After a 13-year run in the Pac-12, the CU Buffs are headed back to the Big 12 Conference. But this isn’t the same Big 12 fans may remember from the Buffs’ glory days of the 1990s and early 2000s.
With 16 schools spanning three time zones, the new-look conference is a sprawling collection of holdovers, left-behinds and migrants that just 14 years ago were spread across four different conferences with one (BYU) independent. Here’s a quick look at each of the conference members, from as far east as Morgantown, W.Va., all the way west to Salt Lake City:
ARIZONA WILDCATS
Location: Tucson, Ariz.
Year joined Big 12: 2024
Undergrad enrollment: 40,407
Distance from Boulder: 927 miles
Last football conference championship: 1993 (Pac-10)
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 10-16
Mascot: Wilbur and Wilma Wildcat
One thing to know: Why does it say “Bear Down” on the Wildcats’ field? It was John Byrd “Button” Salmon’s last message to his football teammates before he tragically died in the hospital following a car crash in the fall of 1926.
ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
Location: Tempe, Ariz.
Year joined Big 12: 2024
Undergrad enrollment: 65,492
Distance from Boulder: 884 miles
Last football conference championship: 2007 (Pac-10)
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 10-4
Mascot: Sparky
One thing to know: No, the Sun Devil student section isn’t doing the “Hook ’em Horns” hand signal. It’s “Fork ’em Devils” — a peace sign accompanied by a raised pinky that, admittedly, looks and sounds a lot like its UT counterpart.
BAYLOR BEARS
Location: Waco, Texas
Year joined Big 12: 1996
Undergrad enrollment: 15,213
Distance from Boulder: 866 miles
Last football conference championship: 2021
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 7-9
Mascots: Costumed bears Bruiser and Marigold, plus live mascots Indy and Belle
One thing to know: Every Tuesday the school hosts Dr Pepper Hour in honor of the soft drink that originated in Waco.
BYU COUGARS
Location: Provo, Utah
Year joined Big 12: 2023
Undergrad enrollment: 31,401
Distance from Boulder: 493 miles
Last football conference championship: 2007 (Mountain West)
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 3-8-1
Mascots: Cosmo the Cougar
One thing to know: Due to the school’s connection to the Mormon church, BYU has a religious exemption recognized by the NCAA that ensures the Cougars never have to play on Sundays.
CENTRAL FLORIDA KNIGHTS
Location: Orlando, Fla.
Year joined Big 12: 2023
Undergrad enrollment: 58,749
Distance from Boulder: 1,872 miles
Last football conference championship: 2018 (AAC)
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 0-0
Mascots: Knightro the Knight and Pegasus, an Andalusian stallion
One thing to know: After a 13-0 finish to the 2017 season, UCF athletic director Danny White declared the Knights national champions — even though they weren’t invited to the College Football Playoff.
CINCINNATI BEARCATS
Location: Cincinnati
Year joined Big 12: 2023
Undergrad enrollment: 29,989
Distance from Boulder: 1,210 miles
Last football conference championship: 2021 (AAC)
CFP appearances: 1
All-time football record vs. CU: 0-1
Mascots: The Bearcat, plus Lucy, a Palawan binturong who resides at the Cincinnati Zoo
One thing to know: Before they were podcast hosts, Jason and Travis Kelce played football for the Bearcats. When Travis was kicked off the team in 2010, older brother Jason convinced the coach to give Killa Trav another chance.
HOUSTON COUGARS
Location: Houston
Year joined Big 12: 2023
Undergrad enrollment: 37,943
Distance from Boulder: 1,039 miles
Last football conference championship: 2015 (AAC)
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 0-1
Mascots: Shasta and Sasha, plus live mascot Shasta VII
One thing to know: After the Cougs score, The Blaze — an oil field siren — sounds at TDECU Stadium as a nod to the school’s ties to the petroleum industry.
IOWA STATE CYCLONES
Location: Ames, Iowa
Year joined Big 12: 1908
Undergrad enrollment: 25,241
Distance from Boulder: 719 miles
Last football conference championship: 1912 (Missouri Valley/Big Eight)
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 15-49-1
Mascot: Cy the Cardinal
One thing to know: Iowa State’s Jack Trice Stadium is the only Division I stadium named after a Black person. Trice was the first Black athlete to play for ISU but died after being injured in a game against Minnesota on Oct. 6, 1923.
KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Location: Lawrence, Kan.
Year joined Big 12: 1907
Undergrad enrollment: 19,241
Distance from Boulder: 587 miles
Last football conference championship: 1968 (Big Eight)
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 25-42-3
Mascots: Big Jay and Baby Jay
One thing to know: It’s no secret Kansas is known as a basketball school, but the Jayhawks produced legendary running back Gale Sayers as well as former Broncos stars Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr.
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
Location: Manhattan, Kan.
Year joined Big 12: 1913
Undergrad enrollment: 15,046
Distance from Boulder: 514 miles
Last football conference championship: 2022 (Big 12)
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 20-45-1
Mascot: Willie the Wildcat
One thing to know: When Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder took over K-State’s football program in 1989, the Wildcats had a cumulative record of 299-510 (.370) and Sports Illustrated referred to the school as “Futility U.” Now the stadium is named after him.
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
Location: Stillwater, Okla.
Year joined Big 12: 1925
Undergrad enrollment: 20,801
Distance from Boulder: 664 miles
Last football conference championship: 2011
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 20-26-1
Mascot: Pistol Pete
One thing to know: One of the Cowboys’ most memorable moments came in 2007 when coach Mike Gundy went on his iconic “I’m a man! I’m 40!” rant during a postgame press conference. Gundy is now 56.
TCU HORNED FROGS
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Year joined Big 12: 2012
Undergrad enrollment: 10,523
Distance from Boulder: 783 miles
Last football conference championship: 2014
CFP appearances: 1
All-time football record vs. CU: 1-1
Mascot: SuperFrog
One thing to know: TCU left Fort Worth in 1873 after saloons, gambling halls, and brothels began to pop up in the areas surrounding campus. The school relocated to the town of Thorp Spring and then later set up shop in Waco before returning to Fort Worth in 1910.
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Year joined Big 12: 1996
Undergrad enrollment: 32,579
Distance from Boulder: 575 miles
Last football conference championship: 1994 (SWC)
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 5-5
Mascots: Red Raider and Masked Rider
One thing to know: Tech fans, particularly students, are known for tossing tortillas on the field during games. The NCAA is not a fan of this unofficial tradition and in 2001 established a “tortilla penalty” rule.
UTAH UTES
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Year joined Big 12: 2024
Undergrad enrollment: 26,355
Distance from Boulder: 515 miles
Last football conference championship: 2022 (Pac-12)
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 35-32-3
Mascots: Swoop, the red-tailed hawk
One thing to know: The Utah student section is known as the MUSS, an acronym for the Mighty Utah Student Section. The MUSS is known for jumping up around and making noise on opponent third downs and hangs “5s” for every opponent false start.
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS
Location: Morgantown, W. Va.
Year joined Big 12: 2012
Undergrad enrollment: 19,059
Distance from Boulder: 1,484 miles
Last football conference championship: 2011 (Big East)
CFP appearances: 0
All-time football record vs. CU: 1-1
Mascot: The Mountaineer
One thing to know: The Mountaineer’s rifle isn’t just a prop. In 2012, the student who served as WVU’s Mountaineer was reprimanded for using the school-issued gun to shoot a bear on a hunting trip.
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