • Texas - 12
  • Colorado - 8
  • Oklahoma State - 7
  • Nebraska - 6
  • Oklahoma - 6
  • Baylor - 2
  • Texas A&M - 1
  • Iowa State - 0
  • Kansas - 0
  • Kansas State - 0
  • Missouri - 0
  • Texas Tech - 0

Conference champions

The Big 12 Conference sponsors 21 sports, 10 men's and 11 women's.

In football, divisional titles are awarded based on regular-season conference results, with the teams with the best conference records from the North and South playing the in the Big 12 Championship Game for the Big 12 title. Baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, and tennis titles are awarded in both regular-season and tournament play. Cross country, golf, gymnastics, swimming and diving, track and field, and wrestling titles are awarded during an annual meet of participating teams. The volleyball title is awarded based on regular-season play.

Big 12 Conference titles by school

North Division

  • Nebraska - 62
  • Colorado - 24
  • Kansas - 18
  • Iowa State - 9
  • Kansas State - 7
  • Missouri - 2

South Division

  • Texas - 90
  • Texas A&M - 31
  • Oklahoma - 30
  • Baylor - 25
  • Oklahoma State - 25
  • Texas Tech - 8

List includes both regular-season and tournament titles.

References

External links



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Last updated on Thursday March 13, 2008 at 21:35:04 PDT (GMT -0700)
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