Big 12 football schedule release: Every game for every team in 2023
The Big 12 released its 2023 football schedule on Tuesday, giving fans their road map for the new-look league after a little bit of a delay added mystery to the reveal.
The Big 12 welcomes in BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the club this year while Texas and Oklahoma are on the way out — ostensibly in 2025, but with frequent rumors that their split could come a season sooner — so this may be the last time we get to see the Longhorns and Sooners in this lineup.
The league schedule begins on Sept. 16, with TCU hosting Houston, the first time the two old Southwest Conference rivals have met since 2007.
“I would like to thank our fans for their patience awaiting this historic schedule,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said. “Given its importance, the complexities of weaving in four new schools, adding a third time zone and ensuring alignment with key stakeholders, we were very deliberate with its development.”
With the new teams, the league says it will continue to play nine league contests with no divisions. The top two finishers by conference win percentage in the regular season standings will meet in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
But before the new conference schedule kicks in, there are some marquee nonconference games to kick off the season, including West Virginia traveling to Penn State in Week 1 before hosting Pitt in the renewed Backyard Brawl on Sept. 16. Texas traveling to Alabama on Sept. 9, the same day Oregon travels to Texas Tech and Baylor hosts Utah, the back-to-back Pac-12 champs. Colorado will kick off the Coach Prime era under Deion Sanders with a road trip to TCU in Week 1, seeking to have the kind of first-year turnaround in Boulder that Sonny Dykes engineered last year in Fort Worth.
Here are each team’s schedules, along with some key questions they raise.
Games we’re most looking forward to?
You can’t start this list without Texas playing Oklahoma during the State Fair of Texas in Dallas on Oct. 7. While there was intrigue on if the league would ever consider sticking it to the Horns and Sooners and scheduling their game at some other point, it’s a historic rivalry that’s a key asset to the league. So with that being a given, let’s look elsewhere. The addition of Houston back to the league means every matchup against an old state SWC rival will be a little pettier and with a little added heat. Texas’ trip to Houston on Oct. 21 will be one the Cougars will be circling, looking for their first win against Texas since 1991. Similarly, Oklahoma State will be hosting Oklahoma on Nov. 4 in what could turn out to be the last Bedlam matchup.
On a pure football level, there is intrigue in Cincinnati’s first Big 12 game, when the Bearcats, under new coach Scott Satterfield, who replaced the Wisconsin-bound Luke Fickell, host Oklahoma, which is coming off a 6-7 season in Brent Venables’ first year. TCU — which rode a magical season all the way to the national championship game and is seeking to establish staying power — gets a Thursday night showdown in Lubbock against Texas Tech before a marquee matchup with Oklahoma the Friday after Thanksgiving to end the season.
The defending league champs, Kansas State, will host the Horned Frogs on Oct. 21, after the two teams played two incredible games in 2022, a 38-28 TCU win in Fort Worth and a 31-28 K-State win in the Big 12 championship game.
Who are the winners and losers?
Winner: Kansas State seemed to get its respect, kicking off the league schedule at home for the first time since 2017 with a game against UCF on Sept. 23. The Wildcats will also host Houston, meaning they won’t be traveling to any of the new teams’ stadiums this season.
Loser: Oklahoma begins Big 12 play with a road trip to Cincinnati, and wraps up the season with its first-ever trip to BYU on Nov. 18 before hosting TCU. The Sooners have one of the most unfamiliar schedules, and won’t play Kansas State or Baylor this season.
Winner: Baylor plays a school-record eight home games this season, with its first four matchups at McLane Stadium, including Texas on Sept. 23. The Bears only leave the state of Texas for road games at UCF, Cincinnati and Kansas State.
Loser: Iowa State has a tough closing slate, finishing with a Nov. 11 trip to Provo for its first matchup against BYU since 1974, before hosting Texas on Nov. 18 and then traveling to Kansas State on Nov. 25.
What’s at stake for fans of the new teams?
Houston, which was left out of the Big 12 after the SWC dissolved, gets in with perhaps one last shot at Texas and Oklahoma. The Cougars play their first seven games in Texas and replace Conference USA teams like Temple, Navy and East Carolina on the schedule with Baylor, Texas Tech and TCU, which will be a boost for fans.
