The 2024-25 Big 12 sports season is officially in the books after Arizona’s 8-3 loss to Louisville in the College World Series on Sunday afternoon.
Next up is football. But before we get to kickoff, I wanted to take some time to reflect on a very unique past few months we have had in the conference we all love.
A New Era of the Big 12
I know the Big 12 looks a hell of a lot different than what it did 20 years ago. Heck, it looks a lot different than what it was even three years ago. The Big 12 is no longer 10, 12, or 14 teams, with 16 teams in the conference.
This truly marks a new era in the conference, with Texas and Oklahoma departing, along with the addition of new schools to the west and east of the traditional Big 12 footprint.
This isn’t your dad’s Big 12. It’s a new era—and this year, it delivered.
Big 12 Football
Think about the conference champions we have had in the men’s big three sports (football, basketball, and baseball). Arizona State was picked to finish last in football and ended up winning the Big 12 in their very first season in the conference.
It truly was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen.
When you dig deeper, three of the four newcomers were tied atop the league standings, with BYU and Colorado joining Arizona State. Only Iowa State, which lost the Big 12 Championship game, was one of the original Big 12 teams still in the mix at the end of the season.
Related: Brett Yormark Outlines What Still Needs Fixing in the Big 12
Big 12 Men’s Basketball
Then you fast forward to basketball. Houston has been in the Big 12 for two years and won the regular season title twice in their first two seasons in the conference. Sorry, Kansas, but Houston is the new standard when it comes to Big 12 basketball.
Just like Big 12 football, three of the top four teams in the league standings were newcomers, with Arizona and BYU joining Houston near the top of the standings. Only Texas Tech was there as an original Big 12 team that finished in the top four of the league standings.
Big 12 Baseball
Of course, I can’t forget about what just ended with college baseball.
While the “traditional” Big 12 teams had a better result in the league standings, with West Virginia, Kansas, and TCU taking the top three spots, Arizona had the best finish of anyone in the League. Arizona may not have won the regular season crown, but they did win the Big 12 Tournament and were the only team from the conference to make it to the College World Series.
It was the first time in two years that the Big 12 had a team in Omaha.
You can say what you want about all the moves the conference has made over the years. People thought it was a mistake adding some of these schools, and here they are exceeding expectations.
Texas and Oklahoma are gone, and whether you like it or not, those were two flagship programs in the Big 12. They were national brands. But in this new era of the Big 12, anyone can step up and become a power.
While I am not ready to say that the newer schools in the conference are superior to everyone else, it was very impressive to see them excel and bring home championships.
My only question is, who’s next? Which one of the new schools in the Big 12 is going to shock us all and bring home a championship? Only time will tell.
