One week ago I wrote about the return of Colorado to the Big 12 Conference in 2024. Only seven days later, the Big 12 announced that the Board of Directors unanimously voted to add the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and the University of Utah to the Conference to total 16 schools starting next year. Only two years after national analysts and “experts” debated the downfall of the Big 12 following Texas and Oklahoma’s departures to the SEC, the Big 12 is now thriving with a massive Conference comprised of Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah and West Virginia for the 2024-25 season.
“Today the Baylor Family proudly welcomes Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and the University of Utah to the Big 12 Conference,” Baylor University President Linda Livingstone said. “Within the past 10 days, we have significantly elevated our academic profile with the addition of the University of Colorado and these three outstanding universities, all of which are members of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The Big 12 now features strategic geographic connections between Arizona, Colorado and Utah—there of the fastest-growing states in the U.S., along with Texas and Florida—and important student recruitment areas for our University. All of us with Baylor look forward to exploring the beautiful mountains and landscapes these new Big 12 states offer and to collaborating with our newest academic and athletics partners.”
Vice President and Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades commented, “It has been quite a two-year journey for the Big 12. And with the recent addition of Colorado and today’s announcement of Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah joining the Big 12, we’ve added four significant athletics brands and outstanding universities. This is a testament to how far we’ve come, the strength of the conference with 16 members and the incredible leadership of the conference office and member institutions. The Big 12 is among the strongest conferences in the nation. These universities bring a long legacy of NCAA Championship appearances, conference titles and national championships across all sports. While I cannot wait for what’s ahead for Baylor as a proud member of the Big 12 Conference, I also recognize the resulting challenges for some of our industry peers and wish the best for them.”