BYU, which played two tight games with Baylor the past two years, misses the Bears now that the teams are conference rivals. But the home game against Oklahoma will be a hot ticket in Provo. Cougars fans will also get the benefit of Texas Tech’s first-ever game in Utah while watching an exciting offense that was influenced heavily by legendary BYU coach LaVell Edwards.
Cincinnati faces all three fellow newcomers, helping to lay down the foundation for future rivalries, with a home game against UCF and road trips to BYU and Houston. The Sept. 23 home game against Oklahoma could be one of the hottest tickets in Nippert Stadium history.
UCF appears to avoid the riskiest of the cold-weather road trips, with two November home games against Oklahoma State and Houston in Orlando, and one road game against Texas Tech. The Knights don’t play Texas this season, but will have tough road contests against Kansas State and Oklahoma.
Sept. 2: Texas State
Sept. 9: Utah
Sept. 16: Long Island
Sept. 23: Texas
Sept. 30: at UCF
Oct. 7: Texas Tech
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: at Cincinnati
Oct. 28: Iowa State
Nov. 4: Houston
Nov. 11: at Kansas State
Nov. 18: at TCU
Nov. 25: West Virginia
Sept. 2: Sam Houston
Sept. 9: Southern Utah
Sept. 16: at Arkansas
Sept. 23: at Kansas
Sept. 29: Cincinnati
Oct. 7: Open
Oct. 14: at TCU
Oct. 21: Texas Tech
Oct. 28: at Texas
Nov. 4: at West Virginia
Nov. 11: Iowa State
Nov. 18: Oklahoma
Nov. 25: at Oklahoma State
Sept. 2: Eastern Kentucky
Sept. 9: at Pitt
Sept. 16: Miami (Ohio)
Sept. 23: Oklahoma
Sept. 29: at BYU
Oct. 7: Open
Oct. 14: Iowa State
Oct. 21: Baylor
Oct. 28: at Oklahoma State
Nov. 4: UCF
Nov. 11: at Houston
Nov. 18: at West Virginia
Nov. 25: Kansas
Sept. 2: UTSA
Sept. 9: at Rice
Sept. 16: TCU
Sept. 23: Sam Houston
Sept. 30: at Texas Tech
Oct. 7: Open
Oct. 12: West Virginia
Oct. 21: Texas
Oct. 28: at Kansas State
Nov. 4: at Baylor
Nov. 11: Cincinnati
Nov. 18: Oklahoma State
Nov. 25: at UCF
Sept. 2: Northern Iowa
Sept. 9: Iowa
Sept. 16: at Ohio
Sept. 23: Oklahoma State
Sept. 30: at Oklahoma
Oct. 7: TCU
Oct. 14: at Cincinnati
Oct. 21: Open
Oct. 28: at Baylor
Nov. 4: Kansas
Nov. 11: at BYU
Nov. 18: Texas
Nov. 25: at Kansas State
Sept. 2: Missouri State
Sept. 9: Illinois
Sept. 16: at Nevada
Sept. 23: BYU
Sept. 30: at Texas
Oct. 7: UCF
Oct. 14: at Oklahoma State
Oct. 21: Open
Oct. 28: Oklahoma
Nov. 4: at Iowa State
Nov. 11: Texas Tech
Nov. 18: Kansas State
Nov. 25: at Cincinnati
Sept. 2: Southeast Missouri
Sept. 9: Troy
Sept. 16: at Missouri
Sept. 23: UCF
Sept. 30: Open
Oct. 6: at Oklahoma State
Oct. 14: at Texas Tech
Oct. 21: TCU
Oct. 28: Houston
Nov. 4: at Texas
Nov. 11: Baylor
Nov. 18: at Kansas
Nov. 25: Iowa State
Sept. 2: Arkansas State
Sept. 9: SMU
Sept. 16: at Tulsa
Sept. 23: at Cincinnati
Sept. 30: Iowa State
Oct. 7: Texas (Dallas)
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: UCF
Oct. 28: at Kansas
Nov. 4: at Oklahoma State
Nov. 11: West Virginia
Nov. 18: at BYU
Nov. 25: TCU
Sept. 2: Central Arkansas
Sept. 9: at Arizona State
Sept. 16: South Alabama
Sept. 23: at Iowa State
Sept. 30: Open
Oct. 6: Kansas State
Oct. 14: Kansas
Oct. 21: at West Virginia
Oct. 28: Cincinnati
Nov. 4: Oklahoma
Nov. 11: at UCF
Nov. 18: at Houston
Nov. 25: BYU
·Sept. 2: Colorado
