Getty Image
The Big 12 became the final Power 5 conference to announce its plans for the upcoming college football season as it is set to play a total of nine conference games plus one nonconference game. The Big 12 and the ACC are the only two Power 5 conferences that are planning to play a nonconference game.
According to ESPN, the start of conference play will be finalized in the coming weeks with an anticipated start in mid to late September. The plan is to play the nonconference game prior to the start of conference play.
“I would like to salute the work of our university presidents and chancellors, athletics directors, coaches, medical advisors and administrators who have worked tirelessly and collaboratively during these extraordinary times,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a statement. “We believe this change provides the best opportunity going forward. However, we will undoubtedly need to be flexible as we progress through the season in order to combat the challenges that lie ahead.”
With the SEC announcing that it will play a conference only schedule, we will be missing out on three interconference marquee games: Texas vs. LSU, Oklahoma vs. Tennessee, and Baylor vs. Ole Miss.
The Pac-12, SEC, and Big Ten are all set to play only conference games this fall and only the Big Ten has yet to announce its specific plans and possible start dates to the season.