What the Big 12 is after realignment
The Big 12 Conference is a 16-school league that plays a full schedule of college sports, and for ticket buyers it means two things above all: Saturday football from September through early December and a deep men's basketball season that ends with a March tournament in Kansas City. The conference was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas, but the map looks nothing like it did a decade ago.
Realignment rebuilt the league in two waves. BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF joined in 2023. In 2024 Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah arrived from the old Pac-12, Colorado returning after leaving in 2011, while Texas and Oklahoma left for the SEC. The result is a conference that spans four time zones, from Florida to Utah.
The 16 members for 2025–26
- Texas and Oklahoma: Baylor, Houston, TCU, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State
- Plains and Midwest: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Cincinnati
- Mountain West and desert: Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Colorado and Utah
- East: UCF and West Virginia
Member schools and their stadiums
Every Big 12 football program has its own page on GoodSeats: Arizona Wildcats Football, Arizona State Sun Devils Football, Baylor Bears Football, BYU Cougars Football, Cincinnati Bearcats Football, Colorado Buffaloes Football, Houston Cougars Football, Iowa State Cyclones Football, Kansas Jayhawks Football, Kansas State Wildcats Football, Oklahoma State Cowboys Football, TCU Horned Frogs Football, Texas Tech Red Raiders Football, UCF Knights Football, Utah Utes Football and West Virginia Mountaineers Football.
Stadium sizes vary more than in the SEC or Big Ten. There is no 100,000-seat bowl here. BYU's LaVell Edwards Stadium (62,073) is among the largest in the league, and Kansas is playing in a stadium of about 32,000 during construction in 2026. That matters for buyers in two ways. Supply for a marquee home game is tighter than the national profile of the matchup suggests, and the visiting team's allotment is small, so traveling fans tend to buy on the resale market and end up scattered rather than grouped.
Geography also shapes the experience. Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium sits at about 4,637 feet and Colorado plays at altitude in Boulder, so late-season night games there are cold. Early-September afternoon games in Texas, Arizona and Florida are the opposite problem: heat, with shade worth paying attention to on the seating chart.
Rivalries and the games that sell first
Realignment kept some old rivalries inside the league and brought new ones in. The ones that consistently move demand:
- The Territorial Cup: Arizona against Arizona State, now a conference game again.
- Baylor and TCU: a Texas series dating to 1899.
- BYU and Utah: the Beehive Boot rivalry, renewed as a league game.
- Iowa State and Kansas State: described as the longest continuously running rivalry in the conference.
Beyond the rivalries, three factors drive Big 12 demand: a ranked opponent late in the season, a short drive for the visiting fan base (Texas schools against each other, or Kansas against Kansas State), and night kickoffs on national television. Non-conference home games in September against smaller programs are usually the easiest tickets of the year.
The Big 12 Championship Game and bowl season
The Big 12 Championship Game was played from 1996 through 2010, dropped when membership fell below 12, and revived in 2017. Since then it has matched the two teams with the best conference records. It is played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, part of the Dallas–Fort Worth market, under a contract that runs until 2030. The 2025 game, Texas Tech over BYU 34–7, drew 85,519, the largest crowd in the game's history. The 2024 edition went to Arizona State over Iowa State.
Because AT&T Stadium has a retractable roof and far more seats than any Big 12 campus stadium, the title game is often easier to get into than a top regular-season rivalry game. Demand depends on the matchup: two fan bases within driving distance of Arlington sell more of the building than a pairing that requires flights.
Bowl tie-ins are renegotiated in multi-year cycles, so treat these as current arrangements rather than permanent ones. For the 2026 season, the Alamo Bowl, Texas Bowl, Pop-Tarts Bowl and Liberty Bowl all carry Big 12 selections, and the Independence Bowl lists the Big 12 as a partner. Teams that reach the College Football Playoff leave that pool entirely. The full postseason calendar is covered in College Bowl Games.
Big 12 basketball and the Kansas City tournament
For many fans the Big 12 is a basketball conference first. The men's tournament has been played at Kansas City's T-Mobile Center (formerly the Sprint Center) every year since 2010, plus 2008, and is scheduled to stay there until 2031. Kansas has won the most tournament titles; Houston won in 2025, its second season in the league. For the sport nationally, see College Basketball.
Conference tournaments sell differently from regular-season games. Tickets typically go by session (one ticket covers the games in that block, often two) or as an all-tournament package. Early-round sessions are the easiest to buy, and the semifinal and final sessions are where demand concentrates, especially when a Kansas or Kansas State team with a short drive is still alive. If your team is a high seed, a package can make sense; if not, buying the single session your team is scheduled for, after the bracket is set, avoids paying for games you do not care about.
For campus games, the best seats in a Big 12 arena are on the sideline, 10 to 20 rows up, where you see both benches and the full floor. Seats directly behind the baskets are cheaper for a reason: depth perception on shots is poor and the student sections often stand in front of you.
How Big 12 football tickets work
Each school sells its own tickets. Season tickets come first, usually tied to a donation to the athletics fund that determines seat location (often called priority points). Students receive a separate allotment, generally in a designated student section. Single-game tickets go on sale later, and for the biggest games there may be few or none left after season-ticket holders and the visiting school's allotment.
That structure is why the resale market is where most fans land for rivalry and top-25 games. Prices there move with the matchup, both teams' records, the weather forecast and the kickoff time, which television partners often set only a week or two ahead. Every order on GoodSeats is backed by a 100% guarantee. For buying strategy, see Are Resale Tickets Legit? and How Mobile Ticket Transfer Works.
Tips for a first Big 12 game
- Check the time zone. A Big 12 schedule spans Eastern to Mountain time, and kickoff times are listed in the home team's zone on most school sites.
- Look for shade in September. In Texas, Arizona and Florida, early-season day games are hot. In a stadium with a north-south field, the west-side stands keep the afternoon sun at your back.
- Expect a bag rule. College stadiums commonly enforce a clear-bag policy (bags must be transparent plastic, vinyl or PVC); check the school's current policy before you go.
- Book hotels early for road trips. Many Big 12 campuses are in smaller college towns with limited rooms on a home Saturday.
Official schedules, standings and championship information are on the conference's site at big12sports.com.
Frequently asked questions
Which schools are in the Big 12 for 2025–26?
Sixteen: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah and West Virginia.
Where is the Big 12 Championship Game played?
At AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, under a contract that runs until 2030. It matches the two teams with the best conference records.
Where is the Big 12 men's basketball tournament?
At T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, where it is scheduled to stay until 2031. Tickets are usually sold by session or as an all-tournament package.
Are Texas and Oklahoma still in the Big 12?
No. Both left for the SEC in 2024, the same year Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah joined.
What is the hardest Big 12 game to get tickets for?
Rivalry games such as the Territorial Cup or BYU against Utah, plus late-season games between ranked teams, because stadiums are mid-sized and season-ticket holders absorb most seats.