Sept. 9: Nicholls
Sept. 16: at Houston
Sept. 23: SMU
Sept. 30: West Virginia
Oct. 7: at Iowa State
Oct. 14: BYU
Oct. 21: at Kansas State
Oct. 28: Open
Nov. 2: at Texas Tech
Nov. 11: Texas
Nov. 18: Baylor
Nov. 24: at Oklahoma
Sept. 2: Rice
Sept. 9: at Alabama
Sept. 16: Wyoming
Sept. 23: at Baylor
Sept. 30: Kansas
Oct. 7: Oklahoma (Dallas)
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: at Houston
Oct. 28: BYU
Nov. 4: Kansas State
Nov. 11: at TCU
Nov. 18: at Iowa State
Nov. 24: Texas Tech
Sept. 2: at Wyoming
Sept. 9: Oregon
Sept. 16: Tarleton State
Sept. 23: at West Virginia
Sept. 30: Houston
Oct. 7: at Baylor
Oct. 14: Kansas State
Oct. 21: at BYU
Oct. 28: Open
Nov. 4: TCU
Nov. 11: at Kansas
Nov. 18: UCF
Nov. 24: at Texas
Aug. 31: Kent State
Sept. 9: at Boise State
Sept. 16: Villanova
Sept. 23: at Kansas State
Sept. 30: Baylor
Oct. 7: at Kansas
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: at Oklahoma
Oct. 28: West Virginia
Nov. 4: at Cincinnati
Nov. 11: Oklahoma State
Nov. 18: at Texas Tech
Nov. 25: Houston
Sept. 2: at Penn State
Sept. 9: Duquesne
Sept. 16: Pitt
Sept. 23: Texas Tech
Sept. 30: at TCU
Oct. 7: Open
Oct. 12: at Houston
Oct. 21: Oklahoma State
Oct. 28: at UCF
Nov. 4: BYU
Nov. 11: at Oklahoma
Nov. 18: Cincinnati
Nov. 25: at Baylor
Mitch Marner was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights — with an eight-year extension in place, sources told ESPN on Monday. Forward Nicolas Roy will go to the Toronto Maple Leafs in return.
Marner’s new deal has a $12 million average annual value, according to sources. Marner, 28, was the biggest name entering Tuesday’s NHL free agency, and multiple teams were hoping to make pitches. Marner was the NHL’s fifth-leading scorer last season with 102 points — 36 more than the next-closest free agent. The winger was drafted by his hometown Maple Leafs with the No. 4 pick in 2015.
The Maple Leafs knew that Marner was looking to test free agency at the end of the season. Over the past few days, Toronto worked with Vegas, which was Marner’s preferred destination, on a trade. The Maple Leafs held Marner’s rights until just before midnight Tuesday.
Had Marner become an unrestricted free agent, he couldn’t have signed a deal for more than seven years.
Marner finished a six-year deal that paid him $10.9 million annually. Marner, who played for Team Canada at Four Nations and likely will make their Olympic team, has 221 goals and 741 points in nine NHL seasons.
Toronto general manager Brad Treliving has stayed busy this week, re-signing John Tavares and Matthew Knies while trading for Utah forward Matias Maccelli earlier Monday.
Roy, 28, is a center who is entering Year 4 of a five-year deal that pays him $3 million annually.
Ahead of the Marner trade, the Golden Knights created cap space by sending defenseman Nicolas Hague to the Nashville Predators on Monday.
The deal makes Marner the highest-paid player on Vegas, however, center Jack Eichel ($10 million AAV) is entering the final year of his contract and is eligible to sign an extension this summer. The Golden Knights might not be done this offseason. According to sources, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is expected to go on long-term injured reserve, which could create more flexibility.
Sign-and-trades ahead of free agency are becoming a trend for NHL teams that know they will not sign their coveted player; last season, the Carolina Hurricanes dealt Jake Guentzel‘s rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning before he signed a seven-year deal.
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Ryan S. Clark
Hours after re-signing Aaron Ekblad, the Florida Panthers kept another integral piece of their Stanley Cup team by re-signing Brad Marchand to a six-year contract extension, sources told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.
Marchand’s deal has an average annual value of $5.25 million, sources told Kaplan.
Coming to terms with Ekblad on an eight-year extension worth $6.1 million annually left the Panthers with what PuckPedia projected to be $4.9 million in salary cap space.
There was the possibility that Marchand, 37, could have left the Panthers for a more lucrative offer elsewhere considering there were teams that had more than enough cap space to sign him.
Instead? Marchand, who arrived ahead of the NHL trade deadline from the Boston Bruins, appears as if he will remain in South Florida for the rest of his career.
Acquiring defenseman Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks and then adding Marchand were two decisions made by Panthers general manager Bill Zito with the intent of seeing the Panthers win a second consecutive Stanley Cup as part of a run that now has included three straight Cup Final appearances.
Marchand, who was a pending UFA entering the final day before free agency begins Tuesday, used the 2025 postseason to further cement why the Panthers and other teams throughout the NHL would still seek his services. He scored 10 goals and finished with 20 points in 23 playoff games.
For all the contributions he made, his greatest came during the Cup Final series against the Edmonton Oilers.
Marchand, who previously won a Cup with the Bruins back in 2011, opened the series with a goal in the first three games. That includes the two goals he scored in the Panthers’ 5-4 double-overtime win to tie the series with his second being the game-winning salvo.
He scored two more goals in a 5-2 win in Game 5 that allowed the Panthers to take a 3-1 series lead before returning to Sunrise, Florida, where they closed out the series with an emphatic 5-1 win.
Capturing a consecutive title created questions about whether the Panthers can win a third in a row. But there was the understanding that it might be difficult given there was only so much salary cap space to re-sign Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett, Ekblad and Marchand.
Knowing there was a chance they could lose one, or more, of them, Zito laid the foundation to retain the trio. He began by signing Bennett to an eight-year contract worth $8 million annually on June 27 before using Monday to sign Ekblad and Marchand.
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Ryan S. Clark
Ivan Provorov decided to forgo free agency, with the veteran defenseman finalizing a seven-year extension Monday worth $8.5 million annually to remain with the Columbus Blue Jackets, sources told ESPN, confirming earlier reports.
With free agency slated to start Tuesday, the 28-year-old was one of the most notable defenseman who had a chance to hit the open market.
Provorov’s decision to stay with the Blue Jackets comes shortly after it was reported that Aaron Ekblad also avoided free agency by agreeing to an eight-year extension to remain with the Florida Panthers. That now leaves players such as Vladislav Gavrikov, Ryan Lindgren, and Dmitry Orlov among the more prominent pending UFAs who could be available should they fail to strike a deal with their current teams.
Retaining Provorov comes months after a season that witnessed the Blue Jackets shed the title of being a rebuilding franchise to one that could challenge for the playoffs in 2025-26.
Four consecutive seasons without the playoffs created the idea that the 2024-25 campaign could be another challenging one. But a six-game winning streak in January saw Columbus post a 22-17-6 record to create the belief that a turnaround could be in order.
The Jackets closed the season with another six-game winning streak but fell short of the final Eastern Conference wild-card playoff spot, which went to the Montreal Canadiens by two points.
Provorov would finish with seven goals and 33 points in 82 games while his 23 minutes, 21 seconds in average ice time was second behind Norris Trophy finalist Zach Werenski.
Re-signing Provorov comes in an offseason that saw the Blue Jackets also strengthen their bottom-six forward corps by adding Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche.
PuckPedia projects that the Blue Jackets now have $20.957 million in cap space ahead of free agency.
TSN was first to report news of Provorov’s decision.
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